RCNow

Get ready for 'Rent' auditions

2009-11-20T23:44:18Z

Broadway at the Gardens, the city's annual musical production at Lewis Family Playhouse, will host auditions for "Rent" in December. The musical will be staged March 5-14, 2010.

Auditions will be on Dec. 7 in Los Angeles and Dec. 14 in Rancho Cucamonga. Interested actors need to submit their headshots and resumes online at www.actorsaccess.com. Actors will get an appointment time if invited to audition.

An open call audition will take place Dec. 14 from 2 to 5 p.m. No appointment is necessary for the open call. Actors should bring a photo, resume and be prepared to sing 16 bars of a song from the show and another 16 bars of a pop rock number.

Ron Kellum, who has been involved in Broadway productions including "Chicago" and "Dreamgirls", will direct "Rent." Courtney Corey, who starred in the first Broadway national tour of "Rent," will co-direct.

Update on Victoria Gardens newcomers

2009-11-20T22:41:03Z

Is it harder to find a job if you're not into Facebook?

It seems like it, especially if you want to work for Nestle. The cookie joint is gearing up to open at the end of the year at Victoria Gardens. This sign is posted in front of the shop, which is across from Starbucks.

Several newcomers have opened at the mall, including Dukez (Men's apparel), Swee'Ts (funnel cakes and other carnival food), Raylight-Flashwear (clothes that light up) and Gelato Ice & Bites.

Two sit-down restaurants, Paisanos and Candelas, are expected to open at the end of the year or in January. Paisanos, an Italian restaurant, will be near AMC. Candelas, a Mexican restaurant, will be near Fleming's.

It looks like Victoria Gardens will have a Chipotle in the future. A liquor license notice is seen posted at a shop near Pinkberry.

Photo by Thomas Cordova/Staff Photographer

Holiday festivities kick off tonight

2009-11-20T22:00:40Z

Santa Claus, pictured here, will make his official debut at Victoria Gardens tonight with family entertainment starting 6:30 p.m. and a tree lighting ceremony at 7:45 p.m.

Victoria Gardens will be opened 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. until Wednesday.
The mall is closed on Thanksgiving.
On Black Friday, JCPenney opens at 4 a.m., Macy's at 5 p.m. and the rest of the mall at 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.
On Christmas Eve, the last day Santa will be at the Santa Depot, the mall is opened 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The mall is closed on Christmas.

Bass Pro Shops is having its own party on Black Friday. The Great Turkey Campout starts 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving when customers will pitch their tents and camp out until Friday morning. Employees will pass out hot chocolate, coffee and smores until 8 p.m.
Thomas Cordova/Staff Photographer

Whole lot of scratching

2009-11-20T17:43:54Z

A quick and fierce episode of chicken pox paid me a visit a couple of days ago, making me miss work, a City Council meeting and opportunities to blog. The news brought forth all kinds of advice from friends -- take Benadryl, soak in baking soda, don't scratch! But I'm still not sure what chicken pox is exactly, how it's different from shingles and why it would come three decades late.

Staying at home because of the chicken pox seems like such a wimpy excuse. It's not like the flu, which makes you tired and achy so it's okay to watch game shows all day and eat chicken noodle. But with the chicken pox, you don't fell sick, just annoyed.

I felt bad calling in sick because I was annoyed. I wanted to do something productive like read a book or do the laundry but I couldn't concentrate on a single task because every fiber of my body was busy fighting the urge to itch. And everything, from my eyelashes to the heel of my foot itched.

Thank goodness for Calamine lotion, which I purchased at the pharmacy minutes after it opened. I must have looked like a tweeker, disheveled and itchy. When I got home, I nearly drank the lotion because it seemed even my internal organs itched.

And then the bumps went away just as mysteriously as it came leaving me wondering if it was chicken pox after all. Perhaps it was just some physiological aversion to City Council meetings.

Metrolink to kick off holiday season

2009-11-17T22:09:58Z

The Metrolink Holiday Toy Express kicks off this Saturday in Rancho Cucamonga. The Metrolink station is on Milliken and Azusa.

The train arrives at 5 p.m. but family friendly activities start at 3 p.m. There will be storytime, crafts, entertainment and cookie decorating. Bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Spark of Love Toy Drive.

You can also drop off toys at any fire station.

Information: (909) 477-2770

Happy Birthday, Rancho Cucamonga

2009-11-16T16:25:34Z

In case you missed the Founder's
Day Parade on Saturday, check out Staff Photographer Mediha Fejzagic Dimartino's photo gallery.

Highlights included this giant Woody, a 400-member high school marching band, a beauty queen float with Miss Baby Alta Loma and a cute boy impersonating "Twilight" actor Robert Pattinson with a gang of screaming girls behind him.

For the second year in a row, I helped announce the parade participants as they passed by Macy's. Without reading the 94-page script ahead of time, I made all sorts of mistakes like calling the Angelina Jolie impersonator Octomom and calling the police chief "fire chief." (Sorry, Chief Cuisimano!)

