SIERRA MADRE EDITION
SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2017
HISTORIC BELL TO RING AT START OF MOUNT WILSON TRAIL RACE For the first time in decades, the historic school bell located in
SIERRA MADRE CIVIC CLUB'S 2017 GRANT RECIPIENTS
Convalescent Aid Society for replacement canes etc. Creative Arts Group Fourth grade American Indian project Emergency Response Team Families in Transition via PUSD S M Fourth of July Committee general funding Little League grass and fencing of field Lunch Program for S M Seniors Middle School After School Sports uniforms and equipment
Middle School Theater Sound System Mt. Wilson Trail Race bike racks S M Public Library Art & Essay Contest general funding S M Public Library One Book, One City general funding Reading is Fundamental for second graders books in PUSD S M Rose Float Association general funding Sierra Madre Playhouse Children’s Theater general funding
SIERRA MADRE COMMUNITY YARD SALE
The City of Sierra Madre Senior Community Commission is hosting the 7th Annual Community Yard Sale on Saturday, June 3, 2017 from the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. located at Sierra Vista Park 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Community Organizations and members are invited to come together with their neighbors to participate in a community yard sale. Participants have the opportunity to clean out their garages, attics, storage sheds and closets without sending those items to landfill! $35.00 Fee for individual spaces - no yard sale permits need be purchased; and all proceeds will benefit our senior programs and activities. Registration is required to be done in person beginning on Monday, April 10th in City Hall at the Community Services Department - 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Registration deadline is Thursday, May 18th or until spaces are filled. Yard Sale spots are reserved on a first come, first serve basis. You do
not want to miss out! Participants must provide their own tables, chairs, canopies (12’x12’ maximum) and cash boxes if needed. No electricity will be provided and selling areas must be self-sustaining. Live animals, large canopies, and selling of food or beverages are prohibited. All business must be conducted within your space. Note: Event may be canceled due to inclement weather. Don’t wait as there are a limited number of spaces offered. For more information, please contact the Hart Park House Senior Center (626) 355-7394; or the Community Services Department at (626) 355-5278. w w w. c i t y o f s i e r r a m a d r e . c o m /c i t y h a l l /d e p a r t m e nt s / community_services_department/
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE UNITED STATES MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONIES Lt. Kenneth Bell VFW Post 3208 invites patriotic Veterans, families and friends to attend our special Memorial Day Ceremonies honoring our deceased War Veterans at Sierra Madre Pioneer Cemetery, Monday, May 29 at 11:00 A.M. Please arrive early to get a seat. In recent years, the ceremony has attracted standingroom only crowds. A sandwich lunch will be served following the ceremony, courtesy of Post 3208. Patriotic and WW II music will be played
Mountain Views News
before and after the ceremony. Our scheduled keynote speaker is retired Air Force Lt. Col. Richard G. (Dick) Rutan, highly decorated, ace Vietnam War Air Force fighter pilot, test pilot, pilot of historic world-record holder aircraft Voyager, and recipient of the Presidential Citizen’s Medal of Honor from President Ronald Reagan. VFW Post 3208 urges all who are available and able to come and honor America’s deceased war veterans at our solemn Memorial Day Ceremony.
80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285
VOLUME 11 NO. 21
Kersting Court will be rung at a Sierra Madre event. The bell was originally donated by the citizens of Sierra Madre for the city’s second school house, a $3000 Victorian building which was located where Kersting Court now stands. The new school opened under the direction of teacher and principal, Mrs. Chloe Jones. She proposed the planting of pepper trees in 1887, two of which are still found in Kersting Court today. The “beautifully-toned” 26” cast iron bell, weighing 300 pounds, was founded by Blymer Norton & Co, of Cincinnati, Ohio, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery. By 1906, the city had outgrown its little schoolhouse and Pacific Electric traded four acres of land at Highland Ave. and Auburn Ave. for the two acres in the center of town. To make room for the 60 foot long Red Car trollies, an access road was cut through the property. This created what was called “Kersting Triangle” and housed the train depot. The bell was then moved to Sierra Madre’s third school, a craftsman style, five-room building, with a wooden pergola across the front. Parts of the pergola and concrete steps still exist today at the elementary school’s campus. The bell was located in an outside frame and “rang the tocsin” to call students to school. In 1929, in the midst of the depression, Sierra Madre had outgrown this school and money was raised to build a new Mission Revival Style school. This $210,000 project provided employment for many out-of-work residents. The bell was located in a 15 foot tower which stood behind the offices at the center of the building. In the late 1960’s, the school failed to meet the earthquake standards and was boarded up. It was deemed too expensive to retrofit the bell tower so it was removed. The historic school bell was gifted to the Sierra Madre Historical Society in 1971. SMHS president, Dorothy Howe Koenig, kept the bell safe in her back yard. The SMHS then started a campaign to build a bell tower in Kersting Court. To raise funds the bell was placed in various businesses throughout the city, including First Western Bank (now Bank of the West). Many local businesses helped with the fundraising, including Arnold’s Hardware, Happy’s Liquor, and Best Buy Drugs. The bell tower, designed by local architect and SMHS member Harlan Pederson, was dedicated with the official bell ringing on October 27, 1974. Tying into the historic nature of the school bell, it will be rung this week by three representatives from Sierra Madre Elementary School at the start of Mount Wilson Trail Race. The honorees will be Instructional Coach Julie Cole, Office Manager Pat Vidimos, and Student Council President Zola Reitman. The bell and tower are also included in proposed plans by the Sierra Madre Community Foundation to remodel Kersting Court to make it more functional and wheelchair accessible. Thanks to the assistance of the City of Sierra Madre, James Carlson, and Chris Cimino and his crew, Sierra Madre can look forward to many more “bell ringings” at future events.
REMEMBRANCE CHRISTA OWEN
Christa Owen of Sierra Madre passed away on May 1, 2017 at the age of 46. Christa was born to Michael and Carolyn Owen on April 7, 1971 in Sierra Madre, CA. She grew up with her two older brothers, Stephen and Jeffrey. She attended St. Rita’s Catholic School in her younger years and Alverno Heights Academy for high school. Christa graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in English and Mass Communications in 1994. She worked in the entertainment industry at Access Hollywood as a Field Producer for many years. She is survived by her grandmother Lorraine Cook, her mother, Carolyn, her brothers Stephen and Jeffrey; nieces Heather and Stephanie, nephews Justin, Joey and Jack as well as many cousins. Memorial service will take place on Monday, June 5, at 11:00 AM at St. Rita’s Catholic Church, Sierra Madre. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in her memory to the Sierra Madre Volunteer Paramedics and Fire Department.
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