Alexander Kim, Deputy Director from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office presented Crime Prevention Officer Acosta with a proclamation of appreciation. Mr. Kim said Arnold recognizes the public safety officers for all the work they do for the residents. This event brings people together and helps protect the San Gabriel Valley.

Police Captain Richard Arnold welcomed all to the 16th year that the city has had this event. He said Police Chief Dave Lawton was attending the Boy Scouts Jamboree. The city officials, staff and guests would be attending 42 parties held by the Neighborhood Watch Groups. He introduced Mayor Albert Huang, Vice Mayor Dave Gutierrez, Councilmembers Juli Costanzo and Kevin Sawkins, City Manager Steve Preston, Fire Chief Dave Nestor, Director of Parks and Recreation Rebecca Perez, Jennifer Davis, Johanna Ambicki, Battalion Chief Nick Terry, Anna Cross, Nina Castruita and Bob Bustos. He thanked the city family for their participation.

Mayor Huang thanked the Councilmembers for their support of this event every year and thanked Mr. Acosta for putting on the event. This is a great way to approach the residents and show the public that we do care. He thanked all for coming.

Yvonne Shu from Congressmember Adam Schiff’s office said she was happy to be here on behalf of Mr. Schiff. She thanked all the police officers and the people for putting on this event.

McGruff was ready to take a bite out of crime

Larry and Vince, the Safety Dummies were ready to party.

Mayor Huang visited with members of the community.

Alex Acosta shared the spot light with members of the Neighborhood Watch.

Families enjoyed their party with a moon bounce and good food.

Little firefighters wanted to take the truck for a spin.

Mayor Huang, Fong Ly from Assemblymember Mike Eng’s office and Alex Acosta joined with the neighbors and members of 98.7 FM station at another party.

Captain Arnold in discussion with a member of the Neighborhood Watch.

Sharing the fun with a football.

Local officials, city workers, firefighters, police officers and members of the U S military caravanned to each of the local parties hosted by Neighborhood Watch Groups.

Children received police and firefighters badges, police cards and magic light bracelets.

The evening was filled with fun, good food and friendship.

This is the eighth in a series of articles about cruising on the Seine

THE SMALL TOWN OF CAUDEBEC

By Charles N. Stevens

Photos by Dolores Seidman

Before dawn our ship leaves Rouen for Caudebec, a small town that I had never heard of. We arrive at eight in the morning wrapped in a dense fog. Later, as the fog lifts, the river still steaming, the town presents a hazy vision of itself, like stage curtains parting to reveal the setting of a scene. Old four-story buildings of standard French architecture line its main street.

In the misty morning we begin a walking tour of the town, the ground still wet from fog and dew. We pass a vigorous stream that bisects the town and empties into the Seine. Looking forlorn and neglected in the Seine is the old ferry that used to shuttle people and cars across the river. With the building of a new bridge, the ferry became obsolete. But it was so much a part of the town at one time that they can’t bear to part with it.

We walk down a path strewn with wet fallen leaves. The tide is out and much of the banks are exposed as glistening gray mud and rocks, seagulls resting on them.

The water is murky, almost muddy. The old brick Town Hall, now used as a river maritime museum, is the first building on our tour. It houses some of the early Seine boats and barges, the latter often hauling lumber.

Nearby is a house actually lived in by Victor Hugo. His daughter Leopoldine, married only six months, drowned in an accident on the Seine near here, a tragedy that so saddened him he gave up the house.

Caudebec was 80% destroyed in 1940 when the Germans, attempting to bomb the ferry, hit cars close to it. These burst into flame, the ensuing fire spreading to the other cars waiting in line and eventually the town. Most of the medieval half-timbered houses were lost.

At least the 13^th century church survived although its stone exterior is still pocked with shrapnel scars and bullet holes. Its façade was also damaged during religious strife, the small stone figurines of saints around its entrance decapitated. It is a gothic church like many others we have seen. The stained glass windows are much brighter than in others, allowing much more light to enter the sanctuary, cheering it up somewhat. It is interesting too that the architect of the church, at his request, is buried beneath a slab in the floor. Traces of red and blue paint that once covered the stone columns and arches inside can barely be seen. This is the first time I have been aware that medieval churches were always painted inside and were not the cold, dreary stone interiors that we see today.

Farther in town we listen to the splash and murmur of the stream as it passes through. Green plants grow on its bottom and stream out in the swift current. We pass another building of the 14^th century, gothic and stained stone, once housing the Knights Templars. Nearby a man carries a baguette by the middle, another carrying his as he slips into his car. Bakeries turn out hundreds of them a day.

But what I like to do most of all is look into the windows of the food shops. We pause in front of a charcuterie window gazing at the cooked meats and the colorful pans of prepared food, all dazzling the eye, tempting the palate. We move on to a boulangerie with its attractive displays of cuts of meat.

