Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Love Songs through the Ages. Whittier Chapel. Sold out crowd. Awesome concert.



Sunday, October 20, 2013

Destination  . . . Chorale Bel Canto
            By Linda de Vries, Singer and Chair of the Board

Love classical choral music? Think Chorale Bel Canto.

Seldom or never listen to classical choral music? Think again.

On October 26 think the City of Whittier, where Chorale Bel Canto is singing Love Songs Through the Ages.

Think Whittier is too far to drive for just a concert? Think again.

“Destination . . . Chorale Bel Canto” posts several times in advance of each of our concerts, offering you ideas for a different day trip to the city in which we’re singing, with a Chorale Bel Canto concert at the center of your experience. These trips appeal to a wide variety of interests, and share fascinating, sometimes intricate, connections between the city and the music.

Today, think Asian Serenity.

The population of Whittier is only about 4% Asian, but as the concentric circles around Whittier widen to encompass Rowland Heights and Monterey Park, the Asian population increases to over 50%, as does the number of Asian services—spas, markets, temples, gardens, restaurants, and more. Enjoy a bit of the Far East in and around Whittier before the concert!

Morning. Begin your day in nearby Hacienda Heights at the Hsi Lai Temple, located at 3456 Glenmark Drive, 626-961-6697, info@hsilai.org. Sited atop a hill just off Hacienda Boulevard on 15 acres of land with 102,000 square feet of interior space, this Buddhist monastery is faithful to the Ming (1368-1644 C.E.) and Quing (1644-1911 C.E.) dynastic styles of architecture. Hsi Lai translates as “coming west,” and this temple and monastery were founded by the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order (in the Chinese Mahayana tradition) to spread the teachings of the Buddha to the Western Hemisphere.

You will enter through the Temple’s stunning gateway and enter first in Bodhisattva Hall, dedicated to several enlightened sages, or “Buddhas in training,” and displaying their golden statues. To your left is the Information Center, where bi-lingual volunteers will provide you with a 40-minute self-guided audio tour pack. On your tour you will visit the Arhat Garden; the Avalokitesvara Garden; the elaborate Courtyard with its four lions; the Main Shrine dedicated to Sakyamuni Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism; the Fo Guang Yuan Hsi Lai Art Gallery; the Translation Center; the Auditorium; the Meditation Hall; and the Memorial Pagoda that sits atop the temple grounds.

The Temple runs an after-school enrichment program for K-6 grade students, as well as providing weekend classes and special workshops for adults interested in Chinese culture and Buddhism, meditation, or Dharma instrument instruction. The Temple also boasts the Buddha’s Light Symphony Orchestra, the Buddha’s Light Chorus, and the Hsi Lai Chinese Drum Troupe, as well as hosting special events. Call the Information Office for specific times and dates. The temple is open 9:00-5:00 daily. There is handicapped parking, all levels are wheelchair accessible by elevator, and all areas are traversable by ramps.
Depending upon how much time you’d like to spend in the Temple, you may want to structure your day to include a visit to the 99 Ranch Market, located very near the Temple at 1625 Azusa Avenue, Hacienda Heights, 626-839-2899. This is one of 30 Asian supermarkets founded by the Taiwanese-born American, Roger H. Chen, so-named because the number 99 is considered by the Chinese to be lucky.
Most of the market’s customers are Chinese American, but the chain sells a wide range of imported food products and merchandise from Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, as well as some domestic products made by Chinese American companies. The language used in the stores is Mandarin Chinese, but some announcements are often made in English as well. You may feel as if you need your passport, but a visit to this market is an amazing experience not to be missed, and you will definitely find that special Asian ingredient you despaired of securing!
Lunch. Just below the Main Shrine in the Hsi Lai Temple is the Dining Hall, where you may enjoy a vegetarian buffet for $7 weekdays from 11:30-1:30 and weekends from 11:30-2:30. Next to the Dining Hall is the Tea Room, serving lighter fare, and the Book Store.

Or, you may wish to journey to Whittier and enjoy a meal with meat. The well-recommended Silver Palace Restaurant, serving Schezuan food, is located at 15326 Whittier Blvd., 562-947-4043. Many like the inexpensive Grand Buffet, an elaborate Chinese buffet at 11885 Whittier Blvd., 562-692-8997. Some swear by the New Canton Restaurant, at 13015 Philadelphia St., 562-698-7315. The latter two are very near the afternoon’s concert venue.

