Mountain Views News          Saturday, December 27, 2014

3

Mountain View News Saturday, December 27, 2014 

HARD-BOILED DETECTIVE PHILLIP MARLOW HANGS 
HIS HAT AT THE SIERRA MADRE PUBLIC LIBRARY IN 
FEBRUARY 2015

Sierra Madre, CA. �Raymond Chandler�s LA Noir classic, The Long 
Goodbye is Sierra Madre�s One Book One City choice for 2015. 
Published in 1953 and featuring his famous detective, Philip Marlow, 
Chandler called the novel �my best book�. The One Book One City 
Committee has planned a month of exciting events celebrating 
Chandler and the LA Noir genre. All events will take place at the 
Sierra Madre Public Library.

Speaker Sybil Anne Davis, Sierra Madre resident, who spent her 
formative years with Chandler, will kick off the events on Saturday, 
January 31, 2015 at 1:00 pm. Her talk is entitled �Just call me Ray: 
personal reflections on my life with Raymond Chandler�. Also 
on Saturday, January 31, the Teen History Docents will guide 
visitors through a digital storyboard tour, �Joyride� looking at local 
transportation including the famous Red Cars at 2 p.m.

Two fun contests start on January 31, 2015. For those who aspire to 
be sleuths in the Philip Marlow tradition, a scavenger hunt will have 
you tracking clues throughout Sierra Madre to qualify for some 
fun prizes. To celebrate the iconic first-person narrative style of 
Raymond Chandler, a �Write Like Chandler� contest is scheduled 
through February 13th. The winner receives a dinner for two at a local 
restaurant and the finalist entries will be published in �The Mountain 
Views News.�

A lively panel discussion on Chandler, LA-Noir, and Los Angeles in the 1940s, is set for Thursday, February 5, 
2015, at 7:00 pm. Panelists will include prominent mystery writers and editors from southern California. Two 
weeks later, on February 19th at 11:00 am, the Library�s Third Thursday Book Group will be discussing The 
Long Goodbye and all are invited to attend. And what would a celebration of the hardboiled, hard drinking 
Philip Marlowe be without a Scotch tasting? Sponsored by Bill Sullivan and the Bottle Shop, the event will be 
on Friday, February 13, 2015, at 7:00 pm in the Library. Tickets are $15 and will be available at the Library or 
the Bottle Shop for those 21 and over.

Bloody Oranges! a murder mystery readers� theater farce by Phoebe Conn, will star guests at this next event. 
Join the crowd on Saturday, February 28, 2015, at 7:00 pm. The event is free, but reservations must be made by 
February 24, 2015, to guarantee a spot at the affair.

Read, Discover, Connect @ Sierra Madre Public Library The Sierra Madre Public Library is located at 440 W. 
Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre 91024. Our telephone number is 626-355-7186 or visit us online at www.
cityofsierramadre.com.

Walking Sierra Madre�The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis


�Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let 
your heart be light.

From now on, our troubles will be out of sight.� 

Ralph Blane & Hugh Martin

 Remember that? Judy Garland singing to 
Margaret O�Brien in the 1944 movie, �Meet 
Me In St. Louis.� You probably do as this is 
a perennial Christmas favorite movie, along 
with �Miracle on 34th Street� and �It�s a 
Wonderful Life.� Of course, we all love 
�Charlie Brown�s Christmas� and the original 
version of Dr. Seuss� �How the Grinch Stole 
Christmas,� and �Frosty� and �Rudolph.�

 We hope you�ve had �a merry little 
Christmas� this year, and that your heart has 
been light. As we were out walking Sierra 
Madre a few days ago, my Christmas light 
connoisseur walking buddy, John, and I, 
found a piece of paper on the sidewalk and 
this is what it said:

A Child�s Prayer of Thanks

Dear God,

I�m thankful for all You give,

For food,

For love,

A place to live,

I thank You for my family too,

And I want You to know

That I love You.

Amen.

I have kept this out in my kitchen ever since 
and think that it expresses pretty much 
everything for which we can be thankful, 
for which I am thankful. We live in such 
a beautiful place, with our own personal 
mountains available for good long �look� 
moments. We have friendly people who 
smile and say Hello! when you pass them 
on the street. We have beautiful homes on 
every street, so many trees, roses blooming 
even now, and a fabulous Christmas tree and 
cr�che in Kersting Court. There are fantastic 
folks who have driven in from all over the 
place to work on our Rose Parade float, and �I 
Think I Can!� will be another prize winner on 
New Year�s Day.

