Mountain Views News          Saturday, November 30, 2013

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Mountain View News Saturday, November 30, 2013 

Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 30, 2013 

The Holiday Season is upon us and unfortunately so 
are some thieves. The city was fortunate to go almost 
60 days without a residential burglary. Unfortunately 
burglars were back in the area on Wednesday on the 
200 Blk of West Carter. Witnesses in the area did see 
a vehicle parked adjacent to the victim’s residence that 
was not known to the residents in the area, however 
they did not call the police.

This is just a reminder “If you see something say something”. 
We urge you to call the Police Department if 
something just does not seem right to you. The Holiday 
times are a prime time for crooks. Let’s work together 
to take a strong stance on reducing crime in Sierra 
Madre.

 

Below are some Holiday Tips for keeping your residence 
and property safe.

• Be extra cautious about locking doors and windows 
when you leave the house, even for a few minutes.

• When leaving home for an extended time, have a 
neighbor or family member watch your house and pick 
up your newspapers and mail.

• Indoor and outdoor lights should be on an automatic 
timer.

• Leave a radio or television on so the house looks and 
sounds occupied.

• Large displays of holiday gifts should not be visible 
through the windows and doors of your home.

• When setting up a Christmas tree or other holiday 
display, make sure doors and passageways are clear inside 
your home.

• Avoid having packages delivered to your home if they 
have to be left on the porch or other open area. This is 
a target for thieves.

Strangers at Your Door

• Be aware that criminals sometimes pose as couriers 
delivering gifts.

• It is not uncommon for criminals to take advantage of 
the generosity of people during the holiday season by 
soliciting donations door-to-door for charitable causes 
although no charity is involved.

• Ask for their identification, and find out how the donated 
funds will be used. If you are not satisfied, do not 
donate.

• Donate to a recognized charitable organization.

SIERRA MADRE 

CHRISTMAS TREES HAS A 
NEW HOME

HOLIDAY CRIME 
PREVENTION TIPS

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

It is that time of year - the Sierra Madre Rose Float 
Association (SMRFA) needs your help! Have you 
always wanted to help create a Rose Float? Have 
you helped in the past and look forward to coming 
again? Come get involved in the wonderful community 
event of creating our Sierra Madre Rose Parade float.
Get involved right now! SMRFA needs construction 
and decoration crew members now and

ongoing until the float is finished. Presently we are working on Saturdays and Sundays.

Bring your skills and we’ll teach you new ones!

 
Ready to plan for the week between Christmas and New Years? SMRFA needs lots of volunteers and 
needs you to get involved! New this year you can schedule your shifts online! 

After Thanksgiving, visit the SMRFA website www.smrosefloat.org to sign up and plan that wonderful 
week between Christmas and New Years. Shifts run December 26-December 31 between 9am - 10pm 
(and sometimes go even later), so there should be something for everyone. Have family in from out 
of town? Sign them up, too!

SMRFA is also looking for people to help with a number of things that don’t include flowers 
or seeds! Volunteers are needed to help with food for volunteers (grilling burgers at lunch, 
serving and clean-up for lunch and dinner), help with the sales booth selling t-shirts, pins and 
postcards to community supporters, picking up supplies, cleaning up after the float moves out 
on the 31st, float-sitting overnight on January 2nd when the float comes home to Kersting 
Court and selling excess flowers on January 3rd. It takes a village to produce a beautiful Rose 
Parade float which is why the City of Sierra Madre has been so successful for so many years. 
If those volunteer opportunities are not enough, SMRFA is also looking for donations of some 
key supplies including working blenders and non-steam irons, which help us prepare the floral 
materials. Or do you have an RV that could sleep 6 on New Year’s Eve? The SMRFA float crew 
needs a place to sleep while parked on the parade route and would be grateful for a one-night loan.
If you can help with any of these items or if you have further questions, please contact Bonnie, the 
SMRFA Volunteer Coordinator, at volunteers@smrosefloat.org or leave a message at the float barn
(626-355-7005) and include your name, phone number and how you would like to get involved.


 
Well, at least for this year. Our town’s favorite 
(and only) Christmas Tree lot has been moved 
to a temporary location for Christmas 2013. 

 Due to the construction of The Kensington 
Skilled Nursing facility on Sierra Madre Blvd., 
there was a mutual concern by both the owners 
of the Christmas Tree lot and developers of 
The Kensington that the construction activity 
might inconvenience Christmas Tree shoppes. 
So, the lot has been temporarily moved to 89 E. 
Montecito for your convenience.

