Mountain Views News May 2, 2026 

Weather Wise 

6-Day Forecast Sierra Madre, Ca. 


Sun Ptly Cldy Hi 70s Lows 50s 
Mon: Ptly Cldy Hi 70s Lows 50s 
Tues: Ptly Cldy Hi 70s Lows 50s 
Wed: Ptly Cldy Hi 70s Lows 50s 
Thur: Ptly Cldy Hi 70s Lows 50s 
Fri: Ptly Cldy Hi 70s Lows 50s

 Forecasts courtesy of the National Weather Service 


SIERRA 
MADRE CITY 
COUNCIL 
MEETING 

MAY 12, 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. 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE: 

The Social Side by Deanne Davis 

“The world’s favorite season is spring. All things seem possible in May.” Edwin Way“May is the month of promise and the sweet beginnings of summer.” 
“The month of May is the gateway to summer.” Jean Hersey“May! The month of sunshine, blooming flowers and endless possibilities.” 

The picture this week is flowers! Glorious blossoms just waiting to be taken home. May flowers 
are definitely here. I chose gerbera daisies and tulips to share with you as they are just so vibrant 
and bright. Speaking, of vibrant flowers, Mother’s Day is next Sunday, May 10th. Flowers and a 
card are a splendid Mother’s Day remembrance. Going out to dinner on Mother’s Day is usuallya bad idea as it’s horribly crowded, you have to wait forever, even if you have a reservation, the 
wait staff are rushed and overwhelmed and it’s been my experience that when you finally get 
whatever you ordered, it’s not as delicious as you had expected. Take mom out a couple of daysbefore or a couple of days after. You’ll all enjoy it much more. 

May is also special because it can boast of not just one, but two full moons! Can you believe it? 

The first one was visible last Friday, the “Flower Moon,” so named for the abundant blooming of flowers in the Northern Hemisphere. 
The second will appear on May 31st, a “Blue Moon.” This is pretty neat, friends and neighbors, as two full moons in a single calendar 
month occur roughly every two to three years. Also, the frequency of blue moons can vary. Some years might have no blue moons at 
all, while others might have two. This relatively rare event is where the phrase, “once in a blue moon” came from. 

Other significant May 1st events: 

England releases the first 1st adhesive postage stamp. (1840)

The first wagon train leaves Independence, Mo for California. (1841)

The Empire State Building is dedicated. (1931)

The cereal “Cheerios” hits store shelves. (1941)

Slugger Mickey Mantle hits his first home run. (1951)

Mr. Potato Head hits the toy shelves. (1952) 

Movie Review: Went to see the new movie, “Michael,” based on the life of Michael Jackson. Wow! That’s pretty much my reaction. 
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson as his uncle, Michael Jackson, the movie explores the King of Pop’s life from 
his Jackson 5 days to his 1980’s peak. The movie focuses on his performances…the dancing is awesome…his musical journey and his 
personal life (a lot of which was sad) and his road to becoming a major success. Much to my relief, the movie did not address all the 
bad things in his life but concentrated on his talent and his kindness. I’d forgotten how great his songs were, “Billie Jean,” “Bad” and 
the iconic “Thriller.” Seeing these production numbers on the big screen was so neat. And, we’re seeing “The Devil Wears Prada II” 
this afternoon. Can’t wait to see what happens there. 

The Art Fair is this weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 5 in Memorial Park. Weather should be spectacular and the $$$ goes 
to support our Library’s programs and services going strong. The library is scheduled to reopen next month and I know we are really 
anticipating how awesome it’s going to be. Meanwhile, go to the Art Fair and buy something! 

Did you happen to read Elizabeth Converse’s interview with Ann and Hanna in last week’s Mountain Views News? You can find them 
on Instagram. Quoting Elizabeth’s article, “The Ann and Hanna Show, an Instagram-based video series has become one of Sierra 
Madre’s most recognizable platforms for community story-telling. These are really fun ladies. They are ready to talk to anybody about 
anything! “You have a band? Great! We know someone who needs a band. You’re an artist? We have something coming up. Because 
they’re so open to new people and new experiences to chat about, things snowball. Being able to get bands for the Art Walk, to have 
people performing here who’ve never performed here before, just seeing everyone’s happiness, that’s everything!” You can find them 
on Instagram: @annandhannashow Take a look! I did and became an immediate follower. 

Thinking about the library reopening, made me think of a quote I came across recently…
“Inscribed on the Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress are the first eight words of this quotation by Henry David 
Thoreau: “Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. Their authors are a natural 
and irresistible aristocracy in every society, and more than kings or emperors, exert an influence on mankind.” It doesn’t really matter 
what you read, you’ll learn something. I’m currently in the middle of a murder mystery by Douglas & Alethia Preston, “Paradox.” 
Murder by embalmment! 

Check out my book page: Deanne Davis: Amazon.comGreat stories there about my granddad searching for gold,
“The Fever Never Ends” 

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. 

