It is what it is and this spokesperson at least gives a cohesive reason why the parade should be disrupted.  Although I don’t agree with it in its entirety, something has gone horribly wrong where this once largely free event is now costing us a fortune to even view the floats after the fact at Victory Park.  Hell, even some of the floats charge “Volunteers” for the privilege of helping to decorate.  If they disrupt I fear they stand more to lose more potential followers than they can gain. Is this being naughty or nice is up for debate.

We all know the story for required reading in High School.  To Kill A Mocking bird is set in 1935, the rural south and told from a child’s point of view.  It is about a black man accused of raping a white woman and exposes the racism of the period.  This cast gave a wonderful rendition of the play on their small intimate stage.

What I didn’t know is what a great little venue the Sierra Madre Playhouse is for such a play. It is small enough that you have an up close and personal view of the stage no matter where you are in the room.  The seats are nice and comfy stuffed theatre seats…though they are covered in bright red mouse fur.  Parking is ample and free near the theater.  One caveat, they don’t do assigned seating, rather its by cattle call Ala Southwest so you do need to be in line early in order to get the best seats.

I’ve been here in the SGV for many years and often heard of the Sierra Madre Playhouse, just never had the time to get there until last night for the short trek up the hill to see them.  If To Kill A Mockingbird is an indication of the quality production they do I’ll be back.  More information on Sierra Madre Playhouse’s presentation of To Kill A Mockingbird just pop onto their web link HERE.

It’s time to strap up, square off, and challenge yourself and your friends in an epic obstacle/adventure run experience! Dan Clark aka Nitro, from the original American Gladiators, is putting on the Gladiator Rock’n Run one-day challenge in Pasadena’s world famous Rose Bowl on October 1st.  Gladiator Rock’ n Run is a muddy, gritty, ultimate-test-of-wills event!  At the end of the run is the “Rock’n Rumble Pit” where you can square off against your friends and others, in Pugil Mayhem, Mud Tug-O-War, and other battle-hardened games, just like the old-school. Ages 14-and-up can participate, and racers are encouraged to form teams, wear over-the-top costumes, and get down and dirty! Plenty of freebies for finishers, including t-shirts from Affliction, and prizes for the top 3.

After the games are done, there’s 3 kickin’ bands ready to turn it up for the party,with food and free beer for race challenge participants (21+). Enjoy the event knowing that proceeds will go to benefit the charity TACA: (Talk About Curing Autism) Bring friends, family, and gawkers; it’ll be a muddy, wild, and awesome time, all for a good cause!More details can be found at their Web Site.  Contest info deets after the jump.

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This video showed up in my email this morning.  Not everyone in the SGV, include me among them, think that bears in our yards are a bad thing.  This homeowner had them in their Koi pond and enjoyed it tremendously.  They have the right idea, give them distance to stay safe and enjoy the visit the best you can.  Not all bear visits are bad news.

Last night was the kick off to the 125th Anniversary celebrations in Monrovia and it was a parade.  The Art Bears, 7 in total stole the show.  Each of them here get bigger with a click, sorry but a couple of them aren’t that sharp…low light and moving caused a lot of problems.  The whole parade on my flickr set.

Actually, its more like two-and-a-half days as the parade doesn’t start until 7PM on Thursday, but the next two days will be busy in Old Town Monrovia.  We’re celebrating our 125th birthday and all are welcome to attend…its a folksy-homey-small-towny kind of event.  All the information you could want is on the city web HERE, with a special section for the 3.5 mile “Fountain to the Falls Walk/Run” HERE.  Map of center of Old Town HERE.  Seriously, it is all a lot of fun, especially if you have kids, I certainly will be around for most of it. Read the rest of this entry →

Meet Evan Cook, the Monrovia Association of Fine Art’s Student Artist of the Year.  I have to admit the funnest part of being in MAFA is to find young talent and help recognize them and foster their interest in creating art.  Watching Evan grow into his art the last few years has been fun and certainly he has grown tremendously under the mentoring of his teacher at MHS, Sal Perez, and his employer Lisa Barrios of the Paint n Play Art Studio and Gallery.  At Paint n Play Evan both shows his work and gives lessons on the potters wheel and ceramics.

More about him in the Fine Art Trekkin’ Monrovia blog post by Ginger Van Hook.  (She also made this interview video with Evan). Read the rest of this entry →

This particular bear is “Samson the Tourist Bear” and is done by local Artist Rick Kess. Rick is an artist that works at Disney making the floats for the parade. His bear took nearly 2 weeks to complete. Like all of the artists Rick started with a basic fiberglass bear which he embellished, a lot, before applying paint. The complete embellishment process can be found in my flickr set. All these images get bigger with a click.

