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Here are City of Pasadena highlights for the week of Nov. 2.

** UPCOMING EVENTS **
All events are free.


Saturday, Oct. 31, at 10 a.m. Children are invited to come in costume and enjoy Halloween storytime fun at Pasadena Central Library, 285 E. Walnut St. (626) 744-4066.

Saturday, Oct. 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Kids up to age 13 are invited to a Halloween festival at Robinson Park, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave., complete with costume contest, arts and crafts, moon bounce, face painting and refreshments. (626) 744-7305.


Monday, Nov. 2, at 5:30 p.m. – Help decide which tree species should be planted in the South Fair Oaks Specific Plan area during a community meeting at Jackie Robinson Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave. (626) 744-4321.

Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m. – As we prepare for a Northwest Pasadena marketing campaign, stakeholders are invited to provide their best ideas during a community meeting at Jackie Robinson Center. (626) 744-6879.

Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 a.m. – Walk around the 3.3-mile Rose Bowl Loop with City Councilman Steve Madison and Red Cross CEO Ben Green. Meet at Gate A at the Rose Bowl Stadium.


Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 6:30 p.m. – The topic of the fifth and final event in the General Plan speaker series at PCC’s Community Education Center, 3035 E. Foothill Blvd., is “Our Plans and the Marketplace.”


Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 1 p.m. – This week’s film in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Pasadena Central Library, 285 E. Walnut St., is “The Astronaut Farmer” starring Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen and Bruce Dern in the story of a farmer who is a retired NASA astronaut who wants to build his own rocketship despite government threats to stop him. (626) 744-4066.


Thursday, Nov. 5, at 3:30 p.m. – The animated feature film “Shrek” (with the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow) will be shown at La Pintoresca Branch Library and they’ll even provide the popcorn! (626) 744-7268.

Thursday, Nov. 5, at 5 p.m. – Local stand-up comic Nat Read will share characters, legends and stories in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Pasadena Central Library as part of Pasadena Public Library’s “The Origins of Storytelling” series. (626) 744-4066.

** CITY COUNCIL **

The Pasadena City Council will meet Monday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber (room S249) at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave.

* Geothermal Energy – Pasadena’s Integrated Resource Plan adopted by the council includes aggressive renewable-energy goals of 15 percent by 2010, 33 percent by 2015 and 40 percent by 2020. On Monday night the council will consider authorizing Pasadena’s participation in a memorandum of understanding among seven parties to embark on an exploratory drilling project to determine the potential for a power plant using geothermal energy – generated by converting hot water or steam from deep beneath the earth’s surface into electricity – at the Salton Sea.

* Cornice at Raymond Renaissance – On Oct. 12 the council reviewed a prior decision of the Design Commission to allow Italian plaster as a substitute for the copper called for in the approved plan for the cornice (decorative roof projection) at the Raymond Renaissance project on Raymond Avenue at Holly Street. They tabled the discussion until they could receive more detailed and clarifying information from staff, which will be presented Monday night.

The full agenda, complete with downloadable reports, is available here.

The meeting will be televised live on KPAS and via streaming video (click on Video Streaming on the right side of the screen).

** COMMISSIONS, COMMITTEES AND BOARDS **

The City Council’s Public Safety Committee will meet Monday, Nov. 2, at 4:15 p.m. in the Grand Conference Room (basement room S038) at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave. Agenda items include annual reports for Recreation and Parks Commission and Code Enforcement Commission; analysis of Los Angeles County sex offenders ordinance; presentation about Pasadena Local Emergency Alert System (PLEAS); and update on Pasadena High School softball field.

The Nov. 2 meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission has been canceled.

The Accessibility and Disability Commission will meet Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 3 p.m. in the Training Room (basement room S018) at Pasadena City Hall. Agenda items include review of final draft of updated ADA transition plan for structural improvements; and program accessibilities issues related to city services.

The Recreation and Parks Commission will meet Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m. at Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St. Agenda items include proposed support of new walkway at Washington Park; 2011 call for capital improvement project ideas and review of CIP process; and CIP budget review, evaluation of consistency with master plan and potential opportunities for new funding.