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THE ART MAKES THE 
SPACE HOLY 

Mary Hoffman and the Baldwin Avenue Gallery BringContemporary Art to the Heart of Sierra Madre 

By Elizabeth Converse 

The Sierra Madre Art Walk returns on June 19 from 4 to 8 p.m.,
and few businesses in town have more at stake — or more to 
celebrate — than the Baldwin Avenue Gallery on North Baldwin 
Avenue. But the gallery’s story did not begin with a businessplan. It began with a drive through a small town, a man’s dyingmother, and a dream that once seemed as distant as the lottery. 

Mary Hoffman first saw Sierra Madre approximately twentyyears ago, when she came to visit her then-boyfriend Mike, whohad moved from Central California to care for his ailing mother.
“I fell in love,” she says simply. “In an instant, I knew this iswhere I wanted to lay roots.” She and Mike married, settled here,
and raised two children. 

For years, the gallery existed only as a dream — the kind, Mary 
says, that felt “like a lottery win.” Mike had painted since highschool, a closet artist whose talent his mother recognized and 
championed. One of her dying wishes was that he pursue his artseriously. After she passed, Mike began producing in earnest. 
He approached galleries in West Los Angeles and found themdismissive, even predatory — some demanding commissions ashigh as seventy or eighty percent. 

Then COVID arrived and reset everything. They talked aboutmoving to Oregon, starting a farm. Then Mike said: what about 
an art gallery? Mary had a background in retail and spa management, 
a degree in fashion design and merchandising, and a 
lifelong love of art. More importantly, she had spent years quietly 
promoting Mike’s work — building his website, sending outmailers, learning the mechanics of visibility. “Instead of going allin on somebody else,” she says, “we could go all in on ourselves.” 

The Baldwin Avenue Gallery — the BAG, as locals know it — is 
going into its fifth year this spring, a milestone that in the artsworld, particularly for a gallery in a small mountain town sellingwhat Mary candidly calls “luxury items,” represents somethingreal. 

A Conversation with Mary Hoffman

How would you describe what the Baldwin Avenue Gallery specializes 
in? 
We chose to go more contemporary — abstract, pop, that lane.
But as the gallery has morphed over the years, we’ve shown figurative 
work, we’ve shown across the board. Our gallery is fluid.
It’s more about the particular artist and their vision than a fixedaesthetic. 

Do we believe in this artist? Is there a connection? That’s reallywhat drives our choices. 
You’ve described the gallery as a creative hub. Can you say more?
We’re more than a gallery in the traditional sense. We’ve hostedpoetry readings, spoken word events, book signings — everything 
in the creative realm. How many places hold essentiallyfree parties for the town, once or twice every two months? Younever know what you’re getting when you walk in here. 

Do you feel supported by the Sierra Madre community?
Very much so. From before we even opened the doors, there waslove and support for the gallery. That said, we built knowing thebulk of sales would probably come from elsewhere — Glendale,
Santa Monica, Laguna. Art is a purchase, not a twenty-dollar T-
shirt. But the town has allowed us to become and to grow. It’s agreat place to plant your trees. 

What would you like people to know that they might not?
A few things. We are not a museum. People still come in andask if they need to pay admission. The answer is absolutely not.
Come in, sit down, read a book. We’ve had people come in just 

because they’re having a bad day and want to be with art. Thisspace is for them. I also don’t want to be a hidden gem — I wanteveryone to know we’re here. And affordability matters: we haveoriginal, one-of-a-kind pieces starting at one hundred dollars. 
We work with our artists on pricing, and we offer layaway. Wewant people who love art to own it. 

You’ve shown over a hundred artists in five years. How do youthink about your relationship with them?
The artists are everything. Once you’re in the BAG, you’re partof the family. These are just walls — we have an empty spacewithout the art. It is the art that makes the space holy, that makesit a church. We are privileged to provide walls, to give artists 
who need support a space and a voice. That’s what gives me themost joy. 

Tell us about the 100 Under 500 exhibition coming in May.
One hundred artists — many local, some alumni, some very well-
established artists who have never been in the gallery — comingtogether for one show where everything is under five hundred 
dollars. It’s an opportunity for people to start collecting, to ownsomething original for the first time. And it’s a chance to owngenuinely fine art at a price point these artists would never normally 
offer. Collages, assemblage, figurative painting, pop, abstracts, 
photography — across the board. I think it’s going to bethe show of all shows. 

What is your dream for the gallery?
To keep this space, always, for as long as we’re here. People tellus we’d do better on the West Side. We don’t want to be on the 
West Side. My bigger dream is two or three more art galleries 
opening in this town. There are so many creative, visionarypeople here. If we could build this into a destination — a placepeople drive to for art the way they drive to Laguna or Cambria 

— that would benefit all of us. That’s the dream I’m workingtoward. 
The Sierra Madre Art Walk on June 19 will bring artists directlyinto the businesses of the town, and the Baldwin Avenue Gallerywill be among the most vibrant stops on the route. The gallery islocated at 12 North Baldwin Avenue. The 100 Under 500 exhibition 
opens in May. Both are free and open to all. 

Mary Hoffman, Owner — The Baldwin Avenue Gallery, 12North Baldwin Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA 
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