 Like you, I�ve had opportunities to share 
with others this Christmas, one of my favorites 
being Angel Tree children. I love Angel Tree, 
where small people, many of whose parents 
are incarcerated, are able to ask for their 
heart�s desire Christmas gift. I got a little girl 
who is eight who wanted �anything Frozen.� 
Fantastic! I love all this frozen stuff that�s 
everywhere currently. She will be adorable 
in a sparkly Frozen shirt and leggings with 
studs all down the legs. Her brother wanted 
�Legos, please� and I discovered that Legos 
now come with age ratings! How cool is that! 
Toys For Tots bins are everywhere and there 
was a Salvation Army bell-ringer guy out in 
front of Ralph�s playing �Feliz Navidad� on 
his trumpet. 

 While making Christmas Jam and about a 
million cookies, I had my Child�s Prayer of 
Thanks out where I could see it�and even 
managed not to get cookie dough all over it! 

 Like you, we�ve dined with friends, had a 
splendid lunch at Sierra Brigante, enjoying 
a nice glass of something yummy and�
of course�taking a good long look at our 
personal mountains. We have truly had �a 
merry little Christmas� this year and are 
looking forward to blessings and joy in the 
year to come. 

 There�s a new Christmas Kindle book 
out on Amazon.com, �Star of Wonder � A 
Christmas Story� that will lift your heart and 
make you smile. Well, yeah, I wrote it, but I 
know you�d like it.

 And now, our faces are turned toward the 
future, bright days to come in 2015! Happy 
New Year, dear Walking Sierra Madre friends!

Sierra Madre Police Blotter

During the week of Sunday, December 14th, 
to Sunday, December 22nd, the Sierra Madre 
Police Department responded to approximately 
335 calls for service.

Tuesday, December 16th

 At 10:14 am, a civilian entered the station 
lobby to turn in a cellphone that was found 
in the street at Park Ave. and Orange Grove 
Ave. The phone was locked and was unable to 
provide any information pertaining to who 
the owner may be. The phone has been booked 
into the property room for safe keeping. 

 At 11:47 am, Sierra Madre Police responded 
to the station lobby regarding a petty theft 
report. The victim informed Officers that 
a large bag containing a dog jump training 
set was stolen from her carport in her condo 
complex. The victim stated the item was left 
unsecure placed in front of her vehicle for 
some time. This case has been forwarded to 
the Detectives Bureau. 

Friday, December 19th

 At 7:56 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to 
the 300 Block of East Alegria Ave. regarding a 
theft report. The victim informed Officers that 
prior to notifying the police, she approached 
her vehicle to take her son to school when 
she noticed her driver�s door was slightly 
ajar, as well as the trunk of her other vehicle. 
After investigating her vehicles, the victim 
only accounted for two cellphone chargers 
missing. The victim informed Officers that 
she believed she did not lock and secure her 
vehicles the night before. This case has been 
forwarded to the Detectives Bureau. 

 At 8:45 am, Sierra Madre Police responded 
to the 300 Block of East Alegria Ave. regarding 
a theft report. Upon arrival, the Officers 
were informed by the victim that earlier 
that morning he came out to notice both his 
vehicles has been broken into and ransacked. 
The victim observed that both vehicles had 
their glove boxes emptied and had all the 
paper work scattered on the passenger seat. 
The victim believed the vehicles were broken 
into around 4:00 am, when his wife notified 
him that one of the security sensor lights 
had been triggered. Both vehicles were left 
unlocked and unsecured. Upon investigating 
further, the victim determined various 
change and a diver�s knife was taken from the 
vehicles. This case has been forwarded to the 
Detectives Bureau.

 At 2:15 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded 
to the 1100 Block of East Grandview Ave. 
regarding a residential burglary. Upon 
arrival, the victim informed Officers that at 
around 9 am that morning, she left her home 
locked and secured to go do some errands. 
At around 2:00 pm, she received a call from 
her handyman that stated he went into her 
residence to finish some repairs when he 
noticed that the home had been ransacked. 
The handyman notified the police shortly 
after. Upon investigating Officers discovered 
one of the doors had been open by blunt force 
as the door frame was damaged and debris 
of dry wall and the wooden door frame were 
scattered on the ground. The victim stated her 
ipad, several jewelry rings, and about $25 of 
cash was stolen from her residence. This case 
has been forwarded to the Detectives Bureau.


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