Salute the route —
and so much more
By CAROLINE WOON, PHOTOS BY WILL LESTER
EARLY HALF A MILLION car enthusiasts will flock to the streets of downtown San Bernardino in search of a rip-roarin’ good time.
Now in its 19th year, the Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous showcases mainly pre-1974 classic cars and custom-built hot rods. It revs up Sept. 18-21.
“The Rendezvous has become, as one of our participants put it, ‘Christmas for hot-rodders,’” said the director of event operations, Shelly McNaul.
Started by the San Bernardino Convention & Visitors Bureau in 1990, the Rendezvous packs a wide array of food, fun and live entertainment into a neatly designated 35-block area running from Fifth Street to Rialto Avenue and E Street to Sierra Way.
About 180 vendors will be on hand for the festivities — peddling everything from sunglasses to car polish to automotive parts — and serving goodies like barbecued pulled pork, fish and chips, deli-style sandwiches, shaved ice and an assortment of internationally inspired dishes.
Performing onstage at Court Street Square will be a talented lineup of local musicians, including Riverside Blues Club, The Legendary Mustangs, Restless Blues Band, The Dynotones, Neil Morrow, The Southerners, The Deadbeat Daddies, Mad Max and the Wild Ones, Royal Crown Revue, The Original Sacrifice Band and Tierra featuring the Salas brothers.
Feel a need for speed? There are a number of contests and cruise events such as the Neon Light, Open Header and Burnout competitions.
There’s also the Poker Run, which guides contestants on an automotive tour of the city. Players follow a mapped route containing as many as a dozen checkpoints, collecting randomly dealt playing cards from sponsoring businesses along the way. The three competitors to cruise past the finish line with the best poker hand will win a cash prize as well as a year’s worth of bragging rights.
At the Cruisin’ Hall of Fame, there will be four new inductees, celebrating people who have made a contribution to cruising.
On the Rendezvous’ last day, there will be a friendly 5K Run with the Cops, community walk, firefighters’ competition and other events.
The Route 66 Rendezvous keeps bringing folks together year after year.
“It gives people a chance to reminisce about a past era, and it has also become a tradition,” said Jo Ann Webb, with the San Bernardino Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We see families planning their vacations and reunions around it — grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles who reunite right here."
Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous - Downtown San Bernardino; admission is free; www.route-66.org
Off the beaten path at the L.A. County Fair
THE L.A. COUNTY FAIR has long been known for its animal attractions, carnival jam-packed with games and thrill rides, and such time-honored treats as hot dogs, cotton candy and deep-fried favorites.
But for those who want to avoid the crowds and heat, Wednesday and Thursday evenings are great times to explore art, enjoy delicious food, savor fine wines and other spirits and take in the incredible floral displays at the Flower & Garden Pavilion.
Also worth checking out: The Millard Sheets Center for the Arts’ exhibition, “Hoofprints: The Horse in Art, Legend and Action,” which offers a history of horses through the use of sculptures, paintings and artifacts.
The Wine & Spirits Marketplace is a popular meeting place for budding connoisseurs and master sommeliers who share a passion for this most sophisticated class of beverages. Some 300 domestic and imported wines — each awarded a gold medal at this year’s Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition — may be sampled at the tasting bar, and will be available for purchase by the glass or the bottle.
The venue also will host dozens of seminars on topics ranging from wine and cheese pairings to the lowdown on whiskey or rum, and from wine’s Babylonian roots to strategies for making the perfect margarita.
“The Marketplace shows a side of California that isn’t always obvious in the fairly urban setting of L.A.,” said wine steward Margie Ferree Jones.
The Culinary Styles Exhibit & Gourmet Kitchen, at the Village on Broadway, will host amateur contests in baking, international cuisine, homemade beers and wines, specialty or preserved foods and tablescaping.
Avid food lovers also can watch local chefs, culinary students and past contest winners demonstrate their skills on the Gourmet Kitchen stage, learning the secrets behind making appetizers, cheesecakes, salad dressings, pasta sauces, tamales and salsas.
“What sets us apart from a lot of other exhibits is that we’re not trying to sell you something, we’re just giving away knowledge,” said culinary coordinator George Geary. “Gourmet cooking classes can run as much as $90 for a couple of hours, but people are welcome to sit here all day long for free."
