4th of July winners

At last night's city council meeting, the Independence Day Committee announced this year's Grand Marshall, Honored Citizen, Honored Group and the 4th of July theme.

Here are the winners:

Grand Marshall - Paul & Kay Held
Honored Citizen - Rita Wodinsky
Honored Group - the Claremont After School Program (CLASP)
Theme - Star Spangled Claremont
(The theme was chosen among 95 entries from Claremont Kindergarten through 6th grade students. The idea came from Elizabeth Boyett of Western Christian School, who will take part in the parade.)

Congratulations to this year's winners!

July 4th notes

It was a great fourth of July once again in Claremont. COURIER photographer Gabriel Fenoy was out and about from 8 a.m. to the last firework to capture all the great moments.

Here's a few of his photos that didn't make it into tomorrow's paper. You can also view a photo gallery of his best shots tomorrow on our website.







I ran in the Claremont Freedom 5000 race, as did my colleague Brenda Bolinger. I put up a decent time of 23.17 that I'm pretty proud of and wrote a column about the run for tomorrow's paper. Click here for the race results.

For some it was a very long day. City staff and countless volunteers worked hard to make July 4th a great success. We thank them for all their efforts.

But one man was noticeably missing for much of the day's activities. Mayor Corey Calaycay, pictured below, pulled a no-show for the Flag Raising and Opening Ceremonies at 10 a.m. and was still absent for his 11 a.m. address at the Speaker's Corner.

By 11:30 a.m., city staff was getting seriously worried about his safety. Police, fire fighters and assistant city manager Tony Ramos were sent to Calaycay's house to make sure he was okay.

They found him, alive and well, if not a bit sleepy-eyed. The mayor had simply overslept. He eventually made his way down to Memorial Park to join in the fun and apologized for his earlier absence.

"It's never a nice thing to have to begin a speech with an apology but I must do that," he said at the Speaker's Corner. "It's tradition for the mayor to open the speaker's corner and I was truly looking forward to that and I'm embarrassed to say I overslept this morning."

Mayor Corey Calaycay and Mayor Pro Tem Linda Elderkin wave to the crowd at the 4th of July parade.

Home decorating contest winners

Congrats to Sharon (left) and Sheila (right) Murphy, winners of this year's 4th of July home decorating contest. The sisters recreated a beach scene on their driveway and a rockin' hoppin' park on their front lawn. Be sure to stop by and check out their handiwork at 1311 Cedarview Drive.

Second place winners are the McClosky family at 1828 Santa Rosa Court and third place went to the Kerners at 1731 North Towne Avenue.

Claremont Village Freedom 5000

It's not too late to pre-register for the July 4th 5K Run and Walk events. The races begin at 8 a.m. just after the 1K Kids Run.

To register, follow the links on this page. You can register online for a $3.25 processing fee or turn in your paperwork to the Hughes Center at 1700 Danbury Road. You can also find a course map and other useful info.

Participation in the races costs $25 before July 2 or $30 on race day. The cost includes a t-shirt, bagels, fruit and water.

I am planning on running in the 5K this year. Since I'm not in great shape and I've never run in a 5K race before, I have no delusions about winning.

Last year's fastest runner was 24-year-old Jordan Horn of Alta Loma with an amazing time of 14:31. I'll be happy to finish the race without any major injuries.

T. Willard Hunter passed away

The reverend T. Willard Hunter, author, speaker and creator of the 4th of July Speakers Corner, died last night. He was 93 years old.

The longtime Pilgrim Place resident wrote notable books such as Busdrivers Never Get Anywhere and The Spirit of Charles Lindbergh.

The T. Willard Hunter Speakers Corner will be held as usual on July 4th at Memorial Park with a memorial tribute to be given at noon. Hunter began the Claremont Independence Day Speakers Corner 32 years ago and fashioned it after London's Hyde Park Corner.

The COURIER will have a full account of Mr. Hunter's life in an upcoming issue.

4th of July home decorating contest

Dean and Lenna Hatch stand in front of their garage decorated to look like Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Their efforts won them 1st prize at last year's decorating contest.

July 4th is just around the corner. For the past few years, that means dozens of Claremont homes will be colorfully decked out for the city's July 4th home decorating contest.

It is a fun way for residents to get involved in the city's celebration and show their patriotism. However, sometimes people get a little carried away. The COURIER has received phone calls from residents in years past claiming favoritism/nepotism or rigged judging of the contest. This year, I hope people will keep the spirit of the contest in mind and just enjoy the show.

For participation info, here's a news release from the city:

The Claremont Independence Day Committee invites all Claremont residents, living within the City’s border, to enter the House Decorating Contest. For a chance to be the Grand Prize Winner, entries are due by Friday, June 19 at the Alexander Hughes Community Center (1700 Danbury Road). Judging will be based on spirit, appearance, and creativity of outdoor decorations that are visible from the street. Eligible participants must be available to ride in the 4th of July parade if chosen as the Grand Prize Winner.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive recognition at the 4th of July pre-parade reception, receive fireworks tickets (4), a special place in the parade, recognition at the Summer Monday Night Concert, be given a flag that flew over the California State Capital, and a “Grand Prize Winner” sign to post on their property for a week. Second and Third place winners will receive recognition at the Summer Monday Night Concert and a sign to post on their property for a week. Winners will be notified by June 30.

Applications and information on how to properly display a flag are available at "http://www.Claremont4th.org" www.Claremont4th.org and at the Alexander Hughes Community Center.

For further information, please contact Jim and Phyllis Brost at (909) 624-6227.