Monrovia Old Town report: Celebrating 137 years

By Shawn Spencer shawn@girlfridaysolutions.net

is new and improved. By improved, I mean larger! It is definitely the place to be for an ice-cold beer (sponsored by Gem City Grill & Kiwanis), or sangria. While you wet your whistle, you can feel good about supporting the arts in your community.

In addition to the beer garden, there will be wonderful performances by our local Centre Stage and MUSD students. These kids and young adults are so talented! It’s amazing to watch. Starting at 7 p.m. (6 p.m. on Sunday), you can look forward to hearing live [professional] music. Friday night: Bumptown (top 40s).

Saturday night: OC Grove (blues, rock & funk). Sunday: Stone Soul (classic soul and Motown). You will be hardpressed to find anyone still sitting down around 8 p.m. Mostly everyone will be on the dance floor, shakin’ their tail feathers and giving zero care to who is watching!

This year, there will also be a fun, digital, triviabased scavenger hunt. While you’re cooling off in the beer garden, you can pass the time seeing how you score in knowledge of all things Monrovia.

So, we have live music, super fun carnival rides, a Merengue-sponsored pie eating contest, carnival games, community booths, youth performances and the library book sale. What am I leaving out? [Insert forehead smack] Food! You cannot have a carnival without carnival food. Popcorn, nachos, pretzels, snow cones, hot dogs and more! I am so excited about this! If you know me, you know carnival nachos and pretzels are my jam! In years past, there have been a few complaints about why we don’t invite food trucks to attend this event. Well, the answer is simple. This is a community birthday party, and our Old Town community has multiple eateries that we want to support. You will be able to walk to your favorite restaurant and beat the heat for a bit to grab a quick lunch or dinner. Or, you can order take-out and have a carnival picnic in the park. Both sound amazing and personally, I’d rather keep my dollars in Monrovia.

Mark your calendars, neighbors! I hope to see all of you at our Monrovia Day’s celebration. This huge endeavor would not be possible without the back-breaking and tireless work of Keely Milliken and her Centre Stage community. Our own city staff has their hands full with the parade, community and game booths, and a whole slew of jobs that ensure this weekend comes off without a hitch. Last, but certainly not least, our Monrovia Unified School District deserves a big thank you for their support and participation. It takes a village? We have a pretty amazing one, if I do say so myself. See you at the party!

Re: “Trash talk, Part 2” (Monrovia Old Town report, April 13)

Thanks for telling us, your readers, that everyone’s garbage is now under photographic scrutiny.

Thus, from now on I’ll endeavor to make my rubbish look presentable on trash pick-up days.

It’s not that I’m competitive, but heaven forbid that my neighbor’s garbage looks more attractive than mine.

David Quintero

Monrovia

Cal State Dominguez Hills unveiled a facility dedicated to the university's esports program Monday, embracing a phenomenon once derided as youthful folly that is now considered a staple strategy to benefit enrollment, retention and career readiness.

The Toro Esports Academy, located on the second floor of the Leo F. Cain University Library, will serve the entire university and offer practical classroom space and a competitive arena for students with 38 gaming stations and three broadcast stations, all equipped with state-ofthe-art cameras and gear.

"What started as a group of CSUDH student enthusiasts playing video games in sporadic open spaces has evolved into the spectacular, world-class