Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, January 19, 2019

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SOUTH PASADENA - SAN MARINO

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 19, 2019 

Library Sets Up Display 
in Honor of Ron Koertge

Library Set to launch pilot 
project ‘Library of Things’

Parson’s Nose Theater Presents 
The Servant of Two Masters

 
In honor of Ron Koertge, 
South Pasadena’s first Poet 
Laureate, the Library has set 
up a display of books inside 
its main entrance. The display 
contains checkout copies of 
Ron’s poetry books, as well 
as circulating copies of books 
by other top poets, including 
Dana Gioia, California State 
Poet Laureate, another South 
Pasadena resident. Also 
represented in the display are 
books by Juan Felipe Herrera 
and Al Young, two former 
California State Poet Laureates 
who have also appeared in 
recent years for Author Nights 
at the South Pasadena Public 
Library. Juan Felipe Herrera was 
later appointed the 21st Poet 
Laureate of the United States 
from 2015 to 2017.

A widely published writer, Ron 
is an ambassador for the art 
of poetry, reading his poems 
and works by others at various 
functions around the city. Ron 
has resided in South Pasadena 
for more than 35 years and 
has taught writing at a number 
of universities, including 
Hamline University in St. Paul, 
Minnesota, and at Pasadena 
City College for more than 37 
years. Mr. Koertge has also 
been a prominent fixture on the 
Los Angeles poetry scene for 
decades and the author of more 
than a dozen acclaimed poetry 
collections, including “Dairy 
Cows,” “Life on the Edge of the 
Continent,” “Making Love to 
Roget’s Wife,” and “Indigo,” 
The Library collection also 
offers his 10 works of fiction. 
Almost all of Ron’s books in the 
Library collection are available 
for checkout, although a few 
special, rare, and/or signed 
editions are for use only in the 
Library.

The Library checkout collection 
contains Ron’s newest title, 
“The Yellow Moving Van,” 
published in October, 2018 
as well as two earlier works, 
“Geography of the Forehead” 
and “Fever” that Ron and his 
wife Bianca Richards recently 
donated. Bianca is also one of 
the two new members of the 
Library Board of Trustees who 
officially began their duties 
at the January 10th meeting. 
Bianca is past President of 
WISPPA and a lifelong resident 
of South Pasadena who recently 
retired after almost 30 years as 
a Counselor and Coordinator 
for Disabled Student Programs 
and Services at Pasadena City 
College.

Debra Beadle is the other new 
Library Trustee. She has lived 
in South Pasadena since 2002 
and currently works as the 
Director of Philanthropic and 
Educational Services for ABS 
Legacy Partners where she helps 
clients fulfill their charitable 
giving goals. Debra previously 
served on the South Pasadena 
Ad Hoc Community Center 
Committee. 

 Appointed new President of the 
Library Board of Trustees for 
2019 is David Uwins, a longtime 
local resident and Bookstore 
Volunteer for the Friends of 
the South Pasadena Public 
Library, David was previously 
the Information Technology 
Director of United Health Care 
and a former employee of the 
Los Angeles Times. The other 
Library Trustees are former 
President Brendan Durrett, a 
Law Librarian for a large firm 
in Downtown LA and Alan 
Jutzi, who recently retired after 
a distinguished career at the 
Huntington Library in San 
Marino.

With input from the community, 
Ron Koertge has also written 
“Ode to South Pasadena.” It’s 
a commemorative poem about 
the city, looking back as it also 
celebrates South Pasadena’s 
vibrant present. As he was 
composing the “Ode” Ron asked 
for ideas from the community 
and the response was robust. So 
in a very real sense, the ode is 
a collaborative effort. The ode 
was officially presented to the 
City Council at their meeting 
on December 19, 2018. A copy 
of the poem is posted by the 
Library Poetry display.

 Pasadena’s critically 
acclaimed professional, 
classical comedy theater 
company, continues their 
2018-19 season with 
Carlo Goldoni’s farce, The 
Servant of Two Masters. 
This 75-minute version was 
adapted by and features PNT 
Artistic Director, Lance 
Davis.

