Meetings and Events Around Town

There are a couple upcoming meetings the civic-minded among you might want to attend.

• The City Council will hold a goal-setting workshop this Saturday beginning at 9am.  Come on out and tell the council what you think our top priorities should be:
  
  (from the City's website):
  Council Workshop
  9:00 AM
  City Council Chambers
  225 W. Second Street
  Claremont
  (909) 399-5460
  
  The City council will meet to discuss projects and priorities to allow staff to draft a work plan. This workshop is open to the public.
  
  
  
• On December 6, the California Public Utilities Commission pays a visit to Claremont's Taylor Hall to hear public comment on Golden State Water Co.'s application for a rate increase.  There will be an afternoon and an evening session:
  

  Public Hearing on Water Rate Increase on December 6

  The California Public Utilities Commission will hold a Public Hearing on the Golden State Water Company proposed rate increase on December 6 at 2pm and 6pm at Taylor Hall. An Administrative law judge will preside over the hearing and all comments will be included in the General Rate Case.
  
  Golden State Water has filed for a 27% rate increase for 2012 with smaller increases in 2013, and 2014. The public may comment or protest the rate increase at the public hearing, by e-mail, or writing to the Public Advisor's Office. All public comments are provided to the CPUC Commissioners and Administrative Law Judge assigned to the proceedings.

  
  Please send all comments to:
  
  Public Advisor's Office
  320 West 4th St. Ste. 500
  Los Angeles, CA 90013
  or via e-mail to public.advisor.la@cpuc.ca.gov
  
  Visit the Golden State Water Website
  
  
  
• The first weekend in December brings us Claremont's annual Christmas Holiday Promenade and Tree Lighting:
  
  Holiday Promenade & Tree Lighting 2011
  
  The City of Claremont invites you to an evening filled with live music, festive storefronts, a magnificent tree lighting ceremony and more. The Claremont Village, the area's ultimate shopping destination, will transform into a holiday wonderland where the young and young at heart can enjoy the festivities. The Holiday Promenade will include live entertainment throughout the Village as well as an opportunity to take a photo with Santa Claus.

  
  

  You won't want to miss this magical Claremont event. Please join us Friday, December 2nd, from 5-8 p.m. at the Claremont Village Holiday Promenade and Tree Lighting. Enjoy the festive atmosphere and remember to shop Claremont this holiday season.

  
  

  For more information please contact us at (909) 399-5490 or visit us at www.ci.claremont.ca.us.
  
  
  
• And, also in December, the Gypsies Sisters Art Show, having found a new home, will hold their December sale the same weekend as the tree lighting:
  
  THE GYPSY SISTERS ART SHOW has finally found a home and will be pulling up and parking at the UCC church on Harrison and Harvard Aves. in Claremont. The 31 Gypsies complete with their wonderfully creative art will be settling in down in the basement which faces Harrison Ave. on Friday, December 2 from 4-9, on Saturday, December 3 from 10-8 and on Sunday, December 4 from 10-5. Their wide variety of arts and crafts include quilts, weavings, dolls, clothing, ceramics, jewelry, glass, paintings, handmade books, collages, photographs, prints, purses, metal sculptures, paper sculpture, artistic boxes and bowls and a psychic.  The Gypsy Sisters and their brothers have been coming to Claremont twice a year for more than 18 years.  Please join them for a relaxing visit and some exciting shopping.
  

Happy 2009

Happy New Year wishes to all from the Insider crew. Thanks to all readers who have followed our takes on the highs and lows of our humble town in 2008. We can't wait to see what 2009 has in store for us, and we hope you'll come along for the ride.

See you 'round town in the coming year!

NYE Party at WineStyles

There's will be loads of parties all around town tonight, but if you don't have any place else to go, why not try WineStyles in the Claremont Village Expansion on Indian Hill Blvd.?

We're reliably informed WineStyles is having a New Year's Eve party beginning at 8pm tonight. The crowd's usually fun and non-winesnobby folk, and there's usually music and something to nosh on as well.

New Year's Eve Party - Starts at 8pm
Winestyles
201 N. Indian Hill Blvd., Suite A100
Claremont, CA 91711
(909) 447-4400

Reading the Skies

Click to Enlarge

We knew an old fisherman once upon a time who plied the local seas back when there was still a living to be had out of these waters. The fellow used to say you could tell a storm was coming when the clouds looked like the side of mackerel - all striated and wavy with steel blue woven between the silver-whites of the clouds.

And sure enough, that's exactly what we saw last night in advance of the storm that's supposed to hit today - those mackerel-sided clouds the old guy talked about long before Doppler radar was even a gleam in Fritz Coleman's eye.

The old fisherman knew: Signs abound, it's merely a matter of being attuned to them.

Stay dry and safe out there, and have a Happy Holiday.

Raveler Holiday Greetings

The holidays are happening in Claremont, and the local band The Ravelers has gotten in the spirit with an e-holiday card:

Raveler Holiday Spam

Hey Now, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays !!!

