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Old Town Report (5-12-16 Issue)
Monrovia Weekly May 11, 2016
- Courtesy photo
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Old Town Monrovia. – Courtesy photo
Interesting turn of events last week: we had news trucks in town twice and neither time featured a bear or a helicopter. It must have been a really slow news week, because one of the online stories featured a video combining Rudy’s Cinco de Mayo celebration with Donald Trump’s love of taco salads. Then on Friday, May 6, when we were at a high anxiety level waiting for the unexpectedly long-lasting rain storm to pass so Street Fair could set up, here comes a news van parking up by Library Park, trying to interview passers-by about the rain. Come on guys … it is just rain … or bears … or Trump jokes. Get serious!
So, dear news vans, come please back for Monrovia Days and see what real news is about. We love our bears and appreciate the rain, but check out what happens when “The Team” works together to put on a great Monrovia birthday celebration. There will be a drawing for a bicycle at Street Fair on Friday night, May 13, (enter at the GreenLeaf events booth at Olive and Myrtle) and special sales up and down the street, but I am especially excited about the dunk tank at Saturday’s (May 14) event (10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) because a certain council member is rumored to have volunteered. The pie eating contest, scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, should be a blast as well. Both the dunking and the eating events will feature MUSD teachers and Monrovia City Council Members in one capacity or another (at last week’s council meeting I personally heard both City Manager Oliver Chi and Council Member Larry Spicer sign up for the pie eating event while doing their best to get one of their colleagues into the dunk tank). Any and all Facebook pictures are fair game! The parade on Myrtle starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday; the pancake breakfast is from 8 a.m. to noon; the beer garden pours from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the booths, music, and other activities will last all day. And do not forget the music festival on Sunday, May 15, from noon to 7 p.m. For more information, check out www.monroviadays.org.
If you are reading this after the big weekend celebration, do not worry – there is plenty more to come. Our restaurants are ready for graduations, Father’s Day (June 19), and many other happy summer days to follow. Once again this year Old Town will feature the Monrovia Traditional Music Gathering in the Lemon Courtyard (enter on East Lemon or through one of the 400 block, east side Myrtle businesses). The last Saturday of each month, June through August, beginning at 7 p.m., Old Town will host a variety of traditional music groups featuring old favorites from around the world. And speaking of tradition, the last Saturday in June (June 30), the Monrovia Association of Fine Arts (MAFA) will once again present their Summer Art Walk on Myrtle in the 400 block, east side. And who could forget our famous July Fourth concert and fireworks show in Library Park? The music (“Person to Person”) begins at 7 p.m. and the fireworks show starts at 9 p.m. And – Summer Concerts in the Park (Library Park, that is!) every Sunday in July and August. For more info on the concerts call (626) 256-8246.
By now you may have visited the new Myrtle Tree Café on the west side of Myrtle, 400 block (where Le Gourmand used to be). Mandy and Pinky are back and Old Town has a great, new partner in Mike Bruno, the owner of the Café. Those of us who have been in and out all week waiting for their “soft” opening on May 11 have been treated to free coffee, pastries, and a visual tour of the inviting new décor and the deliciously inviting food offerings. As for Street Fair news, looks like the decision on the contractor to run the event for the next three years will be made very soon. And on the merchant end, for MOTAB (Monrovia Old Town Advisory Board), the interviews for board members will be the week of May 23 – and, our new council liaison to MOTAB is Alex Blackburn who replaces our long-time liaison, Becky Shevlin.
Do not forget our Old Town Facebook page and our website at www.OldTownMonroviaCA.com!
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