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Sierra Madre

Mountain Views News Saturday, March 3, 2012

MVNews this week: Page 3

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 3, 2012

CIVIC CLUB TO HOST
CASINO NIGHT

Fun, food, and fantastic prizes all can be yours at Sierra
Madre Civic Club’s Casino Night being held at the Sierra
Madre Community Recreation Center on Saturday, March
17 from 7 p.m. -11 p.m. For your $25 ticket, you will receive
a $50 stake at the gaming tables, St. Patrick’s Day-themed
refreshments, such as corned beef sliders, and a chance to
win a trip to Las Vegas. Beverages, including soft drinks,
beer, wine, and, of course, Irish coffee, will be available at a
modest cost.

At the blackjack tables, roulette wheel, craps tables,
and poker tables, your winnings will be in the form
of opportunity tickets, providing you chances to win
such incredible prizes such as a Kindle and a gift card to
Amazon, Nordstrom’s gift cards, an iPad, restaurant and
theater vouchers, tickets to sporting events, and many more
tempting items. To increase your odds of winning one of
the special prizes, additional opportunity tickets can be
purchased for $1 each.

The Sierra Madre Civic Club, a non-profit, philanthropic
organization, last year donated more than $20,000 back
to the community in the form of educational scholarships
and grants to such organizations as the Sierra Madre
Rose Float Association, the library’s One Book One City
Program, Sierra Madre Elementary School, Creative Arts,
and the Sierra Madre Playhouse. Casino Night is our major
fundraiser for this year and we’re counting on raising at
least as much money to give away this year as we had in
2011.

Join your friends and neighbors for an enjoyable St. Patrick’s
Day event and you may win that special prize you’ve had
your eye on. Tickets may be purchased by calling 355-2166.

RESCUE LOG

SIERRA MADRE
SEARCH AND
RESCUE

During the month of
February, Sierra Madre
Search and Rescue (SMSR)
responded to four calls for
assistance.

Injured Hiker, Big Santa
Anita Canyon: Members of a
hiking party at Chantry Flat
reported that two of their
companions were overdue
and possibly injured. Due to
darkness and poor weather
conditions hypothermia was
also a concern. SMSR field
crews were immediately
dispatched and found the
missing subjects, one of
whom was injured. A litter
and additional personnel
were sent to the site and the
subjects were evacuated.

Missing Hikers, Big Santa
Anita Canyon: SMSR was
notified of two hikers
missing in the Chantry Flat
area, and responded along
with units from the L.A.
County Sheriff and Fire
departments and the U.S.
Forest Service. Cell phone
contact was established
with the subjects and Team
members were able to
determine their location
based on their description
of their surroundings. While
Team members assisted
the two lost hikers back
to Chantry Flat, two more
hikers reported that they,
too, needed assistance, and
Team members brought
them to safety as well.

Stranded Hikers, Eaton
Canyon: Altadena Mountain
Rescue requested assistance
in rescuing four hikers who
became stranded after dark
in a steep, exposed area of
Eaton Canyon. Sierra Madre
Search and Rescue and
Altadena Mountain Rescue
conduct joint trainings for
just this kind of situation,
and the rescue operation
went smoothly. Using ropes
and harnesses members of
both teams assisted all four
subjects safely to the bottom
of Eaton Canyon and then
out to the road.

A new class of probationary
members began their
training in February, the first
step on the arduous road to
becoming a full member
of Sierra Madre Search and
Rescue. The probationary
members will attend class
one night per week, plus
team meetings and trainings
three times a month. The
skills they will have to master
include high-angle rescue,
land navigation, patient
packaging, man-tracking,
helicopter operations, snow
and ice travel, swiftwater
rescue, and radio operations.
Then once they’ve qualified
for the team they’ll head
back to school to become
nationally-certified EMT’s.
The entire process takes
approximately two years and
represents a tremendous
commitment of time and
effort. But it is all necessary
to uphold the team motto:
“Anywhere in the wilderness
that someone needs help…”

For 60 years the all-
volunteer Sierra Madre
Search and Rescue team has
been responding to calls for
help in the local mountains
and beyond. Funded entirely
by private donations, SMSR
provides a range of public
programs on wilderness
safety in addition to its
search and rescue activities.
The Team never charges for
any of its services.

