Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 28, 2014

SIERRA MADRE CELEBRATES AMERICA

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 For over 45 years the Sierra Madre Community 
has joined together in celebration of the great 
American tradition with music, picnics, games 
and the ever popular 4th of July Parade. Residents 
and guests crowd Sierra Madre Boulevard to 
watch youngsters on their patriotic bikes stroll 
down the route along side hometown heroes 
like the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team 
and Sierra Madre Fire Department. The Official 
Sponsor of the 2014 Parade is The Kensington. 
The Kensington-Sierra Madre is an assisted 
living and memory care resi-dence currently 
under construction in the heart of Sierra 
Madre, along the parade route. The parade as in 
year’s past will feature local dignitaries such a 
Congresswoman Judy Chu, As-semblymember 
Chris Holden, Supervisor Michael Antonovich 
and members of the Sierra Ma-dre City Council. 

This year the Sierra Madre 4th of July 
Committee is pleased to honor Pat and De 
Alcorn as the 2014 Fourth of July Parade Grand 
Marshal. “The Grand Marshal is a person or 
persons whose efforts over a long period of time 
has been beneficial to the community of Sierra 
Ma-dre. The title of Grand Marshal is intended 
to honor a person or persons’ volume of work, 
dedication and overall enhancements to our 
community.” Pat & De are the perfect examples 
of this. These two Sierra Madreans embody 
exactly what the Grand Marshal criteria is for 
the 4th of July. Between the two they dedicate 
hundreds of hours each year to make Sierra 
Ma-dre a better place. There is not an event in 
town these two don’t attend or help out with. 
Both Pat & De go above and beyond continuing 
the betterment of Sierra Madre. Pat serves on 
the Community Services Commission, the 4th 
of July Committee, Sierra Madre Civic Club, 
Friends of the Library, they both Pat and De 
are CERT volunteers and together work the 
poles during all the elections, and we are all 
sure there is more that we are sure we don’t even 
know about. Pat & De living the Sierra Madre 
spirit everyday, Sierra Madreans that make a 
difference. 

Additionally, the Committee is proud to be 
honoring the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue 
Team as “Hometown Heros”. The volunteers of 
the SMSR are available 24 hours a day, 7 days 
a week, 365 days a year - anywhere, anytime, 
any weather. Since 1951 the SMSR has been 
educating Sierra Madre with Wilderness Safety, 
Community Education Events, saving our community and our 
community visitors. The Sierra Madre Search & Rescue Team 
was the first search & rescue team formed in California. They 
originated the Mount Wilson Trail Race and continue each year 
to assist with this event. They dedicate thousands of hours each 
year to be trained and skilled to enter the tough San Gabriel 
Mountains, anytime some-one is in need. These men and women 
are truly one of Sierra Madre’s best treasures. 

Grand Marshals Pat & De Alcorn But before the parade on the 4th, 
the town will be rockin’ in Memorial Park for the Pre-Parade Party 
& Picnic on Thursday, July 3rd from 5:30 - 10:30 pm featuring the 
outstanding local rock music of Groovy Lemon Pie and at 8:00 pm 
for the not to be missed Bubblewrap fireworks. Kids and grow-up 
alike stopping on hundreds of square feet of bubble wrap making 
the sounds of shooting fireworks. Other park activities include the 
Friends of SMLL Beer Garden, Civic Clubs famous confetti eggs, 
Girl’s Softballs Dunk Tank (where you might be able to dunk a 
local politician) and tons of food for purchase. 

And in the morning (July 4th) folks are asked to hit the streets 
for the 4th Annual Spero Foun-dation’s FireCracker Fun Run. 
Shotgun start at 8:00 - 9:30 am (check in 7:00 – 7:45 am) in Kersting 
Court. This untimed 5K Fun Run is geared for the entire family to 
enjy. Many partici-pants join the fun by dressing up this their All-
American best. Strollers and dogs are allowed and you can register 
that day or ahead of time on-line at www.sierramadre4thofjuly.
com. 

Immediately, following the 5K is the Annual 4th of July parade 
which kicks off at the corner of Sierra Madre Blvd. and Sunnyside 
Avenue at 10 am sharp! Parade travels down Sierra Madre Blvd to 
Sierra Vista Park where the party keeps going. 

The after-parade Community picnic & Celebration starts at 11:00 
am with featured Mu-sic from the Wabash Wailers. Sierra Madre 
Pool will be open for FREE and the highlight of the afternoon 
starting at 12:30 pm are the games with the park with the ladies 
of Civic Club. Wanna throw water balloons at your friends, or 
challenge your folks to a three-legged race or sack race. This is the 
place to be. There will also be a Kids Zone, food and beer gar-den. 

