The City’s plans for improving traffic flow on Huntington Drive will mean more turn lanes at several points and no  more left turns at two spots.

This driver exiting alley at right will no longer be able to cross Santa Anita and make a left turn.

The work is part of a plan to revise three intersections along Huntington Drive between San Rafael and Santa Anita in hopes of improving traffic flow on Huntington. The projects include (see photos):

• Creating additional left turn lanes on southbound and northbound Santa Anita at Huntington. This will include closing off the cut-through from the alley south of Huntington on the east side of Santa Anita (photo at right and bottom right).
  
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• * Adding another northbound right turn lane where Huntington makes a sharp turn to the east at the intersection with Santa Clara by shaving off a piece of the County’s Arcadia Park property  (photo at left).
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• Closing off another median cut-through for left turns at San Rafael near Citizens Bank and to the 100-to-1 bar. The City announced at the Council meeting Tuesday that this work will now be delayed since the Gold Line’s impending closure of Colorado Boulevard over the next month to take down the train bridge would severely limit access to the residential area north of Huntington Drive and south of Colorado. (Photos at right)

The first-ever flash mob of 100 dancers at historic Santa Anita horse race track broke out without warning in a choreographed routine amidst an estimated crowd of 15,000 Saturday afternoon who were moved from initial wide-eyed surprise to big smiles and ultimately a strong round of applause.

<Story continues below the following 2 1/2-minute video of the flash mob… — also see more videos posted by others at bottom of this story>

Ricky Sun, center, with some flash mob dancers

Dancing to choreography by dancer/instructor Ricky Sun and Evoke Dance Group, amateur volunteer dancers from age five to 75 recruited by the Chamber suddenly appeared at the foot of the grandstands wearing purple shirts sponsored by Walgreens of Arcadia on Foothill Blvd with giant Relay for Life wording. Nearly 20 Evoke dancers, a group of recent Arcadia High School graduates founded by Jeniffer Hsu, Justine Hsu, and Josephine Lau who had quietly led a half-dozen instructional classes over the last month for dozens of volunteers at a studio space donated by 1999 AHS grad Kelly Huang at Arcadia Fitness Sports Club,  were the first to burst into the crowd and begin dancing and catch the eye of the crowd and and viewers who saw them live on the giant HD screen.

Justine and Jeniffer Hsu, and Josephine Lau of Evoke Dance Group

Seconds later a group of about 30 other dancers dressed incognito and sitting on the next terraced level between the grandstands and the track shed their outer garments to reveal their purple shirts and exhuberantly join the dance. Likewise, a few seconds later, another 30 dancers led by Sun, a former contestant on the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance,” who has also been teaching the flash mob routine to his dance students and others, joined the routine on the third terrace level. Finally, about 20 dancers emerged from an underground track-side stairway to complete the group.

Dozens of Arcadia school students of all ages participated, thanks to the word being spread quietly by Arcadia High School dance supervisor Liza Tedford to instructors at every school, including Foothills Middle School dance coach Marissa Lluch, who recruited many participants.

Giant HD video screen graphic created by Chamber member Jerry Dominguez of Printing Control

Likewise, word was spread among Relay for Life teams by volunteer Relay organizers Carter Spruill of the Arcadia School District and Beth Goldberg of Walgreens.

The entire group met and rehearsed together for the first time just two hours before show time in the secluded “Top o’ the Stretch” area at the far end of the grandstands.

Chamber members participated and recruited friends and family, such as board member Joan Francone’s friend Stacey Martinez, who brought about 30 students from her Dance Family Studio in Pasadena. Other Chamber members not only mustered the courage to perform their first public dance but also showed additional support in other ways, such as Jerry Dominguez, whose Printing Control company created the graphic shown on the giant video board following the flash mob as legendary track announcer Trevor Denman thanked the Chamber, Ricky Sun, and Evoke Dance Group whole alerting the crowd to the June 23-24 Relay for Life event.

About two-dozen employees at Santa Anita sported the purple shirts and danced along with the flash mob from their posts at various locations throughout the track, some while watching on TV monitors.