The clouds begin to break up, and the sun tries to bore through, but without much success. Visibility is much better now, allowing us to see the wooded hills and the new suspension bridge that made the ferry obsolete.

We look into the windows of a photographer, his best photos displayed. The photographs are quite unusual, so different that Americans might not like them. One shows a bride and groom in their wedding attire at a beach walking in the surf. Another depicts a man kissing the pregnant belly of his wife. Still another is of a child with her ear against her mother’s swollen belly, listening to the heartbeat of the unborn child. I had never seen anything like them before, gathering they were celebrations of pregnancy and new life.

We walk by shops selling kitchen utensils and a cinema showing a film about the French resistance during wartime. A man steps out of a patisserie with an armful of baguettes. There are dress shops with fashionable clothing, colorful flower shops and a chocolatier offering mouth watering chocolate creations. Next is a beauty shop offering a shampoo and brushing for 30 Euros, followed by a boucherie offering plump white sausages. Outdoor cafes abound. We pass the empty market stalls and shelters and tarry at their modern library where Dolores e-mails the folks at home.

We note too that French men and women tend to drive fast, even when people are close by. In their favor, they respect crosswalks, always stopping to let pedestrians walk across the street. We see a little girl in a stroller with light blond hair and pale blue eyes. Her brother who runs his bike into me has the same features. I can’t help but think that they represent the Viking heritage once so established in this area.

Back at our ship now, I watch two sea-going ships pass up the Seine, probably on their way to Rouen.

I find a fragment of a poem written in 1829 by Arthur Henry Hallam:

But for quiet joy of nature’s own,

To warm the heart again,

Give me Caudebec and Mailleraie,

On the pleasant banks of Seine.

Meals are not only tasty on the ship but beautiful to see as well.

Some of the old statuary in the Caudebec Church

Delicate statuary on the outside of the church

Looking at the food displays in a typical charcuterie would make anyone hungry.

.

Have you ever wondered if anyone in Europe remembers America’s sacrifice in World War II?  There is an answer in a small town in the Czech Republic.  The town called Pilsen (Plzen).

Every five years Plzen conducts the Liberation Celebration of the City of Pilsen in the Czech Republic.  May 6th, 2010 marked the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Pilsen by General George Patton’s 3rd Army.

Pilsen is the town that every American should visit.

Because… they love America and the American Soldier…

even 65 years later…….by the thousands

the citizens of Pilsen came to say thank you…

lining the streets of Pilsen for miles.

From large crowds ,

To quiet reflective moments ,

Including this American family’s private time to honor and remember their American hero.

This is the crash site of Lt. Virgil P. Kirkham; the last recorded American USAAF pilot killed in Europe during WWII.   It was Lt. Kirkham’s 82nd mission and one that he volunteered to go on.

At the time this 20 year old pilot’s P-47 Thunderbolt plane was shot down, a young 14 year old Czech girl, Zdenka Sladkova, was so moved by his sacrifice she made a vow to care for him and his memory.

For 65 straight years, Zdenka, now 79 years old, took on the responsibility to care for Virgil’s crash site and memorial near her home.

On May 4th she was recognized by the Mayor of Zdenka’s hometown of Trhanova, Czech Republic, for her sacrifice and extraordinary effort to honor this American hero.

Another chapter in this important story….. the Czech people are teaching their children about America’s sacrifice for their freedom.

American Soldiers, young and old, are the ”Rock Stars” these children and their parents want autographs from..

Yes, Rock Stars! … As they patiently waited for his autograph, the respect this little Czech boy and his father have for our troops serving today was heartwarming and inspirational.

The Brian LaViolette Foundation will established The Scholarship of Honor in tribute to General George S. Patton and the American Soldier, past and present.

Each year, a different military hero will be honored in tribute to General Patton’s memory and their mission to liberate Europe.

This award will be presented to a graduating senior who will be entering the military or a form of community service such as fireman, policeman, teaching or nursing, a cause greater than self.  The student will be from one of the five high schools in Pilsen, Czech Republic.

The first award will be presented in May 2011 in honor of Lt. Virgil Kirkham, that young 20-year-old P-47 pilot killed 65 years ago in the final days of WWII.

Presenting Virgil’s award will be someone who knows the true meaning of service and sacrifice… someone who looks a lot like Virgil

Marion Kirkham, Virgil’s brother, who himself served during WWII in the United States Army - Air Corps. !!!

In closing… Here is what the city of Pilsen thinks of General Patton’s grandson. George Patton Waters (another Rock Star!) we’re proud to say, serves on Brian’s Foundation board.

And it’s front-page news.. not buried in the middle of the social section..

Brigadier General Miroslav Zizka – 1st Deputy Chief of Staff – Ministry of Defense – Czech Armed Forces.

