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Arcadia Weekly arcadiaweekly.com
Thursday, June 10 - June 16, 2010
Community News, Arts & Opinions Since 1996
Unity Center Celebrates Annual Golden Plate Awards
READERS CHOICE 2010
V TE ONLINE
Volume XV, No. XXXVI
THIS WEEK Lew Watanabe Named Grand Marshal of July 4th Parade Lew Wat a nabe has been named 2010 Fourth of July Parade Grand Marshal in Sierra Madre, according to Matt Bosse, Fourth of July Committee chairman. A well-known and beloved figure in town, Watanabe will lead the annual parade down Sierra Madre Boulevard on Monday, July 5. The parade starts at 10 a.m. Watanabe and his wife, Joyce, with sons Randy and Steven Sage, moved to Sierra Madre in 1965. Their neighbors and the community were so welcom-
ing to the new family that, Watanabe says, “It was like coming home.” He immediately set out to repay the kindness, beginning with volunteer work for the Cub Scouts, the Boy Scouts, and the Civic Club. His devotion of time and talent over many years has ever since enriched the City. Watanabe’s original interest in the nursery business expanded into landscape contracting in 1981. In 1987 he started designing and building awardwinning granite sculptures
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Bear Wanders onto 210 Freeway The 12th annual Foothill Unity Center Golden Plate Awards Gala was held on Thursday night at Santa Anita Racetrack. The evening’s master of ceremonies was George Pennacchio, Emmy award-winning entertainment reporter for ABC7.
Actor David Arquette, who is Chairman of the Feeding America Entertainment Council was the main event speaker at the event which supports Foothill Unity’s efforts to serve low income families throughout the San Gabriel Valley. The Feed-
ing America entertainment council is comprised of a wide-ranging group of celebrities who seek to use their influence and media prowess to spread awareness of a growing hunger problem in our own country. Other members include Ben Af-
Students Learn Responsibility and Stewardship with New School Garden The opening of St. Rita’s new school garden is almost a fairy tale story; one where fact is sweeter than fable. Once upon a t ime, a Sier ra Madre fa mily walked by a home under remodel on their way to and from school every day. Over the months, they got to know the nice couple work i ng on t he home, exchanging pleasantries during construction. W hen t he remodel was complete, to the family’s surprise and delight,
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Marcus McIntire, Sam Poon, Matthew Pondo, Luca Farroni, Christopher LeVeque, Gabriella Goco, Elysee Vielma, Dominique Arroyo and Rebecca Cunha
400 S. Baldwin Ave. Arcadia, CA 91007 626.445.6255
See westfield.com for more details.
fleck, Rachel Ray, Sheryl Crow, Matt Damon, Lauran Dern, Tyler Perry and Shepard Fairey, to name but a few. “I cannot say enough about Feeding America,” says Arquette of the organization. “I donate my time ev-
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The 210 was brief ly shut down Sunday while state wildlife officials tried to remove a bear that wandered into traffic lanes in Duarte Sunday. Los A ngeles County Sheriff says the adult black bear, approx. 250 lbs, was spotted just after midnight Sunday on surface streets near the Foothill Freeway in Duarte.
The animal later walked onto the freeway, which was closed for about a half hour. Fish and Game Department workers were eventually able to corner the bear in a flood control channel, where they tranquilized it with a dart gun. The Bear was released into the wild by fish and game.
New Conductor to Provide “Breathing Room” for Symphony By Bill Peters Papering over an awkward situation, the Pasadena Symphony and POPS issued a press release last week announcing the naming of Maestro James DePreist as its Artistic Advisor. Not conductor or Artistic Director, mind you, but an “advisor” with the task of interfacing with the Pasadena Symphony Association Board of Directors to locate a permanent conduc-
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James DePreist is seen conducting the Oregon SymphonyPhoto courtesy Oregon Symphony