A new exhibit at the Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum is about the Santa Anita Assembly Center, a temporary facility at Santa Anita Park that held Japanese Americans before they were sent to more permanent internment camps during World War II. The opening reception will feature speakers Osamu Miyamoto, Akkiko Nomura and others. Dana Dunn is the curator.
World War II pilot Walter "Pat" Hollywood, a longtime Arcadia resident, celebrated Veterans Day and his 90th birthday yesterday. He was born in Pasadena in 1919 and served as an Army C-46 Commando pilot during World War II. He works out at the Fortanesce and Associates Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Center in Arcadia and walks for an hour at the Los Angeles County Arboretum every day.
Two articles describe the Breeders' Cup XXVI, 2009, and the race horse Zenyatta. The Breeders' Cup drew a 2-day total of 96,496 attendees, but the 41st Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita Park showed significant declines in attendance and handle when its 31 days of racing ended yesterday.
Zenyatta, a filly and the kind of sensational race horse that comes along only once in a generation, scored perhaps the greatest victory in the history of the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park. With jockey Mike Smith (in photo), Zenyatta wins the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic by one length. Other winners are listed.
The Breeders' Cup, known as the world championship of horse racing, was held at Santa Anita Park last Friday and Saturday. The event has helped the local economy in Arcadia, with an estimated $50 million spent on restaurants, hotels, wagering, taxis, etc.
Life is Sweet (race horse) was the winner of the Grade I $2 million Ladies' Classic at the Breeders' Cup XXVI. Rider Garrett Gomez and Life is Sweet are shown in a photo. More recap and news is in an accompanying article "Europeans seek another Classic performance."
Helen Meredith is the founder of Pegasus Ranch in Tehachapi, CA, a place where 60 retired thoroughbreds live. She is struggling financially and estimates that the United Pegasus Foundation is $80,000 in debt. Some of the famous race horses there are Cardmania, winner of the 1993 Breeders' Cup Spring at Santa Anita Park, Music Merci (another Breeders' Cup veteran), Time to Pass, Sand Lizard, and Kingdom Found.
Two articles describe this coming weekend's Breeders' Cup race at Santa Anita Park. "Unbeaten Zenyatta already looks like a Classic choice," p. B1 and "Smart money may be on Einstein," p. B3.
Los Angeles County's median home price is rising. In July, 2009, it was $339,430, up from $319,860 in June 2009, but well below $395,240 a year ago. Broker Chris Vigil thinks the market has hit rock bottom. Arcadia's median home price in July 2009 was $663,000, up from $626,500 a year ago (July, 2008). A chart shows figures from surrounding cities.
Montecito Fine Arts College of Design has declared bankruptcy but intends to reopen. The college has campuses in Monrovia, Arcadia, and Brea. The school's founder is Ed Kuckelhorn and the Vice President is his wife, Trisha Zhang.
Jim McConnell recalls playing on the 1969 Arcadia Pony League All-Stars team. The baseball team of 13-14 year old boys made it to the Pony League "World Series" in Washington, PA that year.
Arcadia police surrounded a home in the 1700 block of Mayflower Avenue in a 7-hour standoff with an armed suspect believed to be threatening suicide and harm to other people in the house. Herb Rodrigues said the alleged gunman was his girlfriend's son. When police entered the house, only an elderly man was there, alone. The suspect had fled.
Charles Norm Stevens is a World War II veteran and former bombadier who shares his experiences flying in the Army Air Corps and Air Force in his two books, "The Innocent Cadet" and "An Innocent at Polebrook." Stevens, a resident of Monterey Park, signed books at a Friends of the Arcadia Public Library event last week.
Although The Pamplemousse and Pioneer of the Nile are favored to win the Santa Anita Derby, a third choice, Chocolate Candy, could cause an upset. Chocolate Candy is the son of Candy Ride. Chocolate Candy is owned by Jenny Craig and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer.
St. Baldrick's Foundation held its annual fundraising event at Matt Denny's Ale House. More than 70 volunteers got their family, friends and co-workers to give donations for them to shave their heads. Their baldness helps raise awareness of cancer and shows solidarity with the childhood cancer patients. Arcadia firefighter Drew Pryon is shown in photographs with children.
The Pamplemousse, which means "the grapefruit" in French, is a fast colt. Ridden by veteran jockey Alex Solis, The Pamplemousse won the 1-1/8 mile $200,000 Grade III Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park yesterday. His time 1:47.86 was the fastest in the Sham's 9-year history.
Hundreds of people gathered at Santa Anita Park to honor the slain Ortega family, which lost nine members in a Christmas Eve mass murder on the 1100 block of East Knollcrest Drive in Covina, CA. The tribute and fundraiser was organized by Jerry and Jim Rocha. Jockey Joseph Talamo rode "Return of the King," a horse owned by Charles and James Ortega, in the fourth race yesterday. The horse finished second in the race dedicated to the Ortegas.