AFTER MONTHS OF SPECULATION, it appears Cold Stone Creamery won’t be moving into Montclair.

The word is there aren’t enough ice cream eaters to make it profitable. Or could it be we’ve got too many sweet shops in town as it is?

But just the mention of another chain in the village brought a landslide of comment to the Town Crier’s e-mail box. Small business owners Marian O’Brien and Keith Whitaker wrote: “Too many times now, all over the country, the chains win and it is heartbreaking and creates homogenization of communities.”

They cite a number of studies used to convince small towns, their zoning boards and city councils that they shouldn’t turn their backs on the traditional, small-town businesses.

Montclair merchant Debi Echlin (A Great Good Place For Books) agrees: “Having a grouping of small independent shops is much of what contributes to the charm. I am constantly dismayed that our landlords have little concern for the quality of life of their tenants and the residents they serve.”

One of Echlin’s goals is to help folks understand that every time they open their pocketbook, they are voting for something. In this case, it’s chains versus small, independent retailers.

E-MAIL BAG: People are talking (hopefully not with their mouths full) about the new gourmet restaurant, Montclair Bistro.

I’ve even had feedback from folks in Orinda, where they know a little something about fine dining, themselves. Then there’s the e-mail from reader Vera Louie, who says her party’s conversation at the Bistro lasted well beyond dinner, the other night.

“They (the restaurant staff) kindly asked if they could buy us an after dinner drink at the bar in order to free up the table for other customers. We were definitely impressed.”

DINING ADDENDUM: On the subject of restaurants, a reader approached me with this comment about my Jan. 7 article on Pastino’s, on Park Boulevard in the Glenview: “You talked about the great service but mentioned very little about the food.”

While I did say the food was great, I should have said authentic too, since it’s every bit as good as the food my Italian husband grew up enjoying. And though pasta gets a bad rap on the low carb diet — when you find a good comfort food, I say “stick with it.”

AMERICAN DREAM: There’s nothing so grand as a parade, and the Rose Parade is one of the biggest.

So you can imagine how Montclair mom Patricia Absalom felt when she was invited to ride on the Starbuck’s Coffee float New Year’s Day. The float featured Starbuck’s Costa Rican Coffee and Patricia is from Costa Rica. She and her husband Ken, and sons Ashley and Julian, were flown to Los Angeles and wined and dined for four days during the festivities.

And how were they picked for the honor? Much like the Lana Turner story, Patricia was discovered in a popular place, casually sipping a beverage. But instead of Schwab’s on Hollywood and Vine, the setting was Starbucks on Mountain Boulevard — in Montclair.

ZOO UPDATE: And the winner is … Tulsa, Okla. Yes, Tulsa has won Microsoft Game’s “Best Zoo in the Country” competition, sadly leaving Oakland behind. Still, our hometown zoo finished in the top 15, which leads director Joel Parrott to reflect on how far the Oakland Zoo has come.

“It wasn’t that long ago we were called one of the worst in the country,” he says, “and I’m honored to have been considered for this award.” The Tulsa Zoo gets a $25,000 grant for animal care and operations.

LET ME BE the 500th person to wish you a happy New Year! The Town Crier had to take time off last week to recuperate from the exceptionally long holiday season. But now that it’s 2005, I’m following through with a resolution to share certain secrets in the neighborhood — for the betterment of mankind.

Most locals have been to Pastino’s, the cozy Italian eatery on Park Boulevard in the Glenview district. You’d never know by tasting the food, but there isn’t an Italian in the whole operation. George Chan is the owner, and he kept the old recipes and some of the staff from the days when Sal Calo ran the place.

But it’s not just about comfort food. Pastino’s has two of the best waiters in town: 23-year-old Carlos Ham and his 18-year-old sister Wendy love working for their cousin George. “He needed someone he could trust,” says Wendy, who always seems to be smiling.