To assist visitors in getting around there is a FREE SHUTTLE on 
the 4th from 12:00 – 3:15 pm to and from the Community Picnic 
at Sierra Vista Park. Stops on Sierra Madre Blvd @ Sunnyside, 
Memorial Park, Baldwin & Sierra Vista Park. 


Above, the bubble wrap stop! No firecrackers needed!

Below, let the parade begin. 2013 

Photos courtesy of the 4th of July Committee


CIVIC CLUB TO COORDINATE 4th OF JULY GAMES

With the Fourth of July fast approaching Sierra Madre’s Fourth of July 
Committee is finalizing plans for two days of festivities. The Sierra 
Madre Civic Club has again volunteered to coordinate the Fourth 
of July games. At 11:00 AM, following the parade, there will be a 
community picnic and celebration in Sierra Vista Park, 611 E Sierra 
Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre. 

The games will begin at 12:30PM. Participants will take part in 
everything from three-legged races, sack races, wheelbarrow races, 
and the bunny hop (for ages 6 and under) to the shoe toss, the egg 
(not hard-boiled!) toss and the water balloon toss. Chair Pat Alcorn 
emphasizes that the games are for the entire family since with the 
exception of the bunny hop, all the races and the shoe toss have 
different contests for participants in different age groups. Indeed, 
some of our fiercest competitors last year were the adults while the 
kids were the ones who laughed the most. The egg toss and the water 
balloon toss are for competitors of all ages and, as the messiest of the 
contests, generally attract the most participants and 
elicit the most shouts and laughter. Ribbons will be 
awarded to the winners in all age groups, but really, 
everyone who participates comes away with a smile 
looking for all the world like a winner.

In addition to coordinating the games in the Park, 
the Sierra Madre Civic Club will again be selling 
their famous (at least in Sierra Madre) confetti eggs- 
hollowed out egg shells, filled with confetti, and 
covered with tissue paper. Look for Club members 
in Memorial Park on July 3, pulling a little red wagon 
along the parade route on July 4, and in Sierra Vista 
Park at the community picnic and celebration. The 
confetti eggs will cost $1 for a half dozen, $2 for a 
dozen, and $3 for a carton of 18 eggs. Buy early 
before we run out so you don’t miss the fun of hitting 
someone with an egg and generating a smile rather 
than a frown.

The Sierra Madre Civic Club is a civic and 
philanthropic organization that meets the second 
Tuesday of every month at 7:30PM in the Hart Park 
House.


LACEY/LALONE/SANCHEZ/
LALONDE FAMILY REUNION

One of Sierra Madre’s oldest families will be holding a large, and 
long overdue, family reunion over the July 4th weekend in Sierra 
Madre.

The LaLone family is well known in town, and you can’t have lived 
in Sierra Madre without hearing the name in many places, some 
of which include the LaLone Cleaners, LaLone Realty or the Sierra 
Madre Search and Rescue Team.

From 1926 to 1928, five LaLone kids came to Sierra Madre, where 
they settled and raised their families. 

Sister Carrie LaLone and her husband Julian Leal were among the 
first of the family to move to Sierra Madre. After that, most of the 
rest of the family then followed. 

The oldest sister, Fannie LaLone Lacey and her family arrived in 
1928. Her husband Peter “Doc” Lacey got a job as the caretaker of 
the estate called “Mia Italia” on North Lima. They lived in a small 
house on the property. Fannie and Doc Lacey had 8 children, a 
few of which remained in the area to raise their own families. Joe 
Sanchez, the husband of another sister Adelaida (who passed at the 
young age of 29), and brothers Fred LaLone and Louis LaLonde 
(Louis kept the original spelling of the family name) 
and their families came to Sierra Madre as well.

The oldest brother Fred LaLone Sr. raised his 11 children 
in town. His sons Fred Jr., Robert and Earl, along with 
several other locals, founded the Sierra Madre Search 
and Rescue Team in 1951.

The Lacey/LaLone/Sanchez/LaLonde families are a true 
“family of the west” having migrated across the country 
via Texas and New Mexico to settle in California. The 
descendants of the original siblings will gather to honor 
them, and to celebrate the city of Sierra Madre, over the 
July 4th weekend. After spending July 4th watching the 
annual parade, and meeting afterwards for a picnic in 
Memorial Park, the actual reunion will take place on 
Saturday, July 5th at The Lodge at Sierra Madre, 33 E. 
Sierra Madre Blvd. It seems appropriate to hold the 
reunion there, as the Lodge was built at the same time 
the family came to Sierra Madre!

If you are a family member, or someone who knew the 
family very well, and would like more information on 
the reunion, please contact Cheryl Lacey Willey at (805) 
904-5341, or visit the reunion website at: www.llsl.
myevent.com.

Theophilus LaLone and Estanislada Padilla, with their six children