So please join this amazing journey

Come visit Pilsen in the Czech Republic during the first part of May 2011, it may also be a life changing experience for you.

And please share this email with your family and friends and ask them to do the same…..every American should hear this story.

Submitted by Linda Wilson, Monterey Park

Band members from the Community Church of Hollister provided entertainment at the Family Promise event for young people held at the Evergreen Baptist Church on July 23 and 24 in the parking lot.

Family Promise of San Gabriel Valley is an organization where people of faith work together to provide homeless families with HELP for today and HOPE for tomorrow.

Members of Boy Scout Troop 361 are busy construction their shelter for the night.

Life in a Kleenex box.

A movie house comes to life.

Racecars ready for action.

A little pink dollhouse of dreams.

Life lived in a fish bowl.

Creative uses of cardboard boxes filled the parking lot.

The parking lot was filled with excitement as young people armed with flashlights and sleeping bags were preparing to spend one night in cardboard boxes to call attention to the plight of the homeless in California.

Family Promise helps mobilize communities to proved safe shelter, meals, and support services for homeless children and their families through programs designed to address the underlying causes of homelessness.

Rotary Club of Monterey Park’s demotion. Tim Motts, incoming President, is on the left and Jonathan Tam, demoted President is on the right.

This photo was taken at Capital Seafood. Submitted by Linda Wilson

Tim Motts took up the gavel July 8th as new president of the Rotary Club of Monterey Park in the club’s annual demotion ceremony. Motts plans to assist local organizations in their efforts to support Monterey Park Residents for the humanitarian civic group. Motts pointed out that, “This year will see our Rotary Club go above and beyond for the families in our community that are struggling to survive in the harshest economic climate that we have seen in decades.”

The Rotary Club of Monterey Park was formed in 1946 and is known for such community projects as the creator of the Monterey Park sign near Luminarias restaurant, sponsor of the City’s annual track meet, sponsor and helper at the Boys and Girls Club annual Thanksgiving Dinner, major donor to the expansion of the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library and MERCI, donor to both MERCI and the literacy program of the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library and major donor to the program to eradicate polio.

Outgoing president Dr. Jonathan Tam handed over the reigns to Motts at the traditional demotion party.  Tam left a strong legacy in the Monterey Park Club, including sponsoring a trip to Africa to build a school.

New President Motts brings ample experience to the table, including being the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley and as President-Elect leading the team to build a school in Africa.  Motts has been a member of the Monterey Park club for 3 years and has been working with Youth through community based organizations since 1997.  He is married and has a new baby boy.

The Rotary Club of Monterey Park meets Thursdays at 12:15 at Capital Seafood, 755 West Garvey Avenue, Monterey Park. For more information visit http://www.clubrunner.ca/CPrg/home/homeA.asp?cid=4711 or call (626) 573-2831.

Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotary’s global membership is more than 1.2 million men and women belonging to more than 33,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Learn more at rotary.org.

San Gabriel Mission 239th Annual Fiesta Royal Court was recently selected. Queen Julia Hernandez (center) is a senior at Alhambra High School, Princess Michelle Nguyen (on left) is a junior at San Gabriel Mission High School, and Princess Briana Hernandez is a junior at Gabrielino High School in San Gabriel. Mission’s fiesta on Sept. 3-5, will include entertainment, rides, games, food, and historical, cultural and religious festivities.

There will be free admission to the mission museum and gardens on Sept.3-5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In spite of unusual cool temperatures for August, they have been rising steadily, however, at our city’s council meetings!

Recently, 19 city workers have been dismissed! Spokesperson, Sandi Lijam {on behalf of the workers} pointed out to the city council that the council members have their outside private occupations, while these city workers rely basically on these jobs for their lively hood!

While this discussion was going on, I noticed that not one council member ever offered to donate even a portion of their city salaries to assist in our city’s present woes!  They merely expressed their compassion; they did have the audacity, however, that there could be a reduction in police force salaries! If that’s their solution, we the residents of Monterey Park will have more to worry about!

Over the years, I can recall one former councilman and mayor, Francisco Alonso who generously donated his entire city salary to our city’s library! Due to his donation, the library was expanded for all our residents to enjoy! In appreciation, the Francisco Alonso Room was established in his name!  The city could use someone of this caliber once again! Better still, perhaps, we could convince him to reconsider this important position again!

I would like to add one more Monterey Park resident, Ci Ci Lau {Councilman’s wife} she has been busy over the years donating her time and energy in bringing art culture to our community! Stage plays, in which she sometimes performs in, whether it’s acting, dancing or singing! Now, I am looking forward to her next play, “The Gingerbread Lady”  on August 21^st at 2 pm or August 22^nd at 1 pm. At the City Council Chamber!

