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Monrovia Weekly Nov 09, 2017
A statue in Old Town Monrovia. - Courtesy photo / Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
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A statue in Old Town Monrovia. – Courtesy photo / Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
By Pam Fitzpatrick
It’s the 2nd week of November already, and I can hardly believe it. We have a ton of behind the scenes planning going on for the upcoming Black Friday and Small Business Saturday celebrations – and, of special note – we have made contact with Santa himself to confirm his first appearance in Old Town for the day after Thanksgiving (aka, Black Friday). Also, just in time for the holidays we have breaking news:
The Donut Society will have their soft opening this coming Monday, Nov. 13. Daniel, Jenny, Michael, Ace, Michaela and An will be working this weekend, baking delicious gourmet donuts in preparation for Monday’s opening. Be sure to drop by and welcome the entire family and partners to Old Town!
Here’s some good news about what’s NOT happening: the rumor that Chang Tai Bistro (614 S. Myrtle) has left us is just that: a rumor. There’s some remodeling going on inside, include new flooring, which necessitated closure of the restaurant for a short time. We’re hoping they will reopen in about a week.
Next…. We will NOT lose our theater during the remodeling. You may have noticed the dumpster located on the north side of E. Lemon. If you look closely, you will see old theater seats in the pile of debris, a clear indication that the remodeling has begun and we will soon have upgraded seating and a kitchen.
Are you ready for a surprise? Well, last week stacks of drywall were delivered to the back of the forever-empty 316 (clock tower) building; plus, a van marked with the name of an elevator company pulled up out front on the Myrtle side. Drywall means walls (duh…), which are great, but “elevator” means the investment of a good amount of money. Becky Shevlin has always told me, “when the elevator is installed, things will happen.”
Also, the construction blocking much of the public parking lot behind the 300 block (east side) of S. Myrtle is, I’m told, nearing to a close. Most of the chaos in that lot was caused by Edison’s installation of a giant, underground electrical vault made necessary by the renovations in the old 4th Dimension building (326 S. Myrtle). The J. C. Penney turned nightclub will now house a management company in the back (the owners of the building) and retail – probably restaurants – in the front. The completion of this project, and hopefully the 316 project, will bring business back to the very slow 300 block, and I’m really looking forward to it.
This coming weekend on Saturday Nov. 11 and Sunday Nov. 12, my friends and family will be on the streets of Old Town putting up the traditional red and white striped Candy Canes. The red bows have been ordered and will be hung on each cane during the next round. Once again, I’ll remind everyone that Old Town hasn’t been blessed with little elves to magically make the holidays happen, so when you see an early start, relax and honk at your busy volunteers!
