Month: February 2010

The Gold Medals Of Montclair

In honor of the Winter Olympics, we wanted to award a couple gold medals to native Montclarions.  Why not add to the early podium-topper count?  Some of us are deserving here.

We’ve been watching the sports for hours and now the pairs ice skating has arrived.  Everyone keeps falling on their jumps, the music is tired, and the commentators aren’t feeling the love either.  So our attention started to wander…to local awards.

With a little imagination, we can envision the Montclarion award winners.  Drumroll, please…

  • Snowboard cross – Awarded to the school-kids running out of Montclair School, at least the last time we passed by.  Queue the kids, knocking each other out of the way as they leave school for the day.
  • Freestyle, aka bumps and jumps – Awarded to the local deer, as they navigate backyards and leap across the streets at dusk.  Don’t tell me you haven’t seen them navigating the hills before.  They do look like the freestylers, a bit!
  • Luge – Awarded to hikers during the recent rains, as they slide down the narrow and muddy East Bay trails.  Okay, this is something which I awarded to myself while sliding down a really soaked trail two weeks ago – and deserve that gold.
  • Downhill – Awarded to just about any driver hitting top speeds down Shepherd Canyon.  The route enables drivers to pick up speed and hang onto various curves, so it fits.  Heck, there are many folks who surely beat Bode Miller by a tenth here.
  • Cross country – Awarded to many commuters, as they simultaneously walk in the door at night and collapse on the floor.  You know how all the skiers keel over, the second they cross the finish line?  Well, it feels like us.

We Have Old But Loved Trestles Too

In Montclair Village, we have old trestles on Mountain Blvd that are rather unadorned.  They might be something you haven’t noticed much before, but are two concrete hulks lining the street as you head south from the Montclair School into the commercial district.

Some other places, like the City of Pinole, have decorated their train trestles in lovely ways.  Makes you start to put two and two together, right?

During an Oakland Heritage Alliance tour of Montclair, which we took last summer, the docent pointed out the old train route.  All the vestiges are pretty obvious when you look carefully.  Just check out the Pocket Park at the Moraga and Thornhill intersection, our now well-marked entry.  Or take a walk up Shepherd Canyon, which is now getting love from the Friends of Montclair Railroad Trail.

What’s been left behind are the huge concrete trestles on Mountain Blvd.  We have discovered interested parties who are beginning to ponder the possibilities – and I’m interested too!  There’s strength in numbers here, due to the aesthetic and cultural impact of filling these blank slates.  If you want to contemplate and help, then please reach them:  montclairtrestles@gmail.com.

Montclair Farmers Market and Mayoral Politics

This morning, various political causes were in full view at the Montclair Farmers Market.  It was the first time we saw a public display declaring “Jean Quan for Oakland Mayor 2010” on the street.  There was a volunteer at the adjacent table, and the all-important cinnamon loaves were luring us nearby.

Both Jean Quan and Don Perata have declared their mayoral candidacies online and you can keep up virtually for now.  They each have base camps:

  • Candidate Perata’s website is called “Believe in Oakland, Perata For Mayor 2010.”   Perata has posted his appearances, including the Laurel on February 27th.  The site also has a donations section, of course.  Over on Facebook you may join his group, which has 512 members, or friend him along with 254 others.
  • Candidate Quan’s website has been live for a while, and serves as a fund-raising channel.  You may also fan her through Facebook, which she seems to use actively – by posting appearances, messages, images and more.  Oh, and there are 254 fans as of this minute too.

We wonder how these online efforts will influence voters during 2010, who knows?  As the real campaigns get underway later this year, however, we suspect there will be evidence of live humans ready for their meet ‘n greets.

TV News Airs Montclair Bubbly, Chocolates

We get all warm and fuzzy when Bay Area telecasts feature the Montclair District, because it’s a rare event.  Tonight we saw the requisite Valentine’s Day story with an economic twist, and two Montclair businesses were highlighted:   Farmstead Cheeses and Wines and Le Bon Bon.

KTVU Reporter Tom Vacar was making the point that Valentine’s Day still packs a profitable punch, even though people want to economize a bit.  Our local business owners felt pretty optimistic so far.

“Valentine’s Day is all about sparkling wine,” exclaimed Jeff Diamond, who owns Farmstead. He added that all holidays matter, including  V-Day, and that his business has picked up versus last year.

“We are happy,” declared Le Bon Bon’s proprietor, Ugyen Triantopolous.  She explained that some customers buy a little bit less, but business is looking good this year.

Check out the the video and our two new celebrities.  You’ll see plenty of air time for the two stores, along with bubbly and trays of chocolates.  You can’t really go wrong with these affordable luxuries for V-Day.

Surreal Look At Local Car Crash

Tonight we experienced a bad rush hour, complete with a near-stoppage around 6 pm.  As we headed southbound on Highway 13, shy of the Moraga-Thornhill exit, a local car crash came into view.  Just awful!

We first noticed a fire truck on the northbound side, and then the evidence right outside our window.  It was tempting to stop, snap and gawk, but impossible with a single lane of traffic open.  So here’s a surreal and blurry image, and you’ll have to use your imagination.

Only the smashed-up car remained, awaiting a tow.  The driver and/or passengers had already left the scene, likely getting some medical attention at a nearby hospital.

After we exited the highway, CBS Radio began blaring the stoppage news in their traffic update.  And now you have the rest of the story from Montclair Central, over and out.