Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 8, 2014

Mountain Views News Saturday, March 8, 2014 
B2 SIERRA MADRE - THE PLACE TO BE Mountain Views News Saturday, March 8, 2014 
B2 SIERRA MADRE - THE PLACE TO BE 
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SPECIAL SIERRA 
MADRE POSTMARKS 
AVAILABLE AT 
WISTARIA FESTIVAL 

The United States Postal Service and the Sierra 
Madre Chamber of Commerce announce a special 
postal cancellation to celebrate The Sierra 
Madre Wistaria Festival. 

This special postmark will be available at the Sierra 
Madre Wistaria Festival, Sunday March 16, 
2014 at the Wistaria Festival Postal Station located 
at Kersting Court in Sierra Madre at Sierra 
Madre Boulevard and Baldwin Avenue. 

This special temporary postal station will be open 
11 A.M. to 3 P.M. 


Bring post cards or letters. You can send mail 
and post from this special event post office and 
surprise your friends when they receive mail 
with this extraordinary postmark. 

The announcement of this postal cancellation has 
been printed in the U. S. Postal Bulletin which is 
distributed world wide. To accommodate collectors 
from out of the area the Sierra Madre Post 
Office will cancel postcards and letters upon request 
with the Wistaria cancellation for 30 days 
after the event. 
To postmark a letter after the event go to Sierra Madre Post office and request The Wistaria Postmark 
on your mail. 

For more information contact: The Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce (626) 355-5111The U. S Post Office, Sierra Madre, California 91024 

(Note: The Sierra Madre Wistaria Festival spells Wistaria with an “a” not with an “e”) . 


WANT TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE FESTIVAL? 

There are two ways to sign up: 

1. Go to the city’s volunteer webstie:
http://www.cityofsierramadre.com/volunteers 
OR 

2. Call the Chamber Office - 626-355-5111 
For students, Community Service Hours will be earned! 

2, 4, 6 or 8 hour shifts. 


Village Vine will 
be broadcastingfrom Kersting Court 
at the Wistaria 
Festival! 

See you there! 

See the World’s Largest 
Blossoming Plant 


Art & Garden Faire, 100 juried artisans, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

Village restaurants featuring indoor and outdoor dining 

Artists Alley 

Free Live music featuring: 

Natalie Gelman 
The Gem City Jazz Cats 
The Subs 
? and The Wistarians 
Homegrown 
Chico’s Bail Bonds 
New Astroturf and more! 


Also at The Vine: 

Sierra Madre’s own Ron Longo and Terry Gucma 

Take time to visit other Sierra Madre historic sites and don’t forget 

MEMORIAL PARK FUN ‘N FOOD 

There’s something for the entire family! 

Sunday, March 16, 2014 

Vine viewing: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
Art & Garden Faire: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 


TAKE A SHUTTLE TO SEE THE VINE -Tickets required 

$15 Adults Seniors and kids 6 – 16, $7, Children 5 and under free 

Free Gateway Coach shuttle from Gold Line (Sierra Madre Villa Station)
to and from Sierra Madre 

BUY YOUR SHUTTLE TICKETS ONLINE TODAY: 

www.sierramadrechamber.com 

OR 
Stop by any one of these Sierra Madre Merchants: 


SAVOR THE FLAVOR 
THE BOTTLE SHOP 
BEANTOWN 


AT THE OSCARS! 
A RED CARPET EPHIPHANY 


by Catherine Addé 


Last Sunday my Niece Addi and I were among 700 fortunate peoplesitting along the red carpet to watch the luminous Oscar nominees, 
while they greeted the press, each other and then strolled in toHollywood’s Dolby Theatre for the 86th Annual Academy Awards.
We ‘Fans’ in the bleachers would cheer when an A list star would 
walk by. Meryl Streep, Will Smith, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, JuliaRoberts, Bruce and Laura Dern, Bono, Bette Midler, Harrison Fordto name a few, were very gracious. They, like Julia, actually saluted 
us, bowed, or mouthed ‘thank you’. Others whom I won’t name,
did not wave or turn around. Matthew McConaughay came over 
to chat and Leonardo di Caprio pulled out his camera/phone andtook a picture of all of US, giving us the thumbs up and a big smile. 
One of our fellow bleacher creatures commented:”Yep, that’s right,
because after all, it IS all about us.” We all agreed, I chimed in with 
something like: “If we didn’t purchase tickets to see their movies,
they wouldn’t have jobs, there’d be no award ceremonies, no bigHollywood business.” Leonardo and the others get this. It is allabout the fans who are ultimately the customers. On that carpet(which incidentally is actually Raspberry in color), those stars were 
acknowledging their customers. And we were appreciative. 

Though I was pleased to be there, I couldn’t help but think aboutthe culture of ‘Celebrity Worship’ which has often struck me asshallow, over the top and excessive in the grand scheme of things. I 
admit I was excited to see some of my favorite film stars in personbut had mixed emotions about the whole thing. That gown thatjust sashayed by, didn’t it cost more than I make in a year, and thesalaries of some, more than I might make in a lifetime? 

I reminded myself however of the many different causes spotlightedby those with celebrity status, the Princess Diana’s and AngelinaJolie’s of the world, for example. Perhaps this was my ‘ah ha’moment, that through all the glitz and bling, the sweet acceptancespeech of Lupita Nyong’o and the heartfelt one from Jared Leto,
that I decided to ignore the cynic whispering in my ear, andinstead focus on the bounty that this film industry has brought: 

-Jobs, worldwide to thousands of those in ancillary services-
everything from tourism to the entertainment industry 
. 
-Awards to behind the scenes professionals making movie magic,
like Sierra Madre’s own Ron Henderson and his Academy Award 

for Scientific and Technical achievement this year! 
-For local film fans and a few lucky ones in the bleachers, thechance of a lifetime to see what many would love to see, up closeand personal: THE major event in our own back yard. 

After the red carpet event, we were escorted from the bleachersto the El Capitan Theatre to watch the Oscars telecast on the bigscreen complete with catered dinner. Most memorable of all wasSteve McQueen’s acceptance speech for the best picture of the year:
Twelve Years a Slave. Much of the world’s attention, thanks tomass media, was on this man and his final words of the evening:

“I dedicate this award to all the people who have endured slavery.
And the 21 million people who still suffer slavery today.” 

The International Justice Mission states that very figure on theirweb site as the number of victims of human trafficking worldwidetoday, in the 21st century. 

Let it sink in - the number of victims is TWENTY ONE MILLION! 

Last, although I love fun and lighthearted movies as much asanyone, I’m glad that Twelve Years a Slave won Best Picture.
Because with the gigantic spotlight shining on Hollywood’s movieindustry last Sunday night, I’m hopeful this will make millions ofpeople aware and moved to act, knowing that it’s time to end thehorrid, disgraceful human trafficking and slavery for good. 

All photos by Catherine Adde 

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.mtnviewsnews.com