That secret coordination of announcements and logistics at the track — designating space to meet before the race, donating 15 cases of bottled water and ice, providing parking and admission passes and signage for participants and their families — was coordinated by event coordinator Elizabeth Booth with generous approvals and assistance by marketing executives Chris Quinn and Nate Newby, and coverage of the event by three stadium TV cameras handled by HRTV‘s Amy Zimmerman.

Also providing video camera coverage was Frank Krueger, and Monrovia’s community cable channel KGEM-TV, thanks to Lance Mungler and Steve Whisler.

– By Scott Hettrick

Nearly 200 attendees gave 2012 Citizen of the Year Alice Wang an ovation for her years of extensive volunteering on Thursday night at the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce’s Annual board directors’ Installation Dinner.

AliceWang with (l-r) Councilman John Wuo, Mayor Bob Harbicht, and Councilman Gary Kovacic

Following comments about Alice by Chamber Executive Director Scott Hettrick and 2011 Citizen of the year Sho Tay, Alice’s very poised (and pregnant) granddaughter offered a thoughtful, funny, and touching introduction, after which Alice thanked family and friends, more than 50 of whom were in attendance.

Following the swearing in of the new board of directors for 2012-13, including the board’s Executive Council, new President Pete Siberell announced several goals he plans to achieve during the next year, including more Asian members, more members from Westfield Santa Anita’s retail and restaurant tenants, upgrades to the Chamber building, and videos about Arcadia.

Outgoing President Bob Hoffman of Merrill Lynch was presented a custom-made bobble-head doll featuring “Bobby” in a UCLA Bruins basketball jersey and a New York Yankees baseball cap.

Attendees also collected more than a dozen prizes in a silent auction, including a 21-speed bike donated by Helen’s Cycles, a 37-inch HDTV donated by Chamber member Vicki Knight of Century Rooter, and day passes to historic Glen Ivy Hot Springs.

(See a gallery of photos here at Chamber web site. Enjoy the following video montage of the photos produced by The Executive Factor.)

The Arcadia Chamber of Commerce is offering a trip to Italy’s wine country, Tuscany, Florence, and Pisa for Chamber members, family, friends, and others in the community. The trip from October 23-31 will cost $2,449 per person, including airfare, four-star hotels, daily breakfast, and four dinners.
See a free presentation about the trip courtesy of Chamber Discoveries at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 7, at the Chamber office conference room, 388 W. Huntington Drive. Those interested in attending the May 7 presentation are asked to rsvp to the Chamber as soon as possible — 626-447-2159.

Further details about the trip below the following video…

Rich in culture and stunning scenery, irresistible Tuscany is the setting for this breathtaking journey. Enjoy a nine day journey back to the old country where you will explore not one, but many Italies. As one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, find yourself relaxing in the spa resort town of Montecatini, or sight-seeing in Florence, home to famous artists such as Leonard da Vinci, Dante and Michelangelo. On this remarkable trip you will also encounter the Piazza del Duomo, and make your way to Pisa, home of the Leaning Tower. The picturesque cove of Portofino awaits you with its colorful houses and cobblestone streets, providing an unforgettable Mediterranean experience.

“This is truly an amazing opportunity provided by the Chamber to participate in an international journey to irresistible Tuscany, where program participants can experience the country’s culture, learn about its business climate, and make new friends,” said Arcadia Chamber executive director Scott Hettrick.

Space is limited. For more information about this trip please contact the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce at 626-447-2159 or by email to Info@ArcadiaCaChamber.org.

For more information on this trip, or to view the itinerary, please visit http://chamberdiscoveries.com/ourjourneys-de-tusc.php

The first Arcadia City Council candidates forum of 2012 was held on March 7, presented by the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce and the Arcadia Association of Realtors at the Arcadia Public Library.
The all-mail ballot election concludes on April 10, with all ballots due by April 10 (not postmarked by April 10, but received by April 10).
The 90-minute video was produced by KGEM-TV of Monrovia.