Mountain View News Saturday, July 4, 2026 
WALKING SIERRA MADRE: The Social Side by Deanne Davis

Weather Wise 

6-Day Forecast Sierra Madre, Ca. 


Sun Sunny Hi 80s Lows 60s 
Mon: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 60s 
Tues: Ptly Cldy Hi 80s Lows 60s 
Wed: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 60s 
Thur: Ptly Cldy Hi 80s Lows 60s 
Fri: Ptly Cldy Hi 80s Lows 60s

 Forecasts courtesy of the National Weather Service 


SIERRA 
MADRE CITY 
COUNCIL 
MEETING 

JULY 14, 2026 5:30 pm 

The Brown Act provides the public 
with an opportunity to make public 
comments at any public meeting. As 
an alternative, public comment maybe submitted by e-mail to publiccomment@
sierramadreca.gov by 3:00PM 
on the day of the meeting. Emails will 
be acknowledged at the City Council 
meeting and filed into public record. 

A copy of the posted agenda and a live 
video stream of the meeting can be 
found on the City’s website at sierramadreca.
gov on Foothills Media website 
at foothillsmedia.org sierramadre, 
and broadcast on Government Access 
Channel 3 (Spectrum). 


1630 AM EMERGENCY RADIO & 
Free on-air publicity for local events 

Sierra Madre’s EMERGENCY radio station is now accepting scripts for 
Public Service Announcements (PSAs) about community events. PSAs will 
be broadcast on the air at no charge. The station operates 24/7 and can be 
heard at 1630 on the AM dial.

 Any local non-profit or non-commercial organization can have their 
event information broadcast to the public on Sierra Madre CommunityInformation Radio. The station covers the city of Sierra Madre, plus 
surrounding areas of Pasadena, Arcadia, and Monrovia. 
Your event must: 

• 
Benefit a non-commercial or non-profit entity
• 
Be open to the public 
• 
Be of general interest to local citizens 
Just write a Public Service Announcement that describes your event and 
e-mail it to radio@cityofsierramadre.com. 

Some of our Grand Marshals over the years were John & Jane 
Buchan, the Osti Family, Phyllis Chapman, Jan Reed, Mama 
Pete (Marjorie Peterson), Joe Degatto, Gordon Caldwell, Tensie 
Benson, Search & Rescue, Ty Gaffney, Bob Quarnstrom, Helen 
Walker (posthumously), Ralph Rule & Sam Simpson, etc., and 
our first Grand Marshal in 1987 was Shirley Rosenkranz who 
was named California Teacher of the Year for 1986. My apologies 
to those who I've not listed. 

In 1981 the parade and activities were run by Charlie and Marge 
Peterson. 1981 was a big deal because that was, supposedly, when 
the town was founded. We all know that Sierra Madre would not 
be incorporated in 1907, but still 1881 was still worth celebrating. 
As they did for the Nation's Bicentennial in 1976, the Historical 
Society brought the Pacific Electric red car back to town in 1981. 
It was an actual "red car" trolley that had been mounted on a 
truck chassis so it could navigate streets without rails. A house 
moving permit was needed to drive it from Long Beach to Sierra 
Madre up Lakewood Blvd. Rosemead Blvd. It had to be moved in 
the middle of the night with police escort. The red car was parked 
in Kersting Court right where many of the vintage photos were 
taken of it before 1950 when the line was decommissioned. Sierra 
Madre Blvd. was shut down to traffic all the way to Sunnyside so 
people could "ride the big rad car" down the middle of the street 
for the three days that it was here. 

The 1976 parade was the only 4th of July Parade to be held on 
a Sunday. Just as with the Pasadena Rose Parade most cities 
avoided parades on Sundays. BUT, 1976 was a really big deal 
as all of America had been holding celebrations for the entire 
year. The United States Bicentennial was a full year long event 
dedicated to our 200th year as a Nation. The parade was held on 
the 4th here in Sierra Madre on that Sunday, too, but the parade 
didn't start until 1:00. Everyone was happy with the time change 
from the traditional 10AM start time and that parade was a huge 
success. 

I was Chair from 1988 until 1996 when I handed it off to Hank 
Landsberg. After Hank, Matt Bossie took over and from there I 
lost track. I stayed with the committee for 21 years. My last year 
would be our Centennial in 2007. 

Those 21 years were some of the best years of my life. I never 
knew how many wonderful people I'd end up meeting and how 
good it felt to do something special for the fine people of Sierra 
Madre. There really is no better feeling than to be exhausted 
yet totally satisfied knowing that so many people really enjoyed 
themselves. 

But, here the big thing, the thing that volunteers don't talk much 
about. Events such as the 4th of July Parade and the related 
activities are the roots. These are the events of tomorrow's photo 
albums and tomorrow's joyous memories. The Committee is 
holding events, yes, we get that. But what you're doing is sowing 
seeds, driving people's roots deeper, all without them knowing it. 
We are making our town their home, not just a place with a bed,
but a home, a place of pride and ownership. Ownership, isn't that 
really the reason why we all volunteer? We seek ownership and 
we seek to share and inspire others to take pride and say, this is 
MY town! This is a town that I will take care of, and these people 
are MY neighbors! I may not have much money, but I have a 
huge amount of equity! 

That's the goodness of volunteering. You always get back 10 
times more than the effort you cast. It's a wonderful feeling and 
it's contagious! 

My Best To You All....Carry On!! 
Doug Hayes 

THE PARADE IS TODAY! 