The Ravelers wish to thank you all for a wonderful 2008 that was filled with musical fun!

Here is a little ditty Hai composed "backstage", and we joined in to extend a holiday greeting...just click here...

We look forward to continuing more musical fun in 2009, and we hope the fun includes you, your families, and friends!

See you soon, and enjoy this holiday time with everyone...

Hai, Pat, Martie, Rob
The Ravelers

City Holiday Schedule

Claremont City Hall and the rest of the City's offices will be following the following holiday schedule, according to the City's website:

City offices will be closed the following holidays:

Christmas - December 25 & 26
New Years - January 1 & 2

Sanitation, public safety and critical operations will continue as normal on December 26 and January 2.

Also, the regularly scheduled City Council meeting for Tuesday, December 23rd, is canceled, as is Wednesday's Architectural Commission meeting.

The Claremont Trolley, for those of you (S. C.) who ride it, will not run on Christmas Day, but will resume its regular 11am to 11pm schedule on Friday, December 26th.

This Weekend in Claremont

No reason to be bored in Claremont this weekend. There's a veritable smorgasbord of events in town this weekend, beginning this morning:

• COLLEGE CRAFT FAIRE: The Pomona College Staff Council is sponsoring a craft faire today from 11am to 1:30pm on the college's Stover Walk.
  
  
  
• TREE LIGHTING: Don't forget about the annual Holiday Promenade and Tree Lighting from 5pm to 9pm. There will be music in the plaza in front of the Laemmle Theatre and at other locations in the Village, and Santa will be setting up shop in the Packing House. At 6pm, the tree gets lit at the Claremont Depot.
  
  
  
• IMBIBING: After 9pm, after all the festivities, you may be ready to get lit too, and you can find an outlet and at the Back Abbey, the Press, or Danson Espiaus, to name a few of the downtown drinking holes. The Press has live music tonight starting at 10pm, according to the restaurant's website:
  

  HT Records Presents
  10:00pm
  
  HT Records was founded in 2003 as a way to share the music of Inland Empire bands. This show, one of an occasional series held at The Press, will feature the legendary Wckr Spgt.

  The Press is located at 129 Harvard Ave. in the Claremont Village.
  
  
  
• GYPSY SISTERS ART SALE: The Claremont Forum is hosting the Gypsy Sisters Art Show & Sale today through Sunday in the Packing House. The Packing House is located at 540 W. 1st St. The Gypsy Sisters hours are:
  

  Friday, Dec. 5th - 4pm to 9pm
  Saturday, Dec. 6th - 10am to 8pm
  Sunday, Dec. 7th - 10am to 5pm
  
  

• FOLK MUSIC CENTER EVENTS: The Claremont Folk Music Center hosts two LA folk groups, I See Hawks in LA and The Chapin Sisters, tomorrow night. Tickets are $15. Doors open at 7pm and the show starts at 7:30.
  
  On Sunday, beginning at 4pm, the Folk Music Center is holding a Rhythm Child event. Tickets are $5. The Center's website says:
  

  "Soulful, Uplifting and Interactive Music for Kids and their Parents"
  
  Making music is at the heart of Rhythm Child, an organization started by Norm Jones and his wife Heather. The idea is to introduce young kids to the rudimentary elements of music in a family drum circle experience. This concert is in conjunction with The Rhythm Child Network, which is a specialized resource for teachers, parents and caregivers that are looking for ways to interact with their children in order to bring about cultural understanding, musical appreciation and creative expression.
  

  
  
• GALLERIA BERETICH: You fans of Big George may find something to your tastes at Galleria Beretich's Christmas Show this Sunday from 3pm to 6pm. Be sure to say hello to Coco B.
  
  
  
• LWV TURNS 70: The Claremont Area League of Women Voters celebrates 70 years in Claremont from 2pm to 4pm this Sunday with a community event at the Alexander Hughes Community Center. The Hughes Center is located at 1700 N. Danbury Rd.
  
  
  
• HOLIDAY HOME TOUR: The Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center is holding a fundraising home tour this Sunday from 10:30am to 4:30pm. The tour begins with an English Tea at Claremont's Taylor Hall. There will also be a holiday craft boutique, a "gourmet shoppe," and drawings for gift baskets and a one-week vacation condo in Brian Head, UT.
  
  Taylor Hall is located at 1775 N. Indian Hill Blvd. Tickets are $25 pre-sale and $30 at the door. You can call (909) 865-9669 for more info.
  
  
  
• MEET YOUR COUNCILMEMBERS: Want to chat up your favorite Claremont City Councilmember? Now's your chance. The councilmembers will be taking turns at Claremont Farmers Market this Sunday from 8am to 1pm. The Daily Bulletin's Claremont Now site has all the info:
  

  City council members from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. will be answer questions of residents at the city council booth at the Farmer's Market in the Village.
  
