SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO SIERRA MADRE ON CHRISTMAS EVE 

7pm - December 24th at the Sierra Madre Fire Station

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2014

 The Candlelight Walk is held each Christmas 
season to celebrate the journey that Joseph and 
Mary made to Bethlehem where Jesus was born 
over 2,000 years ago. The procession will begin 
at St. Rita�s Catholic Church in Sierra Madre, 
with �Mary and Joseph� leading the way, and 
other participants holding candles while singing 
traditional Christmas carols. The procession will 
end at Kersting Court in the center of town where 
the Christmas Story will be read from Scripture.

 The procession begins at St. Rita traveling down 
Baldwin to Kersting Court. It is recommended 
that you arrive by 6:45pm, so that the walk can 
begin promptly at 7:00 pm.

VOLUME 8 NO. 51

CANDLELIGHT WALK 

Sunday, December 21st

Happy Holidays FROM ALL OF US TO ALL OF YOU


SIERRA MADRE NEWS BRIEFS

OVERNIGHT PARKING PERMITTED

Just a reminder to all Sierra Madre residents, 
beginning tomorrow December 20th, and 
continuing through January 4th 2015, overnight 
parking will be exempt for the Holiday season! 
Please be sure to help spread the word! Happy 
Holidays!

BE CAREFUL - BE CAUTIOUS

BE AWARE!

Recent rash of vehicle and residential burglary. 

Be aware! Lock and secure vehicles! 

Sierra Madre has experienced a recent rash of auto 
and residential burglaries. With each incident, 
an unfortunate trend seen in most of them is the 
victim failing to LOCK and SECURE their vehicle. 
Each night as you lock and secure your home, 
take a minute to lock your vehicle and remove any 
items of value from the car. Remember, if you See 
something, Say something!

FREE CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING 

 Athens Services will pick up and recycle your 
Christmas Tree from December 26th to January 
9th. Residents may put their tree by the curb on 
their regular pick-up day for this free program. 
Please remove stands, nails, ornaments, lights and 
tinsel, and place the trees next to your containers. 
Trees with flocking or fire retardant are acceptable. 
Trees over 6 feet in length must be cut in half. 

 If you miss the date for recycling, please cut up 
your tree and place it in your yard waste container, 
or call Athens Services for a �bulky item� pickup.

 For additional information, please call Athens 
Services at 1-888-336-6100 or the Sierra Madre 
Public Works Department at 626-355-7135.

The Osti Christmas Decorations from Sonny Salsbury�s 2009 Sierra Madre Calendar. Salsbury said in 2006, �Sierra Madre is my 
favorite town anywhere� and many of his paintings, such as the scene above, depict a look into the charm of Sierra Madre that still 
exists today. For years we have shared Salsbury�s works with our readers. This picture originally appeared in 2008.

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

Inside this week: 


SIERRA MADRE SEARCH AND DECEMBER RESCUE LOG

 In the history of the world, what 
day has been so honored and so 
recognized as Christmas? The 
scoffers and skeptics will testify 
that the enchantment of Christmas 
is perpetrated by the craftsmanship 
of our imagination and authored 
in the same resourcefulness that 
brought Dickens� ghosts to life. 
If we are to concede that some of 
our most genuine moments of life 
nest in the power of dreams, than 
I think it is best that we should 
never wake from the instruments 
of heaven�s peace, where kindness 
penetrates the heart in a degree 
which no other activity is equipped 
to supply.

 The world has never read a story 
as perfectly powerful as the story 
of Christmas. To suppose a belief 
that a simple prophet born to the 
lowly town of Bethlehem could 
flourish in importance during an 
age of Roman rule, is an obstacle 
to an idea that this is but a dream. 
Once acquainted with the fact that 
Jesus was never associated with 
wealth or sought political power, is 
another piece of information that 
violates the realms of logic. Jesus 
is contrary to all that we would 
anticipate from a famous figure 
in history. He is even deficient 
in chronicling his own life as he 
neglects to author a single line by 
his own hand, so this raises another 
question as to how such a story 
could inspire and endure for 2,000 
years. One of the most intriguing 
aspects of Jesus is contained in 
the people who detailed his life. 
Not one of Jesus� biographers 
professes to be a writer, author or 
editor. His followers were simple 
men: identified as fishermen, 
a tax collector and a traveling 
doctor. Even Shakespeare in all his 
imaginative genius did not boast 
the mental proclivity of fashioning 
a story as completely compelling 
as the life of Jesus. If there are 
miracles, more improbable than 
any of those performed by Jesus, 
it would be that such men of 
undecorated backgrounds could 
conjure up the greatest story ever 
told.

 As I reflect upon the power of 
Christmas and attempt to depict 
the emotion as it is characterized 
in my mind, I must turn to a single 
supernatural event of Jesus to 
illustrate the passion that fills my 
heart. 