Early Afternoon. If you’ve spent the day at the Hsi Lai Temple, you may wish to head straight to the concert. To deepen your state of serenity before an afternoon of gentle a capella music, though, you may wish to enjoy an Asian spa experience. The Greenleaf Massage Spa, located at 7049 Greenleaf Ave., 562-360-9585 offers a range of massage experiences at extremely reasonable prices in a relaxing setting. It’s a quiet retreat on the busy main street of Uptown Whittier! Without requiring you to disrobe (or disarrange your hair!—be sure to tell them) you may enjoy a 60-minute foot and shoulder massage for $19.99. You may wish to return another time for their most expensive 90-minute full body massage for $60. Prepare to be properly pummeled!

4:00 p.m. – The Concert
At the corner of Painter Avenue and Philadelphia Street in Whittier you will find the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts. Just east of the Shannon Center in the Whittier College Memorial Chapel, Chorale Bel Canto will sing Love Songs Through the Ages. The music captures true love, unrequited love, illicit love, courtly love, and humorous love, expressed by composers from five centuries, from madrigals by George Gershwin and the Beatles—Monteverdi to McCartney!


Evening. Conclude your Asian day in Whittier by dining at one of its Japanese restaurants: Amachi at 6729 Greenleaf Ave., 562-698-1510, or Azabu Sushi at 13119 E. Philadelphia St., 562-789-0881. The Pasadena Star News recently gave Amachi two stars and Azabu three stars. A close friend of mine will only eat salmon at Amachi!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Destination  . . . Chorale Bel Canto
            By Linda de Vries, Singer and Chair of the Board

Love classical choral music? Think Chorale Bel Canto.

Seldom or never listen to classical choral music? Think again.

On October 26, think the City of Whittier, where Chorale Bel Canto is singing Love Songs Through the Ages.

Think Whittier is too far to drive for just a concert? Think again.

“Destination . . . Chorale Bel Canto” posts several times in advance of each of our concerts, offering you ideas for a different day trip to the city in which we’re singing, with a Chorale Bel Canto concert at the center of your experience. These trips appeal to a wide variety of interests, and share fascinating, sometimes intricate, connections between the city and the music.

Today, think Mexican California.

10:00 a.m.
Begin your day at San Gabriel Arcángel Mission, 428 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel 91776. (626-282-5308). Founded September 8, 1771 by Spaniards of the Franciscan order as the fourth of what would become 21 missions in California, this mission is still a fully-functioning parish church. Father Antonio Cruzado designed the mission, its Moorish architecture reflecting his home in Córdoba, Spain,

The original site of the mission was on the banks of the Rio Hondo in the Whittier Narrows. It was destroyed by a flash flood and was relocated five miles closer to the mountains. The Misión Vieja (“Old Mission”) can be seen near the intersection of San Gabriel Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue in Montebello. From this mission were sent the fathers that founded the pueblo that became the City of Los Angeles.
Tour the church, museum, and grounds. Museum exhibits include mission relics, books and religious artifacts. The grounds feature operations from the original mission complex, including indoor and outdoor kitchens, winery, water cisterns, soap and candle vats, tanning vats for preparing cattle hides, a cemetery, and a gift shop.
12:00 noon
There are many places to lunch around the mission, and you may wish to spend more of your day in San Gabriel. Or, you might want to head to Whittier for a great Mexican meal. Try El Buen Gusto Mexican Restaurant, a proud supporter of Chorale Bel Canto, at 10820 Beverly Blvd., 562-692-4448. Another good authentic choice is Bizarra Capital at 12706 Philadelphia St., 562-945-2426.