While I am on the subject of entertainment, I have another must see on the summer list, a new movie.“ Rob Reiner from “all in the family sitcom fame, actor, writer, director, and producer has once again achieved an outstanding hit in the movie called Flipped.

We had the fortunate occasion to receive an invitation to view his production of Flipped”  It is a story of an American Family dealing basically in the trials and tribulations of daily life,  It affects teenagers, parents and grandparents. It has a strong thread of realism throughout and you find yourself immersed in it from start to finish!

Afterwards, we had a brief conversation with Mr. Reiner I mentioned I might write a review of his production. He gave his answer with a smile and said, “Absolutely”!  Guess, he knew he had a winner!

His movie ‘Flipped” opens to the public by August 26^th!

The fiesta will be open on Sept. 3, from 6 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Sept. 4, from 3 p.m. to midnight, and Sun., Sept. 5, from 2 p.m. to midnight.

On Friday, Sept. 3, the Ringing of the Bells Ceremony will start the fiesta at 6 p.m. at the mission bell wall, followed by the Blessing of the Fiesta Grounds.

Saturday, Sept. 4, festivities start early at the Fiesta Stage with the Children’s and Pet’s Costume Contest at 9 a.m., followed by Blessing of the Animals at 11 a.m.   Gabrieleno-Tongva Indians and re-enactors of history are invited to be in the mission gardens from 1 p.m.  to 4 p.m. Re-enactors invited are Fr. Junipero Serra, Klaus “Adobe Man” Duebbert, a blacksmith, wool spinner, soldiers, and other re-enactors.

That will be followed by the History Reception at 4 p.m. in the mission museum patio that will include honoring a person or persons whom have volunteered to improve the mission buildings, grounds, give guided tours or help in the local historical community.

The Birthday Cake Celebration is scheduled for the Fiesta Stage at 5 p.m.  Happy Birthday will be sung for the mission and for anyone with a birthday close to the fiesta. Free birthday cake will be given to fiesta attendees while cake is available.

On Sunday, Sept. 5, the Founders’ Memorial Mass at 9:30 a.m. will be in the old mission church. Gabrieleno-Tongva Indians and re-enactors of history have been invited to be in the gardens from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Among the traditions of the fiesta are the Royal Court Contest and the Fiesta Royal Court members representing the mission at its fiesta and throughout the year at church, civic and social events. Julia Hernandez of Alhambra High School is queen, and princesses are Michelle Nguyen of San Gabriel Mission High School and Briana Hernandez of Gabrielino High School.

After a Volunteer’s Mass on Sat., Aug. 21, at 5:30 p.m. in mission’s Chapel of Annunciation, the Royal Court will be crowned in the mission parish center at the Coronation and Banquet, and that event is free.

The fiesta will include religious, historical and cultural festivities, small and large rides,

game booths, international foods, entertainment in the evenings, and prize drawings totaling more than $10,000 on Sept. 5, at 11:30 p.m. during closing ceremonies on the fiesta stage.

Also, bingo in the air conditioned parish center will be played on Friday, Sept. 3, from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., on Saturday, Sept. 4 from 1:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 5 from 1:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Those hours may be subject to change.

The mission museum and gardens will be open for free on Sept. 3-5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ramona Museum of California History and San Gabriel Historical Society and Hayes House should be open for free from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the Museum Saturday the first Saturday of the month. Both museums are about one block from the mission and offer free admission.

San Gabriel Mission is located at 428 S. Mission Dr., San Gabriel, CA  91776, about two miles north of San Bernardino Freeway (I-10) (exit at Del Mar Avenue, travel north about one and a half miles to Mission Road, turn left and travel one-half mile to the mission parking lot for free parking or free parking on nearby streets or fiesta marked parking lots.   More information is available from the mission rectory office at (626) 457-3035.                                                          

Have some laughs and ride the emotional roller coaster with the dysfunctional characters in the play. There will be four shows only: Saturday, August 21 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm, and Sunday, August 22 at 1:00 pm, and 6:00 pm. It is a first-come, first-served library program with free admission for adult audiences. Please reserve seats early at the library bookstore or e-mail to cclau7@yahoo.com

Neil Simon is American’s most prolific playwright. He has had dozens of plays and nearly as many major motion pictures produced. Some of his plays are “The Old Couple”, “Sweet Charity”, “Lost in Yonkers”, and “Biloxi Blues”. He has been showered with more Academy and Tony nominations than any other writer, and is the only playwright to have four Broadway productions running simultaneously.

“The way I see things, life is both sad and funny. I can’t imagine a comical situation that isn’t at the same time also painful, I used to ask myself: What is a humorous situation? Now I ask: What is a sad situation and how can I tell it humorously?” – Neil Simon.

This play is produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Please log on to Monterey Park Bruggermeyer Library’s website at http://montereyparklibrary.llwip.org/node/4323