Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 11, 2010

2

Sierra Madre 91024

 MountainViews-Observer Saturday, September 11, 2010 

A brief synopsis of some of the Organizations that are the ‘heart and soul’ of Sierra Madre.


Sierra Madre Historical 
Preservation Society

SIERRA MADRE CIVIC CLUB

Since 1944 Sierra Madre Civic Club has provided a fun 
experience for women in the area, but with a serious side in 
its devotion to community service and generous giving to 
charity. They have received several community awards in 
recognition of their good works.

Evening meetings are held throughout the year on the second 
Thursday, 7:30 p.m., in Memorial Park Hart Senior Center, 222 
W. Sierra Madre Blvd. Their annual Spring Salad Luncheon 
and Auction, set this year for Saturday, April 9, at La Salle 
High School Auditorium, is a Sierra Madre main event and 
their main fund raiser. Another important fundraiser is their 
Civic Club Shoppe, which features a variety of hand knits and 
other creative items for sale – for a special gift or a treat for 
yourself. Be sure to visit the Shoppe at the upcoming Dickens 
Village in November for those special Christmas gifts!

They also have special concern about their members and step 
up to the plate whenever a member is in need. Civic Club is a 
place to make warm friendships.

Carol Cerrina, a ten-year very active member, is serving 
as club president this year. Board members are: Anita 
Thompson, Jean Coleman, Karma Bell, Joan Spears, Linda Wochnik, Debbie Sheridan, Sue Quinn, Ruth Torres, Nancy Shollenberger 
and Pat Alcorn. To learn more about this active group and the Civic Club experience contact Membership Chairs Spears at 355-3360 or 
Wochnik at 351-2042.

The Sierra Madre Historical Society was founded on April 21, 
1931 when Sierra Madre was preparing to celebrate the 50th 
anniversary of its founding. The constitution and bylaws were 
drafted by Anetta Carter, widow of the founder of the town, and 
she was named honorary president. Harold Carew, book editor 
of the Pasadena Star-News served as the Society's first president. 

In 1950 the Society published Annals of Early Sierra Madre. 
Edith Blumer Bowen, a member of one of the pioneer families, 
had collected accounts of early Sierra Madre and compiled these 
into a book. C.W. Jones, Sierra Madre's first mayor, was president 
of the Society at that time. 

 During the 1970s the Society sponsored several historic bus tours 
of Sierra Madre with stops at old homes and points of interest. 
In 1974 the Society began restoring the Richardson House in 
Mount Wilson Trail Park in order to open it to the public as a 
museum. Also in that year the Society erected the bell tower in 
Kersting Court to house the old school bell. In 1976 the Society 
was involved in planning the community celebration on July 4th 
and brought a converted Pacific Electric Red Car back to town for 
rides with conductor Red Dowding. The group also placed a time 
capsule in front of City Hall. 

 In April of 1991, the Preservation Society of Sierra Madre joined 
the Historical Society and together they became the Sierra Madre 
Historical Preservation Society. In 1999 the Society partnered 
with the Sierra Madre Public Library to establish the Sierra Madre 
Historical Archives, a local history collection. An archivist was 
hired to oversee preservation and access to the collection. 

 In 2004 the Society began work on an updated, authoritative 
history book and in September announced that Michele Zack 
would author the book. The group is actively raising funds to 
support this ambitious project. The goal is to complete the book 
by 2007, the centennial year of Sierra Madre's incorporation as a 
California city.

 The purposes of the Society are the collection, preservation, 
and exhibition of historical documents and artifacts pertaining 
to the founding and subsequent development of Sierra Madre, 
California and its surrounding community; the gathering and 
cataloging of current history for future generations; provision 
of archival access for research purposes; and the continuation 
of the restoration and preservation of Lizzie's Trail Inn and the 
Richardson House. 

 The Society actively promotes local history and preservation 
efforts. The Board of Directors meets on a monthly basis, the third 
Thursday of each month, and meetings are open to the public. 

 To contact us, please write to the Sierra Madre Historical 
Preservation Society at P.O. Box 202, Sierra Madre, CA 91025 or 
call (626)355-8129.

Creative Arts Group, a Sierra Madre Treasure

The only non-profit art center in Sierra Madre, Creative Arts Group is a community treasure contributing to the enjoyment 
of creative life for generations by offering classes and workshops in the arts for children and adults, civic support, special 
museum or other art related tours, benefits, scholarships, birthday parties, free art projects, programs for the local elementary 
school, artist receptions and presentations, exhibitions, as well as gallery and gift shopping.