  Here is the schedule:
  
  8 a.m. - 9 a.m. - Sam Pedroza
  9 a.m. - 10 a.m. - Peter Yao
  10 a.m. - 11 a.m. - Corey Calaycay
  11 a.m. - noon - Linda Elderkin
  Noon - 1 p.m. - Ellen Taylor

  The market is located on 2nd St. between Indian Hill Blvd. and Yale Ave.
  

Upcoming Events

LIVE MUSIC SATURDAYS

The Claremont Chamber of Commerce website tells us that the City is offering up live music every Saturday from 3pm to 6pm at three Claremont Village locations:

Settle down between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m and prepared to be entertained. Blues, rock, tropical, choral, jazz, Taiko drumming, acoustic guitars, a capella, bell ringing and show tunes. Co-sponsored by the Chamber, the City of Claremont, VMG and Village Square. Check here for band listings and dates.

The Public Plaza, 100 N. Indian Hill Blvd
Claremont Chamber, 205 Yale Ave.
City Hall, 207 Harvard Ave.

TREE LIGHTING THIS FRIDAY

The City's annual Holiday Promenade and Tree Lighting ceremony takes place this Friday, December 5th, beginning at 5pm. There will music and lots of fun events for the kids. The tree lighting happens at 6pm at the Claremont Depot:

Holiday Promenade & Tree Lighting
December 5, 2008 05:00 PM - 09:00 PM

Tree lighting ceremony at 6:00pm at the Claremont Depot. Photos with Santa at The Packing House. Children's train ride at The Depot. Live music from Swing 4 Sale, Hai Muradian & Friends, Claremont Chamber Singers and more! Entertainment at The Public Plaza and throughout the Village.

Call 399-5490 for more information.

HOLIDAY BLUES WORKSHOP

The holidays can be a tough time for some, and the City's Senior Program is offering a workshop on Monday, December 8th, for seniors who seek tips on coping with some of the anxiety and even depression that can come around this time of year. The City website had this information:

The City of Claremont Senior Program, in partnership with the University of La Verne Doctoral Program in Clinical-Community Psychology, is pleased to announce a workshop, "Holiday Blues: A Special Workshop Exploring Mental Health Issues Facing Seniors During the Holiday Season." The workshop is scheduled for Monday, December 8, 2008, and will address such topics of interest as, the complexity of emotions around the holidays, reasons for holiday depression and anxiety, and ways of coping with holiday season blues. The objective of the workshop is to promote awareness of the mental health challenges many seniors face around the holiday season and to provide coping techniques to help lessen symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The event will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Joslyn Center, in the Weinberger Wing, located at 660 N. Mountain Avenue. University of La Verne Counseling Center staff will conduct the workshop. The workshop flows out of the unique partnership established over the past year between the Claremont Senior Program and the University of La Verne, whose primary goal is to provide free counseling services to Claremont seniors.

This program is free and open to people of all ages. For more information or to RSVP, please call (909) 399-5488.

PROP. 8 PROTEST

The Prop. 8 protests come to Claremont on Friday, December 12th, according to a link a reader sent us. No word on counter-protest events, but it you know of any, pass them on and we'll post those as well. This protest made the national news last week.

The protest is scheduled to begin at 2pm on the 12th at Memorial Park, located at 840 N. Indian Hill Blvd. The event in the park will from 2pm to 5:30pm with speakers and a potluck. There is also a holiday food drive associated with the event.

At 6pm, the event will move to the Laemmle Claremont 5 Theatres with a march and candlelight vigil that is supposed to coincide with opening of the movie "Milk" at the Laemmle. People are also being asked to bring candles for a candlelight vigil.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

Happy Thanksgiving Day wishes from all of us at the Insider to all of you out there in the real, analog world.

We hope the holiday finds all of you surrounded by family and friends, yes, even you Claremont 400 readers. We're all a community, from the pro-Thanksgiving costume folks to those on the other side of the debate, from the highest of the town's elite to the lowliest blogger, there's plenty to be thankful for today.

Happy Thanksgiving.

New Year's Greetings

A Happy New Year from the gang at the Insider to all of you out there in the analog world. Thanks for reading and keep those cards and letters coming.

We look forward to keeping the information flowing in the coming year - all the news that causes fits, we print.

Holiday Greetings

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to our fellow Claremonters from the staff of the Insider.

Whether you've been naughty or nice this past year, may this holiday time find you among friends and loved ones, awash in the spirit of the season.

Welcome Back

We here at the Insider hope all our fellow Claremonters enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday and that those who had to travel didn't have too hard a time getting back.

According to the Auto Club of Southern California, more than 3 million Southern Californians travelled over the four-day weekend. 432,000 of those folks went by air. If you were one of those, you might empathize with this piece from the Onion News Network (ONN):


Americans Enjoying Thanksgiving Tradition Of Sitting Around At Airport