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!

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

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.

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.

This is the latest from the city’s e-mail blast:

Voluntary evacuations are still in effect on Skyland Drive, north of Idlehour Lane; and on Woodland Drive, north of Mary’s Market, due to mud flows.

Sierra Vista Park at 611 East Sierra Madre Blvd. has been opened as an evacuation center.

Woodland Drive is anticipated to be reopened at 9 pm.

This just in from the city’s e-mail blast:

Public Works has made sand and sand bags available at Mary Market’s and the Public Works Yard.  The Fire Department has sand bags ONLY available.

There are voluntary evacuations of residents on Skyland, North of Idle Hour.  There also voluntary evacuations on Woodland, North of Mary’s Market.

The Sierra Vista Park at 611 East Sierra Madre Blvd has been opened as an evacuation center.

Just got this announcement from the city’s e-mail news blast:

Due to the conditions created by the recent Santa Anita Fire and the recent rain, the City of Sierra Madre will be providing sand bags to residents.

Sand and sand bags are available at Mary’s Market, the Fire Station and the City Yards.  Residents will need to fill the sand bags with sand if they are needed.  Thank you.

SIERRA MADRE COMMUNITY RECIPIENTS OF L.A.R.A. ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARD

The Los Angeles Regional Agency (LARA) hosted its annual awards luncheon Tuesday, May 6, 2008 recognizing recycling and environmental stewardship efforts of San Gabriel Valley manufacturers, educators, as well as commercial and non profit organizations. The luncheon took place at the Kellogg West Conference Center & Lodge located adjacent to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Six Sierra Madre entities were recognized for their efforts last Tuesday;

Cafe 322 – Small businesses like Café 322 in Sierra Madre set the example for other small businesses to follow. Café 322 recycles daily by utilizing a separate dumpster for a minimal fee of $50.00 a month, which is pickuped twice a week. The dumpster is filled with plastic, foil, bottles, cans, paper and cardboard, and the recycler processes the recyclables at a Materials Recovery Facility. Café 322 also contracts for a 50-gallon barrel so that they can recycle kitchen grease. The recycler collects the barrel every two months or so for a fee of only $35.00 per pick up.

Café 322 supports a citizen-based advocacy group called Environment California with a monthly donation of $75.00 to promote environmental protection. They buy recycled paper, paper towels, and bathroom tissue, and they try to conserve water by offering water to guests, which they can either accept or deny.

E. Waldo Ward & Son, Inc. – In 1891, Edwin Waldo Ward Sr. came to Sierra Madre, California to start his own marmalade company. As soon as he created the right recipe he started the E. Waldo Ward & Son. The year was 1918. Today, they still manufacture gourmet jams, jellies, marmalades and other food productions in the tradition of their ancestors. They are Sierra Madre’s oldest business in operation.

For several years E. Waldo Ward & Son, Inc. has maintained a policy of environmental stewardship. They have several large recycling containers which are designed to capture comingled recyclables derived from their site. Currently they are recycling at a 75% rate which is not only good for the environment, but on their pocketbook as well. A majority of these recycled materials are glass, plastics, and paper which have a substantial effect on diversion efforts.

Sierra Madre Community Nursery School - The Sierra Madre Community Nursery School features Christine Lenches-Hinkel and Lisa Lewis, who are volunteer parents at the co-operative Sierra Madre Community Nursery School. Their continuing effort to create a community of environmental stewards in pre-school children deserves recognition from the Los Angeles Regional Agency. Lisa Lewis took the lead in educating parents of the school as well as other community members on the advantages of composting and on ways families can be a bit more eco-friendly in their own homes. She coordinated a Los Angeles County composting workshop at the Sierra Madre Community Nursery School as well as a “Families Helping Families Go Green” workshop moderated by Christine with Waste Less Living. Christine Lenches-Hinkel is the owner and founder of Waste Less Living that specializes in zero-waste party and composting services. Waste Less Living not only offers compostable tableware like plates, cups and utensils made from sugar and corn but also arranges for the pick-up and removal of the discarded waste items and food scraps generated from various types of events. She is committed to educating parents, teachers and the public at large about the benefits of composting, the need for choosing renewable resources over petroleum based products and the environmental impacts associated with landfills. First and foremost, Waste Less Living’s mission is to improve the health and quality of our environment through sustainable lifestyle habits beginning with the practice of reducing waste!

Sierra Madre Elementary School - The Sierra Madre Elementary School features Susan Hoskins, who is a volunteer parent whose child attends Sierra Madre Elementary School. Her selfless work as lead of the “Sierra Madre School’s Green Team” has contributed to source reduction, recycling, and an enormous amount of education to our school age children in the topic of environmental stewardship. The “Green Team” has just scheduled the first “Waste Less” school dance, and has accomplished a Bottles & Cans recycling program, “Cancel Catalogs for Earth Day” drive, a zero-waste auction fundraiser, and hosted a free E-Waste collection event in early May.

Sierra Madre Mailbox & Postal - Sierra Madre Mailbox & Postal participates in the Green Earth recycling program designed to help reduce pollution and they also developed protocols to reduce excess bubble wrap and “peanuts” that are used in packaging. Through the vigilant efforts of owner Armen Khourdajian, residents and businesses are encouraged to bring their packaging materials to Mailbox and Postal for reuse.

SMEAC - The Sierra Madre Environmental Action Council was formed in 1971. The Council consists of a general membership plus an annually selected Board of Directors. The group has been very active in the community, educating the public on all topics concerning environmental stewardship with a newsletter and articles in local papers. The small but dedicated group of volunteers organizes clean-up days for the community’s treasured Bailey Canyon Park, ensuring that green waste is not disposed of in a landfill. Each year SMEAC organizes and conducts, on one of the trails above Bailey Canyon Park, a nature awareness program for all third grade students in Sierra Madre.

LARA, a consortium of member cities in Los Angeles County, was formed by environmentally conscious recycling advocates from its member cities. In 2004, the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) approved the formation of LARA as a regional agency whose mission is to assist members in meeting and exceeding the 50% waste diversion mandates of State Assembly Bill 939.

For additional information regarding the Los Angeles Regional Agency, the annual Environmental Stewardship awards or this year’s recipients contact James Carlson at 626-355-7135.

The following is an excerpt from a press release by Bruce Inman, Sierra Madre’s Director of Public Works.

Phase two of the Santa Anita Fire will be the mudslides that could be upon us when the rainy season begins. The City’s Public Works Department is working with Los Angeles County Public Works (LACDPW) to prepare the community. Staff from LACDPW are visiting Sierra Madre residents in areas that will be effected by the mudslide potential. The purpose of these visits is to educate our residents and provide information critical for residents’ use in protecting themselves and minimizing mudslide damage to their properties.

Once the rainy season begins, the City’s limited resources will be hard-pressed to meet the demands of widespread mudslide events in the community. Thus, it is important that residents adjacent to the burn areas begin to protect their properties now. Information helpful to property owners is available at:

http://www.ladpw.org/wmd/HomeOwners/intro.cfm

Persons of able body who do not live in areas susceptible to mud flow may volunteer in advance to assist in sandbagging and other emergency relief efforts this winter, by contacting Public Works staff members James Carlson or Suzi McConnell at 626.355.7135.

Please monitor the City’s website (cityofsierramadre.com) and SMTV Channel 3 for further information as we approach the rainy season.
Bruce Inman

Director of Public Works