 The once quiet town was filled 
with the chatter of voices as a 
throng of people trailed Jesus. As 
he made his way among the streets, 
a certain woman who was steadily 
sick for 12 long years, touched the 
fringe of his cloak and was instantly 
healed. Jesus turned to the crowd 
and said, �Who has touched my 
clothes?� The divine power of God 
had been transferred from Jesus to 
the woman. 

 What a fortune is conferred on 
to those who can walk through 
life and appreciate the power of 
Christmas. Our lives are organized 
like the day when Jesus advanced 
along those cobble streets, and all 
we have to do is touch him.

 The story of Christmas still 
astonishes those who are willing 
to recognize its meaning, and it 
remains just as powerful today as 
it was when angels called upon 
Bethlehem on that glorious night 
of antiquity. Christmas is not 
confined to a single day. It begins 
with our mind the first moment we 
establish a belief, and grows in our 
heart with each passing season. If 
there exists one verifiable truth 
in this world, then the thought of 
Christmas and Christ has added 
more light to this earthly realm 
than the dull lit fire of a distant sun. 

 In the full reflection of God�s birth 
and the wonder-filled meditation 
of a heavenly star, it is my heartfelt 
hope that you and your family 
know the power and peace of 
Christmas.

A Most Merry of Christmas to Each 
and to All!

CraigHakola@aol.com 

CALENDAR Pg. 2

While not a record, 2014 has 
been a busy year for the Sierra 
Madre Search and Rescue 
(SMSR) Team with the Team 
responding on 98 operations. 
Thirteen of these operations 
took place in November and 
December (to date). Over 3,800 
hours of time was logged and 
140 people assisted by the Team 
this year. 

In addition to actual search and 
rescue calls and training, Team 
members donated over 1,900 
hours in support of the Team�s 
mission. This included 30 public 
preventative search and rescue 
(PSAR) events where Team 
members discuss wilderness 
safety and preparedness with 
scout groups, schools, and other 
community groups. Members 
invested just under 5,500 hours 
of training in a broad array of 
SAR disciplines and skills in 
order to maintain the level of 
proficiency required to safely 
perform SAR operations. 
Probationary members of 
the Team, better known as 
�Probies�, dedicated almost 
1,000 hours of time in 2014 
focused on building and refining 
their foundational mountain 
rescue skills. In total, Team 
members dedicated over 11,200 
hours of official time in support 
of the Team�s mission. Many 
additional hours of unofficial 
time were spent by individual 
Team members maintaining 
readiness. 

A good example of some of 
the Team training includes 
an activity from last weekend. 
On Saturday, December 13th, 
the Team spent time training 
with the Los Angeles County 
Sheriff�s Department Air-
5 crew. Training consisted 
of a �ground school� session 
where various safety, aircraft 
familiarization and operational 
protocols were discussed 
while the helicopter was not 
operating. This eliminated 
the noise and rotor wash 
typically encountered when 
the helicopter is running. After 
ground school was completed 
the training progressed to 
evolutions working with the 
helicopter in operation. Among 
a variety of topics, Team 
members practiced patient 
packaging, loading/unloading, 
hoist insertion and extraction 
as well as rappelling from the 
hovering helicopter. Events 
like this allow Team members 
and the Air-5 crew to refine 
skills and build familiarity 
between SMSR members and 
the helicopter crew that is 
necessary to safely conduct 
mountain rescues. Training 
in a structured environment 
removes the variability and time 
constraints associated with an 
actual SAR operation. Personnel 
can easily discuss and practice 
techniques that are often called 
upon during rescues. 

For over 60 years the all-
volunteer Sierra Madre Search 
and Rescue team has been 
responding to calls for help in 
the local mountains and beyond. 
As a Team, SMSR prides itself 
on stepping up to any challenge. 
Responding in the middle of 
the night to a call for help � no 
problem. Search all night in the 
rain for a missing hiker � we�re 
there. 

SMSR is funded entirely by 
private donations. We wouldn�t 
be able to do anything without 
the support of you, our friends 
and neighbors. Thank you for 
all of your support over the past 
year. Whether it is a monetary 
donation, or a Facebook like, we 
truly appreciate knowing that 
the community has our back! 

You can find more information 
on how to support the Team, 
including how to arrange a 
wilderness safety demonstration 
for your school or group by 
visiting www.smsr.org.

SIERRA MADRE NEWS 
Pg. 3

PASADENA/ALTADENA

 Pg. 4

AROUND SGV 

 Pg. 5

ARCADIA NEWS 

MONROVIA/DUARTE 
Pg. 6

EDUCATION & YOUTH

 Pg. 7

FOOD & DRINK

Peter Dills / Rich Johnson

 Pg. 8

BEST FRIENDS

 Pg. 9

ARTS & 
ENTERTAINMENT

 Pg. 10

HEALTHY LIVING

 Pg. 11

GOOD LIFE

 Pg. 12

BUSINESS NEWS 

 Pg. 13


THE WORLD AROUND 
US Pg. 14

 OPINION Pg. 16

LEGAL NOTICES 

 Pg. 17