 “We are delighted to spread 
a thick layer of Italian 
farce all over the month of 
February,” says Mr. Davis. 
“Carlo Goldoni’s 1750 classic 
retelling of a 16th Century 
improvised comedy kicks off 
our new year. I have created 
my own improvisation of the 
story of the hapless servant 
Truffaldino who reluctantly 
defies the Biblical caveat, 
“No man can serve two 
masters,” in order to buy a 
sandwich.

 “Lombardi’s son Silvio 
loves Clarice, but her father, 
Pantalone, has promised 
her to the wealthy dung 
merchant Federigo Rasponi, 
who is really Beatrice 
Aretusi disguised as a man 
searching for her lover, the 
tango teacher Florindo, so 
they can run off and open 
a dance studio in Brooklyn. 
It’s complicated. It’s also the 
classic foundation for every 
madcap farce from Bringing 
Up Baby to Seinfeld.

 “Join us for 75 minutes plus 
intermission, to socialize 
with wine and home-baked 
“Pat Bell” cookies in our 
historic Marston/Van Pelt 
chapel and forget your 
troubles. Bring friends and 
dine in Old Pasadena before 
or after. Kick off 2019 with 
something new!”

 The production stars the 
PNT Company, featuring 
Lance Davis as Truffaldino. 
Davis has appeared in over 
150 professional productions 
On- and Off-Broadway and 
throughout the U.S. He was 
a company member of the 
Tyrone Guthrie Theater 
Company in Minneapolis 
for five years and has 
been seen in a variety of 
television shows including 
Roseanne, Coach, Twin 
Peaks, Murphy Brown, and 
others. 18 years ago he Co-
Founded Parson’s Nose with 
wife, Mary Chalon, and has 
been producing, adapting, 
directing, and acting with 
the company ever since.

 The cast of The Servant 
of Two Masters includes 
James Calvert as Lombardi, 
Marissa Chandler as 
Beatrice, Lance Davis as 
Truffaldino, John Harnagel 
as Brighella, Stuart Orloff 
as Silvio, John Rafter Lee as 
Florindo, Jill Rogosheske as 
Smeraldina, and Heather 
Taylor as Clarice. Directed 
by Lance Davis. Set by 
Jen Orsini. Costumes by 
Michael Mullen.

 Preview: February 8, Runs: 
February 9 – March 10, 
2019. Fridays and Saturdays 
at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm.

 Parson’s Nose Theater is 
located at 95 N. Marengo 
Ave.

 
A preview of the play 
will be held February 8 
at 8p.m.

 As part of the City of South 
Pasadena’s FY 2018/19 
Strategic Plan, the South 
Pasadena Public Library will 
be launching its own ‘Library 
of Things’ as a pilot project 
during the first three months 
of 2019. A Library of Things” 
is a collection of non-
book, non-traditional items 
available for community 
members to borrow. The 
materials will be available for 
checkout from the Library 
in much the same way that a 
cardholder would check out 
a book or a CD.

 A ‘Library of Things’ could, 
for example, contain items 
like binoculars, garden tools, 
a telescope, a compass, a 
camera, a heavy duty stapler, 
and a cellphone charger. It 
could also contain a violin, 
a ukulele, and an acoustic 
guitar so library users could 
try them out on their own 
before deciding to buy one 
or start lessons. It could 
also provide toys, games, 
or sports equipment that a 
young family would only 
want to use for a short time.

 Novelty cake pans, a 
thermometer, kitchen 
utensils, a punchbowl, and 
party supplies could also 
be offered by a “Library 
of Things,’ while other 
provide materials that are 
curriculum-related, such as 
globes and maps, art supplies, 
and educational kits---- 
or just about anything else 
that isn’t too big, expensive 
or present risks or safety 
concerns. Things to avoid 
are items that are not durable 
and won’t hold up to heavy 
use.

 Borrowing from a 
‘Library of Things’ is one 
way of participating in 
the Sharing Economy. It’s 
also a sustainable, money-
saving practice. To start the 
operation, the Library will be 
drawing on its strengths of 
acquisition, circulation, and 
circulation in order to help 
community members to have 
free access to practical items 
that they may only want once 
a year or during a certain 
season.

