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Home / Neighborhood / San Gabriel Valley / Monrovia Weekly / Old Town Report (12/08/16 Issue)

Old Town Report (12/08/16 Issue)

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December fun in Old Town Monrovia. – Courtesy photo

 

By Pam Fitzpatrick

December in Old Town feels great – I mean, really great! Activity, along with sales, has picked up from the beginning of this quarter, and the atmosphere is happy and fun. Sometimes the beginning of December feels slow and almost lethargic, but not this year. I think folks are ready for some fun after the extra-long election season (two years, right?), and no matter the feelings about the results, the election is over! Whew…

Santa reports that he has only run into one grumpy grouch (last Saturday), and he responded with his usual booming ho ho ho’s (which can be heard from Olive Avenue to Foothill) and a warm greeting. The first Santa Breakfasts went well, and this Saturday we have Jake’s Roadhouse at 9 a.m., Myrtle Tree Café at 10:15 a.m., and Rudy’s Mexican Restaurant at 11 a.m. All three restaurants are first come, first served, so make sure you get to your chosen venue early. Santa sings, dances and hands out gifts to the kiddies, so there is never a dull moment.

The first Carriage Rides last Sunday (stationed up at Library Park) were a huge success and will be repeated this coming Sunday the 11th and the following one on the 18th from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. Starting this Thursday and continuing Thursdays through the 22nd we will also have wagon-style Carriage Rides wander up and down Myrtle from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Guess how much the rides cost? How does $2 sound?!

If you want a chance to help a neighbor or two in need, Monrovia resident, Steve Bray, is doing his 2nd Annual FB $1 Donation Campaign. His (our) goal is to reach $6,000 by Dec. 20, and today as I write this column (on the 6th) we are at $1,033. Donations are accepted online at paypall.me/christmasinmonrovia, or you can donate in person at Teles Realty in Old Town, or at my store, The Dollmakers’ Kattywompus. Let’s do this, Monrovia!

I went to City Hall this morning looking for some exciting business news to include, but apparently both Old Town and City Hall are busy just keeping their collective heads above water. I couldn’t find any new business licenses and certainly no news on that 316 S. Myrtle eyesore: the side window is still broken and the blue tape is still around the windows. Sigh……. But, and this is really good news, none of my fellow business owners have whispered to me recently that they are thinking of calling it quits at the end of the year! For the 25 plus years that I have been in Old Town, this has to be a first, and a very welcome first. This past year may have been challenging for most of us, but the feeling is much more positive. I was at Rudy’s the other night and I overhead a group of realtors talking about why they felt so positive about Monrovia. Top on their list of reasons why businesses are coming to Monrovia, everywhere, is because of Old Town. Makes me proud…

For the next two weekends the Old Town Merchants will be doing “Secret Santa” once again. Remember, that’s where someone who looks like a shopper in Old Town strolls around and unexpectedly stops one of our guests and hands them a package or two – gifts from the merchants including some of that great Old Town Cash! On Saturday, Dec. 17 there will be free gift wrapping on Myrtle (400 block), and you don’t have to prove you made your purchase at one of the local stores. Amazon Prime doesn’t wrap their packages, but we wrap theirs and everyone else’s! How’s that for the Holiday Spirit!

Until next week…have fun, and take a minute or two for yourselves!

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