You might want to lunch later and visit the Juan Matias Sanchez Adobe Historical Site built in 1844 on Rancho La Merced in the city of Montebello at 945 North Adobe.The Sanchez Adobe is open Saturday afternoons. For exact hours, contact Info@MontebelloHistoricalSociety.org.
Governor Micheltorena granted Rancho La Merced to Casilda Soto de Lobo, the widow of a soldier assigned to the San Gabriel Mission, in 1844. In 1850, William Workman purchased it and, in 1851, gave it to his son-in-law, Francisco P. Temple, and former ranch foreman, Juan Matias Sanchez.
The Sanchez Adobe was partially constructed in 1845 by Casilda Soto de Lobo and her three sons. With William Workman's gift in 1851, Juan Matías Sanchez moved into the  house. In 1876 the Temple and workman bank failed and the ranch ended up in the hands of Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin, after whom Baldwin Park is named. The subsequent history of both Temple and Sanchez was filled with tragedy, and the property changed hands many times after their deaths. Josephine Scott Crocker gave the deed to the Juan Matias Sanchez Adobe to the Montebello Historical Society in 1972.
2:00 p.m.
Time for lunch, if you delayed. If you lunched at noon, you may wish to continue your Early California experience with a visit to the Pio Pico State Park at 6003 Pioneer Boulevard, open Saturday and Sunday 9:30-4:00. (562-695-1217) (http://www.piopico.org/index.html)

The Pio Pico Mansion, known as “El Ranchito,” the former residence of the last Mexican Governor of California, Pio de Jesus Pico, and one of southern California’s few remaining 19th century structures built of the large sun-dried mud bricks called adobe.

4:00 p.m.
Return along Beverly or Whittier Boulevards to Painter Avenue in Whittier. At the corner of Painter and Philadelphia Street you will find the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts. Just east of the Shannon Center in the Whittier College Memorial Chapel, Chorale Bel Canto sings Love Songs Through the Ages. The music captures true love, unrequited love, illicit love, courtly love, and humorous love, expressed by composers from five centuries, from madrigals by George Gershwin and the Beatles—Monteverdi to McCartney!

One intricate connection between this concert and Whittier is that this concert contains “April is in My Mistress Face,” by Thomas Morley. The poet John Greenleaf Whittier, after whom the town is named, wrote the words for many hymns, one being “I Bow my Forehead to the Dust.” The hymn has been set to the music of several composers, one of them being Thomas Morley. Although not a love song, one might say Whittier’s poem expresses love of another sort.

On a more contemporary, perhaps playful note, there is a Beatles tribute band in the next-door city of La Habra called Hard Day’s Night. You may book them for your next event!

6:00 p.m.

If you lunched elsewhere, you may wish to return to El Buen Gusto or Bizzara Capital for dinner. Or, you might want to drive east on Whittier Boulevard to El Cholo Spanish Cafe, a landmark in La Habra for decades.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Conductor’s Notes for Love Songs Through the Ages, Chapter 2


By Stephen Gothold

The second group in our concert includes four pieces by twentieth century composers, in very different musical styles, but having in common very significant texts, beautifully and expressively set.

The first piece is William Walton’s  Set Me as a Seal Upon Thy Heart,  a setting from the Song of Solomon in the Old Testament.  It is a testament of love, set in a late romantic motet style, and has been sung in Anglican and Episcopal churches, as well as concerts all over the English-speaking world, ever since it was composed in 1938.  The work was composed for the wedding of the Honourable Ivor Guest and Lady Mabel Fox-Stewart.

2013 marks the centenary of the birth of Benjamin Britten, and we are pleased to present two of Britten’s many wonderful secular choral works on this program.
I Lov’d a Lass is set to a poem by George Wither (1588-1667) and was composed in 1934.  In this piece, Britten employs what were then somewhat “new” choral techniques  -  especially  portamento  -  vocal sliding between notes, in this case to emphasize the lament of the abandoned lover.

We turn next to Eric Whitacre, one of the most important composers in choral music today.  For his text he chooses a poem by Octavio Paz (1914-98),  Mexican writer, poet and diplomat.  During his very full life he was a political activist, studied for a time at UC Berkeley, and late in life lectured at Harvard University.  He also served as Mexico’s ambassador  to India, and was widely traveled through Europe.

The poem is short, and on the surface, simple, as it describes the arc of a life-long love. The poem was written in Spanish, but the composition is set to an English translation.

A Boy and a Girl
Stretched out on the grass a boy and a girl.
Savoring their oranges, giving kisses, like waves exchanging foam.
Stretched out on the beach a boy and girl.
  Savoring their limes, giving their kisses, like clouds exchanging foam.
Stretched out underground a boy and a girl.
Saying nothing, never kissing, giving silence for silence.

