Wednesday, December 7, 2011

A Busy Week in Pomona

A reminder that Saturday is the Pomona Christmas Parade. The parade will begin at 2nd and Gibbs Streets in downtown Pomona and travel west on 2nd Street to Park Ave., where it will turn south to 8th Street.

This year's grand marshal is boxer "Sugar" Shane Mosley. This year's community heroes are the military veterans from all wars and eras. We will have veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom as well as those who served in the all to brief periods between those wars. In addition there will be special color guards and military vehicles.

If you get a viewing spot near the community judging area at Thomas Plaza, there will also be a special presentation of colors and a 21 gun salute to the veterans, as well as play by play announcing as the units pass by. There are about 120 different units in the entire parade (including marching bands, equestrians, floats, dignitaries, and local civic organizations), with an estimated 2,000 individual participants.

The parade steps off at 10:00 am sharp and is expected to last about 2 hours. Bring a chair and come early to get a good seat.

Thursday will see a holiday party by the Pomona Valley Democratic Club at Sakira Ichi restaurant in the Mission Promenade center. Join other Democrats in enjoying some food, beverages, and what will surely be some lively conversation. Click on image at left to enlarge.

CONGRATULATIONS are in order for the passage of the Pomona Public Arts Policy at last Monday's council meeting. This important new ordinance will ensure that all future development will either have a public art element to it, or that the developer will contribute to an arts in public places fund for future arts projects in our public spaces (parks, highway medians, etc.).

The Pomona Cultural Arts Commission is to be lauded for their hard work over the past three+ years to shepherd this legislation through and to create a viable public arts policy for the enhancement of the entire city.

I'd like to with everyone who reads this blog the Happiest of Holidays. I'm sure that we'll have a lot more lively debate in 2012 as we face municipal elections in November and (as noted by CalWatch) possible redistricting for Pomona's council districts by June. As well as other things that will come up in the interim.