Monrovia Old Town Report (05/25/17)

Saturday’s Pie Eating contest was once again won by the City of Monrovia team.
– Courtesy Photo

By Pam Fitzpatrick

I dropped by City Hall this morning to pay my business license, so I’m legal – whew!  And, while I was there I did some checking on upcoming changes to Old Town.  Here’s what I found…

Today, according to our Planning Department, is the final City inspection for our newest bakery (which replaces our oldest bakery).  And, since “Frost” already has their Health Department approval, if they pass today’s test, permit-wise they are good to open.  I even drove past the location at 506 S. Myrtle, and I saw an anxious-looking lady dressed in a baker’s outfit, standing on the sidewalk in front, probably waiting for the inspector to show up.  Maybe we’ll see Frost open for business in a few days!

Then, in checking with our Business License Department, I learned the name of the new café set to open in the spot vacated by Parchment (425 S. Myrtle).  “Grey & Cash” is proposing to open for breakfast and lunch, but the business license is the only paper trail I could find.  They’re not on the Planning Commission agenda yet and haven’t applied for a sign permit, so we’ll wait for them to announce the final business name.

Copper Still Grill at 608 S. Myrtle is still moving along, but their hopes for a May opening are not in the cards.  The proposed façade improvement for the old 4th Dimension building (300 block of S. Myrtle) is very attractive and I can hardly wait until they begin construction on the outside.  And – don’t even ask me about the “316 building.”  It has once again, in the side entryway and in the adjacent breezeway, become living quarters, frying pans and all.  Sad.

Last weekend Monrovians celebrated their 131st birthday with a community gathering in Library Park.  The 97- degree weather made the Dunk Tank especially tempting, and Saturday’s Pie Eating contest was once again won by the City of Monrovia team. I couldn’t watch again this year – the prospect of watching our team (City Manager Oliver Chi, Council Member Larry Spicer, Mayor Tom Adams, Director of Community Development Craig Jimenez, and Administrative Services Director, Buffy Bullis) down multiple apple pies, crust and all, was more than I could take.  I hope they are feeling better today….

As I walked around the event, I saw the booth with the Monrovia High School Ceramics and Sculpture kids, but didn’t have time to stop and really look at their items.  Never fear – my friend is a lover of fine art, and she bought several pieces, intending to get a head start on this year’s holiday shopping.  Well, she made the mistake of bringing everything with her to breakfast this past Monday, and once she had finished showing off her finds at the cafe, she had nothing to take home with her!  I was the lucky recipient of a beautiful bowl and found myself determined to share this hidden MHS treasure with anyone who would listen.  Check out the photo on their blog page (MHSCeramicsandSculpture.blogspot.com) for a sampling of their work – it’s really professional-looking!

With Memorial Day coming up soon, it’s timely to remind everyone that U. S. Congresswomen Grace Napolitano and Judy Chu, in association with Veterans Service Organizations, will be hosting the 6th Annual Veteran’s Forum on Saturday, June 17th at the National Guard Armory in Azusa.  If you or a loved one has a pending case with the Veteran’s Administration, or if you want to initiate a case, this is the place for you.  For more details visit www.vetforum.eventbrite.com.

One more thing:  I enjoyed watching the guys from Boy’s Republic this afternoon proudly sporting their new “Steve McQueen-look” duds, purchased especially for their June Car Show.  Lookin’ good, guys!  If I can get more info, I’ll put it in next week’s column…

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