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Running items here once a week always seems like a good idea, but the news, sadly, tends not to cooperate. Let me try to catch up in part today.
My Oct. 19 column on the Cucamonga Service Station Route 66 Museum sparked a number of comments from around the IE. Many of you have made a point of visiting the 1915 Richfield service station (9670 Foothill Blvd.) over its decade of existence as a (very small) museum.
“They have done an amazing job keeping that station looking great,” says Eugene Montanez of Corona, who sent me a photo of himself and his wife at the station with their 2022 Stingray convertible.
Lavinia Brass of Banning emails: “In 2017, my late husband and I traveled a portion of Route 66 from Amboy to the Santa Monica pier in our 1938 Packard. We stopped at the Richfield museum.” She sent a photo to prove it.
That led me to ask David Dunlap, the museum board’s chairperson, about the oldest vehicles to stop at the museum.
“Earlier this year we hosted a Model T club,” says Dunlap, referring to the cars produced from 1908-1927. “These are probably the oldest vehicles and are certainly just the right era for the station.”
My Oct. 12 column about the move of the popular Mexican restaurant from Pomona to Claremont is my most-read this year online. Most people who commented were glad it’s back, with several saying that Pomona’s loss is Claremont’s gain.
That said, a puzzling number of people on Facebook asked for the restaurant address, which was printed in the column. Either they have poor reading comprehension skills, can’t be bothered to read or can’t be bothered to subscribe to get past our paywall.
Another gripe: You have to wonder what is going through the minds of people on Facebook who use the comments section to ask “what is the address” or even “what is the address and the cross street,” in hopes of getting an answer at some future point.
What gives? I mean, they’re already on the internet. If they truly wanted to know the address, why not Google it and have the answer in seconds, complete with a map?
(Also, you have to wonder what is going through the minds of people on Facebook — full stop.)
For posterity’s sake, Mitch Gariador of Chino adds two more restaurants to the history of 921 W. Foothill Blvd., Los Jarritos’ new home.
After the Ruddy Duck, which opened in 1975, came The Clairebourne, circa 1979, an upscale French restaurant with “a classic French country vibe,” says Gariador, who tended bar there while in college. The next year brought Cafe Basque, owned by siblings Marianna Etcheverria and Martin Bordato, both friends of Gariador’s.
“They kept the same chef from The Clairbourne, Rene Almirantearena, who is also Basque, and added traditional Basque dishes to the menu. Unfortunately, they were also unable to keep it operating for much more than a year,” Gariador tells us. “After Cafe Basque closed, China Star took over and I think you have the rest of the history in your story.”
Gariador, to his credit, actually subscribes and reads.
The former drive-thru dairy in Pomona, now demolished except for the sign, was the subject of my Oct. 10 column. Bryan Hinds chimes in to tell us the 2001 music video for the song “Fat Lip” by Sum 41 was filmed in part in the Mr. Milk Bottle parking lot.
Bob Papac, now of Tehachapi, worked at Mr. Milk Bottle in the late 1960s. He has one memory in particular of owners Pete and Fran DeRuyter. Papac was on duty July 20, 1969, the night of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
“Business was horrible. No one was on the road because of the landing,” Papac recalls. “When we closed, and I brought the register tapes and the cash bag to Pete and Fran at their house, Pete was really upset because of the poor sales.”
Perhaps Mr. Milk Bottle drowned his sorrows with the hard stuff: unpasteurized.
In Upland on Tuesday morning, hundreds of people marked not only Veterans Day but the 10th anniversary of the Veterans Monument, where Veterans Day activity takes place.
After a debate over Upland’s military banner policy in 2014, military mothers Grace Schmidt and Yolanda Tuosto thought there should be a place to honor veterans all year long.
Ralph Cavallo agreed. A longtime Little League official who had a reputation for getting things done, Cavallo handpicked a committee in January 2015 and set the goal of planning, funding, building and opening the Veterans Monument in time for Veterans Day.
Cavallo got city permission to use the vast, empty plaza between City Hall and the Public Library as the monument’s home.
“He recruited free labor and got donated materials. Financial donors came out of the woodwork,” Sid Robinson, a committee member, said in remarks Tuesday.
The monument not only opened on time, but the cost was only $400,000, all in private funds, well under the early estimates of $2 million, Robinson recalled.
The monument has an 80-foot-long remembrance wall surrounded by recirculating water, a 14-foot-tall black granite obelisk and other monuments, benches and trees, all to highlight veterans with a connection to Upland.
Cavallo, who is ill, managed to make it to Tuesday’s ceremony and got a round of applause. It was well deserved.
David Allen writes Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, deservedly or not. Email dallen@scng.com, phone 909-483-9339, and follow davidallencolumnist on Facebook or Instagram, @davidallen909 on X or @davidallen909.bsky.social on Bluesky.
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