The Flower & Garden Pavilion, adjacent to the Wine & Spirits Marketplace, is reminiscent of a tropical island paradise complete with Polynesian-inspired music and architecture as well as simulated volcanic eruptions. Dubbed “Escape to Hawaii: An Enchanting Island Experience,” the show features thousands of exotic plant and flower species indigenous to Hawaii, plus lessons on native dances and workshops on making leis and floral arrangements.
Get a jump on fair festivities during the Sept. 4 premiere party, featuring a Hawaiian-style feast of kalua pork, ahi tuna, kona coffee, mai tais and other island fare. Proceeds benefit the Fairplex Education Foundation, which has interactive exhibits and lesson plans for up to 100,000 students every year.
L.A. County Fair - Fairplex - 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona
Sept. 5-28 (closed Mondays and Tuesdays), $12-$17 adults, $7-$12 ages 6-12; $1 opening day before 5 p.m. www.lacountyfair.com
RODEO, NOT ROW-DAY-OH
San Dimas celebrates its Western heritage
IN A TIP OF THE HAT to the fabled history of the Wild West, San Dimas will host the Western Days Rodeo on Oct. 4-5 at Tex Shoemaker Arena.
Sponsored by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the 14th annual celebration honors a rich and unique heritage that locals hold dear.
“The rodeo’s goal has been to extend yet another aspect of the Western lifestyle to San Dimas,” said event spokesman Bob Hardcastle.
About 6,000 spectators are expected to mosey on down to the arena to watch four dozen professional competitors throw caution to the wind and tackle steer wrestling, barrel racing, team and tie-down roping, as well as saddle bronc, bareback and bull riding.
Western Days Rodeo
Tex Shoemaker Rodeo Arena, Horsethief Canyon Park, 301 Horsethief Canyon Road (west of San Dimas Canyon Road and north of Foothill Boulevard), San Dimas
Oct. 4-5; gates open at 11 a.m., events start at 1 p.m. (909) 394-7633, www.sandimasrodeo.com
Rope in some fun at Glen Helen
THRILL-SEEKERS WANTED. That’s the unofficial call likely to be answered by some 15,000 people during the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Rodeo, which will kick up some serious dirt at Glen Helen Regional Park on Sept. 26-28.
Backed by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the ninth annual event works on several levels.
“The primary goals of the rodeo are to create a family environment and strengthen the county’s Western heritage while supporting our youth,” said the event’s executive director and sheriff’s Capt. Bob Fonzi.
Rodeo proceeds will benefit several organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the USA, the 4-H program and the Challenged Children’s Rodeo of Norco.
PRCA-approved cowboys and cowgirls will saddle up for team roping, steer wrestling and barrel racing, as well as bareback, saddle bronc and bull-riding contests.
Some of the biggest names in rodeo will be in the middle of the action. And when you’re not cheering the rough riders, test your own skills at bungee jumping, mechanical bull riding and country-western dancing.
“The main thing that keeps people coming back every year is the fact that this is safe, fun, wholesome entertainment,” Fonzi said.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Rodeo
Glen Helen Regional Park, 2555 Glen Helen Parkway, Devore
Sept. 26-28
$15; free for children under the age of 6
www.sheriffsrodeo.org
FILM FESTIVALS
SEPT. 11-14 and 17-21
Movie-lovers, rejoice! Back-to-back film festivals unreel in September, starting with the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival. Opening-night film is “GhostTown,” starring Ricky Gervais, Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear. It’s followed by the 14th annual Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival, which opens with a vintage car parade, celebrity red-carpet welcome, movie premiere and post-premiere party.
Big Bear Lake International Film Festival, Village North theaters and the Performing Arts Center, Big Bear Lake; Sept. 11-14; $5 for individual screenings, $15-$75 for daylong or multi-day passes; (909) 866-3433, www.bigbearlakefilmfestival.com.
Temecula Valley International Film & Music
Festival, locations include the Movie Experience, Tower Plaza, Ynez Road near Rancho California Road, Temecula; Sept. 17- 21; $8 for individual screenings, $15-$200 for daylong or multi-day passes; (951) 699-5514, www.tviff.com.
NASCAR RACING
AUG. 29-31
Rev up for racing as the Pepsi 500 and other events take a spin on the Auto Club Speedway. Besides hot wheels, gear up for a concert, fireworks, wildlife shows and other highlights including a chance to meet NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, AJ Allmendinger and Sterling Marlin in the Laughlin Party Zone.