Whitacre scores the piece by employing a symmetry of sonorities to correspond to the symmetry of the text, resulting in a beautiful and captivating wedding of text and music.

The final piece in this group is by a very obscure composer named Gothold.  The poem is by Kenneth Patchen, one of the “beat” poets of the 1950’s in San Francisco, and a colleague of Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Jack Kerouac.  Unlike much of the writing and poetry of that era,  it is very lyrical and quite reassuring in its images:

    O sleeping lay the maiden snow upon the branches of the city,
And O my love was warm beside me.
O nearer came the rush of dark wings over the dreams of my people.
And O my heart was full of their pain.
O sleeping lay the maiden snow upon the bitter roofs of the world,
But ah, my love was safe in my arms.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Conductor’s Notes

            By Stephen Gothold, Music Director

Love classical choral music?

Ever wanted to know more about how a Music Director selects a program?

“Conductor’s Notes” posts several times in advance of each of our concerts, sharing through a series of brief essays the history, objectives, and personal passion that led to the choice of that particular music.

On October 26 Chorale Bel Canto sings Love Songs through the Ages at 4:00 p.m. in the Whittier College Memorial Chapel, at the corner of Philadelphia St. and Painter Ave., just east of the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts.

The music captures true love, unrequited love, illicit love, courtly love, and humorous love, expressed by composers from five centuries, from madrigals to George Gershwin and the Beatles—Monteverdi to McCartney!

The prospect of selecting music for a 75-minute program from the thousands of choral compositions dealing with the topic of Love, was at once exciting and daunting...

In the end, I gravitated toward a program organized into five groups, each group having certain aspects in common.

Our first group consists of three remarkable pieces from the high Renaissance, the latter half of the 16th century—what we now call Madrigals. Actually, the word madrigal refers to a specific kind of 16th century composition, a sophisticated yet expressive piece set to serious poetry. Many other genres exist in what we now call madrigals—light pieces with “fa-la-la’s,”--humorous and silly pieces, and chansons of many different styles and forms.

Our program opens with Mon coeur se recommande à vous, attributed to Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594), a Flemish composer trained in Italy, working in Germany, and composing in French. For the last 40 years of his life, he was court composer for Albrecht V of Bavaria. He was extremely prolific, and besides a huge collection of sacred music, he composed secular music in five languages, including 150 compositions in French.

The French chanson (song) was a widely international style, composed, performed, and printed all over Europe during this period. The true “courtly” chanson is set to mature poetry, set for many voice parts, and noted for its expressivity. The piece chosen for this program is perhaps the most famous piece attributed to di Lasso, and for decades was on the recommended repertoire lists for high school choirs all over the nation. The text is by Clement Marot, who besides penning many chanson texts and epic poems, achieved great fame for translating the Psalms into French, forming the basis of worship for Jean Calvin and his followers in the Reformation.

My heart commends itself to you,
Full of weariness and torment;
Despite jealous eyes, at least
Let me bid you farewell!

My mouth that was accustomed to your smile
And used to speak with elegance,
Now only curses those who banished me from your eyes.

The second piece in this group is April is in My Mistress’ Face, by Thomas Morley (1557-1602) and is taken from his First Book of Ayres (1594). It is in madrigal style, that is, composed expressively to a poetic text. In this case, the poet attributes characteristics of his lover to the months of the year, and the result is that we learn that she is rather cold-hearted.

In 1588 Nicholas Yonge published Morley’s Musica transalpina, (Music from across the Alps), a collection of Italian madrigals fitted with English texts, which touched off the explosive and colorful vogue for madrigal composition in England. Morley obviously found his compositional direction at this time, and shortly afterwards began publishing his own collections of madrigals (11 in all).

April is in my mistress’ face,
And July in her eyes hath place.
Within her bosom is September,
But in her heart a cold December.

The final piece of this set is Quel augellin che canta  (from the Fourth Book of Madrigals, by Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643). Monteverdi is one of the most important composers in music history. He trained as a Renaissance composer, but almost single-handedly propelled Italy into the Baroque period, both with his music, and by his writings about the changing aesthetics of music. He composed nine books of Madrigals, the first four of which are in Renaissance style (stile antico). The last five launch the Baroque ideals of basso continuo, word-painting, extreme contrasts of expression, and use of instruments (stile moderno). Some of these later pieces resemble opera scenes, with soloists, instruments, etc.

