Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 1, 2014

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 1, 2014 5 AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 1, 2014 5 
“What’s Going On?”

News and Views from Joan Schmidt 

RECOGNITION TO A GREAT LADY: 
ARCADIA’S BELOVED FLORETTA 
LAUBER 


Many Arcadians know Floretta Lauber as the FIRST female Mayor of the City; others recognize her 
as the great “Social Editor” for the Beacon Media News Corporation. However, Floretta wears another 
hat – that of a local historian who wishes to preserve and share Arcadia’s great history! At the recent 
Arcadia City Council Meeting, Floretta was honored with the “Daughters of the American Revolution 
Historic Preservation Award.” 

 Presenter was Santa Anita Chapter Regent, Mary Ann Williams. Mrs. Williams explained that 
the award was designed “to recognize worthy local individuals in all areas of historic preservation-
buildings, landmarks, statues, cemeteries and memorials … The recipient is expected to contribute 
in an outstanding volunteer manner … Floretta Lauber has certainly fulfilled this obligation… her 
forward thinking, fundraising skills, and tireless energy have made the Gilb Historical Museum 
Education Center a reality … a hall for visiting speakers, classrooms for children’s field trips and arts 
and crafts … a multitude of education opportunities.”

 City Clerk Gene Glasco, also President of the Arcadia Historical Society presented Floretta with 
a beautiful plant in recognition of her “Daughters of the American Revolution Historic Preservation 
Award.” 

Not long ago, ground was broken for this Museum Education Center. This project was Floretta’s 
dream, and she has worked tirelessly to bring it to fruition. Residents of Arcadia should be proud 
of their first female Mayor and grateful for her vision of an Education Center at the Gilb Historical 
Museum. 

 At the Arcadia City Council Meeting, there also was a Presentation of gift certificates to City Staff 
from the Arcadia Chinese Association in appreciation of service. I would also like to “put in a plug” 
for this wonderful group. They made a much-needed donation to the friends of the Live Oak Library 

-the small library in the county area. During my twenty-five years of teaching, I always used the 
Live Oak Library! Thank you to the Arcadia Chinese Association! And of course, Congratulations to 
Floretta! 
Other business at the Meeting included discussion on a Conditional Use permit, # CUP 13-12 
for an existing religious facility and the use of a 2400 square tent for outdoor activities at 2607 Santa 
Anita Avenue.

 This building is the Arcadia Congregational Church, and the “tent” is actually a “pavilion” with 
chandeliers. A resident, whose home backs to the pavilion, spoke of the unbearable noise when there 
are functions. The Pastor then spoke; a decibel meter has been placed to monitor the noise and she 
promised to “pull the plug” if the DJ/Live Band does not abide by the limits. 

I followed the concerned resident and Pastor out of the meeting. They were friendly and cordial to 
each other. It was gratifying to see two adults work out a problem in such a matter. Arcadia certainly 
joins Monrovia and Duarte as “My Kind of City”. 

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY ALUMNAE PANHELLENIC 
10TH ANNUAL AWARDS 

The San Gabriel Valley Alumnae Panhellenic 
10th Annual Awards for Scholars Luncheon will 
be held March 24, 2014 at the Santa Anita Golf 
Course-Sunset Room, in Arcadia. 

Fritz Coleman, popular NBC weathercaster 
will be the featured speaker. Mr. Coleman is 
a Southern California broadcasting icon well 
known for his sense of humor. He’s performed 
his stand up comedy act at the The Improv, The 
Ice House, and other popular comedy clubs. 
He’s also produced and starred in three one man 
plays. 


Proceeds from the Awards for Scholars 
Luncheon will fund scholarships for outstanding 
local high school senior girls who plan to attend 

a four year college or university with national sororities. For additional information and tickets, 
please contact Debbie Anderson, 626-446-7020. 

RAINDANCE 

By Christoper Nyerges 

[The following is an excerpt from Christopher Nyerges’ latest book, 
“Squatting in Los Angeles: Life on the Edge,” which is available on Kindle 
or from the store at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.] 


It was Tuesday, August 

the 14th, 1984, the 

last day I’d be working 

with some of the chil


dren at the day camp 

sponsored by the City 

of Pasadena. After 

their lunch, I began 

by showing my group 
of children some wild edible plants. These were 
mostly plants that I brought to camp, because, 
remember, the day camp was held at Victory 
Park, which is a large park west of Pasadena High 
School, and it was mostly lawn with some introduced 
trees and bushes along the edges. 

Next we practiced some Indian sign language of 
the Plains. 

After that I showed the children some of the buffalo 
gourd leaves which I’d brought. I demonstrated 
how to make soap by wetting a few leaves 
and then vigorously rubbing a few between my 
hands. It’s not the best plant for making soap, but 
it was all that I could collect for that day. Each 
child then made soap from this plant and in 
their very excited way they cleansed their hands, 
splashing and yelling as they did so. 

The day before, I’d hinted that we might do a rain-
dance, and now, as the children were returning 
to their circle, a few were now asking with their 
eager voice, “Are we going to do the rain-dance 
now?” Once they were all seated, I explained that 
a rain dance is actually not just one thing, and 
that it could take many forms and is usually a part 
of a larger ceremony. 

