By Pam Fitzpatrick
It’s the second week of January, and the new year — at least in Old Town — has begun in earnest. One of our first activities will be the Disney filming of “Magic Camp” next week. Set up and staging will begin this Saturday and Sunday, the 14th and 15th. Part of the staging will include adding leaves to the trees on Myrtle and constructing a fake fountain to be used at the intersection of Lime and Myrtle. Both should be fun to watch. The actual filming will take place on Monday and Tuesday, the 16th and 17th with a short interruption of traffic (6-10 a.m.) at the Lime intersection location on one of the two days, with weather determining which day.
You can count on Disney to pick up on trends, and with “Magic Camp” they have verified what we in the retail industry have been seeing for the past year – that is, a renewed interest in all things magic. This is the gift that keeps on giving: film a major movie, commercial or TV show in Old Town and each time it plays our beautiful town is showcased. Visitors to Old Town are not only welcomed during this filming, but encouraged, so come watch the fun!
We had an interesting presentation from the Monrovia PD at the MOTAB (Monrovia Old Town Advisory Board) meeting this morning. Sergeant Dan Verna urged all business owners to report suspicious or unlawful activity and announced that he initiating an educational program for new PD officers describing the department’s policy on skateboarding in Old Town. There will be a renewed enforcement policy of “no wheeled vehicles,” which includes bicycles, scooters, motorized hover boards and ordinary skateboards. Violators will be cited and re-introduced to Monrovia’s own Skate Park located at Recreation Park (by the Boy’s & Girl’s Club). Sergeant Verna will also be contacting businesses in Old Town to participate in the PD’s Business Watch program, and I think we’ll invite him to speak at one of our Merchant Co-op meetings at Rudy’s in the near future.
I hear there is an Old Town wine walk in the works with a tentative date set for Saturday, August 26th from 6-9 p.m. Modeled after Covina’s successful event, this is how it is proposed to work for the merchants: participating business owners will pay $250 which will include their temporary liquor license, advertising and promotions, and, just as important, 2 cases of wine. The wines served at each location will be different in order to make it a real tasting treat for our guests. Merchants who do not wish to serve alcohol only pay a $25 fee to join in on the promotions. Hope this one has legs!
Old Town has some improvements in the works with $100,00 approved by our City Council for possible “wired” music in Old Town; $100,00 approved to enhance our crosswalks with LED lighting, and $50,000 to spruce up our breezeways. Code enforcement has been out and about checking on how well we business owners are paying attention to the rules, and they promise to be back soon to enforce the “no A-frame signs” ordinance and make sure we all have updated insurance for any sidewalk or city property use.
I promised my friend, Armen, at Seasoning Alley, that I would spread the word about his delicious lamb chops – so, please, when you go try them, tell Armen I kept my word! And, yes, OH MULBERRY BUSH! It is raining gold from heaven! Your Grand Opening Day this week had a bit of drizzle, but you reminded me that rain is good luck and there are many more days to come for your kid-friendly café located in the breezeway between Paradis and Merengue. So happy to have you in town!