The environment at Creative Arts Group is one 
that fosters a community of students of all ages 
and ability in a wide range of creative interests, a 
place for professional artists to show and sell their 
work, and a unique and wonderful place for anyone 
to enjoy viewing a wide array of art or to find a 
beautiful gift or work of art to purchase.

UPCOMING EVENTS THIS FALL:

• The Fall Session begins the week of September 20 
featuring classes for adults and children in drawing, 
painting, ceramics, enameling, jewelry, mosaics, 
and puppetry.

• The Annual Art Festival held November 5-7, 
includes the work of more than 70 artists, a student 
sale, and artist demonstrations.

• Free Family Art Project (“Family Rings”) at 
Creative Arts Group in conjunction with Dickens 
Village on November 27, 4-7pm.

For more information see our website at 
creativeartsgroup.org, call us at 626-355-8350, or 
come by and see us at 108 N. Baldwin Ave., Sierra 
Madre 91024.


A young artists depiction of Rudyard Kipling’s How The Elephant Got Its 
Trunk - 2008

Rotary International

Rotary International is the world’s first service club organization, 
with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. 
Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, 
and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, 
provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate 
polio under the motto Service Above Self. The Rotary Club of 
Sierra Madre has always taken an active part in local service and 
social events. 

 Locally, you will find this very active club participating in many 
events including the Wisteria Festival where they cook up the famous 
tri tip sandwiches. We sponsor scholarships for local teachers 
and college bound students. They also host students to attend 
leadership camps for both high school juniors and eighth grade 
students. Additionally, we sponsor a very active Community 
Based Interact Club. Interact is a group of service-oriented young 
adults from local high schools committed to community service for 
Sierra Madre and surrounding communities as well as international 
service such as funding hearing aids for deaf children in Mexico. 

The club has been participating in the Sierra Madre 4th of July 
Parade for years always with “creative” entries and this year was 
no exception. The Dan Stover Memorial Music Scholarship 
program is great opportunity for talented high school students 
to compete and win educational scholarships. If you attend the 
Summer Concert in the Park series you’ll probably remember the 
sold out Elvis Concert in the Park also hosted by 
Sierra Madre Rotary. This September marks the 
first annual A Taste of Sierra Madre headed by 
Rotarian Tom Brady which proceeds will benefit 
the Rotoplast Cleft Palate Surgery Fund and 
Expanded Fine Arts Programming at Sierra Madre’s 
Youth Center. Rotarians also promote literacy by 
donating funding for new books for the Sierra 
Madre Library.

So if you looking to become involved internationally 
and/or locally, come check out this very active club. 
Please feel free to call the membership chair, Carole 
Tremblay, at 626-696-4344 or come to a meeting 
any Tuesday at 7:00-8:30am at the Hart House in the 
middle of Memorial Park. 

 The Rotary Club of Sierra Madre meets each 
Tuesday morning at 7:00am at the Historic Hart 
House Community Center in Memorial Park, 

222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 863, Sierra Madre CA 
91025


THE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT OF 
THE SIERRA MADRE HISTORICAL 
PRESERVATION SOCIETY

A cattle drive down Sierra Madre Blvd. during the dairy fire in 
1942; a hostage taken by a bank robber in 1932; a purple powder 
faced ghost exorcised from a Craftsman house; camellias in 
Descanso Gardens grown in the 7.5 acre Star Nursery by Francis 
Uyematsu, the Japanese owner, who lost his nursery after his 
internment during WWII. These historical tidbits are all part 
of the storied past of Sierra Madre recollected by citizens in their 
oral history recordings.

The Sierra Madre Historical Preservation Society is conducting 
an ongoing oral history project in partnership with the library’s 
archival department in an effort to preserve fascinating facts 
about our village. So far, over 140 oral histories have captured 
stories that otherwise might have been lost in future generations.

Anyone wanting more information about the oral history project 
or would like to record recollections of an earlier Sierra Madre, 
contact the historical society at 355-8129.

The Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit 
(501c6) member corporation comprised 
(currently) of about one hundred fifty-five 
members. Its mission is “to encourage a 
healthy business environment by advancing, 
promoting and supporting the businesses 
serving Sierra Madre.” The makeup of the 
Chamber membership is fifty-nine percent 
commercial businesses, fifteen percent 
home based businesses, twelve percent non-
profit businesses or service organization, 
eleven percent resident members, and three 
percent financial/utility/gov’t. organization. 
Member dues rates vary depending on the 
type of business and number of employees, 
ranging from a high of $350 for businesses 
such as financial institutions, utilities, 
government agencies and retail/commercial 
businesses with one hundred or more 
employees to resident members that pay 
just $60/year for a non-voting membership 
to show their support for the organization 
and its member businesses. Most members 
pay about $125/year to be a member.

 Benefits of Membership include advertising 
in the Chamber directory (print and 
online), discounted admission to Chamber 
mixers and business education workshops, 
free subscriptions to print and online 
newsletters, reduced price advertising in 
Chamber and non-Chamber publications, 
discounts on business marketing software 
such as Constant Contact, and half price 
membership in the Arcadia Chamber for 
Sierra Madre based-businesses that are 
Sierra Madre Chamber members. The 
Chamber also advocates for its member 
businesses with local and regional 
government organizations. 

 Each year, the Chamber hosts or 
participates in such activities as Halloween 
Happenings (downtown trick or treating at 
local merchants), 4th of July (co-sponsor of 
the Beer Garden, parade entry), Citizen of 
the Year, Friday Night Live, Dickens Village 
(this year, Nov. 27th), and Sierra Madre’s 
signature event, the Wistaria Festival, 
which has been known to draw enough 
people that the town’s population doubles 
for one day each March. A big thank you 
to the Solts and Dorrances, who own the 
properties where the vine is located and 
who open their properties to thousands of 
visitors each year, as well as to the dozens of 
volunteers that help make that festival what 
it is. Volunteers to assist in these activities 
are both necessary and welcome, and we 
encourage people to contact the Chamber 
at 355-5111 if they would like to help. 

 Each December, members elect a slate of 
new members, nominated by a nominating 
committee, 
and continuing 
members, to 
be its Board of 
Directors, and 
the members are 
installed at the 
annual Citizen of 
the Year/Board 
of Directors 
Installation 
Dinner, held 
the last Friday 
in January. The 
current Board 
consists of officers 
Matt Krantz, 
president (Bean 
Town); Neil Vance, 
vice-president 
(Neil Vance 
Photography); 
Susan Henderson, 
treasurer 
(Mountain Views 
News), Sue Lamb, secretary (Dickson-
Podley), and members Allyn Colbert 
(Colbert Hair Studio), Janette Ledea 
(ReMax Tri-City Realty), George Maurer 
(Associate Member), and Elaine Aguilar 
(City Manager). The City Council liaison to 
the Chamber is Nancy Walsh.

To learn more about the Chamber, 
its members and events, visit www.
SierraMadreChamber.com, www.
WistariaFestival.com, (tickets to ride the 
shuttle to view the vine will be available online 
by October), www.SMDickensVillage.info, 
To view a schedule of upcoming mixers, 
visit www.SierraMadreChamber.com/
mixers. 

Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce


Sierra Madre Rose Float 
Association

 

The community of Sierra Madre is one of the oldest participants 
in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, having entered a 
float since 1917. Today, the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association 
funds, designs, builds and decorates the community’s annual 
entry. Carrying on a local tradition, ours is one of only a few all-
volunteer-built floats remaining in the parade.

 

 SMRFA is a non-profit, all volunteer organization dedicated 
to entering a float in the annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses 
Parade. We are a totally “Self-Built” float – we design, construct, 
decorate and raise the necessary funds to produce our float every 
year. Funding is achieved through donations, memberships and 
local fundraising activities. 

 The Association won their 5th Consecutive Trophy for their 2010 
Entry, “California Girls”. The Governor’s Award for “The Best 
Depiction Of Life In California” was awarded to the SMFRA. 
The float was one of six non commercial floats in the parade. 
Previously, in recent years, SMRFA has won The Founders Trophy 
(2006); Lathrop K. Leishman Trophy (2007 and 2009); and The 
Princess Trophy (2008).

 Every age is encouraged to become a member or volunteer We 
provide all training necessary to construct or decorate the float, 
including necessary tools and skills. We provide a college tuition 
scholarship program for deserving students Members receive 
our monthly “Float Notes” Newsletter and Activities Calendar 
Members select the design concept for our official parade entry 
Student volunteers receive community service hours. 

For more information call 626-355-7005