Auto Club Speedway, 9300 Cherry Ave., Fontana; $55-$105 for the Pepsi 500 only, other tickets available; (800) 944-7223, www.autoclubspeedway.com.
BIG-NAME CONCERTS
SEPT. 12, 28
A country superstar and a legendary musician are coming to Soboba Casino. Alan Jackson recently surpassed the 50-million mark in album sales, while Carlos Santana is well into his fourth decade of recording and performing.
Soboba Casino, 23333 Soboba Road, San Jacinto
Alan Jackson, 8 p.m. Sept. 12 ($45-$75)
Santana, 8 p.m. Sept. 28 ($75-$150); (866) 476-2622, www.soboba.net.
PAT BENATAR, NEIL GIRALDO
SEPT. 6
Benatar’s catalog of rock hits includes “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”and “Heartbreaker.” Performing with her is producer/songwriter Giraldo.
Lewis Family Playhouse, 12505 Cultural Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga; 8 p.m.; $86.50; (909) 477-2752, www.lewisfamilyplayhouse.com.
Also: Riders in the Sky, Sept. 7; Diavolo, Sept. 12-13; Birdhouse Factory, Sept. 19-20; “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” Sept. 26-28; Zakland, Oct.1; Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Oct. 4.
PHOTOS COURTESY GETTY IMAGES
By SUZANNE SPROUL
A FTER YOU JUMBLE the letters in Claremont - and you don’t even have to that much – you’ll see the “art” in Claremont.
The city of trees and Ph.Ds, thanks to The Claremont Colleges, is also an active leader in participatory art, where the community not only is invited to join in the efforts, it is actively pursued.
Visit Scripps College and take time to look at the outdoor courtyard walls where you’ll find poetry, messages and art work from generations of alumna.
Stop by the downtown Folk Music Museum and read the street kiosk filled with everything from notices of rooms for rent to thoughts on world peace. And the recent temporary installation of a photo booth where residents were asked to pose was a hit.
Civic engagement of the arts lives in this town.
And more of that is being led by The Claremont Museum of Art. It is welcoming The Passerby Museum
“It will be so interesting to see what the average citizen from Claremont has in his or her pocket, versus someone in New York versus someone in Havana.” — museum curator Pilar Tompkins
in its West Coast debut. The exhibition is the brainchild of New York-based artists Maria Alos and Nicolas Dumit Estevez. The itinerant museum solicits donations from people who visit, work or just happen to be walking by a table set up by the artists.
The idea is for individuals to make random donations of any objects from their life, which then become part of the rotating collection.
The only caveat is the item must fit into a sandwich bag. If it seems like an artistic twist on the idea of having 15 minutes of fame, it is. The Claremont Museum of Art is giving potential contributors a heads-up — Alos and Estevez will be collecting items at two locations this month in the city. The museum expects to wind up with more than 800 items, which will be labeled, numbered and categorized as would a Millard Sheets painting or a John Svenson sculpture. The exhibit will be shown Sept. 21 through Dec. 28, with a preview reception at 7 p.m. Sept. 20.
The Passerby Museum has shown in Madrid, Mexico, Canada, New York and Havana. The present collection contains 3,000 objects.
“It will be so interesting to see what the average citizen from Claremont has in his or her pocket, versus someone in New York versus someone in Havana,” said museum curator Pilar Tompkins. “Every single contribution is valued the same, so every time the project is exhibited, every single object is included."
Some have contributed whatever they found in their pockets — a piece of gum, ticket stub — while others have been more thoughtful about how they want to be represented. It’s up to each person.
In a city filled with art studios and museums, The Claremont Museum of Art fits in. Its mission is to serve a diverse public, embracing the past and looking ahead to the future, all the while trying to connect visual arts with contemporary life.
“That’s really a philosophy we’ve embarked on. We want direct public engagement,” said William Moreno, the museum’s executive director.
Claremont Museum of Art
536 W. First St.
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; museum store open until 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and until 5 p.m. on Sunday. $3 for adults; free for ages 18 and younger; free for everyone 5 to 8:30 p.m. on the first Friday of every month. (909) 621-3200, www.claremontmuseum.org
The Passerby Museum
drop-off locations
-- Corner of Yale Avenue and Second Street, Claremont 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 6-9
-- Pitzer Art Galleries, McConnell Center, Pitzer College, 1050 N. Mills Ave., Claremont 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 10-14
