RCNow

City seeks input on future park

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:04:41 -0800

The city is getting ready to apply for a state park grant in order to build a 3.5-acre park on Madrone Avenue just north of the Cask N Cleaver restaurant. Residents in the southwest part of the city are encouraged to give input.

Three community forums will be held starting next week so the city can get input on design concepts and safety considerations. They will be on:

Nov. 30; 7 p.m. at Los Amigos Elementary on 8498 Ninth St.

Dec. 1; 10 a.m. at Casa Volante Mobile Home Park on 8651 Foothill Blvd.

Dec. 5; 10 a.m. at park site on 8649 Madrone Avenue

The city recently mailed a survey to nearby residents about the park. The survey can be mailed back to the city or completed online here.

Altacucawanda? I prefer Rancho Cucalomawanda

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:43:55 -0800

In case you missed it, here's a lovely article in today's newspaper by history columnist Joe Blackstock about how the name of this city came about.

Altacucawanda? Naming Rancho Cucamonga was no easy matter

Lots of things were going on in the mid-1970s when the city of Rancho Cucamonga was created.

As groves and vineyards disappeared, there was a fear that suburbia would bring an end to the area's bucolic lifestyle.

Some pushed for cityhood to control growth; others just wanted to be left alone.

But there was the belief that Upland to the west, Ontario to the south and Fontana to the east were poised to swallow up the communities of Alta Loma, Cucamonga and Etiwanda, so incorporation went forward.

On the agenda: Hillside/Amethyst stop sign

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:13:07 -0800

Neighbors pushing for a stop sign on the corner of Hillside and Amethyst will have the attention of the public works subcommittee at 6 p.m. today. The subcommittee consists of council members Rex Gutierrez and Diane Williams.

A stop sign was erected there during a dirt relocation project for a new fire station but was later removed. Residents who want the stop sign back have been circulating a petition in the hopes that the city will bring the stop sign back. Neighbors say a stop sign would be an effective way to slow down speedy motorists.

The meeting will be at Lions Center West on 9161 Base Line Road in the Filippi Room.

Daily Bulletin (and the Lams) on vacation

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:37:57 -0800

No, City Manager Jack Lam did not turn all the department heads into penguins.

It's hard to believe but those are real penguins in their natural habitat. Jack and his wife, Linda, came back from their vacation to Antarctica, where they saw a colony of 10,000 penguins.

After some gentle cohersion, Jack brought a copy of the newspaper with him, making it the very first time the Daily Bulletin took a vacation to frigid Antarctica.

Get ready for 'Rent' auditions

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:44:18 -0800

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

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:41:03 -0800

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

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:40 -0800

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

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:43:54 -0800

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

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:09:58 -0800

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

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:25:34 -0800

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

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:03:51 -0800

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

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:26:22 -0800

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!

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:07:14 -0800

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

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:31:40 -0800

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?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:05:48 -0800

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.