A student at Cal State Hayward, Wendy was born and raised in Honduras, along with her brother, making them tri-lingual in Chinese, English and Spanish. “Sometimes we get mixed up and speak ‘Spanglish,'” jokes Carlos, who is glad they can communicate with Pastino’s Spanish-speaking kitchen staff.

So there you have it. I’ve shared the secret of a great Italian restaurant with a multicultural twist and brilliant wait staff — and I’m probably going to regret it. After all, how many “high maintenance” customers like me can they handle?

Welcome sight

Isn’t it nice when you enter a town, to be greeted with a “welcome” sign? Some of Montclair’s movers and shakers are coming up with a plan for a sign and a garden — as you enter the Village from the north.

Volunteer Jill Wilson Broadhurst with the Montclair Safety and Improvement Council says the group is working with a landscape firm that’s has done a lot of pro bono work for non-profits and community groups, and an intern from UC is working on the plans and sign design.

Once that’s done, Broadhurst will be calling on all green thumbs to help with things like stump removal, soil preparation and planting. Oh, and the Montclair group would love to hear from local artists who might want to paint the concrete walls in town (what remains of the old railway).

Murals of Montclair would be a great way to celebrate the history of our “town.” If you’d like to help, log onto www.montclairsic.org and send an e-mail to the appropriate chairperson.

E-mail bag

Reader Shelley Brooks had this comment on my Dec. 17 piece about the adopted stray pussycats at Quinn’s Lighthouse on the Embarcadero: “My daughter attends Beacon School on Livingston Street at Embarcadero, and I am on a campaign to trap/neuter/return the feral cats near the school.”

She says feral cats are a huge problem on the waterfront and she hopes folks won’t feed them unless they’ve been spayed or neutered, because the number of kittens that can result is “staggering.” The kitties at Quinn’s have reportedly been fixed.

Strange coincidence

With the world rushing to help in the wake of Asia’s natural disaster, the timing of this is uncanny. Chabot Space and Science Center debuts a giant-screen film this week, called “Forces Of Nature.” It’s as close as you’ll ever want to get to the awesome power of an earthquake or severe storm. Save your meal for after the show.

Twas the night before Christmas

And all through the land

Was utter exhaustion

The holidays were at hand

IT’S CHRISTMAS EVE. Time to wake up and smell the pine needles. Savor the flavor of spicy egg nog and hot mulled wine. Take a walk through the holly berries and spot the mistletoe in the treetops above you. Reach deep inside and find the spirit of the season — then let it radiate so others can feel the warmth.

And if all this seems hard — remember the children. They’ve been waiting all year for Santa’s arrival, and my “mole at the Pole” tells me a big stack of letters have come in from the Oakland hills. Here are some excerpts:

“Dear Santa: This year we’re on a cruise. If you could deliver them (the presents) on the cruise that would be great, but if you can’t — it’s awesome if you deliver them at home. There will be cookies and cider on the cruise but only cookies at home…”

“Dear Santa: I really, really, really want a pet. Any kind of pet. I just want a pet — badly. Maybe you can get me a hamster.”

“Dear Santa Claus: Of course I want a cell phone…”

“Dear Santa: I have been good most of the time. I would like a blue bike. No — a red bike.”

“Dear Santa: I want a toy machine gun that doesn’t shoot anything but makes the noise.”

And finally, the wishes of a little girl who didn’t mince words when she ended her letter with this: “Okay — only two words — may I please have an Aurora dress (from Sleeping Beauty), a sleigh, and snow on my Aurora dress.”

In reading all this, I can’t help it think how much better we’d be — if our own wishes were this simple.

E-mail bag

More letters are pouring in on the makeup of Montclair. With rumors that Cold Stone Creamery wants to open here (as reported in my Dec. 3 column), reaction has been swift to the advent of more chain stores in the village:

LaRee Jensen-Graham writes, “I have seen the dedication to service of Maurine Marie at Montclair Malt Shop, I have benefited from the knowledge and experience of Erik Hoffmann at Montclair Village Hardware, I have experienced the personal attention and marveled at the artistry of Jameela Bragg at Esther’s Garden (gone now to Orinda because of the very high costs of overhead).”