IT’S GOING ON RIGHT NOW AS YOU’RE READING THIS!! 

As my column had to be in Susan Henderson’s hands so 
she could put the paper together before today, I can only 
share what I’m imagining. To start with, it’s a beautiful day. 
You’ve already seen several of your friends and you’ve got 
your chair set up in a shady spot. Oh my, dear friends and 
neighbors, you are going to see untold wonders today! All 
the Little League kids, a fabulous float designed by the Sierra 
Madre City College and, of course, their outrageously great 
band. 

Maybe you’ve already gotten your exercise today by runningin the Firecracker Run so you feel totally justified to 
enjoy delicious food all day, as provided by Sierra Madre’s 
outstanding restaurants. The picture today is Emily Brown 
outside Emmi’s, which was, in times gone by, Beantown. 
Miss Brown is about to devour a breakfast burrito featuringbacon and her Auntie Leah will stick to a vegan version 
burrito. Personally, I would be terribly torn between 
Breakfast Plate 18, which features your choice of applewood 
bacon, breakfast sausage or smoked salmon, potato, 2 eggs, 
avocado mash and sourdough toast. OR, Salmon Toast 18, 
which is smoked salmon, lemon herb yogurt on sourdough 
toast or a bagel, served with an arugula salad tossed with 
lemon vinaigrette, capers, onion, cucumber and tomato. I 
won’t even describe the avocado toast or you’ll be drooling 
all over your paper! 

MISS BROWN’S BREAKFAST BURRITO 
Choice of applewood bacon, roasted pork, breakfast sausage, 
egg, jack cheese, avocado mash, pico de gallo, tater tots in a 
flour tortilla with salsa verde and sour cream. I think I’d add 
the maple vanilla latte. 

You know, if you’re not too far from Baldwin, you could run 
up there now and get yourself something delicious to carry 
you through the parade. Or, you could exercise tremendous 
discipline, wait till the parade is over then go to Casa Del 
Rey for a margarita and some chips and guacamole. You 
can’t go wrong at Nano’s or Only Place in Town either. But 
enough about food. Let’s get back to the parade! 

You’ll soon see Grand Marshals Colleen McKernan and Kevin 
Drolet riding by in some gorgeous classic car convertible, 
waving to the admiring crowds. As you probably alreadyknow, these two were selected by the Sierra Madre Events 
Committee and the City to honor them for their decades 
of tireless volunteerism, leadership and dedication to our 
community. 

You’ll see our local government officials waving to you as 
they dash off to their next parade, probably South Pasadena. 

There will be classic cars, horses, fire engines, kids riding all 
sorts of wheeled conveyances, like the ones our kids rode in 
the parade many years ago. Some of them have even forgiven 
us for making them do that. Some, not all. We thought they 
were fabulous riding bicycles decorated with crepe paper. 
Parents are so weird that way! 

HISTORY (cont. from page 1) 


Whatever you do today, have a wonderful day. Be grateful 
you live in America where parades like this can take place, 
where neighbors can line the sidewalks and enjoy the beauty 
of their community. 

One more thing, be sure to stand when the flag is going by. 
Place your hand over your heart and thank God that we 
can celebrate this day that is so very special to us. Francis 
Scott Key penned the iconic lines of The Star Spangled 
Banner after peering through smoke and rocket fire to see 
if Baltimore had fallen. “The flag never fell” is a phrase with 
deep historical roots tied to the War of 1812. It immortalizes 
the moment at Fort McHenry when the American defenders 
survived a massive 25-hour British bombardment, ensuring 
the U.S. garrison flag remained flying and inspiring the 
national anthem. The sight of that flag, sewn by MaryPickeresgill, proved the fort had not surrendered. 

“And the rockets’ red glare,
The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night,
That our flag was still there!
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet waveO’er the land of the free, 
And the home of the brave!” 

Happy 4th of July, Sierra Madre! 

Check out my book page: Deanne Davis: Amazon.comGreat stories there about all sorts of adventures. 
Take a look! 


FROM THE SIERRA MADRE 
POLICE DEPARTMENT 

OVERNIGHT PARKING 
EXEMPT JULY 3 -6, 2026 

ENFORCEMENT RESUMES 

AT 2:00 AM JULY 7, 2026 

All other parking laws remain 
enforced. nixle.us/HF2S9 


Don't Forget: 

SIERRA MADRE MOVES 

– LOW-COST LOCAL 
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES 
Getting around just got easier for Sierra Madre residents. 
The City is pleased to announce the launch of Sierra Madre 
Moves — a new partnership with Uber Transit, offering 
reduced-cost local, regional, and medical rides for adults 
traveling to and from Sierra Madre. Eligible trips are 
subsidized by the City, with riders paying a $2.50 copay.
Whether you're heading to a doctor's appointment in need 
of a wheelchair accessible vehicle, running errands, or 
connecting to regional transit, Sierra Madre Moves gives 
you a reliable, affordable option to get there. 

Residents can claim ride vouchers at sierramadreca.gov/
moves. Vouchers are linked directly to your Uber account 
and automatically applied when you request an eligible 
ride. For residents that prefer to book by phone, please call 

(833) USE-UBER (833-873-8237) a text-enabled mobile 
device is required for that option.
“This program provides residents with an additional 
transportation option for accessing medical appointments, 
shopping destinations, regional transit connections, and 
other services throughout the region,” said Mayor Kristine 
Lowe. 
To learn more about eligibility details, voucher claiming, 
and service area information, please visit sierramadreca.
gov/moves.