Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 16, 2015

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Mountain View News Saturday, May 16, 2015 


Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side by Deanne Davis

“The Chili this year was the best ever!” 

Peter Dills, Chili Contest Judge

 Peter was absolutely right! The chili at the Kiwanis Boot-Skootin’ 
Dance and Chili Cook-off Fundraiser last Saturday night was 
amazing. There was Volki’s Rotary Club Rub Chili by Vokouhi 
Unell,; Glenn and Amy Putnam’s version of the legendary chili 
created by long-departed Chasen’s Restaurant in Beverly Hills - 
big favorite of movie stars. Liz Taylor loved Chasen’s chili so much 
she had several orders of it flown to the set of Cleopatra! Chasen’s 
closed in 1995 so Glenn’s chili was a delight to see. Rumor has 
it that the secret ingredient in Chasen’s chili is a quarter cup of 
Kahlua. Just saying.

 There was Cincinnati Chili by Hattie Harris which incorporated 
chili served over spaghetti, and as Hattie said, “That’s just the way 
we do it in Cincinnati!” It was good, too! There was Joe’s Vegetarian 
Chili, presided over by Joe and Sara Capoccia; and turkey chili by 
Chili Tony, assisted by the lovely Elaine. 

 Peter Dills’ personal favorite and official contest winner was 
Glenn and Amy Putnam’s Chasen’s Chili. Second place winner, 
Volki’s Chili. Judge Dills said that Paul Yokum’s “Just Chili with 
Beans” was “the closest to real chili.” My favorite quote of the 
evening was, “Never argue about a man’s chili!” These chili folks 
take this personally.

 The People’s Choice winner (we all got to vote on our favorite) 
was Volki’s Chili. Second place was Steve Heydorf and his White 
Chili with chicken.

 There was a silent auction featuring great stuff, like the newest 
Keurig coffee maker, a bright pink hoodie with Sierra Madre in 
silver letters on the front that I really wanted. Then there was the 
succulent plant arrangement from Leonora Moss. I really wanted 
that, too. A trip to your destination of choice. Let’s just say I spread 
myself pretty thin on the silent auction and didn’t come home with 
anything!

 The Bottle Shop sent over some really nice wine, soda, water and 
so forth. Henry D was the DJ and line dance leader extraordinaire. 
It was a blast to see a whole lot of Sierra Madreans out on the floor 
line dancing with grace and style. Proceeds of the evening went 
toward the Paul Magaris Mini Grant Program and programs for 
children such as the Creative Arts Group’s ImaginaArt program 
and Sierra Madre Elementary 
School.

. Now, aren’t you sorry you 
didn’t go? Next year, for sure! 

 Did you know that there’s 
a nifty new bulletin board 
up at Mt. Wilson Trail’s First 
Water describing the area? My 
trail hiking-non-line dancing 
buddy, John, reported back 
this week! 

 My book page: Amazon.
com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.
com

 “Tablespoon of Love, 
Tablespoon of Laughter” is 
available there…


ST. RITA SHINES IN 

SPEECH AND DEBATE

St. Rita School recently competed in their own Elementary Speech 
Tournament hosted by La Salle High School. This was the second annual 
tournament, and the team made an outstanding showing. Speech and 
Debate at St. Rita begins in the fourth grade with a forensics class and is 
led by Ralph Seymour. The students learn to write and deliver speeches, 
debate, and perform interpretive events such as storytelling, duo 
interpretation, poetry interpretation, and impromptu speaking. 

 The tournament truly highlighted the skills these students have 
obtained. Bella Zuniga took 3rd in Storytelling and Mark D’Leon tied for 
5th. In Duo Interpretation Cassie Pichardo and Charlie Hardy tied with 
Maggie Hungate and Catherine Mispagel for first, Robby Nardoni and 
Nicholas Froio took second, Martin Boskovich and Adam Amerio took 
third and Angelina Cao and Caitlin Cruz took 5th. In SPAR debate, Shane 
O’Neil took 3rd place and Guy Gruppie was top speaker in the event. 
Ethan Kilpatrick was the top Novice speaker in Impromptu. Charlotte 
Bax, Sophia Bruny, Cole Shepard, Samantha Ikari, Hailey Mata, Dominic 
Chimenti and Sean Peters also placed high among the Novice speakers in 
Poetry, Duo, and Storytelling. These elementary students really shined, 
and their future in speech and debate looks very bright.