LaRee feels if competition from the major chains forces the little guys out, the younger generation will miss out on the personal attention and service offered by our “small town” merchants.

But reader Sharon Collins has a different perspective: “I think the idea of a small community shopping area is great, however, I have not found Montclair’s businesses for the most part to be very ‘thankful’ that they have this opportunity be a part of this wonderful community. For the most part, the people who operate the businesses do not show friendliness towards their customers.” She feels that competition can bring out the best in an area, and she wants Montclair to “show that it is the best.”

But maybe the future can best be told by looking at the past.

Harriet Schlader remembers the way things used to be: “It has saddened me each time a nice retail shop has gone out of business or elsewhere. Remember Rose and Rodden (next to the B of A, with shoes and women’s clothing). There was another nice dress store on La Salle next to the Travel Agency which I miss. The Ice Creamery was a place where my daughter worked, briefly, and we frequently visited as a family and sent Woodminster patrons there after a show on a warm night. The bakery, J. Coop Ltd., and on and on…”

Schlader thinks that shoppers, merchants and landlords should agree to a plan for preserving Montclair — and making it even better.

Seasonal offering

And finally, here’s an addendum to last week’s story about figgy pudding. When I mentioned the Jones family no longer makes the traditional English faire because of the hazards of cracking one’s teeth on the hidden six pence — I discovered a “pence-less” pudding for sale in Montclair.

The Malt Shop not only has little containers of the holiday dish, it also carries the brandy butter complement. So bring me some figgy pudding and bring it right here!

I’ve seen him a couple of times. A bent over man with a flowing white beard, hitchhiking along a rural canyon road. It’s Christmas, I’m thinking, and he looks like Kris Kringle. Still, I keep driving — feeling cautious and guilty at the same time. “What if he is Santa?” I ask myself. “What if I’ve lost the ability to believe?”

Then I remember last week’s hold-up at the Knitting Basket, where a man walked into the store with a gun. I remember the string of recent robberies in Montclair, catching shoppers off-guard.

The holidays bring out the best — and the worst — in people. We want to believe in the goodness of mankind. But for some, this is only a season to steal and to victimize. Santa is out there, but so is the Grinch. Let your heart be merry — but your eyes be watchful.

Speaking of Santa

The last of Santa’s workshops and photo sessions is this Saturday in Rockridge. Bring the kids from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Santa is set up at 5467 College Avenue.

And take a ride on the free cable car running up and down the busy street.

Chain reaction

Everywhere I go, people stop me to talk about the future of Montclair. My Dec. 3rd column on chain stores in the Village really touched a nerve.

Here’s more feedback: Robbie Neely with Friends of Montclair Village writes: “Hear, hear! As you might recall, voters in our survey last summer — what do you like most/least about the Village? — frequently mentioned the absence of chains and the uniqueness of shops under “like most.” And, under “like least” the lack of dining diversity was among the top vote getters.”

Montclair shopper Sheryl Nureck says she’s originally from New York and always seeks out neighborhoods with stores that make people feel connected to their neighborhoods. She, too, wants to keep that small-town feeling. “I hope in the end, it’s not just about money for the real estate owners (landlords),” she says.

But local Realtor Lydia Nayo (Coldwell Banker) offers a different perspective: “I want to believe Montclair is a sufficiently diverse community to be able to handle two ice cream shops with different ambiances and experiences to offer.”

Nayo says the Village has competition in other categories such as dry cleaners and restaurants, and “the answer will be for loyalists of a favorite place to keep it their favorite, and for the merchants to do their work and keep up with change.”

Animal tales

The raccoon and the pussy cat are the subject of two tales from readers. The “coon” nearly died while dining in the trash at a local swim club. How he got there was most unfortunate. The club’s cleaning crew unwittingly wrapped him in the nightly garbage — and tossed him in the Dumpster. He was freed when the day crew saw the trash take on a life of its own, with the bag flopping wildly in the bin. And you thought only cats had nine lives.