Square Dancing Roller Skaters

The Parade that is a party…the random nearly-annual Doo Dah Parade takes place in East Pasadena on Saturday April 30.  None of the usual stuffiness of the Rose Parade, this is a totally irreverent event that I just adore.  Its a lot silliness, a lot of politically incorrect and just plain fun to watch it stroll on by.

The party is set to start 11 am-ish.  It will start at the corner of  Vinedo and Colorado Blvds (MAP HERE).  The parade will march down one side of Colorado Blvd westerly to Altadena then turn around and go east on the other side to San Gabriel Blvd.  At San Gabriel the parade again turns around to go west back to Vinedo Ave.

There are multiple parties going on after the parade.  The big official party will be at the American Legion Hall at  179 N Vinedo St (2 Blocks north of the parade route).  All the info you could want on the parade and after party HERE on the official web site.

Do arrive early as the spectator space fills fast. Sorry, but there is limited public transpo into the parade site and traffic does get nasty around there.

Sunday May 1st will be the first official Cinco de Mayo celebration in the SGV.  Rutillio “Rudy” Castrellon who owns Monrovia’s Rudy’s Mexican Restaurant (which I’ve blogged about in the past here) is the one spearheading this event. He is bringing it to us to help celebrate the day as they did in Mexico where he grew up as a kid. It will be a block party with the street blocked off to celebrate the day and the contribution of Latinos to the community and region.  Informational web site HERE.

There will be dancing in the street with music provided by Mariachi Divas, Delgado Brothers, Los Fabulocos and Banda Brothers.  There will also be artists and dancers in the event as well sharing their art.

Deets: Sunday May 1, 2011 2-8PM, Colorado and Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia CA MAP HERE

flier gets bigger with a click

Free is the magic word for this event, including the parking. They have some great presentations lined up to provide you with Strategies for Success in Today’s Economy. Some of the topics include Business Marketing, SBA Loan Programs and Services, Important Sales and Use Tax Updates, and much more. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to speak with experts from various agencies that specialize in helping small businesses grow and succeed. It is brought to us by Jerome E Horton (Chairman of the State Board of Equalization), Roger Hernandez (Assembly member 57th district) and the city of West Covina.

You do need to register online, for free with the BOE and can do so at This Link.  Or you can call to reserve a spot at 888-847-9652

Deets: Friday May 6, 2011 9AM – noon. 1444 West Garvey Ave (city hall) West Covina CA 91790  MAP HERE

OK…I am a fan of the Creme Brulee Torte from PF Chang’s and Cheesecake factory, not that I frequent either all that often.  It is a cheesecakey filling covered with oozy caramelly brulee topping.  Costco has it this week direct from the bakery for $13.89. Such a deal as the whole thing at the chain will run you $35.  The Restaurant Dessert Company will be at Costco Azusa until this Saturday.  Worth the short detour off of the 210 at Irwindale Ave here in the SGV.  MAP HERE.

Epoxy and fiberglass time for Rick's Art Bear.

My little corner of LA had “Samson the Hot Tub Bear” visiting us for a few years back in the mid-90′s.  Even the national news picked up on this bear.  Most saw him as an endearing critter and rather than kill him for being a pest he was captured and set off to a zoo to live off his remaining years.

To celebrate the legacy of Samson and the coming 125th Birthday of Monrovia (which some of us affectionately refer to as the Art City) there will be Art Bears.  There will be about a dozen of these bears in various styles produced by Monrovia artists.  These bears are sponsored by the locals as well.  These bears will be placed about Old Town Monrovia after the big birthday celebration parade in May.

This particular bear is being done by local artist Rick Kess who also happens to work for Disney in their visual arts department.  This bear so far is just getting some additional decoration on him prior to painting.  The next step is to sand him and down and prep for painting over next weekend. Read the rest of this entry →

Numerous twisties in the upper section of Highway39 in the San Gabriels.

If you have a car made for carving up the twisties in the mountains one of my favorite stretches in the area has reopened up to Crystal Lake.  Yup, CA Highway 39 that has been closed for the last 9 years has reopened, and that includes the sorta famous campground snack bar and its Chili.

I just got back after spending a couple of hours up there carving up the curves, gas prices be damned, and enjoyed every minute of it.  Of course once you are up there stop and enjoy the view as well as the snow melting around you…yes you are that high up. Read the rest of this entry →

Sign announcing new park feature.

I have to admit this stopped me in my tracks for a bit.  For the first time in ages I went onto the Lario San Gabriel River Trail via Encanto Park.  I’ve blogged in the past about this great little park, now they have a new feature.  A man made “river trail” replete with crane sculptures and nice little seating areas.

What a great place to take kids without the risks associated with the river itself to teach them about the rivers in the area.  Of course ripping out a bunch of grass and putting in native species will help with the water load created by that park in this Mediterranean climate of ours.

Pics by me with my cell phone or “toy camera”…more of the park and San Gabriel river after the jump.

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