Ginny Prior’s “The Town Crier” Column from “The Montclarion”
MONTCLARION: June 11, 2010
It’s down to the wire as candidates jockey for position in Montclair’s mayoral race. Too bad the horse didn’t make the cut.
A miniature horse named Figaro was part of the initial field of 20 animals vying for mayor of Montclair. So was a rat named Twitchy and a goat called Willow. But with the primary over and just 10 days to run, the field has been narrowed to nine. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: June 11, 2010
The Wheels of change keep on turning in Montclair…with Wheels of Justice being the latest business to pull up stakes. The popular bike shop is moving to a new Montclair location to save money on rent, as the economy continues to put a strain on small business. Meanwhile, the venerable Raimondi’s Paint and Wallpaper closed suddenly, last week, leaving only a sign announcing the owner’s retirement. There’s already web chatter about how much the shop’s mascot (former pet mayor Hershey the dog) will be missed.
Turkey talk: As I mentioned last week, not everyone is happy about the wild turkey population boom in the hills. Scott Seidman says he’s been attacked so many times on his trail runs, he carries a bat for protection. “They’re not cute, they’re not endangered…and they’re dangerous,” he says, adding one of his neighbors even fell and broke an arm during a wild turkey attack. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: May21, 2010
The Bay Area is blessed with some of the richest wine regions in the world. Napa. Sonoma. Moraga.
Moraga? Yes, the oldest winery in Moraga is celebrating its new releases this month. Parkmon Vineyards has several impeccable offerings, including wines made with grapes from the owners’ Moraga vineyard. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: MAY 14, 2010
Oh, to be young again. Watching the dazzling production of Peter Pan in San Francisco this week made me feel like a child in a backyard fort. I fought pirates and encountered Indians and did it all without nary a parent in sight.
J.M. Barrie’s story is over 100 years old, yet this version soars to new heights – literally. Through the use of the world’s first 360-degree video projection for live theater, you feel as if you are flying, yourself, with Peter and Wendy and Tinker Bell. It couldn’t have been done in a traditional theater, so a unique outdoor pavilion had to be designed with a 100 foot high ceiling packed with ten tons of high-tech equipment. Continue reading
MONTCLARION- May 7, 2010
We’re coming up on Mother’s Day – the mother of all weekends for chocolate, flowers and spa treatments. Would it be too much to ask for all three?
In my dreams, I’m floating on a bed of chocolate and rose petals, being massaged. An hour goes by, then two – and two more – and I have achieved a state of Nirvana. Suddenly, I understand the meaning of life. My skin is like that of a Goddess and I radiate goodness and light… Continue reading
MONTCLARION: April 23, 2010
The more time passes, the younger I get. Last week I wrote about returning to college (with my daughter at the University of Georgia). Well, since then, I’ve been back to high school.
I was one of 40 speakers at Bishop O’Dowd’s annual Career Day Seminar, recently. “If you’re looking to make big money, some day, you’re in the wrong room,” I told the kids right off the bat. “The trial lawyer is down the hall.”
But I held their interest – mostly by talking about travel and sports journalism – not hard news coverage. I showed them the video I promoted in an article on spring skiing a few weeks ago. “This is what I do for a living,” I said as they watched snow skiers trying to jump freezing ponds of slush in their swimwear. “It’s a story that needs to be told,” I said seriously, “and you could be the next generation to tell it.” Continue reading
MONTCLARION: April 16, 2010
It was two years ago that my daughter picked the University of Georgia as her college of choice. Little did I know that when she went off to school, I’d be going back, too, in some small way.
It’s one thing to slap a logo on your car and wear your kid’s college sweats – but staying in her dorm room? Eating in the dining hall? Going to her chem class?
On a visit to Athens, GA. last week, I discovered the proverbial “Fountain of Youth”. I rolled back the clock and was 19 again. “Forever Young” as the song goes. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: April 9, 2010
One of my favorite things about living in Montclair is also one of my biggest fears – being involved in an accident.
I’ve often opined about cars parked on curves, forcing motorists out of their lanes. It’s selfish and dangerous and should be illegal, yet it’s the norm in the hills.
Even more unsettling is the chance you might hit a pedestrian – something reader Greg Case witnessed twice as an Oakland firefighter responding to accidents on Grizzly Peak Road. . “One of these calls was for a man that walked every day up Colton…” he remembers, saying a car met the man on a blind curve and – giving him a wide berth – struck an oncoming vehicle. The pedestrian was caught in the middle and killed almost instantly. He’d been walking in traffic so no charges were filed but a life was lost and you can imagine the motorists’ grief. “Even if you’re in the right,” Case says, you could be “dead right”. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: March 26, 2010
Everyone loves a parade, it’s been said, but this one was one for the ages.
It was after 11 the other night, when a merry band of St. Mary’s fans led a procession through Moraga. At the front was a fire truck, followed by three squad cars, the Mayor, some others – and me. We escorted the Gaels basketball team to their campus – fresh from the airport and a giant-slaying win over Villanova in the second round of the NCAA Tourney. (Round three is today against Baylor, and our guys are well rested and ready).
But back to the late night procession and rally, in a town that gets sleepy at sundown. It was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever experienced. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: March 19, 2010
He scours the streets, looking for food. “Who will show kindness today?” he asks, as his body grows weary from the hunt. There is no rest, really, when you’re homeless – nowhere that’s safe – nowhere that’s nurturing.
And yet, something tells me this cat is “working it”. Like clockwork, he shows up at dinnertime and I acquiesce. Despite the objections of my own feline charge, I put out a spread for this drifter, who seems oddly plump when it’s all said and done. Continue reading
Ginny Prior 