The Human Services Commission will meet Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 6:30 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Agenda items include update on commission forums; update on International Human Rights Day; update on essay contest; and recommendations on community concerns related to Leroy Barnes.

The Pasadena Community Access Corporation Board will meet Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the “green room” at the KPAS studio, 2047 N. Los Robles Ave., Suite 109. Agenda items include Pasadena cable service providers’ public access plans.

The Zoning Hearing Officer will conduct public hearings Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m. in the Hearing Room at the Permit Center, 175 N. Garfield Ave. (enter through the Ramona Street door). Agenda items include recommended approval with conditions of a conditional use permit to allow the sale of beer and wine for on-site and off-site consumption in conjunction with the operation of an existing restaurant and catering service at 1 W. California Blvd., #213 and #312 (Porta Via Italian Foods); and recommended approval with conditions of modification of a condition of approval requiring construction of new fencing before Jan. 1, 2010, to instead take place after completion of the East Walnut Street extension project at 2940 E. Foothill Blvd.

The Nov. 5 meeting of the Rose Bowl Operating Company Board has been canceled.

Ann Erdman
Public Information Officer
City of Pasadena
Public Affairs Office
100 N. Garfield Ave., Room S228
Pasadena CA 91109
(626) 744-4755
Cell: (626) 375-2742
www.cityofpasadena.net/publicaffairs
www.pasadenapio.blogspot.com
Facebook: Pasadena PIO
Twitter: pasadenapio

Mystery History -- Solved

Sometimes you have to get up early on Tuesdays to win Mystery History!

Liz wins with her 7:56 a.m. Tuesday guess "raising or repairing or erecting the war memorial on the corner of Colorado and orange grove next to the Norton Simon Museum."

In the photo above, shot by Howard Ballew on May 19, 1948, a worker painstakingly removes the 135-pound bronze eagle from the top of the World War I memorial flagstaff while sidewalk superintendents look on. (I've always been especially intrigued by the Pasadena police officer and the guy with the stogie.)

The flagstaff had just been removed from the intersection of Orange Grove and Colorado by a giant crane because it had been deemed a traffic hazard.








In a few weeks, after having been cleaned up a bit, the flagstaff would be relocated to the little patch of grass at the northeast corner of Colorado and Orange Grove.

World War I began in April 1917 and ended Nov. 11, 1918. Nearly 2,500 Pasadenans served; 46 were killed in action.

The idea to build the memorial flagstaff originated in 1919 when the Board of Pasadena City Directors established a community committee to shepherd the design and construction of a memorial flagstaff. The $36,000 project was funded by contributions from 2,000 local donors. It was decided that the memorial would be placed in the middle of the intersection of Orange and Colorado to enhance Pasadena's west gateway.

The creative talent for the monument was among the cream of the crop of that period: architect Bertram Goodhue and sculptor Lee Lawrie.

Upon seeing the final design in 1925, Charles Moore, president of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in Washington, D.C., said he considered it "the finest flagstaff base in the country if not the world."

The monument was dedicated Feb. 12, 1927.

In 1999 the City of Pasadena submitted an application for restoration funding to SOS! (Save Outdoor Sculpture!), a joint project of Heritage Preservation and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The restoration process included removal of corrosion, stains and graffiti plus structural repairs. It took some time, but the results were magnificent! The memorial was rededicated on Veterans Day 2001.

Many of you are aware of the incredible 115-foot-tall monument to Pasadenans who served -- and fell -- in World War I. But if you haven't seen it up close, I really encourage you to park across the street on Green or Grand, then walk the couple of blocks to see the memorial and study every detail. It's truly magnificent.


Seven-foot-tall bronze figures in three-quarter relief go all around the cylindrical base, depicting soldiers, sailors, an officer, an aviator, and a Red Cross nurse helping a wounded soldier. Above them, also in bronze, are a California bear, a ship, a fasces (bundle of rods with an ax, signifying authority) and the names of World War I battles.