Speaking of cats, they’re part of the ambiance at Quinn’s Lighthouse on Oakland’s Embarcadero. Restaurant owner Bodo Eichler says he feeds four stray cats. They give him such joy, they’re like part of the family. All I can say is the fish must be really fresh at Quinn’s. You know how finicky cats can be.

Holiday surprise

What’s a good English Christmas without figgy pudding? Just ask Frances Jones, who says she’s stopped making the dish at her house, after a guest nearly cracked her tooth on the filling.

No, it wasn’t the fruit that was hard — in fact, this recipe was fig-less. It was the six pence hidden in the holiday offering — a tradition that required guests to cut their portions into tiny, bite-sized pieces. With no figgy pudding this Christmas, is there a void in the holiday season? Apparently not. “It’s like the fruitcake tradition,” says Jones. “You know, everyone hates fruitcake. We just kind of gave it up.”

Do you see what I see? I borrowed this line from a popular Christmas song last week to ask a serious question.

Do you see the advent of more chain stores in the Village as a threat? Does it matter to you if Cold Stone Creamery moves in (a possibility that’s still up in the air) or if small shops struggle to survive in the environment we’ve already created?

Well, apparently I’ve struck a nerve, because the e-mail is piling up. Here are some of the responses:

Reader Don Mackey says the “chain environment I fear” has already arrived in Montclair. But he suggests we vote with our pocketbooks. “The landlord should have the right to sign leases with almost whomever he deems fit (taking into consideration that all codes and statutes are adhered to). It is the customer who then decides over time if that was a good business decision on behalf of the landlord and the tenant.”

Mackey says he doesn’t want to see any more national accounts in town. “Call me crazy, but I would like Montclair to be distinguishable from any other ‘strip mall USA.'”

Reader Marc Viale has a different perspective. “I welcome the arrival of new stores in Montclair Village,” he writes. But he thinks that Rockridge small business merchants have done a better job of providing unique and successful small businesses.

“Rockridge residents would not allow a major chain to enter as their needs are exceeded by the existing merchants,” Viale says. “If anything this is a wake up call for Montclair small business, as Montclarions want more.”

I’ll keep a running dialog (with more reader feedback) in future columns, as I strive to be the voice of the people. After all, that’s the job of a Town Crier.

Highway sentiments

Diane Hill has these comments on last week’s column update on Highway 13: “I was so pleased to see that Caltrans is considering a change in the form of the median — so plants can go in along even more of the highway than before.”

“I found it interesting that the reason, they claim, to put in an asphalt lane is to make highway cleaning easier,” Hill says. “I’ve noticed that areas that have a wide asphalt are not necessarily cleaner. So much for that argument.”

Holiday treat

No Christmas seems complete without the classic “A Christmas Carol.” While lots of theater companies offer it, the most talked about show seems to be at Moonlight Productions in Piedmont today (Dec. 10) through next Sunday (Dec. 19).

The children’s theater group is directed by Danny Buell, who has acted in “A Christmas Carol” every year since he was 4 years old! For more information, call 510-482-1569.

Flower power

Thanks to reader Jonathan Taylor for giving me the “dirt” on Oakland’s daffodil project. He says the idea “sprouted” from the almost entirely volunteer organization Keep Oakland Beautiful.

“Thousands of daffodils will bloom in public spaces all over Oakland,” he writes, “and dozens of volunteers have worked hard to bring the program to life.”

Taylor says his group looks for ways to keep Oakland beautiful, clean and green — especially involving children. It’s an official chapter of the national organization Keep America Beautiful.

Humbug

Parking lots can bring out the best, and worst in holiday shoppers.

Reader Randa Peterson says she witnessed a verbal altercation over Thanksgiving that involved two senior men, arguing about a parking spot at the Montclair Safeway.

Each one had a spot, by the way, but that wasn’t good enough. They wanted the same spot, no doubt closer to the door.