 It is also important to note the strength of our middle school students 
participating in Speech and Debate. Recently, they competed at the 
California State Middle School Speech and Debate Championship. 
Twenty-six schools from around the state competed, and two St. Rita 
students reached the finals. Katy Bauer in Dramatic Interpretation, and 
Esteban Sanchez in Extemporaneous Speaking, This was the first time 
the team had competed at the state level. St. Rita is very proud of their 
student’s hard work and their outstanding showing.


2015 MOUNT WILSON TRAIL RACE AND ACTIVITIES

FIRE DEPARTMENT BRUSH 
INSPECTIONS

The Sierra Madre Fire Department will begin annual Brush Inspections 
on June 1st, 2015 for homes populating the Wildland Urban Interface 
(WUI). These areas are at high risk for wildfires, and as such, require 
mandatory Brush Clearance measures instated by State and Local Codes 
to protect homeowners from the risk of wildfire.

The following list of Brush Clearance requirements can help protect your 
home and community:

· Maintain the first 30 feet around any structure free of native brush 
and hazardous vegetation.

· Aggressively thin and trim the vegetation 30 to 100 feet around any 
structure.

· Remove dead branches from trees and keep all branches 6 feet off the 
ground.

· Clear vegetation 10 feet from roadways.

· Remove tree limbs that are within 10 feet of a chimney outlet.

· Maintain 5 feet of vertical clearance between your roof and 
overhanging vegetation.

· Keep all roof surfaces clear of dead leaves and twigs.

· Post your street number on your house so it is visible from the street. 

Sierra Madre, CA. – May 21, 2015 – 2015 Mount Wilson Trail Race

Pasta Feed Dinner – Friday, May 22 starting at 5:30pm

Zugo’s Café is providing the food for the MWTR Pasta Dinner sponsor 
this year. The dinner, which is open to participants, family and the general 
public, will be held in Kersting Court from 5:30P to 7:00P. The price will 
be $7.50 per person, with proceeds given to Sierra Madre Search & Rescue. 
MWTR souvenirs will be available to purchase at the dinner. Items include 
clothing, stickers, headwear and previous years’ shirts.

 Also on Friday night, you can win some cool stuff by participating in 
the opportunity raffle. The raffle is open to all and tickets will be sold for $1 
apiece or 6 for $5. Proceeds benefit Sierra Madre Search and Rescue.

 

Volunteers Still Needed on Race Day

If you want to get involved with the race, the Mount Wilson Trail Race 
Committee is still in need of some help in setting up Kersting Court on 
Saturday morning. Many committee members who are planning to run the 
race will be out there at 4:00A or 5:00A to drag stuff around and assist with 
whatever needs to be done. The Committee would love your help, starting 
at 5:00A and continuing until the time we break down Kersting Court at 
noon. 

 To sign up as a volunteer please visit the City of Sierra Madre’s website. 
All of the race related volunteers opportunities can be found there. If you 
have any questions please contact Adam Matsumoto with the City of Sierra 
Madre at amatsumoto@cityofsierramadre.com.

RACE DAY ACTIVITIES – OPEN TO EVERYONE!

All activities the day of the race, May 23, are open to everyone. Nothing 
provides runners a greater boost of energy at the end of the race then a street 
lined with a cheering crowd. Race day spectators can peruse the wonderful 
selection of MWTR souvenirs, the various booth sponsors that provide 
information on health, fitness, history and everything in between. The 
City’s local bike shop, Centric, has donated a SUB SPEED 40 from SCOTT 
Bikes that will be raffled off on MWTR Day with proceeds benefiting the 
Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team. 

Kids’ Fun Run – Saturday, May 23 at 7:45am

One of the missions the MWTR Committee has is to promote fitness and 
wellness in our community, for all ages. To that end, the 10th annual Kids’ 
Fun Run is on Saturday, May 23, at 7:45am, immediately following the start 
of the adults’ race. The event is free to register your kids from 3 to 12 years 
of age. Two different distances will be offered, using the same start and 
finish line us older guys will be using. The first 250 youth to sign up will 
receive a T-shirt featuring the artwork of Christine Manoukian, the 2015 
Kid’s T-shirt Design Contest Winner. 

 Registration can be done during the Pasta Dinner on Friday, May 22nd 
from 5:30-7:00pm or the morning of the race on Saturday, May 23 from 
7:00am until race start. All participants must complete a waiver at the 
registration table prior to participating. 

Beer Garden – Saturday May 23 from 9:30am-11:00am

It’s never too early to grab a refreshing beer from the MWTR beer garden in 
Kersting Court. No matter if you are a runner who’s just completed the race, 
or a spectator enjoying the festivities the beer garden is open to all! Proceeds 
from the beer garden support the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team. 

 

 For additional race information, please visit www.mountwilsontrailrace.
com. 

WATERWORKS AQUATICS WATER SAFETY DAY 

AT THE SIERRA MADRE AQUATIC CENTER

JULY 4TH PARADE REGISTRATION

 The Sierra Madre 4th of July Parade is an annual tradition that is an 
integral part of the Sierra Madre community! This hometown parade 
features community members, organizations, classic cars, a marching 
band, kids on their decorated bikes and so much more. Join us for the 
2015 parade on Saturday, July 4, from 10:00am – 12:00 pm. The parade 
route will begin at the corner of Sierra Madre Blvd. and Sunnyside 
Avenue, and will travel the length of Sierra Madre Blvd. to Sierra Vista 
Park.

 Parade participation is open to all; young, young-at-heart, and 
everything in between. There is NO FEE to participate in the parade 
this year thanks to a sponsorship from the The Kensington. If you are 
interested in participating in the 4th of July parade, please visit the 4th of 
July Website for online registration. 

https://sierramadre4thofjuly.wordpress.com/parade/

 Parade registration opens Friday, May 1st and all applications must be 
submitted by Monday, June 1st. Due to staging concerns, no late entries 
will be accepted. Please make sure to fill out all fields and hit the submit 
button!

 For questions regarding parade registration please contact the 4th of 
July Committee at 4thofjulysierramadre@gmail.com or the Community 
Services Department at 626.355.7135

Sierra Madre, CA. – May 11, 2015 – With the warm summer months 
upon us and kids out of school for the summer, it’s time to hit the 
beach and pools for some fun. Come out on Monday, May 18th 
from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Splash into Summer Safety with 
Waterworks Aquatics and the Sierra Madre Fire Department. This 
eventful day will take place at 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. in Sierra 
Madre. See first-hand at what Sierra Madre firefighters and lifeguards 
do when a drowning occurs and how parents and babysitters can 
be prepared for a safe outing at any pool. A live demonstration of a 
“Mock” drowning water rescue will take place at 1:30pm with FREE 
recreational swim for the community to follow. Specialized rescue 
equipment as well as activities and games will provide a unique 
learning opportunity for children and adults. 

 Drowning is the nation’s number one killer of children under the 
age of 5 and it’s the second leading cause of death from unintentional 
injuries for ages 1 to 14. Drowning can happen in bathtubs, mop 
buckets, toilets, and even in standing water as shallow as 2 inches. 
They happen year round! 

 With your assistance, we all can make a difference in a child’s life 
by educating the public about the importance of adult supervision 
around all bodies of water, multiple barriers around pools and spas, 
as well as classes for children and adults. Active adult supervision is 
the key to preventing these senseless tragedies. 

 Waterworks Aquatics Sierra Madre offers one 33 yard, 6 lane pool 
and one circular teaching pool that are both heated to 86-88 degrees 
year-round. They provide Private, Semi-Private, Group, Parent and 
Me, Adult and Stroke Clinic swim classes. Waterworks also offers 
youth swim teams, summer swim camps, lap swimming, water 
aerobics, recreation swim, and a venue for birthday parties as well as 
facilitating aquatic therapy.

 “The teaching methodology at Waterworks Aquatics is what 
differentiates us from other swim schools,” said Jon Alpert, founder 
of Waterworks Aquatics. “We utilize an original instructional 
philosophy of teaching children to roll to their back for a breath 
rather than lifting their heads to breathe, which allows children as 
young as 18 months the capability to swim across the pool. The other 
key component is the use of a specialized muscle memory teaching 
technique, where students are taught stroke technique at a very 
young age.” 

 With a commitment to “Learning it the Right Way, Right from 
the Beginning”, Waterworks Aquatics has been voted the Best Swim 
School in Orange County for six consecutive years by the readers of 
Parenting OC Magazine. 

 

 For more information or to register for classes, please visit 
waterworksswim.com/sierramadre or call 626.836.1200.


