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My, how the pendulum swings. So many emotions in such a short period of time. During the last week as it swung towards one side it made me sadder than I have been in a long time. When it swung back I also saw rays of sunshine that gave me a glimmer of hope in the ongoing saga that is life here in the City of Temple.
First there was the loss of someone that was a relatively new acquaintance of mine who I had come to consider a friend. I am, of course, referring to the untimely passing of Ken Pica. Ken, as many of you know, was a master at auto repair and the most honest auto mechanic I have ever met. My one regret is that I wish I had met him sooner so I could have gotten to know him better before he left us.
By the time I had finally had the pleasure of meeting him face to face, I felt like I already knew him to a certain degree by reading his articles week after week. But nothing could match talking to him in person. With his thick Bostonian accent, which was so unique to this area, and his ability to talk about anything, he was a breath of fresh air in this valley of smog. Our time as friends may have been short but he left a lasting impression, which is a testimony to the man.
The day after Ken was laid to rest as I was taking my son to school, I drove by the corner of Rosemead Boulevard and Las Tunas Drive, or as many refer to it, the Gateway to Temple City. It is also the site of the new Applebee’s Bar and Grill that is quickly being slapped together to meet the May 10th deadline. I pass by this corner multiple times a day and I have watched every step of its progress and it looks like they are going to make this deadline.
But on this particular day my focus shifted across the street to the empty Edwards Cinema property. As I passed by I saw workmen taking down the “Space For Lease” sign that was on the marquee. At first it didn’t hit me. Then suddenly, like a lightening bolt, it struck me that something must be going in there.
Given the history of the types of businesses that seem to gravitate here, my heart began to beat faster as I imagined who the possible new tenant could be. Of course, I started to think the worst. In this town, that would be the phrase that sends chills down the spines of all of its residents, “another bridal shop.”
Given the size of the property and the bridal scourges pension for grouping together, my thoughts were that it could end up being the first bridal mini mall, a one stop place for all your bridal needs. Considering what lies beyond “The Gateway” in the downtown area of Temple City, it wouldn’t be an unfair representation of what to expect.
Or maybe it would become the world’s largest concentration of nail salons. They could probably fit 30 or so easily into that space and the marquee in front could read “World of Nails.” It would be a destination spot for the follicly challenged. Although I’m not sure that would be the type of destination spot that Applebee’s was banking on when they signed on to open a restaurant across the street.
So where does one go to find the answers to such community mysteries? Who does the average citizen turn to when they have burning questions on things that are happening in the city? Well you do what I did and pick up the SGV Weekly and turn to the Temple City Focus column for the words and wisdom of Martin Cole: City Manager.
OK, sometimes it’s not quite that easy, but in this instance it was. The headline of the column confirmed my suspicions, “Changes in Store for the Edwards Property” is what it read, oh boy here we go. Beads of sweat started to form on my forehead as I read through the disclaimers and other filler leading up to what I wanted to know, what the hell was going in there?
When I finally got to it I had to read it twice just to believe my eyes. The theatre property was going to have, well, a theatre. Even though many of the naysayers said there would never be a theatre there again due to the fact that Alhambra has a new one and Arcadia was currently building one. In many peoples’ minds little Temple City didn’t stand a chance of getting one back after losing the one we had.
That was the assessment I kept hearing after many of you read an article I wrote in the January 9th issue of this paper stating that in no uncertain terms nothing but a theatre would ever serve as an appropriate destination spot to anchor that corner. I also mentioned in that column, which if you’d like to reread it you can do so on the internet at
http://www.casegod.com/articles/d040109.html, that in my opinion once Applebee’s found out about the theatre closing that they would be less than pleased.
Even though there was no mention of this fact in the Temple City Focus article I couldn’t help finding the accelerated time frame in which the theater is due to open interesting. According to the article, Regency Theatres plans to reopen the theatre by May 8th, which conveniently is two days before Applebee’s is set to open. It’s good for Applebee’s and Temple City, but a coincidence? Well just like we will never know if Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, we may never know what brought around this fantastic turn of events. As long as we have a theatre at that corner, I guess it really doesn’t matter.
As to the City Manager’s call to arms about patronizing the reopened theatre I can only say that when my daughter heard about the theatre’s reopening it was greeted with shrieks of joy and applause. She, like a majority of the youth in our town, had been going to our theatre on a regular basis. Considering that her age group is the biggest group of theatregoers in the United States, if her reaction is any indication, I don’t think the City or Martin Cole has anything to worry about.
The only thing I would be worried about is if the City allows the theatre to close again. If you do, I picture a scene from a movie taking place at City Hall and every city council meeting. That would be the scene where the town’s people storm Frankenstein’s castle with pitchforks and torches. This time it would not just be the town folk looking for justice it would be places like Denny’s, Starbucks, and the other restaurants in the area that since the theatres closing have seen a substantial loss of business. The lesson has been learned. We need to keep a theatre there at all costs, so let’s not repeat our past mistakes.
I wonder what Ken would have thought about it?
The Shrub Speaks: So that's -- what -- there's some ideas. And the -- it's -- my job is to like think beyond the immediate. Washington D.C. Apr. 21, 2004.
B.D.’s Response: Regardless of what party this man represents, am I the only one afraid that this man is the leader of the free world!
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