Column: Former Hotpoint clubhouse lost to blaze

It was once a busy, prominent building, next to Ontario’s largest private employer. But after the Hotpoint factory closed in 1982, its clubhouse, where employee functions had taken place since 1917, began its slide into obscurity and neglect. In the early morning hours of Aug. 14, it burned down, cause currently unknown. I write about the building and its history in Friday’s column.

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Column: ONT taking steps to replace long-broken escalator

Did you know an escalator at ONT has been broken for six months? And if you did, did you know the escalator has its own Twitter account? (Probably you didn’t; it has only 92 followers.) Having taken the stairs myself coming back from my recent vacation, I write about the situation, which is not escalating, in Sunday’s column, along with items about a conversation on “Jimmy Kimmel” about Ontario, a Mini Cooper in the news in Rancho Cucamonga and more.

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Column: Ontario couple traded up by moving one house over

I write about Pat and Virginia King, who gave up their Ontario home 39 years ago to buy the house next door. After that come a bunch of items from Pomona involving Mexico Lindo, the redwood grove, an art exhibit, two Big Boys and the 1956 Pomona High fire, plus a plug for my next author talk and a note that I’m leaving for vacation, all in Sunday’s column.

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Wagon Wheel memento rolls to Ontario

When I toured the Paul R. Williams house on Ontario’s Sixth Street in late 2017, I was surprised to see a sign from Oxnard’s old Wagon Wheel restaurant complex decorating the kitchen. The homeowner said he’d picked it up before the complex was demolished in 2015.

I found the photo recently and, since I’d always meant to share it, decided to go ahead.

Do you recall the Wagon Wheel ? Built starting in 1947, the complex consisted of a motel, restaurant, bowling alley, roller rink and more and was a quaint sight along the 101. Says Wikipedia: “One of the most recognizable features of the motel was the giant neon sign that included an animated stagecoach driver and galloping horses.”

I got to bowl at the bowling alley a couple of years before the end. If I remember correctly, I came in third against two friends who rarely bowled. It’s a good memory anyway.

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ONT’s old terminal

As mentioned in Sunday’s column, I was at Ontario International Airport’s old terminal last week, and I don’t believe I’d been there other than a couple of mid-’90s flights. Here are a few photos that may bring back memories — in which case, please share them.

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