It was 36 years ago that a young couple set out to offer delicious Italian fare in a somewhat fine dining atmosphere. Tom and Valarie Aruffo and their restaurant—aptly name Aruffo’s—have become a mainstay in the Village for family celebrations and romantic date nights.
The Aruffos are private people. They tend to avoid attention in the press, which might be due to the long hours the couple work in their small, but bustling dining room.
In light of the city of Claremont cancelling all in-person celebrations for the Fourth of July this year, the COURIER dug through the archives to look into traditions from previous years.
Every year, the city-appointed Blue Ribbon Committee has chosen an individual or individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to the community.
This Fourth of July holiday will be unlike any we have experienced before, to say the least.
Gone are the festivities, the parades, getting together to watch fireworks. And the fireworks we do have are both illegal and hardly something to celebrate, as the nightly barrage of explosions keep us awake and scare our four-legged friends.
Not to be deterred, some Claremonters are finding ways to celebrate even as the resurgence of the coronavirus forces many to rethink even small gatherings.
In some respects visiting the Claremont Village the afternoon of July Fourth was downright weird. Indian Hill Blvd and Memorial Park were quiet, as only a few enjoyed their time in the shade. One person even commented they "Expected a parade to break out" at anytime. But these are unusual times where we must protect ourselves from a virus that will not go away quickly. I included clips from the city's 2018 Fourth festivities, so none of us forget what's coming back next year! —PW
Our walking tour of Claremont continues. In part one, we started at the Depot, zig-zagged our way through the east Village, and explored the west Village, ending at The Packing House on First Street. Part two begins there.
Cross First Street and proceed north on Oberlin.
Any hopes that Los Angeles County’s recent surge of the coronavirus would subside were cast aside on Monday as public health officials reported another sharp increase in COVID-19 cases, including in the city of Claremont.
Claremont had 132 cumulative cases as of Monday afternoon which is a 14.3 percent increase over the holiday weekend and 22 percent more than a week ago. Fortunately, the confirmed number of deaths remains at two.
Governor Gavin Newsom delivered an update on California's response to coronavirus, including closing indoor operations in multiple business sectors in watch list counties, as well as all bars. California is following other states in tightening restrictions on social distancing, mask wearing and restaurants in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. These new updates do include Los Angeles County and take effect immediately.
This morning I had the privilege of listening to a gentleman by the name of Junior share his experience of growing up black in middle America. The first thing that came to mind was when he was six years old. His mother was putting him on the bus to school and the first words out of the bus driver’s mouth were, “Get your black tail to the back of the bus!”
Cinema fans might do well to remember the name of incoming Claremont High School junior Ryley Swift. The 16-year-old’s short film, The Walk, recently won first place in the “Out of the Box” category in UCLA’s Green Shorts Virtual Film Festival.
The fourth annual festival included 61 submissions from high schoolers in California and Louisiana, all focused on environmental issues. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
Governor Gavin Newsom’s Wednesday announcement that all bars and indoor portions of restaurants in 19 counties across the state must close has impacted several local establishments to varying degrees. The governor issued the edict following an alarming spike in new COVID-19 cases, positivity rates among those tested, hospitalizations and ICU admissions.
Governor Gavin Newsom has characterized the slow and purposeful reopening of California’s economy as operating a light bulb on a dimmer switch, and on Wednesday he turned the switch back down for about 70 percent of the state’s population. During a news conference, the governor mandated that indoor restaurants, tasting rooms, entertainment centers, movie theaters, museums, zoos and card rooms must shut down in 19 counties including most of Southern California.
A friend sent me a link to a commercial real estate ad this week—Claremont Laemmle theater is for sale. The disappointment sank in quickly. The innumerable movie dates I have shared with my now 21-year-old son Garrett at his favorite theater (“Our little theater,” as he calls it) have been one of my greatest highlights of motherhood.
The coronavirus outbreak in Claremont continues to increase, mirroring a statewide trend over the past few weeks as businesses reopen and people go back to work or return to in-person social activities. On Monday Los Angeles County Public Health reported that Claremont has 103 confirmed cases, which is more than double the 45 cases recorded on June 1. The institutional outbreak at Country Villa Claremont Healthcare Center has stabilized. Nnfortunately, one more person there has died, bringing the total to three, which is the same number of deaths reported for the city of Claremont.
The city of Claremont has awarded several grants, which were originally approved by the city council on May 12, to assist both residential tenants and small businesses affected financially by the coronavirus pandemic; however, there is much work left to be completed. Both programs had intense response from the community when the application process began at noon on May 18.
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