Monteverdi sets this poem for five voices (SSATB) in mature Renaissance style, with some sections in block chords, while flowing eighth notes in counterpoint signify the flying, singing little bird:

That little bird which sings so sweetly,
And gaily flies now from the fir to the beech tree,
And now from the beech to the myrtle,
If he had a human mind,
Would Say, I burn with love, I burn with love!
But in his heart he burns indeed,
And calls to his beloved
Who replies to him:
I too am burning with love!
How fortunate you are,
Sweet little loving bird!


Stay tuned for further notes from our conductor!
Destination  . . . Chorale Bel Canto
            By Linda de Vries, Singer and Chair of the Board

Love classical choral music? Think Chorale Bel Canto.

Seldom or never listen to classical choral music? Think again.

On October 26, think the City of Whittier, where Chorale Bel Canto is singing Love Songs Through the Ages.

Think Whittier is too far to drive for just a concert? Think again.

“Destination . . . Chorale Bel Canto” posts several Fridays in advance of each of our concerts, offering you ideas for a different day trip to the city in which we’re singing, with a Chorale Bel Canto concert at the center of your experience. These trips appeal to a wide variety of interests, and share fascinating, sometimes intricate, connections between the city and the music.

Today, think Presidential History

10:00 a.m.
Begin your day at the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in nearby Yorba Linda, where Nixon was born. It is located at 18001 Yorba Linda Boulevard, Yorba Linda, (714) 993-3393). It opens at 10:00 a.m., and admission ranges from $4.75--$11.95, children under six free.

Whatever your politics, experiencing the history surrounding our 37th president will stun you. A trip to the Nixon Library is particularly significant now--2013 is the 100th anniversary of his birth.

The current exhibit—“Patriot, President, Peacemaker”—Richard Nixon Centennial—runs through December 31, 2013. It commemorates Nixon’s 100th birthday and traces his early political career, along with his presidency, resignation, rehabilitation, and time as an elder statesman, including never-before displayed family photographs.

12:00 noon
The Library has a small snack bar. For a more complete meal, Mimi’s Cafe and Polly’s Pies are nearby. Or, you can drive to Whittier and lunch at one of the restaurants owned and operated by more recent Whittier College alums:

      Phlight Restaurant and Wine Bar at 6724 Bright Avenue, operated by Jay and Nikomi Arroyo, serving Spanish tapas and boutique wine and beer; open for lunch from 11:30-2:30 and dinner 5:00-11:00 on Saturdays (562-789-0578). Reservations recommended for Fridays, Saturdays, and for large parties.

      Setá Restaurant and Bar at 13033 Philadelphia Street, with chef Hugo Molina’s fine dining, is open for lunch and dinner, (562-698-3355).

Or, picnic in one of Whittier’s lovely parks, possibly Penn Park at 13950 Penn Street, Palm Park at 5703 Palm Avenue, or Central Park at 6532 Friends Avenue.

1:00 p.m.
If you haven’t already done so, drive the scenic route from Yorba Linda to Whittier, where Nixon lived, attended high school and college, and joined his first law firm. As you drive along Whittier, you will pass the locations where brother Don Nixon’s restaurants once stood, notably the Nixon Drive-In, Whittier’s teen hangout in the 1950s.

2:00 p.m.
Appropriately, a great deal of Nixon history can be found on Washington Avenue, named after Whittier’s first bank president, Washington Hadley. You may wish to stop and walk about any of the following sites, or call in advance to inquire about tours.

Turn right from Whittier Boulevard. At the corner of Penn and Washington is the building housing the law firm of Bewley, Lassleben and Miller, the descendent of Nixon’s first law firm, Wingert and Bewley. The original firm was located on the 6th floor of the Bank of America building on the nearby corner of Greenleaf and Philadelphia.

Further along Washington at 7630 you will pass the Whittier Center Theatre, home of the Whittier Community Theatre. Though not in this building, Richard and Thelma Catherine Ryan (Pat) Nixon first met in 1938 when both auditioned for the Whittier Community Players production of The Dark Tower.

At the corner of Washington and Philadelphia you will pass First Friends Church and School. Nixon’s mother, Hannah, was a devout Quaker who instilled the faith in her husband and children. Whittier is named after the Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier. On a future Sunday you might wish to attend services and hear the grand Harris Organ.