The inscription in the granite going all around the base of the flagpole reads:

IN PROUD REMEMBRANCE OF OUR GLORIOUS DEAD
MCMXVII MCMXVIII

You'll also find the find the mark of the foundry -- John Polachek Bronze & Iron Co. Inc./Long Island City, N.Y. -- in the granite.

The cast-bronze eagle is proudly perched at the very top of the flagstaff.


The pole itself weighs four tons and is made of steel overlaid with teakwood and clad in copper.

The memorial is on one of our many public art walking tours.




Many thanks to Los Angeles Public Library.

Mystery History

Where are we? And what's happening?

The first person to guess correctly will win a fabulous prize!

I'll have the full scoop on Thursday.

Mystery History -- Solved

Mike Salazar wins with his Thursday 11:56 p.m. guess "They're building the new plunge at Brookside!"

In the photo above, ground is being excavated in 1923 for a new swimming pool -- called a "plunge" -- at Brookside Park to replace the original.

In 1912 the City of Pasadena purchased 30 acres of land known as Sheep Corral Springs for the development of a park in the Arroyo Seco. For many years sheep had grazed in that area.

  
While the park was being planned and constructed, it was known as Arroyo Springs Park. 

Then in 1914 Mrs. Everett Wellington Brooks, the wife of a local investment banker, donated $3,000 to build a municipal swimming pool on a portion of the land. The park was dedicated in her honor (hence "Brookside") and the plunge was added later that same year.

Here's a photo of the plunge, shot in 1917:



And this from 1938:



On Monday morning of this week, I was in the company of a few other local female bloggers*, all seated at the same table at the YWCA Women for Racial Justice breakfast.

As the keynote speaker, Dr. Joy DeGruy, explained, "Healing must occur on multiple levels because the injury occurred on multiple levels. We begin by simply telling the truth."

Many Pasadenans know the uncomfortable racial history of the Brookside plunge, but for those who don't I offer this brief description.

It was a different time in Pasadena and throughout the nation, and segregation was common.

Soon after the plunge was completed, city officials announced that it would be "set aside Wednesday afternoons and evenings for the use of the Negro population of Pasadena."

By 1930 use of the pool by people of color -- by now including residents of Hispanic and Asian descent -- was limited to one weekday from 2 to 5 p.m. The weekly event was dubbed "International Day." No white people were permitted to swim on that day. The pool was drained and cleaned at the end of each International Day and by the following morning there was fresh water in it.

From the book "Memoirs of Toshi Ito":

My homeroom class decided to have a graduation swim party and picnic at Brookside Park in Pasadena. Parents of our classmates and our homeroom teacher, Mrs. Hanna Yoeman, drove us to Brookside Park. We had a wonderful picnic lunch and played some games to pass the time because it was not good for you to go in the water right after eating a meal. We all lined up to pay the plunge fee and rent a towel. When Motomu Nagasako, a Japanese American, got up to the window to pay he was told Orientals were not allowed to use the plunge. There were five Japanese Americans in my homeroom class. He had the embarrassing task to tell us we were excluded. We all glumly sat on the lawn watching the others frolicking in the swimming poool and wishing the afternoon would end and we could all go home. It was my first encounter with being excluded.

On June 17, 1939, with the support of the Los Angeles branch of the NAACP, six African American men, who continually had no right to use the plunge except for the weekly International Day, filed a lawsuit against the Pasadena Board of City Directors, the city manager and the superientendent of Pasadena parks.

Part of their legal argument was that they were tax-paying Pasadena property owners who therefore had helped fund the construction and maintenance of the plunge and should have had the right to use it on the same days as white residents.

On Jan. 3, 1940, the court ruled in favor of the City of Pasadena. The NAACP immediately appealed and won the case, after which the city petitioned the California Supreme Court. The court denied the petition.

This was great news for people of color in Pasadena, but the timing was poor. World War II was in full swing, and emergency housing for soldiers returning from European battlefields was constructed at Brookside Park. The pool was closed and exclusive use of the showers and restrooms was given to the veterans.