I didn’t have a specific “formula” or procedure, 
but rather I was attempting to share several key 
elements with the children. 

I removed my hand-made clay pipe from its container 
and filled it with tobacco. I carefully lit it 
and puffed on it. The children were silent and the 
teen-age counselors were not sure what to say or 
do. 

Once the pipe was smoking well, I stood in the 
center and blew smoke to the four directions and 
to the sky and to the earth. I explained to the children 
that I was offering my smoke as a way of giving 
respect and thanks, in an attitude of humility. 
I didn’t use the word “God,” but indicated that 
this was giving respect and thanks to a higher intelligence, 
a great spirit of the universe. The children 
watched in awe with wide eyes. I could tell 
that they’d never seen anything like this before. 

Then I passed the pipe around the circle for each 
child to take a little puff. Each child nervously 
smoked the pipe as it went around, and I told 
them not to inhale. I explained as we did this that 
the smoking of the pipe was a traditional sign of 
our friendship and unity.
Once this was done, I conducted half the children 
in dancing around the outer circle, as the other 
half clapped their hands. We all chanted a simple 
rain chant that I led, and the we all let up a cheer 
for rain. 

My time with the children was over and they all 
departed for their next session. 

“Is it really going to rain?” a few children curiously 
asked me as they departed. 

“Of course,” I replied with assurance. “It will rain 
by Saturday.” Of course, I was just expressing 
confidence. I really had no idea whether or not 
this would be “effective,” and I’d not checked any 
weather patterns. For that matter, I’d not even 
planned to do the rain dance until that morning. 

A heavy rain fell early the following morning. 

By the time I arrived at the day camp on noon 

Wednesday, only a drizzle continued to fall, and 
most of the day camp activities had been moved 
indoors. 

Some of the children yelled out to me: “We made 
rain! We made rain!” I quickly pointed out that 
we didn’t make anything. Rather, I told them, our 
request was answered. 

A few children asked with open eyes, “It rained 
from our rain dance, didn’t it?” I answered what 
I believed to be true. “Yes,” I told them. 

Pursuing the premise that there was a relationship 
between the dance and the rain, I attempted 
to delineate my learning: 

1)We washed ourselves before our little ceremony.
2) We requested rain in an attitude of humility.
3) We shared the pipe in a posture of unity and 
friendship.
4) We sang, chanted, and danced our ceremony 
not “by the book” but with feeling.
5) And perhaps most important, the ceremony 
was conducted by children. These children were 
young enough to still be uncorrupted by the limitations 
of adult minds. They had never been told 
that they couldn’t invoke rain. So I believe that 
the innocence and lack of prejudice on the children’s 
part was a key factor in the apparent “success” 
of our rain dance. 

I found that this episode forced me to look at myself 
and the world very differently. What had happened 
here? It was the middle of August when 
there is usually no precipitation, and rain came 
within 15 or so hours of doing a rain dance. 

This led me to research the many recorded episodes 
of rain-making and rain ceremonies among 
Native American traditions, and try to find some 
common elements. Eventually, I compiled a file 
full of newspaper accounts and interviews and 
book excerpts all about rain ceremonies. 
The more I looked into it, and inquired, the key 
idea to keep in mind was that personal attitude 
was the essential ingredient, and that “asking for” 
or “praying for” rain was an inaccuracy. 

It also became clear to me that it is actually a 
blessing that most people are unaware that they 
have such a power over the elementals of nature. 
You could say that our ignorance protects us from 
the irresistible urge to abuse such ability. 

I spoke to Dr. George Fishbeck, L.A. area weatherman 
and meteorologist, and he told me that 
he noted a storm off California’s coast at 7 p.m. 
Tuesday. That evening by 11 p.m., Dr. Fish-
beck said that he knew rain would fall, but not 
where. He was calling it a freak storm. Someone 
had called Dr. Fishbeck and told him about the 
rain dance, so he already knew about it. He believed 
that there was no connection between the 
rain dance and the rain, discounting the ability 
of what he called “prayer” to affect the weather. 
Still, Fishbeck told me that he recognized and respected 
the sacred nature of the Southwestenr Indians’ 
rain dances and ceremonies, having lived 
among the New Mexico Indians for two years as 
an anthropologist. 

In the Los Angeles Times of August 16, 1984 on 
the front page, it read “First Rain of Season Snarls 
Traffic, Causes Blackout.” The report read, “The 
first rainstorm of the season struck the Los Angeles 
area with surprisingly heavy showers Wednesday 
morning, spawning a rash of minor accidents 
on slick freeways and power failures affecting 
thousands of customers. Rainfall at the Los Angeles 
Civic Center measured .40 of an inch, nearly 
double the .21 of an inch recorded by this date 
last season, before tapering off in mid-morning.” 
The report talked about auto accidents, blackouts, 
and flash floods up in San Bernardino and 
Riverside Counties, and clear up in Las Vegas. 


SIERRA MADRE FARMERS 
MARKET


 The Sierra Madre Farmer’s Market hours have changed to 3:00pm through 7:00pm 
every Wednesday. Vendors include Dry Dock which has fresh and wild caught fish, 
Rustic Loaf with artisan breads, Cutie Pie with fresh pies and much more!

For those interested in being a vendor contact Melissa Farwell with Raw Inspira


tions at 818-591-8161 ext. 806.