As you continue, you will pass Central Park on your right, with a Gazebo bandstand used summer concerts. On the southeast corner, sits a larger-than-life-size statue of the poet.

If you turn left on Philadelphia you will pass on your right Whittier High School, which Nixon attended for his Junior and Senior years. If, instead, you continue across Hadley and turn right on Camilla, you will encounter more of Whittier’s Quaker history—the Jonathan Bailey House at 13421 E. Camilla Street, (562-945-3871). It is open for tours Sundays 1-4 p.m.

This was originally the Thomas Ranch House, built in 1860. In 1887 Aquilla Pickering, a Chicago Quaker and financier, held the first meeting of the Pickering Land and Water Company in a barn behind this house and Jonathan Bailey was elected president. He and his wife moved into the house on May 15, 1887.

Continue up Camilla and the street ends in the Lou Henry Hoover Elementary School at 6302 Alta Avenue. Here you encounter another US President, Herbert Hoover, our 31st president. The school, named after his wife, was designed by William Harrison in the Art Moderne style, built by the WPA, and completed in 1938. The facade of the building presents an elaborately sculpted frieze depicting early Quakers and the founding of Whittier, with a quotation from Alexander von Humboldt: “What you would want in the life of a nation you must first put into its schools.”

Mrs. Hoover holds many honorary degrees, including one from Whittier College, where she also served on the Board of Trustees and first met the young attorney, Richard Nixon.

Go back down Camilla to Painter Avenue and turn left. At the corner of Painter and Philadelphia you will arrive at Whittier College, Nixon’s alma mater. On this corner stands the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts. Although the future president performed in dramatic productions while a student, it was not on this site, but in the auditorium in Founders’ Hall, which burned to the ground in 1966.

4:00 p.m.
Just east of the Shannon Center in the Whittier College Memorial Chapel, Chorale Bel Canto sings Love Songs Through the Ages. The music captures true love, unrequited love, illicit love, courtly love, and humorous love, expressed by composers from five centuries, from madrigals by George Gershwin and the Beatles—Monteverdi to McCartney!

6:00 p.m.
To complete your day in Whittier we suggest dinner at either Phlight or Setá, described for lunch, or at Vintage Cafe at 6741 Bright Avenue, serving French inspired contemporary cuisine with a full bar. Open Saturdays 5:00-9:00 p.m., (562-696-5050).


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Destination  . . . Chorale Bel Canto
            By Linda de Vries, Singer and Chair of the Board

Love Classical Choral Music? Think Chorale Bel Canto.

Seldom or never listen to Classical Choral Music? Think again.

On October 26, think the City of Whittier.

Think Whittier is too far to drive for just a concert? Think again.

“Destination . . . Chorale Bel Canto” posts several times in advance of each of our concerts, offering you ideas for a different day trip to the city in which we’re singing, with a Chorale Bel Canto concert at the center of your experience. These trips appeal to a wide variety of interests, and share fascinating, sometimes intricate, connections between the city and the music.

On October 26 Chorale Bel Canto is in Whittier, singing Love Songs Through the Ages.
 Think—outdoor exercise and mid-century retro! All you runners, joggers, cyclists, walkers—and your kids!—enjoy a day in Whittier, with a special treat available this year on this date.

Morning. You can enjoy a morning on Whittier’s beautiful multi-award winning Greenway Trail, a 4.5-mile recreational bikeway and pedestrian path begun in 1997 and dedicated on January 31, 2009. The trail, developed on abandoned Union Pacific Railroad property, begins on the City’s eastern boundary at Mills and Lambert and travels through Whittier, linking schools, homes, parks, shopping areas, and transit stops, ending at Pioneer Boulevard on the western edge of the city.

Five “stations” highlight different aspects of Whittier’s history, growth and development. Kinetic copper and stainless steel Wind Sculptures by New Mexican artist Lyman Whitaker punctuate the trail in three locations—Oak, Sycamore, and Palm Stations, along with four outdoor exercise installations designed to be used by anyone ages 14 through seniors—Oak, Laurel, Citrus, and Palm Stations.