In February 1947, after the war was over and the housing shortage had ended, the Board of Pasadena City Directors authorized $10,000 for rehabilitation of the plunge.

The pool reopened to the public on June 7, 1947 and -- 33 years after the original plunge opened -- was finally accessible to all swimmers in Pasadena, regardless of their race.

In 1989 the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center opened on the site, funded with $4.5 million from the City of Pasadena and $2 million in private donations.


From water aerobics and recreational swimming to water polo and diving teams, the RBAC is open to all and is a very popular with swimmers of all ages. If you're interested in swimming, diving, water polo, water aerobics, warm-pool therapy, swimming lessons, competition and more, check out the RBAC next time you're in the neighborhood. It's at the far southwest end of Brookside Park at 360 N. Arroyo Blvd.

* Petrea Burchard, Colleen Bates, Karin Bugge, Susan Carrier, Dianne Patrizzi, Kelly Russell and Susan Russell.

Mystery History

Where are we? And what's happening?

The first person to guess correctly will win a fabulous prize!

I'll have the full scoop (no pun intended) on Thursday.

Mystery History -- Solved

Bellis wins with her Tuesday 9:10 a.m. guess “It's an outing of early Pasadenans to Devil's Gate (before the dam). You can see the devil in the background - someone's climbed on his head!” Bellis, please email me at pasadenapio@gmail.com and I’ll tell you all about your fabulous prize.

In the undated photo above, presumably shot in the late 1890s, a group on an outing stops at Devil’s Gate.

There’s not much more than a puddle of water in the photo.

Here's the same location with much more water, probably shot in winter or spring.



And here's a 1934 shot, probably in the summertime, when it was dry as a bone:


Benjamin Eaton named the gorge Devil’s Gate because of the stone formation that looked like a devil's profile, right down to the horns.

Eaton, a visionary engineer and later a district attorney and judge, was a founding resident of the Indiana Colony who designed pipelines between 1865 and 1874 that brought water southward from Devil’s Gate and the canyon now named after him, making possible the eventual development of Pasadena.

The three-mile pipeline out of Devil's Gate brought water directly to a reservoir near the present-day Pasadena Museum of History (Walnut Street at Orange Grove Boulevard). At the south end of this reservoir, another pipeline brought water to the southern portion of the Indian Colony in what is now South Pasadena.

Here's an early photo in which you can see a section of pipeline along the lower left wall of the gorge.


With water for agricultural irrigation and domestic use, the settlers’ vision was becoming reality.

Here are selected scenes from the 15-minute film "Eaton's Water" that was produced with the intention of including water studies in local sixth-grade curriculum:



I've never seen the entire film. Does anybody out there have it?

How did the dam come to be?

After torrential floods in 1914 and 1916 that devastated the Arroyo Seco, a bond issue to fund construction of a flood-control dam was placed on the ballot in 1917 for all Los Angeles County voters. It passed.

Here are couple of photos of the 100-foot-tall dam under construction in 1920:




And here's the completed project:


I like this long shot that shows the vast upper Arroyo Seco, including where Jet Propulsion Laboratory would someday be built.



With the construction of the dam, there was no longer any public access to the devil’s profile. Many years later the formation was covered in gunite, rendering it nearly unrecognizable.


There's much more detailed history that I could go into -- the fight for water rights, improvements to the dam, more flooding, the many plans over the years for the future of Hahamongna -- but I'll let you research all that on your own time.

Fast-forwarding to the present, take a look at the current Hahamongna Watershed Park Master Plan, including Devil's Gate Dam information.


Many thanks to Pasadena Public Library, Arroyo Seco Foundation and Pasadena Museum of History.

Drop, Cover and Hold On!

Will you be ready for the Great Southern California Shakeout on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 10:15 a.m.?

We want you to be part of it, and that means learning how to protect yourself properly during the next "Big One."

The Great Southern California ShakeOut is one opportunity to practice your earthquake survival skills. These kinds of drills train us to act quickly – to Drop, Cover and Hold On immediately to minimize injury.