It reminds me of the gray-haired motorist who thrust his middle digit in my direction at Albertson’s one holiday season. I can only surmise that the man hadn’t eaten — and was acting impulsively on an empty and rumbling stomach.

WHAT DOES your town mean to you? Can it be just a soulless place to spend money? Or do you yearn for a village with sweet little shops that are the lifeblood of the merchants who run them. As Bob Dylan once wrote, “The Times, They Are A’ Changin.”

Small towns take on a different demeanor when chain stores move in. It may start with a video store, a company name that’s widely known. Then a big coffee shop moves in down the block, and a fast food chain. Pretty soon, your little town looks like a strip mall — a place where profit is king and nobody really knows your name.

Call me old fashioned, but I don’t want this to happen in Montclair.

There’s been talk that Cold Stone Creamery may move into the Village, where Travel Service Montclair was on La Salle.

The scoop from building owner Andy Namba (of the San Jose area) is that he’s been speaking with a wide variety of prospective tenants — including Cold Stone Creamery. But Namba has no written contract yet with anyone. “It’s way too early to speculate. No one business has been selected,” he shared.

For its part, Cold Stone Creamery spokeswoman Ann Christenson says the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based chain is looking to open an additional store in Oakland — but no lease has been signed for any site, including the one in Montclair.

Still, the buzz on the street is at fever pitch, and some merchants are worried.

Maurine Marie owns the Montclair Malt Shop. For eight years, she’s been carefully crafting the personality of her little ice cream parlor. She serves not just sweets, but nostalgic gifts like rubber chickens, Trolls and retro-style Pez candy dispensers.

Her shop is creative — and one of a kind. It’s the kind of shop that makes Montclair unique, and it’s been featured in TV and print, time and again. Cold Stone Creamery has stores nationwide. It’s trendy and hip — and the younger generation loves it.

The Malt Shop is a symbol of a more innocent time, and frankly, it’s an endangered species. And while I recognize that competition can be good for business, it can also be its demise. Do you see what I see? Do you care? Let me know how you feel.

Carpool sting

Just when you thought it was safe to pick up riders at the casual carpool area on Park Boulevard word comes that the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department is slapping fines on motorists.

Rider Amy Graves says a car she got into recently was stopped by a deputy for blocking the bus lane. Rather than wait for the unlucky driver (who was getting a fat citation), Amy and her brother hooked up with me at the carpool stop on Park near Leimert. You can add “blocking bus zones” to your list of carpool no-no’s.

Tree takedown

If you like vistas, you’ll love what the East Bay Regional Park District has done to the corner of Shepherd Canyon Road and Skyline Drive. They’ve toppled a stand of scraggly Eucalyptus trees that were considered a fire hazard to the neighborhood, not to mention an obstruction to motorists at the junction of four ridge-line roads. The reviews are mixed. But as the stumps come out and the hillside gets green, folks are warming up to the idea.

Internet DJ

Oakland hills disc jockey “Audio Vidya” is on the air again. The former Live 105 personality has gone global with a radio station on the web called the Audiofile.

To hear it, follow the links from her Web site, www.audiovidya.com. She says she plays hits that were never hits, but should have been — alternative pop from strange-sounding groups like the Buzzcocks and Radiohead.

Even more interesting, you too can be an Internet DJ for just $9.95 a month. An East Bay company called Live 365.com lets you have your own “station,” download your own music and even add your own voice. How do they make their money? With commercials they drop in every few minutes — just like your traditional radio stations.

SOME FOLKS THINK we’re silly. Tree huggers, I think we’re called. But when Caltrans denuded our picturesque Highway 13, it raised the shackles of more than just environmentalists. Everyday motorists, just driving to work, have been calling and writing to complain.

The idea of putting in a new median area wasn’t the issue. It was taking out the foliage, native or not, without warning — all at a time when efforts were under way to win scenic highway status. It was like one hand had no idea what the other hand was doing.

The good news is that a compromise may have been reached. After two recent meetings with a half dozen neighborhood groups and several public officials, Caltrans is considering a change in the form of the median — so plants can go in along even more of the highway than before.

Though it’s not a done deal yet, I’d just like to say thank you to Jean Quan and her City Council staff (including Richard Cowan), along with community leaders from the Shepherd Canyon and Piedmont Pines homeowners associations.

Thanks, too, to Fernwood and Estate Drive neighbors, the Montclair Safety and Improvement Council and Friends of Sausal Creek for attending the meetings and giving hills folks a voice.

There’s no reason our highway can’t be safe and scenic.

Meter mania

Did you know that the city of Oakland is not offering free meter parking on Saturdays during the holidays this year? Montclair Pharmacy and Book Tree owner Joe Sullivan thinks there’s going to be a lot of confusion, because the yellow free parking stickers are still on some meters from previous years

“It’s going to be deceiving to the general public, because they’re going to read one thing on the meter and then they’re going to end up getting a ticket from the city of Oakland,” he says.

That’s not good for business or for Oakland’s public relations.

Fortunately, in Montclair the Montclair Village Association has removed the yellow parking stickers and is keeping the public garage open on Saturday for free.

Montclair memories

Thanks to reader Marta Zahn for her memories of horseback riding in the Oakland hills in the 1940s, related to my Nov. 12 column on hills horse history. She recalls saddling up every Sunday at the Hake’s Stables in Woodminster (near what is now Cesare’s Restaurant).

“The president of the Metropolitan Horseman’s Association was Mister Bemis, who owned a string of (little countertop cafés). There was one near the Grand Lake Theater, one on Third Avenue and East 12th, and another one kitty corner from the Oakland Hotel on 14th Street.”

The hills were dotted with barns in those days, and folks rode their horses through rolling landscape almost unimaginable today. Can we turn back the clock?

Bulb sightings

I can hardly wait until spring, when Oakland is awash in daffodils. With so many volunteers planting bulbs (provided by the city and Home Depot), we may look more like Holland than “the hills.”

Just last weekend, Jill Broadhurst and members of the Montclair Safety and Improvement Council (these folks are everywhere!) cleaned up the medians along Mountain and Park boulevards, and then planted 200 bulbs. They have more plans for Montclair, too, which I’ll unveil in a later column. But if you want to help — see the group’s Web site. www.montclairsic.org.

Birthday bounty

At a time when kids birthday parties are getting bigger and more expensive than ever, here’s a refreshing story. Hills grandmother Jean Stickever says her grandson Max Bratton, got a lot of great gifts at his party last weekend.

But unlike other birthday celebrations, these toys weren’t for him. The first-grader at Corpus Christi School had asked friends to bring new, unwrapped toys for the Toys for Tots holiday donation drive. Max may be just 7, but he’s got an “old soul.”

IT’S A FASCINATING time for world politics, and the political process has never been more interesting — at home and abroad. One hills woman has seen, firsthand, how precious and fragile the democratic process can be.

Mills College emeritus professor Edna Mitchell has been living in Afghanistan and working as a volunteer specialist for the Ministry of Higher Education in Kabul. With a team of five, she helped monitor the recent elections for fraud and found just getting into Kabul was more like a Keystone Cops than an Indiana Jones adventure. The red tape and the lack of consistency in traveling on Afghanistan’s Airiana Airlines made the trip a challenge, to say the least; at one point her flight was canceled because a government official reportedly needed to use the plane). Over the next few weeks, Mitchell will tell us some of her stories from this historic election.

In the meantime, the dust is still settling from our own surprising elections in the U.S. Montclarion reader Judy Janse saw election day as a kind of religious experience. “We are performing a communion with one another and the God we want so much to believe in, our god of democracy, of free will and individual rights,” she writes. “With this act there is only one sin we can be sure we are not guilty of. That of not voting at all.”

Heavenly craft

When is a necklace more than just jewelry? When it’s used to pray, according to Alameda senior Eleanor Wiley. Her jewelry is getting national attention as she resurrects the ancient practice of prayer beading.