For more information,
including how to arrange
a wilderness safety
demonstration for your
school or group, visit www.
smsr.org.

REMEMBRANCE

EARL LaLONE

Sierra Madre
Native Passes at 86

Earl William LaLone,
86, of Sierra Madre,
California, passed away
at County Villa Health
Services in Duarte,
California, at 7:30 pm
on Sunday, February 12,
2012, after a year long
battle with cancer.

Earl was born to Fred
LaLone and Marguerite
Vega LaLone on May 5,
1925 in Sierra Madre; he
was the youngest of 11
children. Earl is survived
by his wife Margaret,
daughter Marsha, son Christopher, grandson Philip,
granddaughter Melissa, grandson Travis (and his family)
and granddaughter Heather (and her family). He is also
survived by his sisters Alice McCarron and Francis Finley.

He graduated from Monrovia High School in 1943 and
immediately joined the United States Army Air Corps and
served to the end of World War II as an airplane mechanic.
After the war, Earl joined the California National Guard
and again served his country, after being called up during
the Korean War.

Earl married Margaret Stevens LaLone on November 10,
1950…they were married for over 61 years. While raising
their children, their home on Ramona in Sierra Madre
served as an important gathering place for the greater
LaLone family, helping to keep a very large family together
for decades.

Earl was a manager at Florence Ceramics, where he
worked for 25 years. He worked for many more years at an
electronics company and then at an oil Company. He was
a founding member of the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue
Team where he participated in hundreds of rescues over 22
years.

Earl also dedicated over 15 years to help with the youth
baseball program in town, serving as Little League President
and manager of several Minor, Major, and Pony/colt League
teams. He was active in renovating Heasley Field and the
construction of Dapper Field.

He was recognized for his “Outstanding service” to the city
in 1973 when he was named Sierra Madre “Citizen of the
Year”.

Earl was an avid hunter and fisherman who hunted and
fished in nearly every state in the west. If he had a favorite
place to hunt and fish, it was in Modoc County in Northern
California. He also loved to travel with Margaret in their
Ford Pickup and Lance camper. Of the 48 states in the
continental U.S., they traveled through 46 of them, including
a 2 month stay in Alaska.

Earl loved his family and he placed a great deal of importance
in his friendships. If there were two positive traits that
stood out over all others, it was Earl’s ability to connect with
people and his desire to give.

Earl’s life made a significant impact on the lives of the entire
LaLone family and he will be dearly missed.

On Saturday, March 24, from 1:00 to 5:00p.m. , a gathering
of friends will be held at the home of Linda Canzoneri, 121
S. Lima, Sierra Madre.

In lieu of flowers, Donations may be made to the Sierra
Madre Search and Rescue Team in honor of Earl LaLone.

LOCAL GROUPS SPONSOR
CANDIDATE FORUMS

The following organizations are sponsoring Candidate
Forums for those seeking office in the Sierra Madre April
10, 2012 Election: (All are free and open to the public)

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES FORUM

Sponsored by Harry L. Embree VFW Post 3208

Sunday, March 11, 2012

1:30 PM to 3:30 PM

Memorial Park Hart House

Sierra Madre

For additional information, please contact Duncan
MacGillivray, Sr. Vice Commander, VFW Post 3208 at
Duncan@smmainsurance.com or (626) 355-0762.

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES
FORUM

Sponsored by The Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club
Tuesday, March 13, 2012

12:00 Noon

The Lodge in Sierra Madre

(Formerly the Masonic Temple)

33 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Sierra Madre

Lunch Optional - Cost $10

For additional information, please contact Clem Bartolai at
355-0757 or email: cbartolai@gmail.com

USER UTILITY TAX FORUM