Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, April 25, 2020

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, April 25, 2020 

ROTARY CLUB RECOGNIZES HOMETOWN 
BUSINESSES DURING PANDEMIC

On Tuesday morning, April 21st, the Rotary Club of Sierra Madre held a Zoom meeting for its members 
and the public. The purpose was to showcase three of Sierra Madre’s iconic businesses that remain 
open to serve the community during the COVID-19 crisis. The businesses were Taylor’s Market, Best 
Buy Pharmacy, and Arnold’s Hardware.

Rotarian Julie Brady interviewed Casey Taylor, a fourth-generation family member who now manages 
Taylor’s Ol’ Fashioned Market, 14 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Taylor’s offers prime beef, fresh produce, high-
end coffee brands, and a variety of canned goods, frozen meals, and household products. Wednesday 
mornings from 7:00 – 8:00 a.m. are reserved exclusively for seniors to shop.

Taylor’s is assisting the Sierra Madre community by providing a limited number of food baskets to 
those in need. Anyone aware of a family or person in need may call Taylor’s at 626 355-8267. 

Rotarian Julie next visited pharmacist Paul Mansour, who has owned Best Buy Drugstore, 29 N. 
Baldwin Ave., since 1996. Best Buy is fully stocked with prescription and over the counter medicine in 
addition to hair and nail care products, children’s craft materials, bathroom paper products, and cards. 
Paul offers advice on the best immunity boosters available and provides home delivery of prescription 
medicine. 

Basil Kruger has owned Arnold’s Hardware, 297 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., since 2004. Employees 
Debbie and Kate led Rotarian Janette Ledea past shelves stocked with a wide variety of goods, ranging 
from E. Waldo Wards’ preserves, greeting cards, kids’ educational items, craft materials, housewares, 
cookbooks, plumbing, and electrical supplies, and more. The rear barn contains a variety of yard and 
garden supplies such as grass, fertilizer, mulch.

All three businesses use safe distance and sanitary practices, requiring masks to enter their stores. 
Each provides a level of personal service to residents not found in large chain stores.

Mayor John Capoccia, a meeting participant, commended and thanked local owners and employees 
of Arnold’s, Best Buy Drugs, and Taylor’s for delivering quality service and merchandise that are an 
essential component of Sierra Madre’s community.

The Rotary Club of Sierra Madre thanks these businesses and those community members who joined 
our online meeting. Rotary encourages the local and greater community to patronize our local 
businesses, especially during this time.

Rotary is a service club consisting of community members of all ages and backgrounds who get 
together, become friends, and through that friendship organize community and international service 
to improve lives. Check our ad for speaker information for our Tuesday, April 28th online meeting. 
Rotary welcomes and appreciates visitors.

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

 by Deanne Davis


I think we’ve all heard as much about the corona 
virus, the lack of TP and to mask or not to mask 
to last us all a lifetime. I did hear one good corona 
joke: “My husband and I have decided not to have 
children. We’re telling them at dinner tonight.”

This week I thought I’d go back in time and see 
what we were talking about in April of 2016. This 
reflects positive thoughts and good times and I am 
convinced, dear friends and neighbors that we will 
have all these things again. Don’t know if the Mt. 
Wilson Trail Race will happen this year, but here’s 
how it went that year. Same with the Art Fair and the 
Wistaria Festival, but this will help us to remember 
good times and know without a shadow of a doubt 
that good times will come again.

“In the bad times choose to grow stronger, in the 
good times choose to enjoy fully.

In all times choose to be grateful.”

“The secret to life is knowing how to make the bad 
times good,

and the good times unforgettable.”

“Everything heals. Your heart heals. The mind heals. 
Wounds heal.

Your happiness is always going to come back. Bad 
times don’t last.”