The Pasadena Fire Department continually spreads the word to Pasadena residents, neighborhoods, schools, the faith community, businesses and non-profit organizations throughout the community, and emergency crews review preparedness plans to make sure they’re as complete as possible.

Here are the steps you should take whenever you train for an earthquake:

1. Drop to the ground, take Cover under a sturdy table or desk, and Hold On to it as if a magnitude 7.8 earthquake were happening. Stay down for at least 60 seconds. Practice now so you can protect yourself immediately during a real earthquake.

(Why should you Drop? Because in a major earthquake, if you don't drop to the floor on your own, the force of the energy will knock you off your feet.

Why should you Cover? Because objects in your home or office will probably be flying all over the place.

Why should you Hold On? Because the table or desk you're under will probably begin sliding, and you'll need to slide with it.)

2. While still under the table or desk, look around and imagine what would happen in a major earthquake when shaking may last for one to two minutes. What would fall on you or others? What would be damaged? What would life be like in the immediate moments after? What should you do before the actual earthquake happens to reduce losses and recover quickly? You can't know unless you plan ahead!

3. Practice what you will do after the shaking stops.

4. Complete your disaster plan and emergency preparedness kit as soon as possible.

For vital information and to sign up for Pasadena Emergency Response Team (PERT) training, visit www.cityofpasadena.net/disaster.

Also, please note:

A local newspaper as well as several email chains have described a Triangle of Life position to be taken during major earthquakes, under the assumption that most Americans will have their homes and workplaces collapse around them.

Don’t believe it! The fact is that there is absolutely no scientific research to suggest that the Triangle of Life position works, and agencies such as the American Red Cross, U.S. Geological Survey and Governor's Office of Emergency Services have gone on record as disputing this viral rumor.

However, it has been proven time and time again, during documented scientific research, that the Drop, Cover and Hold On technique is the best method for survival in the U.S.

More info here.

Check out this video.

Mystery History

Where are we? And what's happening?

The person to guess correctly will win a fabulous prize!

I'll have the full scoop on Thursday.

ArtNight Pasadena!

From 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, more than a dozen local institutions will open their doors to the public for free during ArtNight Pasadena.

Complimentary shuttles will provide transportation among all venues, or you can join a bicycle tour.

Here's a rundown:

Alliance Française de Pasadena (34 E. Union St. / Kendall Alley) -- An exhibition by Igor de Kansky.

Armory Center for the Arts (145 N. Raymond Ave.) -- 20th anniversary exhibition featuring 20 artists, plus 3-D films and photographs.

Art Center College of Design's Williamson/Student Galleries (1700 Lida St.) -- An exhibition that explores how humans extend the limits of their biology, including art and artifacts from natural history and science, from stone tools to the Mars Rover.

Kidspace Children’s Museum (480 N. Arroyo Blvd.) -- View Alexander Calder's "Circus" video installation in the central courtyard and create circus sculptures using Calder's works as inspiration; watch a performance by Lineage Dance and view a children's art exibition.

Norton Simon Museum (411 W. Colorado Blvd.) -- Works of Wayne Thiebaud plus "Divine Demons: Wrathful Deities in Buddhist Art" and the museum's renowned collection of European and Asian art.

One Colorado (Colorado Boulevard between Fair Oaks and DeLacey) -- Enjoy Daniel Buren's installation "A Rainbow in the Sky" fluttering over the courtyard and be sure to stop by resident artist Jennifer Vanderpool's magical A Pocketful of Posies studio in Smith Alley.

Pacific Asia Museum (46 N. Los Robles Ave.) -- "Calligraffiti: Writing in Contemporary Chinese and Latino Art" explores the intersections of painting and writing, legibility and illegibility.

Pasadena Central Library (285 E. Walnut St.) -- "Touching All Bases: A Baseball Celebration" explores the unparalleled creative possibilities of America's national pastime through visual art, music, performance, film and literature.