FRIENDS OF THE SIERRA MADRE 
LIBRARY BEST USED BOOK SALES

With the weather finally getting chillier and the daylight hours 
growing shorter, winter is a good time to curl up on your couch 
with a good book. And wonderful places to find many good 
books are the Friends of the Sierra Madre Library’s Member’s 
Preview Book Sale and the Best Used Book Sale. Both sales are being held the first week in December 
at the Sierra Madre Library located at 440 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. in the city of Sierra Madre.

The Member’s Preview Book Sale will be held Wednesday, December 4, 2013 from 5-7 p.m. in the 
basement off the library parking lot. Not a member? You can join the Friends of the Sierra Madre 
Library that evening and shop for great holiday gifts from the collection of newer fiction and non-
fiction books. Featured will be holiday titles, books and games for children and teens, craft books, 
cookbooks and unusual and attractive coffee table books on many subjects. There will also be a 
Bargain Cart with titles for only $1.00! Come and join us for a cup of Christmas cheer and talk books 
with other members. 

The December Best Used Book Sale will take place on Friday, December 6, 2013 from 3-7 p.m. 
and Saturday, December 7, 2013 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. There will be lots of books suitable for gifts 
including many lovely holiday books for children and adults, newer fiction and non-fiction titles, and 
art books. It’s not too late to begin thinking about crafting and cooking for the holidays-we have lots 
of books for inspiration. Come and check out our DVDs and audio books too! There will be $1.00 
Bargain books in the parking lot and, as always, paperbacks and children’s books in the parking lot 
are only 5/$1.00. 

Proceeds from the Book Sales are donated to the Sierra Made Public Library to support program and 
equipment needs. For more information, visit our website at sierramadrelibraryfriends.org or call 
the library at 626 355-7186.


WALKING SIERRA MADRE……THE SOCIAL SIDE 
By Deanne Davis

I don’t know about you, but my mind has been filled with thoughts of turkey, stuffing, cranberry 
sauce and pumpkin pie. Yes, pumpkin pie…. Which reminds me of an old Sierra Madre legend. 
Names have been changed to protect anybody who needs protecting and just remember, magical 
things happen in our magical town… 

The legend…

Emma Gainsworth lived on the edge of town, somewhere between Michillinda and Santa Anita. 
Emma, being rather poorer than richer, had discovered that occasionally there was a treasure to be 
found if she walked along Grandview or Orange Grove early in the morning. On a bleak Tuesday in 
May, Emma found a bundle of seeds which looked somewhat like squash seeds and she decided to 
plant them in a sunny spot behind her small cottage, hoping they would produce something edible 
and, possibly, saleable, within the next months. Zucchini, dark green and heavy filled her thoughts. 
And so she did.

May turned to June and then to hot, humid July and the vines behind Emma=s cottage, which had 
begun to grow almost as soon as she put the seeds into the ground, were now thick and lush, with 
bright orange pumpkins here and there along their length. APumpkin pie!@ Emma thought, “Oh 
my yes! Just in time for Thanksgiving. I can take my pies to the Farmer’s Market!” Saleable indeed! 
August, September, October came and went and the pumpkins were huge; boulder-size, unmovable, 
uncookable, unsaleable....too big for anything except possibly Cinderella=s coach. 

 

Emma, discouraged, but determined, decided to take her carving knife out to the pumpkin patch 
one November morning, and carve enough off one of them to make herself a pie. The pumpkins 
had taken on a dazzling shine in the subdued Fall daylight, enough to make Emma shade her eyes as 
she advanced upon the smallest one. She lowered the knife, the pumpkin dazzled and gleamed; and 
as the knife disappeared into its meaty orange flesh, it began to pull Emma right in after it! Hand, 
arm, head, shoulders, right down to Emma=s well-worn shoes. Emma now found herself inside a 
brightly glowing orange sphere containing an entire world of brightly shining creatures who thanked 
Emma for helping them get home to their own bright orange world and promised her she would live 
a glorious life of happiness and ease where she would never have to find treasures by the side of the 
road again. With that, the pumpkins all detached themselves from the vines, rose, in a stately fashion, 
straight up into the sky and neither they, nor Emma, was ever seen again. 

The recipe for the pumpkin pie Emma was planning to bake was found on her kitchen table, next to 
a canister of flour, jars of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and a 9” pie pan. Emma, by the way, was 
rumored to be a very good cook. 

Next time you’re walking along Grandview, or any one of our Sierra Madre streets, keep your eyes 
peeled for a small bundle of something or other. Who knows, you might find yourself listed among 
the Sierra Madre legends!