The Book of Awesome – Neil Pasricha

“Sometimes it’s easy to forget the things that make us smile. Sometimes it’s tempting to feel the world 
is falling apart. But awesome things are all around us:

• Popping bubble wrap
• The smell of rain on a hot sidewalk
• Hitting a bunch of green lights in a row
• Waking up and realizing it’s Saturday
• Fixing electronics by smacking them
• Being the first table called up to the dinner buffet at a wedding
• When the cashier opens a new lane at the grocery store
• When you’re really tired and about to fall asleep and someone throws a blanket on you
• Finding an old mix tape
• High-fiving babies
• Bakery air (obviously, Poppy Cake Bakery)
• 


Recently I was introduced to The Book of Awesome, which I immediately bought for myself from 
Amazon for $11.08. The things listed above are totally awesome and got me to thinking that Sierra 
Madre is filled with awesome things. Our own personal mountains to start with. There’s never a day 
when the mountains aren’t majestic, beautiful, sometimes wearing clouds ‘round their shoulders, 
but always glorious. Currently, covered with green. Awesome!

Another awesome thing is that one can sit outside at one of our nifty local restaurants and look at 
the mountains. For instance, the tables right inside the front windows at Zugo’s (now Lemon Zest), 
enjoy a glass of something chilled and slowly savor a kabob wrap or chipotle bowl. Or, outside at 
Casa Del Rey, a margarita and some guacamole, chips and salsa, 

Continuing up Baldwin a bit, you could start your day at Beantown, still able to enjoy a spectacular 
view of the mountains, and any kind of coffee you can think of, i.e., Espresso, Latte, Capuccino, 
Mocha, Breve, Au lait, Red Eye, Steamer, Americano! And free wi-fi! Awesome!

Across the street, Wistaria also serves breakfast, lunch and dinner - again with a great view of the 
mountains if you beat your friends to the chairs looking toward them. Back to the other side of 
Baldwin, Villaggio Pizzeria has terrific pizza, fabulous salads, a patio in the back where they do 
wonderful parties for kids and they deliver! Awesome! And you know, takeout is available from our 
restaurants so you can still enjoy your favorite dishes at home.

Sounds like all we do is eat out. Well, yeah, but let’s wipe our lips and get outside for a bit. Sierra 
Madre is also the home of the only one of its kind Wistaria vine, named by the Guinness Book 
of World Records as the largest flowering plant – covering over an acre – and one of the seven 
horticultural wonders of the world! Purchased in 1894 by Mrs. Alice Brugman for 75 cents. We get 
to see it once a year in March, and have an awesome festival, too.

Coming up in May is the 54th annual Art Fair, this year featuring Sarah Moore, who works primarily 
with high fire porcelain, stoneware and wood fire clays, all either hand thrown on the wheel or 
hand built. Having seen a tiny sample of what she does, I’m bringing my checkbook, friends and 
neighbors! Taking some of her awesome work home. (Cancelled, of course, but plans are already 
underway for 2021.)

Also coming up in May (28th) is the 8.6 mile grueling Mt. Wilson Trail Race. Rumor has it that 
several times womens’ winner, Sharon Pevsner, will be running, along with Lisa Cardella of Ixora 
Floral Studio and Cellibravo member, 14-year old Tatum. We’ll have two rabbits (Simon and Robert) 
this year to kick off the kids’ run and we’re looking forward to an awesome race. (Hope springs 
eternal that it might happen this year!)

All of this is kind of a campaign to get us to stay home and enjoy our Village, rather than venturing 
out to dine, shop and go to stuff. We’ve got nail salons and beauty parlors galore, fitness studios, 
many more restaurants than I mentioned, florists, a library, schools, churches, dog groomers, 
Taylor’s Meats; car repair guys, gift shops, a great vet: Dr. Walter Cailleteau; the best shoe repair 
guy anywhere, Mr. Ruiz; our own newspaper, the Mountain Views News, and our own Playhouse! 
Seriously, Sierra Madre has it all! 

These are a few of the treasures Sierra Madre offers...and I didn’t even mention the beautiful trees 
and gardens all over town. Awesome! And, God willing, they will all survive this current pandemic 
and come back stronger than ever. 

Stay home – Stay Safe!

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 

Check out “The Crown” Easter is past but the memory lingers on.

If you’ve ever wondered what happened to that crown of thorns, 

“The Crown” is perfect for you!

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

Follow me on Twitter, too! https://twitter.com/@playwrightdd

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M
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