Mountain Views News          Saturday, November 27, 2010

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviews


GOOD FOOD & DRINK

8

 Mountain Views News Saturday, November 27, 2010 


Thankfulness All Around


Every year, our fearless leader and Editor 
Susan asks us the writing staff, to try to 
incorporate a little “What we are thankful 
for” in our columns. Recently I had the 
absolute pleasure to meet Mike Tyleman 
leader of the USO. In fact if you didn’t hear 
him on my weekly radio 
show, you really missed 
out. 

The USO was founded 
in 1941 in response to a 
request from President 
Franklin D. Roosevelt 
to provide morale and 
recreation services to 
uniformed military 
personnel. This request 
led six civilian agencies -- the Salvation 
Army, Young Men’s Christian Association, 
Young Women’s Christian Association, 
National Catholic Community Services, 
National Travelers Aid Association and the 
National Jewish Welfare Board -- to unite 
in support of the troops. The United Service 
Organizations, or USO, was incorporated in 
New York February 4, 1941.

USO centers and clubs opened around the 
world in order to be a “Home Away from 
Home” for GIs. The USO was a place to go 
for dances and social events, for movies and 
music, for a quiet place to talk or write a 
letter home, or for a free cup of coffee and a 
doughnut. The USO also brought Hollywood 
celebrities and volunteer entertainers to 
perform for the troops.

At its high point in 1944, the USO had 
more than 3,000 clubs, and curtains were 
rising on USO shows 700 times a day. From 
1941 to 1947, the USO presented more than 
400,000 performances. Entertainers such as 
Bing Crosby, Ann Sheridan, James Cagney, 
Jimmy Stewart, Fred Astaire, the Andrews 
Sisters, Joe E. Brown, Glenn Miller, Martha 
Raye and, of course, Bob Hope were just a 
few of the “Soldiers in Greasepaint” who 
volunteered their time and talents to tour 
with the USO.

In 1950, when the United States entered the 
Korean War, the USO once again brought 
its vital services and entertainment tours, 
including Marilyn Monroe, to the troops. 
This effort continued after the war ended, 
and the USO expanded to serve the more 
than one million troops who remained 
stationed overseas. During the 1960s, as 
tensions escalated in Vietnam, the USO 
began to open centers in combat zones. The 
23 centers in Vietnam and Thailand served 
as many as a million service members a 
month, and the USO presented more than 
5,000 performances during the Vietnam 
War.

Today, the USO today is alive and well, 
observing 65 years of serving our men and 
women in uniform and their families around 
the world. To support troops participating 
in Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, 
USO centers opened in Afghanistan, Kuwait 
and Qatar. USO centers number more than 
120 around the world. Recently, the USO 
opened the Rocky Mountain USO Center at 
Denver International Airport and a second 
center in Kuwait. The USO provides a 
variety of programs and services, including 
orientation programs, family events, travel 
assistance, free Internet and e-mail access, 
and recreation services. USO entertainment 
tours continue to boost troop morale and 
feature such celebrities as Robin Williams, 
Wayne Newton, Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, 
Jessica Simpson, Charles Barkley, John 
Elway, Drew Carey and Toby Keith.

Military personnel and their families’ 
visit USO centers more than five million 
times each year. A nonprofit, charitable 
organization, the USO relies on donations 
from private citizens, foundations, 
organizations and corporations. More than 
33,000 USO volunteers provide an estimated 
371,418 hours of service annually.

I salute you my friends!!!

Please listen to this Saturday Nights Radio 
show. I call it “Dining with Dills. Saturday 
Night at 9 PM on KABC Talk Radio 790

THE CHEF KNOWS

Cafe 322 - 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. - Sierra Madre. CA

Phone (626) 836-5414 Fax: (626) 836-5787 


Win Two Tickets to the Friends 
of the Library 41st Annual Wine 
and Cuisine Tasting Event

February 18th at the Alverno Villa

Look for this Wine-Tasting Artwork in Mt. Views 
Publications now until January 31st. Answer the 
wine trivia question, complete the entry form and 
drop off at the Sierra Madre Library. 

Drawing Rules – Limited to one entry per 
person, per Mt Views publication. Winner need 
not be present to win General Admission tickets. 
Completed entry from must be delivered to the 
Sierra Madre Library during hours of operation, 
same week of publication. Drawing tickets have 
no cash value and cannot be refunded. Eligible 
entry form does not require a correct answer to 
the trivia question.


We bake all of our offered baked 
goods, right here in our kitchen so 
that you can share with your family 
and friends something that is both 
delicious and made with care and 
love – which is what we all look for, 
especially this time of year! 

 Our apple pies are made from 
organic apples that are brought in 
from a farm called Riley’s, at Los 
Rios Rancho in Yucaipa. Three 
types of apples go into the creation 
of our specialty pies, Granny Smith, 
Jonagold and Rome Beauty or Winesap. Each pie 
is crowned with a crumble topping, which makes 
for a much lighter pie. We offer our signature 
apple pies in both regular, and sugar free. 

But, apples pies are just the beginning of our 
homemade selections. On the pie front, we also 
carry a pumpkin and a regular or sugar free 
peach/berry pie. 

 The Bean Town bakery case also offers an 
assortment of delectable bars, including 
pumpkin, fudge brownie and a low fat fruit 
option. 

 Our carrot cake and various 
cheesecakes are a local favorite, and 
one must not forget the infamous 
chocolate layer cake which has a 
“to die for” reputation – you have 
to taste it to believe it! 

Did we mention the cupcakes? 

 The red velvet and chocolate 
are fan favorites, and baked daily. 
But this time of year our kitchen 
gets a’buzz creating Bean Town’s 
themed holiday cupcakes. 

They go fast and you don’t want to 
miss them, so be sure to order now! 

 We also carry a complete line of cookies. Our 
daily variety consists of chocolate chip, chocolate 
chip pecan, peanut butter, oatmeal and every 
kids’ favorite, M&M’s®. 

We are taking orders now for the holidays! Please 
place your holiday orders early.

BEANTOWN

45 N. Baldwin Ave.

Sierra Madre 

Bean Town brings you a taste of home to your holidays.