And how effective are prayer beads for helping folks cope with everyday stress? Wiley says she’s helping more people now than she ever did as a speech pathologist. Her bead stringing workshops are a forum for people to share their stories — and their blessings.

Hawaiian connection

The phrase “it’s a small world” can apply to many situations. There were at least two Oakland hills connections on my recent trip to the big island of Hawaii. Looking in the West Hawaii newspaper, I saw a piece by Oakland Realtor Dian Hymer (whose column is also carried by Hills Newspapers). She related the story of some Oakland homeowners who had problems with their title, under the heading “what you don’t know may surprise you.”

The second Oakland connection came when I signed up for a snorkel trip on the big island with Sue Breisatori of Ocean Adventures. It turned out she was a Bay Area gal and a humane officer during the ’91 Berkeley-Oakland Hills Firestorm. She went house to house in the hills, rescuing stranded cats and dogs.

She said she’d never forget the little gray cat that was cowering in the corner of a doghouse, with burned whiskers and a hot ember threatening to burn the fur on its back. When she finally re-united the cat with its owner, there were tears of joy all around, and a grateful meow from the kitty.

Speaking of animals

Next time you pick up a pack of breath mints for yourself, get some for Fluffy and Fido, too. Pet Food Express in Montclair has fish-shaped mints for cats and bone-shaped breath fresheners for dogs. Don’t ask me how you get your pet to eat a breath mint — but if you’re concerned enough to buy them, you’ll find a way.

A LONG TIME AGO, in a village not far away, the horseman ruled the land. Barns dotted the hillside and Paints and Appaloosas grazed in pastures above the sparkling waters of the Bay.

This was the Oakland hills, circa 1938, when rodeo cowboys ran the ranches and the Mills College girls rode their steeds through the canyon and up the hill, past what’s now Merritt College, to Joaquin Miller Park.

“After the vets came home from World War Two, there was a tremendous upsurge in equestrian use in this area” says Amelia Marshall, a historian for the Metropolitan Horsemen’s Association. As many as 3,000 hills folks rode horses, and because of this, a grand plan was born for an equestrian center in the park. There would be paddocks and stables, an arena and racetrack. A horse trail would be built down the center of Skyline Boulevard, with equestrian access to all parts of the Oakland hills. It was a plan that was “cut off at the pass,” so to speak.

Sequoia Arena was built, and later, a clubhouse was moved to the site across the street. But a push for two highways was slowly changing the character of the hills. With I-580 and Highway 13, the parks began to be used in a more urbanized fashion, and at some point, the funding for the grand equestrian center dried up.

There was another mode of transportation coming into play, too. “In the 1970s, the mountain bike was invented, and many equestrians preferred to move to more rural areas so they wouldn’t have to share the trails with mountain bikers,” Marshall comments. Horses were skittish enough on the trails without this kind of encounter.

Off-leash dogs were becoming a problem as well, in some cases, causing horses to throw their riders. Decades later, and despite all this, the Metropolitan Horsemen’s Association continues to survive — even thrive in the hills today. It has three or four horse shows a year at Sequoia Arena, and the clubhouse, which was once Oakland Firehouse No. 28, hosts lively meetings. Even more important, the city is considering landmark status for the clubhouse and arena, and the wealth of old photos and Trailblazer magazines could someday be part of a splendid museum.

“Researching the land-marking application showed me the joy of going around and talking to all the old-timers,” says Marshall. Some, like horseman Earl Hansen (who’s in his 90s) are still active today, and are helping Marshall with a book on the subject.

The equestrian story. It’s a part of hills history that has framed how we live today — in a region with wide open spaces and room to roam — for horses and for humans.

Crime watch

The Shepherd Canyon Homeowner’s Association has joined with other hills neighborhood groups to lobby the city for their own detective. If you’ve been the victim of a burglary in the last few weeks, let association president Mike Petouhoff know, because he’s compiling data to support the case for increased patrols in the hills.