COMMUNITY YARD SALE

The City of Sierra Madre Senior Community Commission is hosting the 
5th Annual Community Yard Sale on Saturday, June 6, 2015 from 8:00 a.m. 
to 12:00 p.m. located in the Sierra Vista Park (611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd). 
Community organizations and members are invited to come together 
with their neighbors to participate in a community yard sale. The fee for a 
selling space is $30.00 and a yard sale permit does not need to be purchased; 
proceeds will benefit senior programs and activities. If you would like to 
participate in the Community Yard Sale, you must register in person at 
the City Hall, 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.. The Community Yard Sale will 
encompass the west parking lot and basketball court in Sierra Vista Park. 
The deadline to register is Thursday, May 28 or until spaces are filled. Spots 
are filled on a first come, first serve basis. For more information please call 
the Community Services Department at (626) 355-7135.

SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER

SIERRA MADRE PUBLIC 
TRANSPORTATION CHANGES

 Changes to the Sierra Madre Dial-A-Ride and fixed route Gateway 
Coach services take effect June 1. 2015. Dial-A-Ride services in 
Sierra Madre will operate Monday through Friday from 8:00am – 
10:30am and 2:00pm – 5:00pm. Dial-A-Ride services are available 
to Sierra Madre residents that are 62 years of age or older, or have 
a signed form by a physician attesting to a disability that hinders 
mobility. The cost of a one-way fare is $2.00. Dial-A-Ride travels up 
to 2 miles outside the City, however on Tuesdays one can travel as 
far east as Duarte’s City of Hope andon Thursdays one can travel as 
far west as Huntington Memorial Hospital. Dial-A-Ride users must 
submit an application prior to using the service for the first time.

 The Gateway Coach fixed route services operates Monday 
through Friday from 11:00am – 2:00pm. The Gateway Coach is free 
for anyone to use and does not require an application. The Gateway 
Coach stops at various points throughout the City including City 
parks, the library, City Hall, Senior Center, and schools. In addition 
the Gateway Coach stops in Hastings Ranch. 

 To download a copy of the Sierra Madre Public Transportation 
Map, please visit www.cityofsierramadre.com/transportation. 
For additional information contact the Community Services 
Department at 626-355-7135. 

During the week of Sunday, May 3rd, to Sunday, May 10th, the Sierra Madre 
Police Department responded to approximately 320 calls for service.

Sunday May 3rd

At 6:10 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to West Sierra Madre Blvd. 
regarding a disturbance at a local liquor store. The reporting party 
indicated to the dispatcher that a man was trying to get into his car by 
hitting the glass windows. Upon arrival, Officers discovered the man 
standing between two parked cars. As the man walked towards the 
Officers, his movements were slow and unsteady as he appeared to have 
some difficulty keeping his balance. As the Officers questioned the man, 
he informed them that he had several drinks at a local bar. Officers could 
smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from the man’s breath. Officers 
determined the man was unable to care for himself in his current state and 
ultimately arrested the man for public intoxication. He was transported to 
Pasadena Jail where he was booked and released on a citation.

Wednesday, May 6th

At 6:23 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the 100 Block of South 
Hermosa Ave regarding a medical assist. Upon arrival, Officers were 
informed by the patient’s mother that the patient had been having multiple 
seizures beginning the day prior. The mother stated the seizures may be 
a result of the daughter’s battle with an illness. While on scene with the 
Fire Department, the patient had several more seizures but declined to be 
transported. Two hours later the Officers were dispatched to the residence 
again regarding the same issue. Upon arrival Officers informed the patient 
that if she did not voluntarily consent to be transported to the hospital, 
she would be placed on a medical hold and be transported to the hospital 
for her overall safety and well-being. The patient refused transport and 
became combative with Officers and firefighters. Ultimately the patient 
was placed and secured into the gurney and was transported to a local 
hospital for further evaluation. 

Friday, May 8th 

At 5:03 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the area of Sierra Madre 
Blvd. east of Michillinda Ave regarding a suspicious person in the area 
after two juveniles came into the station to report they were being 
followed by a man. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate 
the suspect. Upon interviewing the young girls, Officers determined that 
both girls were walking home from school. When they reached a local 
business Girl #1 noticed the reflection of a man walking approximately 
two feet behind Girl #2, in the shop’s window. Girl #2 was unaware, so 
when Girl #1 told her to walk faster, she thought it was a game. As they 
increased their pace, Girl #1 noticed the man began walking faster also. 
Girl #1 told the other girl to run and follow her into a local business. 
Once they were within the business, the girls witnessed the man looking 
into the business at them, while covering his face with his hand. The girls 
described the man as 6 ft. tall, weighing 190 lbs. with a dark complexion 
and long hair while wearing a grey or dark colored shirts and dark jeans. 
The young girls waited in the business until the man walked away, and 
then walked into the station to report the incident. This case has been 
forwarded to the Detective Bureau.