Pasadena City College Art Gallery (1570 E. Colorado Blvd.) -- The exhibition "Mantong and Protong: Richard Shaver and Stanislav Szukalski" illuminates two of the 20th century’s most unusual theories of human origins, and the artists who originated them, using material that has never been exhibited.

Pasadena City Hall (100 N. Garfield Ave.) -- Live music, displays, special promotions and more.

Pasadena Museum of California Art (490 E. Union St.) -- “Wayne Thiebaud: 70 Years of Painting” and “Behold the Day: The Color Block Prints of Frances Gearhart.”

Pasadena Museum of History (470 W. Walnut St.) -- "Family Stories: Sharing a Community's Legacy" explores Pasadena’s many communities through the personal, multigenerational stories of six local families.

Pasadena Symphony at Pasadena Civic Auditorium (300 E. Green St.) -- Enjoy a sampler of the orchestra's upcoming 2009/2010 Classics Series.

Side Street Projects (730 N. Fair Oaks Ave.) --
Art and food will be celebrated with a lettuce-planting party on The Armadillo, a vertical garden on a transformed FEMA trailer.

Click here for more information.


Many thanks to the various institutions for use of the photos.

Mystery History -- Solved

Tammy wins with her 8:30 a.m. guess on Tuesday: “The freeway bridge being built next to the Colorado bridge.”

When the Foothill (210) Freeway was planned in the early 1950s, the California Department of Transportation made known its intention to demolish the Colorado Street Bridge. But after much public outcry and appeals from the City of Pasadena and other organizations, Caltrans allowed the bridge to stand and built their own bridge parallel to it.

Pasadena Pioneers Bridge is named for the party of settlers led by Dr. T.B. Elliot, a physician who held meetings in his Indianapolis home for people interested in moving to California and settling where the sun would shine year-round. After extensive fact-finding, the party of settlers came by train, then boat, then wagons to what became the Indiana Colony.

Ground was broken for Pioneers Bridge in 1951. By then, daily traffic on the Colorado Street Bridge was causing stress to that structure to the point where traffic was not allowed during peak hours.

Here’s Pioneers Bridge under construction:


It is 1,364 feet long with three spans and is 131 feet tall. More than 41,000 cubic feet of concrete were used on the project, which includes 5.5 million pounds of reinforced steel. Total cost was $6.5 million. At that time it was the largest bridge ever built by the State of California.

The dedication ceremony on Oct. 8, 1953, was spectacular. The 2 p.m. event included a parade, entertainment and plenty of speechifying. What made it particularly monumental was the presence of a handful of surviving pioneers and many descendants.

The opening signal was given by 95-year-old Jennie Hollingsworth Giddings, whose father had been the first to purchase a lot in the Lake Vineyard area of the colony after owner Benjamin "Don Benito" Wilson parceled off his ranch.

Later in the proceedings the ribbon was cut by Alice Eaton Smith, whose father, Judge Benjamin Eaton, had been a pillar of the Indiana Colony. As she cut the ribbon, Mrs. Smith said, “I dedicate this structure as Pasadena Pioneers Bridge to the memory of all Pasadena pioneers, especially to the 27 founders of the city.”

Here's a photo taken that day:


Other second-generation Pasadenans in attendance were Don C. Porter, Sidney A. Bristol, Lola Bristol Edmondson, Mrs. P.N. Giddings, Miss Barbara Baker, Mrs. John B. Johnson and William B. Hutton.

Additional guests, all introduced by Clarence A. Winder, mayor and chairman of the board of city directors, included California Governor Goodwin J. Knight, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, officials from the California Highway Commission and mayors of neighboring cities.

The keynote speech was given by Harrison R. Baker, vice chairman of the California Highway Commission.

Here’s an excerpt:

Upon another historic date, Dec. 13, 1913, the beautiful Colorado Street Bridge was completed and opened to use – stately in the artistry of its design and adequate for the traffic needs of its day – another step forward. Another landmark in the march of Pasadena’s progress, this great, graceful structure became one of the best-known bridge structures in the west, and stands today as a tribute to the energy and foresight of the pioneers of that day.