Figures show that in just seven weeks, almost 50 burglaries have been committed in the Oakland hills, most while the victims were home. One suspect has already been caught, but break-ins are an on-going problem. Petouhoff ‘s number is 510-531-5959 or you can send him an e-mail at Mike.Petouhoff@CH2M.com.

E-mail bag

Thanks to hills mom Gaby Miller for letting me know that her daughter Frances is being featured in the annual Stillwell student art exhibit at San Francisco State University. On through Dec. 15, Miller’s piece is one of 60 student art pieces selected for the show.

Tickle your senses

If it’s been awhile since you “stopped to smell the roses,” reader Anne Woodell has an offer for you. She needs help with Oakland’s Garden for the Blind at Lakeside Park (666 Bellevue Ave.) This is a permanent garden with Braille labels and raised beds, so folks can lean over and smell nature’s creations.

Like so many things, it’s fallen in disrepair because of city budget cuts. If you’d like to help spruce up the sensory garden, call 510-339-2818.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE to raise a child. But it can also take a village to raise a restaurant, as one hills couple will attest.

Henry and Kathleen Vortriede had been dreaming of their own eatery for years. They loved to cook and they loved to entertain. But little did they know that they’d be opening a place in their own home town, with money they’d borrowed to remodel their house.

The end result was a restaurant that is fast becoming a local favorite — Montclair Bistro in the old Gary’s Grill & Bar on Medau Place.

Here’s where our village comes in. “We gutted the building,” Henry Vortriede said. He hired local contractor Jack Stabb to do the work, with property manager Ann Moody and the Montclair Village Association’s Helen Wyman “bird dogging the project.”

When construction was done, the interior decorating began. That’s where local shops Raimondi’s and P.S Home helped out — with everything from the paint to ideas for the window coverings.

The end result is the kind of restaurant Montclair has been waiting for — “casually elegant, but not stuffy,” Vortriede says. He calls it a clean country French/Tuscan mix, and his menu compliments the decor. From tender truffled bordelaise steaks to sweet cream puff swans, dining here is a celebration of life. And judging by the reaction so far, folks have a lot to celebrate.

Reader’s corner

Thanks to Joe Sullivan (owner of the Book Tree), for letting me know that he’s selling autographed copies of Gary Erickson’s new book. I wrote about Erickson (the founder of Clif Bars) last week, but was remiss in mentioning that “Raising the Bar” is available at local bookstores, as well as the big chains.

Gary is a local guy, and I should have known he’d be signing autographs at the Book Tree on the night of Thursday, Dec. 2 — during the Montclair Village Stroll. Buy a copy, and Joe will kick in some money for the Catholic charity Project Joybells.

Get cooking

Hills resident Jennifer Sandstrom, owner of Someone’s in the Kitchen, says the new Montclair Village store will celebrate its grand opening from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the shop — 6128 La Salle Ave.

E-mail bag

Diane Hill is one of several readers to comment on the new safety median going up along Highway 13. She writes: “To learn that they are planning to put up a wall in the median section of the freeway is very upsetting to me, especially on such a pretty section of the freeway. It seems to me that Caltrans is determined to build walls — sound walls or median walls.”

Diane was part of the grassroots effort to stop the sound wall on Highway 13. She says it was “a long, hard road,” in part because the funds had already been earmarked for the project.

Flower power

Good things come to those who wait, and daffodils are the perfect example of this. St. Paul’s School kids are planting 2,000 bulbs over the next week, at the entrance to Lakeside Park and around Children’s Fairyland and the Veterans Administration Building.

Home Depot is donating the bulbs to the city of Oakland, for groups who pledge to plant them on public property. The goal is 25,000 big, beautiful blooms by spring. If your group wants to help, call 510- 434-5126.

Lamenting the landscape

While flowers create just the right air, there’s something else creating an “air” these days. Reader Jonathon Dranger notes the plethora of potties dotting the hills. “There are three outdoor johns on my street alone,” he sighs, adding they’ve been there for months. I guess we should be grateful they don’t have half moons carved in them.