 SHARE, a Library of 
Things in Frome, England 
has been credited with 
starting the movement that 
has been growing steadily 
during recent years in public 
libraries near and far. A 
community-centric ‘Library 
of Things’ should reflect the 
needs and desires a broad 
cross-section of its residents. 
It’s expected that residents 
of South Pasadena would 
want to check out different 
types of items than those of 
English townsfolk or even 
dwellers of somewhere else in 
California. Consequently, the 
Library will soon be posting 
a link to a brief survey that 
asks for suggestions from 
the public on this website 
in the next week or so. In 
addition, the Library will be 
distributing bookmarks and 
announcements about the 
survey process. Respondents 
will be able to suggest items 
they would most like to see 
the Library offer in its pilot 
Library of Things project 
expected to start in March. 

 For more information visit 
southpasadenaca.gov click 
on "library."

Ron Koertge and Bianca 
Richards - Photo Credit: South 
Pasadena Review


Crowell Public Library Events

Open House

Sat., Jan. 26, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Crowell Public Library 
celebrates its 11th 
anniversary with an Open 
House. Stop by to see the 
variety of services the 
library has to offer, including 
activities for seniors, teens 
and kids; cultural programs; 
passport acceptance; and 
test proctoring. At noon, see 
the announcement of the 
annual bookmark contest 
winners. Enjoy lunch at a 
food truck. Crowell Library 
has something for everyone 
in the community!

Meet a Princess

Hear ye, hear ye! Children of 
the land are cordially invited 
to attend the annual Princess

Storytime at the Crowell 
Public Library on Saturday, 
January 19 at 2 p.m. You will 
have the honor of meeting 
the official Pasadena 
Tournament of Roses Royal 
Court, and be enchanted 
by stories of princes and 
princesses. Wear your 
finest royal attire and bring 
your camera for pictures! 
Registration is not required.

Advances In Healthcare

Hal Slavkin, Professor and 
Dean Emeritus from USC, 
returns with a six-week class 
on

Tuesdays, January 8 through 
February 12 at 12:30 p.m. 
that outlines the past and 
possible future of healthcare 
in this country. Learn 
about new, significant 
medical discoveries that 
may transform medicine. 
Sponsored by the Friends of 
the Library. No reservations 
are required. 

Movie Classics 

3rd Thursday of every 
month at 1:00 pm Join us 
for complimentary popcorn 
and free screenings of some 
of the best films ever made:

Jan 17: Money Ball, 2011

A baseball general manager 
reinvents the Oakland A’s 
by employing unorthodox 
scouting methods that 
initially make him a laughing 
stock in the major leagues.

Feb 21: The Hours,2002

Three women cope with 
sadness and dissatisfaction 
with their lives in this 
tale of Virginia Woolf, 
a ‘50s housewife and a 
contemporary book editor. 
Meryl Streep, Julianne 
Moore and Nicole Kidman 
star.

Mar 21: Sense and 
Sensibility,1995

This Oscar-nominated 
adaptation of Jane Austen’s 
novel about the still-single 
Dashwood sisters and 
how they cope with men, 
marriage and money after 
their father dies, features 
Emma Thompson and Kate 
Winslet.

 Crowell Public Library 
is located 1890 Huntington 
Dr, San Marino. For more 
information call (626) 300-
0777.

Senior Co-
housing: 
Progressive 
and Creative

 Cohousing, a unique 
housing model that began 
in Denmark and is growing 
in the U.S. brings adults ages 
50+ together to imagine 
and design their own small 
communities. The model 
has surged in recent years as 
more and more baby boomers 
retire and look to downsize to 
a more community-oriented 
and environmentally-friendly 
lifestyle. 

 Alexandria Levitt, Senior 
Housing Specialist and 
Gerontologist, USC MS 2011, 
will discuss Senior Cohousing 
on Thursday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m. at 
Pasadena Central Library’s 
Donald Wright Auditorium, 
285 E. Walnut St. Learn about 
what’s involved, successful 
communities already created, 
and how to make it happen 
here. For more information, 
contact Christine Reeder at 
(626) 744-7076.


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