They planned so well that we are now preserving this fine old bridge and incorporating it into the freeway pattern of which the new bridge is a part, for the purpose of carrying a parallel service road across the Arroyo Seco.

Today’s ceremony is more than a dedication of a great new structure – it is a dedication in honor of the spirit of the pioneers – particularly that of the 27 founders of Pasadena, but also of the host of other pioneers whose vision and energy have contributed to the building of the community as we know it today.

As to the physical feature of the new bridge, it will combine a modern, new, functional motor vehicle traffic facility with distinctive architectural beauty in harmony with the old companion bridge and with the community character of Pasadena.

The California Highway Commission has been acquiring right-of-way to extend this freeway westerly from Patrician Way to Eagle Vista Drive in the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles. We hope to construct this link shortly which will give Pasadena a freeway approach from the west connecting with the four-lane divided highway section of Colorado Boulevard through Eagle Rock extending to Glendale.”

I just love old postcards:



This poem, by James W. Foley, was printed on the back page of the program for the day’s festivities:

To the Pioneers of Pasadena

Let us tell of the Pioneers, of the steadfast women and men
Who dreamed a city that should be fair and went and builded it then.
Let us tell of the Pioneers, who came on a barren place
And grubbed and plowed and planted the earth and gave it a smiling face.

Who made it a garden from scrub and sage.
Let us write the names on a golden page
Of the dauntless souls of the hard, lean years,
Let us tell of the Pioneers.

Let us carve us a stone to stand, where the story of them is told,
And mount upon it a granite hand that shall hold a heart of gold.
The hand that grubbed and planted and plowed and made us a grove to grow,
And the heart that was golden with worth and proud that its Master had made it so,

To dream the city that was to be,
To build the house and to plant the tree,
Let us carve us a stone to stand
In the midst of the garden land.

Let us lift up a song of praise and kneel in grateful prayer,
For those who found but a barren land and dreamed of a city fair,
Where mountains rise to the blue of skies and where valleys stretch afar
To the tides of sea, the city to be, where the groves and gardens are.

And ours with a spirit proud and free
To build the greater city to be,
To cherish through all the years
The dreams of the Pioneers.

Foley had been poet laureate of North Dakota before moving to Southern California. He died in 1939 and is buried at Forest Lawn.



Many thanks to Pasadena Public Library and Los Angeles Public Library.

Mystery History

One more week with a "softball" photo, then it'll be no more ms. nice guy for a few weeks!

Where are we? And what's happening?

The first person to guess correctly will win a fabulous prize!

I'll have the full scoop on Thursday.

Looking for Something to Do this Weekend?

Saturday, Oct. 3, at 11 a.m. -- The Latino Heritage Parade will begin on Los Robles Avenue at Howard Street, head south to Washington Boulevard, then west to a jamaica/community fair at La Pintoresca Park with free arts and crafts, entertainment, exhibits and food until 4 p.m. There will be special themed storytelling at La Pintoresca Branch Library throughout the day. Wave to City of Pasadena officials in the parade and stop by the City of Pasadena booths at the jamaica! (626) 791-7421.


Sunday, Oct. 4, at 5 p.m. -- Join Pasadena City Councilman Terry Tornek for a walk through District 7. Meet at the Assistance League’s Craft Fair Gift Shop, 820 E. California Blvd. Parking is available in the lot at the shop and on Hudson Avenue. The walk, which will begin promptly at 5:15 p.m., will highlight scenic Arden Road and the Caltech campus, followed by a raffle and refreshments. For more information visit www.upandmoving.org or call District 7 Field Representative Pamela Thyret at (626) 744-4737.


Have you taken one or more MoveAbout Tours yet as we prepare for the General Plan update? Download a guidebook at or pick one up at Pasadena Central Library and other locations. Be sure to include your feedback and return your booklets no later than Monday, Oct. 12. Let your voice be heard! (626) 744-4009.


You'll find plenty of other events on our online community calendar.