[KHTS] – Hundreds of Santa Clarita leaders turned out for the city of Santa Clarita State of the City Luncheon 2014 on Thursday to hear about what city officials have done this year and what they plan to do in the upcoming year.

The “Fit For The Future” themed event was held at the Hyatt Regency in Valencia where the guests listened to speaker presentations by the city council and watch video presentations, including a final blooper reel at the end.

“This is, to me, one of the most exciting events of the year because it gives the city council an opportunity to talk about what’s happening, what has happened, what we have been able to accomplish and then be able to talk about what we’re going to be working on in the future,” said Mayor Pro Tem Marsha McLean. “It’s a fun event. There’s no pressure on anyone and it’s just a wonderful way for the community to get to know us and get to know our city better.”

The event began with a welcome by Ken Striplin, city manager for the city of Santa Clarita followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by R.J. Kelly and an invocation by Family Community Church Pastor Mike Sheridan.

“People enjoy coming together and visiting,” said Councilmember Bob Kellar. “I’ll be honest, before I leave here today, I’ll make four or five important contacts for city business. We have some fun at this, too.”

The attendees mingled at lunch and then watched videos from the city of Santa Clarita. Each council member had the chance to give a presentation about what they have been working on
this year and what they plan to work on in the future.

“One of the most important things, I think, that the city can do is stay connected to the residents,” said Councilmember Dante Acosta. “I want to make sure I know what’s happening in the community so I can take that back to the council, distill it down and help to make Santa Clarita an even better place than it is.”

The final video included bloopers from other videos played during the event.

“We have a very diverse number of community members here in the audience.I think the most fun is our outtakes at the end,” McLean said. “The bloopers are always a surprise and it’s always a lot of fun.”