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Opinion May 19, 2022
| Photo courtesy of Shane Nichols/shanenicholsphotography.com
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By Shawn Spencer
Ok, so last week I might have exaggerated the beautiful weather we would be blessed with over the Monrovia Days birthday extravaganza weekend! Good grief, it was a hot one. For all of you that went out in that heat, I salute you.
Thankfully, the evenings were just lovely. The weather, the breeze, the music, the beautiful carnival lights, the smell of hot dogs, the smiles, laughter from kids and grown-ups alike; all these elements combined to create a picture-perfect moment in time. One that instills that sense of community and is synonymous with home for so many of us.
When I say it was a picture-perfect, I’m not kidding. Monrovia’s very own Shane Nichols captured some amazing photos of the event. If you’re not on the various social media sites Monrovia has, visit Shane’s website: shanenicholsphotography.com. If he hasn’t uploaded the carnival pictures yet, you won’t be disappointed as you look at his stunning gallery of photos. Photo credit for the picture I have added to this article goes to Shane.
However, at times, Beacon Media likes to mess with me and change my article title or photo. For all I know, by the time the Monrovia Weekly is printed, there could very well be a picture of a bear instead of my carnival photo. I guess it doesn’t matter as long as it’s a bear photo taken by Shane Nichols. Or maybe just don’t do that this time Beacon Media (insert winky face).
If you were at Monrovia Days, chances are you enjoyed some of the amazing performances from our school district kids and the students of Centre Stage! I cannot believe how talented these kids are. They are fierce! And fearless! They were just a joy to watch. One group in particular, was entertaining us with snippets of their upcoming play at the Louise K. Taylor Performing Arts Center. This weekend, May 19 through May 21, the MHS Theatre Arts Conservatory proudly presents “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.” If the show is half as good as the performances at the carnival, then you will not want to miss it! Tickets are available at wildcattheatre.com.
Recently, I’ve seen a lot of questions from parents wanting to know how to keep their kids busy over the summer. My idea is to start a business called HomeWorx, and get kids out doing yard work, car washing, light maintenance and chores. What a terrific way to learn the value of a dollar earned vs a dollar given. Long story short, my kids are no longer speaking to me.
If you’re looking for an alternative to hard labor, visit centrestageinc.com, to learn about their musical theatre summer camp programs for both teens and youth. Students will learn singing, dancing and acting for the stage production of “The Wizard of Oz” (youth session) and “Freaky Friday” (teen session). What a fun way to spend a week of your summer: making friends, having fun, learning invaluable social skills, camaraderie, all topped off with a performance. These are the things great memories are made of! Especially since parents no longer let their kids take the 266 bus from Rosemead and Foothill all the way to Seal Beach, alone.
Well, I can’t speak for all of you, but I’m going to anyway. I would like to give an incredibly huge thank you to Keely Milliken and her amazing team of support and performers for such a spectacular weekend. Welcome back!
More huge thank yous go out to the Monrovia Unified School District for their participation and fantastic performers and to the City of Monrovia and Staff, who always make everything work so seemingly effortlessly. The coordination between all to make all of this come together does not go unnoticed. We appreciate your efforts and enjoyed every minute of it! Thank you!
