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The Mt. Wilson Trail Race has been rescheduled and will take place Saturday, June 7.  The following is a press release with more information.

NOTHING CAN STOP CALIFORNIA’S SECOND OLDEST TRAIL RACE-100 YEARS OF THE MOUNT WILSON TRAIL RACE.

PARTICIPATE

The Mount Wilson Trail Race is celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year!  After the Santa Anita Fires and recent mudslide debris from rains, the race is officially a go-go! The Trail Race will occur this coming Saturday, June 7th, 2008 at 7:30am sharp and the Kids Mile Fun Run will begin at 8:00am sharp.  The 8.6 mile which starts and ends in Kersting Court, is run along the Mt. Wilson Trail to Orchard Camp, which used to serve as the rest point between Sierra Madre and the top of Mt. Wilson. Participants will climb over 2,100 vertical feet along the single-track trail and then come back down again, for a total distance of 8.6 miles. The trail promises to be challenging for even the fittest runner.

On Friday, June 6, 2008 there is a pre-race Pasta Load Party.  A pasta dinner will be served, provided by Café 322, in Kersting Court from 6:00pm-8:00pm for $6.75.  Pre-registration will also take place at the pasta feed where participants can pick up their race number and t-shirt.

New for this year is a Family Award category.  Participants can team with other family members and compete for the Family Award.  The combined time of the each family team will be calculated and the lowest average time will take home the prize!

CELEBRATE

Come to spectate and celebrate! The post-race festivities will be held in Kersting Court, and will offer an open air beer garden, as well as, vendor booths and a children’s art exhibit. Local restaurants will open early to accommodate hungry race supporters, some offering outdoor sidewalk café style dining.
Please come to support this historical race, it’s participants and the spirit of Sierra Madre.

The race is operated through the Community Services Department, which means the park is closed to vehicles and cyclists so runners can enjoy the magnificent surroundings without concerns for their safety.
For more information, please call the Community and Personnel Services Department at 626-355-5278.  

In case you haven’t heard, the city started a Farmer’s Market on May 21.  Here’s information from the press release:

Starting on May 21st, Sierra Madre will be holding a certified farmers market every Wednesday between the hours of 3pm and 7pm in the public parking lot on Mariposa Avenue, just south of Sierra Madre Blvd. between S. Baldwin and S. Hermosa Avenues.

The farmers market will offer a variety of vegetables and seasonal fruits from California family farms.

There will also be a selection of freshly made specialty foods, such as vegetarian and vegan dishes, ethnic food and hot food prepared at the market.

Everything you’ll find at the farmers market has been made or picked fresh, is pesticide-free and preservative-free, so you can make the healthiest eating choices possible.

For more information, call (310) 633-3966 or (626) 355-5278.

I went last week and again yesterday.  Everything I bought was excellent, and I thought the prices were quite competitive.

I’d suggest bringing a large carry-all for all your purchases.  Also bring come spare plastic bags, the kinds you get at the grocery store for produce.  Last week I felt like I was being wasteful by taking a new plastic bag for every single item.  This week I brought my bags from last week and felt much more responsible.

See you next Wednesday at the market!

At their emergency meeting this afternoon, City Council declared a State of Emergency.

And, the Mt. Wilson Trail Race has been postponed.  Here is a letter from Pete Siberell, the Chairman of the Mt. Wilson Trail Race Committee:

After much assessment and forethought, the Mt. Wilson Trail Race Committee has decided to postpone the race to a TBD date, hopefully in the next three to four weeks.
 
While we are confident we could restore the trail after yesterday’s rainstorms, the rain that hit us last night and this morning make more work for us and compromise the safety of all participants.  The ground above and below the trail is very saturated right now and with more impending rain in the forecast, there is a chance of a slide either before or during the race.  While those on the committee are competitors at heart, we know that your safety comes first.
 
The thunderstorms that are predicted will also affect the pasta dinner tonight and the race-related activities tomorrow.  We would rather until the weather improves and we have had a chance to get the trail more race-ready.  I have a meeting early next week with the City Manager and Director of Community Services to make sure the trail will be OK on which to race and set our new race date.  After that meeting, we will email and/or contact all of you with that date.
 
We apologize if this decision inconveniences you, particularly those who are coming in from out of town.  We hope you can make it on the date we set, but would rather not refund entry fees and direct them to the additional costs we will have of setting things up again, and the expenses we will incur to restore the trail to race conditions.
 
Call me or email me if you have any comments or questions.
 
Thanks again for your support.  As much as we are ready to go with the race, we think we are doing the right thing.

Please direct all questions and queries to: Pete Siberell, Chairman, Mt. Wilson Trail Race Committee
626-355-6746
psiberell@santaanita.com

Looks like the City Council is going to meet today at 1:00 p.m. to declare that there is an emergency in the city.

Right now, for the first time today, I can’t hear any helicopters above.

I still haven’t received anything new from the city, but this appears to be the latest information on the city’s site:

Voluntary evacuation & road closures are still in effect until further notice on Skyland, north of Idlehour; and Woodland.

Bailey Canyon and Mount Wilson Trails remain closed.

Santa Anita Canyon Road north of the Chantry Gate is closed. The Chantry Gate will remain locked except for residential access.

Sand and sand bags are available at the City Yards. Go to the south gate by the Rose Float Building.

Bags only are available at the Fire Department.

Friday, May 23, 2008, 9:02 a.m.

The tireless Bill Coburn has been reporting through the night again.  If you’re a local, you can probably hear the helicopters above and are wondering what’s up.  Check out Bill’s site for the 8:40 a.m. update.

I haven’t received any news/releases from the city yet this morning, but when I do, I’ll post whatever I have.