Monrovia to Present as All-America City Finalist

For the second consecutive year, Monrovia is contending for the All-America City award by the National Civic League, one of 20 communities vying for the honor. Next week, a group of city staff and more than 20 residents will attend the event in Denver. The theme is "Strengthening Democracy through Innovative Action," and the city will highlight the Monrovia Area Partnership Program, the KGEM station which fosters discussion on city issues, and the Third Grade Field Trip program with Monrovia Unified School District to teach young students about democracy. The city will present here on Saturday, June 8, at 3:55 p.m. Mountain Time.

- Brad Haugaard

First Station Square Farmers Market on June 1

On Saturday, June 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the city will hold the first Monrovia Farmers Market at Station Square with nearly 60 tents of fresh produce, fruits, nuts, meats, artisan breads and more.

- Brad Haugaard

Simply Divine to Sponsor Fundraiser to Fight Children's Cancer

Local business, Simply Divine, will sponsor "Tackling Kids' Cancer," an event in partnership with St. Baldrick's Foundation on June 7, at 5 p.m. at the Monrovia Street Fair (corner of Myrtle and Colorado). Participants will shave their heads to raise money for St. Baldrick's, the largest charity for funding childhood cancer research. Details.

- Brad Haugaard

Flags Flown Upside Down at Library Park Following Trump Conviction

In the wake to the Trump conviction, dozens of the Memorial Day flags in Library Park were switched to fly upside down, which is considered a signal of distress. Details. 

- Brad Haugaard

School Board Member Travanti Applauds Trump Conviction

Monrovia school board member Maritza Travanti has weighed in on national politics. She tweeted on X.com (formerly Twitter):

“What a great day this has turned out to be! Not Mueller, not Congress, but a jury of peers have found Trump guilty on all 34 counts! Well done!”

- Brad Haugaard 

Monrovia High Valedictorians

- Brad Haugaard 

Dinner at KBOP Korean Kitchen

Dinner at KBOP Korean Kitchen, in the Sprouts shopping center on the south side of Huntington. I got the kimchi bowl for $13 and a drink for $3. Tasty and filling. 

- Brad Haugaard 

Gentle Blue Loves a Sunny Spot, and a Tasty Treat Will Win His Heart

Meet Blue, a strikingly handsome 5-year-old Siamese cat with mesmerizing blue eyes. He will surely capture your heart at first sight. Blue is a gentle soul who loves to bask in the sunlight, often found curled up in the coziest spots of the house, enjoying a peaceful nap.

Blue loves interacting with his human friends, but it can take him a little bit of time to get to know them. His shyness can be quickly overcome with a tasty treat or two, so with a patience and time, he’ll be your BFF before you can blink.

Blue will thrive best in a calm and loving environment where he can feel safe and secure.

If you are looking for a loyal, loving, and beautiful companion, Blue is the perfect addition to your family!

June is Adopt A Cat Month, and thanks to a generous donor, Blue and all other adult cats at Pasadena Humane can be adopted at no charge throughout the month!

The normal adoption fee for cats is $100. All cat adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines.

Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 2:00 – 5:00. For those who prefer, adoption appointments are available daily from 10:30 – 1:30, and can be scheduled online. View photos of adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org.

New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet. Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or email.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia’s Beautiful Front Yards

 Here are the Monrovia Garden Club garden award winners:

- Brad Haugaard 

A Moment in Monrovia History: Monrovia Exchange Club in 1927

A group picture of the Monrovia Exchange Club in 1927. Exchange Club is a national organization dedicated to community service. From the Myron Hotchkiss collection. See full details here.

For more historic photos and papers, see the Monrovia Historical Society’s complete Legacy Project collection here. Learn more about the Monrovia Historical Society here.

- Brad Haugaard

Monthly Veterans Meet Up - Free Coffee

 

- Brad Haugaard

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend flags in Library Park.

- Brad Haugaard

Opinion: The State of The Trail to White Saddle

If you enjoy the hills above Monrovia, you may be wondering when the trail to White Saddle will reopen. I just have some new information, and from that information I would say, No time soon.