* * *

Having covered the city for only four years, I only know the parade as a Victoria Gardens affair. My friend and Alta Loma old timer Catherine Bridge informed me that the very first community parade was hosted by the Alta Loma Community Chamber of Commerce before the city was incorporated and went along Base Line~~Highland Avenue~~. Bridge and her husband, Arthur, a former councilman, had an entry with their fruit truck and an assortment of smudge pots. Their circa-1938 fire truck was also on display, a crowd pleaser just as much as this 40-foot flying cowboy.

Free (late) lunch tomorrow

2009-11-16T16:03:51Z

Jamba Juice, located at Victoria Gardens near Starbucks, will offer free flatbreads to the first 150 customers starting at 2 p.m. Tuesday. The new California Flatbread comes in four flavors -- Tomo Artichoko, Smokehouse Chicken, Mediterran Yum and Four Cheesy.

Prune at Maloof's

2009-11-13T19:26:22Z

Volunteer your time to prune and plant at the Maloof Foundation's garden this weekend and you'll get the opportunity to not only see the lovely property tucked away atop Carnelian but a chance to learn some gardening tips. The event is 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday with a free garden care lecture at 11:30 a.m. If this is your first time visiting, bring a camera.

The Maloof property is on 5131 Carnelian.

Information: (909) 980-0412

Taco joint turns 21, Wahoo!

2009-11-13T19:07:14Z

Everybody knows the 21st birthday is the best.

Celebrate it with Wahoo's, on 11561 Foothill Blvd., next Saturday starting 11 a.m. The first 21 guests will receive a special goody bag. Gift cards and coupons for free meals will also be handed out.

Two VG eateries prepare to open

2009-11-13T02:31:40Z

Restaurant vacancy? What restaurant vacancy, asks Victoria Gardens.

Two sit-down restaurants are fighting the clock to open in time for the holiday season. Paisano, an Italian restaurant, is scheduled to open at the end of this month. The restaurant will open near the AMC Theaters, filling the void left by Sisley's in January.

Candelas, a Mexican restaurant with locations in San Diego and Coronado, is expected to open in January or earlier, said Masa Liles, director of marketing for Victoria Gardens. The eatery will take over the space left by Wapango, which also closed in January.

A day without English class?

2009-11-13T01:05:48Z

Hey, just because you took a day off, doesn't mean your grammar check should.

From the Twitter feed yesterday by the superintendent of Chaffey Joint Union High School District: Veteran's Day: November 11, Hope everyone is enjoys their day off.

Balloons light up Central Park

2009-11-12T20:25:32Z

Frank Perez/Correspondent

To see other photos of yesterday's Veterans Day event, visit Will Lester's photo gallery.

Hundreds showed up to Councilman Rex Gutierrez's Veterans Day event last night. What lured them were these flickering helium balloons that decorated the sky at Central Park.

Participants wrote words of love and praise to their favorite veteran on the balloon. Some of the messages include "For those who didn't come home," "We miss you" and "Veterans Day is fun."

Cheryl Diego of Rancho Cucamonga had something simple to say to her father, "Thanks Dad, for 33 years of service."

The event, costing about $13,000, was paid for by Gutierrez's campaign. The councilman holds annual Easter and Veterans Day events in the city. Gutierrez said with his political future uncertain, Wednesday's event could be his last.

Interesting note -- Mike Morrell, candidate for the 63rd Assembly District, was invited to say a few words to the crowd. I guess Gutierrez isn't supporting the mayor for that position.

Can a politician be just a resident?

2009-11-11T18:52:33Z

Unconvinced that a stop sign was needed on Hillside and Amethyst, Supervisor Paul Biane wrote a letter to the city expressing his wish that the sign be removed after preliminary construction on a fire station is finished.

Two months later, the city took down the stop sign, saying a traffic study determined it was no longer necessary.

Residents who want the stop sign are very annoyed. They're convinced that the supervisor and former councilman, who currently lives less than a mile north of the intersection, is the only reason why the sign is no longer there.

Biane's office was very clear that the letter was written by Biane as a resident, not an elected official. But can Biane -- one of the most well known residents in the city, whose name is known by every person who has used the library -- weigh in on a neighborhood issue without the appearance of political influence? Can he be just a resident?

Thomas Cordova/Staff Photographer

On the agenda: nothing

2009-11-11T15:02:33Z

The Planning Commission meeting is canceled today because of the holiday. City Hall is also closed.

Happy Veterans Day!

It's official, Christmas is here

2009-11-11T01:13:36Z

Workers hoisted this 50-feet tall White Fir at Victoria Gardens this morning. It should be decorated by Friday.

Let's hope the Santa Anas don't come.

If you're there checking out the tree, head over to the food court where a new carousel has been installed. Rides are $2.50.

Note: The carousel is at the food court but it's not operating yet. Look for it later in the month. By the way, it's hand-painted from Italy.

Thomas Cordova/Staff Photographer