Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Lake Washington Village Night Parade and Street Dance on North Lake Avenue

Wednesday Evening, July 30, 1952
In the auto repair courtyard next to Towne Furniture located at 854 E. Washington
http://avenuetotheskylakeavenuepasadena.blogspot.com/2010/03/sad-fate-of-towne-furniture-store-bldg.html





The " Melody Men " Polka Band, apparently a German band from the looks of the alpine caps with feathers! Looking at the city directory of this period, many of the names of residents of the Lake Washington Village area appear to be of German ethnicity. Perhaps this accounts for the popularity of a Polka band, and on television of the time Lawrence Welk, also an ethnic German, had a local popular show featuring Polka music on KTLA which premiered in 1952.

Notice the Scottish Bagpipe Marching Band with drummers followed by horsedrawn carriages. The shops on North Lake just north of Washington are lit up with many neon projecting signs. For a point of reference, the "Maple Shop" recognizable by its maple leaf shaped projecting sign, a furniture store selling Early American Style furniture, was located where "Vorhee's Craftsman Furniture" is now located at 1415 North Lake and the large neon "MEAT" sign in the form of a crown was located on top of "Crown Meats", which is now the "Fred Astaire Dance Studio", located at 1368 North Lake and the historic crown sign is still on top but no longer neon lit. The Lake Washington Village Parade and Street Dance was held on a July summer evening, with these photos being taken from just above 1415 North Lake looking south, with an old Pasadena Fire Department fire engine, horse drawn buggy and other vehicles and marchers, with a large crowd looking on.






Here it looks like the parade has broken up or has yet to start, so I don't have the photos in the correct order. Notice the many children of all ages out on a warm summer night. Also in the background, just north of what is now " Showcase Liquor ", back then " Gerlachs Liquor " http://www.pbase.com/claimsman/image/85584642, is a tent set up in the liquor store parking lot with " SALOON " and a false window and door painted on the front which was apparently a temporary watering hole for this festival. Just north of the tent is Jimmie Hill's " MEAT N' TATERS ". Just north of that is the " ADENA " paint store. A temporary " No Parking " sign is on the ornamental double headed light standard.





Here we have a horse and buggy, a small mini bus and antique turn-of-the-century cars coming up the middle of North Lake Avenue from Washington.





An antique Pasadena Fire Department Fire Engine is leading a large truck, looks like a horse transporter, and the crowds are converging around behind, so this may be the end of the parade. Two men in top hats and period dress, one with a walking stick, are strolling down Lake Avenue behind the parade watching crowd. You can be sure that the local politicians were in the parade!
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could have such an evening parade and street dance in the Lake Washington Village sometime in the near future?! The merchants in the Lake Washington Village also had " Moonlight Madness " sales late at night every season to promote shopping in the local area. And of course there were Halloween decorations in October and street holiday decorations in December. Certainly, the tasteful neon projecting signs add to the street scene. The Crown " Meat " sign is a protected historic sign, and the reinstallation of the decorative neon would be an attractive and interesting reintroduction to brighten up the Lake Washington Village at night. Does anyone remember any of these businesses or spending time in the Lake Washington Village?





Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Washington Theatre Presents - All Quiet on the Western Front


Time to escape to the coolness of the Washington Theatre's 900 seat auditorium. I'm looking forward to seeing the Academy Award winning "All Quiet on the Western Front" tonight, Wednesday, April 1, 1931! At least it won't be too hard to come up with the admission price of a quarter.

It's a very varied program this month, including the Laurel & Hardy "Another Fine Mess", which sounds like my life story!
The " Washington Theatre " , Washington at Lake Avenue, Phone STerling 0140, Adults 25c , Children 10c Both Matinee and Evening, Continuous every day, doors open 1:45, Shows 2:15, 4:30, 6:45 and 9:00 p.m., Program subject to change without notice, Changes only made when beyond our control, We now have deaf sets for people who are hard of hearing. No extra charge for this service. All pictures are reproduced with the latest improved Western Electric System in Pasadena.
See you there! (Hopefully, sometime in our lifetime!)









Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Save the Natural Beauty of Devil's Lake - Hahamongna

Devil's Lake, 1922 - Now known as Hahamongna
At a soon upcoming hearing of Pasadena's City Council, the fate of the Devil's Gate Dam Reservoir, now known by the Tongva name of Hahamongna, will be discussed again with the inadvisable possibility of adding soccer fields to this wild area. Please join with us to keep Hahamongna a wild place for present and future generations to enjoy, without any incursions of civilization. Those of us who enjoy this space, along with the abundant wildlife, will thank you for your support in saving this wild, beautiful, verdant space.
We have been advised by the local water authority, Pasadena Water and Power, that the Devil's Gate Dam has been seismically upgraded and the only reason water is not being held back during the rainy season, as it was from the building of the dam in 1920 up until the Sylmar earthquake of 1971, is that the Los Angeles County Flood Control District has not given their approval. Our local officials should pursue obtaining LACFCD's approval to catch the runoff during our rainy season and replenish our groundwater more effectively.
Here is a link with historic photos of the Devil's Gate Dam and when it was being fully used, from the Arroyo Seco Foundation: http://www.arroyoseco.org/DGDam.htm
For others participating in the Great Save Hahamongna Blog Day, visit these great local blogs: