By Rhea-Frances Tetley
Staff Writer
Each month, the members of the Women’s Club of Lake Arrowhead (WCLA) meet at a different local business location, enjoying the ambiance of each restaurant or business and learning about the various aspects of those businesses in the community.
At the Nov. 19 meeting, President Polly Sauer focused on two important topics the Women’s Club is involved with: the Blue Jay holiday parade and the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Women’s Club.
The Blue Jay holiday parade will be held on Saturday, Dec. 6 and everyone is invited to attend. If it weren’t for WCLA taking over coordinating the parade a couple of years ago, the parade would just be a memory, as no one else stepped up to do it. This year’s theme is “There’s Magic in the Mountains.”
Sauer showing the Blue Jay parade poster at the WCLA November meeting held at RB’s Steakhouse in Cedar Glen.
The parade will step off at 2 p.m. There will be a two-hour closure of Highway 189 – from 1 to 2 p.m. for setup and from 2 to 3 p.m. to run the 45-entry, 2,000-foot-long parade. Each entry only is on the parade route for three minutes. Every entry description is only 50 words long, so the announcer has time to read it as the float passes by the judging stand. This year’s judges are Linda Miller, Angela Yap and Mary Jo Alari.
“Highway 189 through downtown Blue Jay will be closed from 1 to 3 p.m. only,” said Sauer. “We must call the CHP and Caltrans at 3 p.m. to re-open the roadway.” The website to learn more about the parade and the many sponsors who help make it possible can be found at www.Bluejayparade.com.The parade will not be rescheduled in case of snow or rain, so see the website after 10 a.m. on Dec. 6, if there are any questions about the weather.
The most important aspect of the parade is safety, so no candy or other objects may be thrown from any parade entry. They have many safety agencies that help coordinate the parade such as CERT through Lorna Polley and the short-wave (ham radio) Mountaintop Emergency Communication Services. The Twin Peakss Sheriff’s Station and their Citizens on Patrol will help keep the parade safe. San Bernardino County Fire Department and other emergency services are located at the end of the parade, in case of an emergency.
The club members also must pick up all trash, so they request that the approximately 1,000 parade goers clean up after themselves, as the club will get fined for all trash left over after the parade disbands and the people leave. The club does all this volunteer work to allow the community to enjoy the parade, for the people in the parade to enjoy it and, hopefully, to encourage those who visit Blue Jay to discover its merchants, businesses and restaurants for that day and for the future. Remember to “shop on top” this holiday season and help “keep our mountain green.”
The Women’s Club will celebrate its centennial early next year. The club traces its history back to their first meeting, held on Jan. 20, 1926. The first Women’s Club meeting was held at the Raven Restaurant, which was located just beyond the new Lake Arrowhead Village, which is now known as The Saddleback Inn and Restaurant. They are planning to hold their 100th anniversary celebration there, on Jan. 21, 2026. One of their goals this last year was to have 100 members for their 100th anniversary this coming January, a goal they have met.