Uphill from the Trask Boy Scout Camp much of the fire road is covered with weeds, ruts and debris, and occasional landslides - a few large ones but mostly small. This is not part of Monrovia but is National Forest territory and clearly nothing at all has been done to the road since the flooding following the Bobcat Fire. However, this could all be easily handled with a tractor.

At points where water crosses the road there are some deep ruts, sometimes five or six feet deep. Again, a tractor could fill these in with little effort.

And there are quite a few fallen trees. This is what chainsaws are for.

This is the general state of the fire road up to and maybe a quarter of a mile past the restrooms where the turnoff to the ruins of the Ben Overturff cabin is. It seems to me that the road up to the restrooms and Overturff cabin turnoff is fairly easily fixable. It could again be a nice hike or bicycle ride.

However...

Maybe a quarter of a mile above the turnoff is a gap in the road maybe 30 or 40 feet deep into which you could easily fall and die. A trail might be constructed around it but to fix the road itself looks like a huge, expensive task.

My feeling is that at least the road up to the Overturff cabin turnoff should be fixed and set to open when Canyon Park reopens. If a hiking trail could be constructed around any road gaps such as this one, that would be nice as well.

 - Brad Haugaard

Raising Funds for Families Hurt by Falling Tree

Marie Vasari Hislop writes that there are two GoFundMe campaigns to assist both the Jones family, renters whose house was crushed, and neighbor Martha Martinez, whose car was crushed.

She writes that the Jones family "are good people who struggled with job losses during Covid and now have lost pretty much everything.

"Martha, my sister, is a single mom whose car was totaled as a result of the tree. She has struggled to put two girls through college and now has to buy a new car she cannot afford so as to get to work, and has thousands of dollars in damage to her own property now as well, with high deductibles."

The Jones Family Go Fund Me page, which is attempting to raise $35,000 to assist in relocating, replacing their crushed van, furniture, and other possessions. 

Th Martha Martinez Go Fund Me page is attempting to raise $10,000 to assist Martha Martinez, a neighbor of the Jones family, whose car was crushed when the tree fell.

- Brad Haugaard

City Hall: Online Billing Restored, Phones Upgrades; New Web Address

Three big tech improvements at City Hall.

1. Monrovia's utility billing system has been restored after a two-month outage. Rebuilt data and network connections will allow utility bills for March, April, and May to be sent weekly from May 27, 2024. Sewer and water rate increases are postponed to July 1, 2024.

2. City phone lines have been upgraded from copper to fiber. If you still have trouble connecting, email pio@ci.monrovia.ca.us.

3. The city has a new web address for its website: MonroviaCA.gov. If you go to the old web address it will simply forward you to the new domain name. The state made them do it. 

- Brad Haugaard

Garden Club to Honor Residents Who Have Contributed to Monrovia's Beauty

Monrovia Garden Club will hold its annual Garden Awards on Tuesday, May 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall in Monrovia First Presbyterian Church. The ceremony will honor residents for their contributions to Monrovia's beauty,.

- Brad Haugaard

Youth of the Year Rally at Recreation Park June 2

 

- Brad Haugaard

Summer Science Exploration for Ages 9-12

- Brad Haugaard

Historic Walking Tour of Old Monrovia May 25

Monrovia Historic Preservation Group will host an historic walking tour along Myrtle Avenue on Saturday, May 25, at 10 a.m. from the southeast corner of Myrtle and Palm. The two-hour tour costs $5 per person.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Days Parade and Pie Eating Winners

Here are the Monrovia Days Winners 

Monrovia Days Parade

• Judge's Award- Monrovia High School Robotics
• Best Overall Entry- Plymouth Elementary - Little Lion Dragons
• Best Musical Entry- Clifton Marching Band & Color Guard
• Best Monrovia Day Spirit- Scenic Neighborhood Group No Leftovers Left Behind
• Best Float- Wild Rose School of Creative Arts
• Most Unique Entry- Numatics Athletics & All Star Cheerleaders

Merengue Bakery and Cafe Pie Eating Contest

• 1: Kids Krew
• 2: Pie Kings & Queens
• 3: Team Pie

- Brad Haugaard