Oak Station, on Lambert Road, west of Mills Avenue, describes Whittier’s founding as a Quaker colony and traces the town’s growth from a small agricultural community to a suburban city that is now 55% Hispanic, highlighting key historic figures such as the poet John Greenleaf Whittier and Pio de Jesus Pico, the last Governor of Alta California.

Laurel Station, on Lambert Road west of Calmada Avenue, boasts a demonstration garden with plants native to Southern California’s coastal desert climate and provides information on water conservation in landscaping.

Sycamore Station, on Whittier Boulevard near Five Points, recognizes the native California sycamore tree and traces the history of transportation in Whittier, from wagons to railroads to automobiles, including a focus on the mid-century teen activity of “cruising Whittier Boulevard” on weekend nights. Back home, indulge in retro R&B on You Tube by listening to “Let’s Take a Trip Down Whittier Boulevard,” by Thee Midniters, one of the first East LA Chicano crossover bands.

Citrus Station, south of Penn Street, in is the heart of Whittier’s original industrial area, and focuses on early agriculture and industry, including fruit packing, with a display of Whittier’s own citrus crate labels. The former Sunkist packinghouse is now the home of nearby King Richard’s Antiques Mall. The Catalina swimwear factory was located on Penn Street at Pickering Avenue for several decades.

Walnut Station, on Whittier Boulevard at Pacific Place, is still in the planning stages. It will describe Whittier's once thriving nut industry and honor the city’s most beloved tree—a Paradox Hybrid Walnut Tree planted in 1907.

Palm Station, located at Palm Park, is the fifth and final station, and features Whittier’s varied architectural history—which will ultimately be represented by a series of birdhouses representing housing styles in miniature. Palm Station also features a seating area under a vine-draped pergola that was constructed by the Whittier Conservancy, using wooden columns saved from the former Fred C. Nelles School site and the former Theisen Building from Uptown Whittier

Special Treat On This Day This Year!

The Greenway Trail is a project of the non-profit Whittier Community Foundation. This year the Foundation co-sponsors with the Whittier Lions Club “The fourth annual “Fit for Life” Spooktacular 5K run/Walk and “Children’s Creepy Crawly” Half-Mile Dash.
 
This event will be held Saturday, October 26, starting at 7:30 a.m. at the Whittier Community Center, 7630 Washington Avenue. This year the funds will provide amenities for Whittier’s upcoming Dog Park and support the Lions Club “Sight of Kids,” a program that provides free eye exams and glasses for underprivileged Whittier children.

The event features a Halloween theme, as you run through the quaint Uptown business district and picturesque historic residential area. You are welcome to wear family-appropriate costumes to add to the fun.

For registration and the fee information contact Greg Alaniz, Community Services Supervisor, at 562-567-9400 or galaniz@cityofwhittier.org.

Lunch. After your morning’s exercise, you might want to lunch at one of Whittier’s retro restaurants:
Rocky Cola Cafe, 6757 Greenleaf Ave., 562-907-3377
Ruby’s Diner, 10109 Whittwood Drive, in the Whittwood Mall, 562-947-7829
Rubi’s Grill and Frosty Freeze, 11401 Washington Blvd., 562-699-1470
Jack’s Whittier Restaurant and Coffee Shop, 13221 E. Whittier Blvd., 562-693-8713
Norm’s, 14810 Whittier Blvd., 562-907-2760
Rick’s, 7254 Greenleaf Ave., 562-698-4464
 
Or, if you wish to continue your out-of-doors experience, you might picnic in one of Whittier’s beautiful parks. Perhaps Penn Park at 13950 Penn Street, or Palm Park at 5703 Palm Avenue.
 
Afternoon. At 4:00 p.m. join the crowd at the Whittier College Memorial Chapel at the corner of Philadelphia St. and Painter Ave., just east of the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts to hear Chorale Bel Canto sing Love Songs Through the Ages. The music captures true love, unrequited love, illicit love, courtly love, and humorous love, expressed by composers from five centuries, from madrigals by George Gershwin and the Beatles—Monteverdi to McCartney!


Dinner. Maintain that romantic feeling and continue “to feel the love tonight” by dining at a retro fine dining restaurant in nearby Pico Rivera, either Clearman’s Steak ‘n’ Stein at 9545 Whittier Blvd., 562-699-8825, or Dal Rae, at 9023 Washington Blvd., 562-945-2444.