A very likable 2011 Citizen of the Year

The honor, the accolades and the recognition are wonderful. But it's enough just to be embraced by the community.

Donna Franco, 2011 Citizen of the Year in the Pass, says actress Sally Field's famous Oscar acceptance line for the Best Actress in the 1984 film "Places in the Heart" ("I can't deny the fact that you love me! You like me.") quickly comes to mind.

And just like an Oscar winner receiving that treasured gold statuette, longtime community volunteer Franco will accept her award and give a speech on January 27th. It's a night when people from throughout the Pass will turn out to honor one of their own.

It's the 57th Annual Installation Dinner for the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce.

Devotion to community

Many of you have seen Franco's smiling face at the pancake breakfast during the Cherry Festival. Or maybe you've spotted her timing log-sawing contests at the Oktoberfest. Many of you catch a glimpse of scurrying about buying, wrapping and delivering Christmas gifts to deserving families for Winter Wish. Or you see her volunteering at the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce and serving as an elected director for the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Recreation and Park District. She has an unwavering spirit for volunteerism.

"She just dives into anything that will help our community," said Kathy Munyas, the chamber's executive director.

Bruce Murrill and Lyle Millage, who donate many hours of community service to the Pass, nominated Franco for the honor.

"Donna does so much," Murrill said. "She gets the work done - plain and simple. This is a richly deserved honor for a very special person."

Helping the Pass

Many in the Pass caught their first glimpse of Franco in 1972 as she cheerily rang up their groceries at the old Alpha Beta. By 1981, Franco and a girlfriend opened up a cake decorating business in town, and she got involved with the Chamber. Over the years, Franco has served as director, vice president and president. By 1999, Franco retired and became a nearly full time volunteer for the community. She answered phones and questions at the Chamber and spent countless hours on beloved community projects. And through it all, she avoided the limelight - until now.

"The volunteers do it all and make things successful," she said. "I just help organize.'

Come support the dinner and honor one of Beaumont's most dedicated volunteers!

What: 2011 Beaumont Chamber of Commerce Installation Dinner

Date: January 27th

Time: Cocktails: 5:30 p.m. Dinner and program: 6:00 p.m.

Where: The Grand Oak Steakhouse & Bar, the Highland Springs Resort, 10600 Highland Springs Ave., Cherry Valley

Cost: $40.00 per person (reservations and payments in advance. Checks should be made payable to the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, 726 Beaumont Ave., Beaumont Ca 92223)

Information: 951-845-9541

Let's rent some fun

Have you ever thought about having a big birthday party, a wedding or maybe a baby shower? You'd like to have the special occasion at home, but when you look around you find the living room and even the backyard are just way too small for such a special gathering. Well, no need to worry and look no further, because the party you want is within your reach - right here in Beaumont!

The City of Beaumont has the perfect facility for your special occasion. Whether you need an outdoor pavilion, a meeting room, a baseball field, a swimming pool or even a big auditorium, these spaces are available for rent at an affordable cost, and right in your city!

Right for every occasion

Beaumont can help you celebrate a coming home party, conduct a business meeting, get in shape or even tie the knot and have plenty of space for a wedding reception. Almost no party, celebration, or gathering is too big or too small for Beaumont. Soon, you and your family and friends can hold a stress-free event without worrying about cleaning up the house afterward by renting one of the city's well-maintained public facilities.

So, grab your boom box and let's dance at the Pavilion! how about a two-hour long business meeting in a quiet room at the Beaumont Civic Center? Maybe you'd like to swing a baseball bat under the lights and pretend you're a Major Leaguer at the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom on the ninth inning in front of a crowd gone wild. Well, these kinds of dreams can come true at the Beaumont Sports Park.

How about cooling off once the winter passes and the heat arrives next summer at The Plunge? You can have a two-hour pool party for 100 of your closest friends and watch them splash about in Beaumont's sparkling, blue pool with its famous high dive. And you can have four lifeguards! If you're planning a big bash that won't fit the confines of your address, the entire Civic Center auditorium is yours for that special event.

Quick and easy renting

While deposits may be required for renting some city facilities, that and the small price is worth the fun you can have when you're looking for a little more room than your living room has to offer. Look no further than the city of Beaumont!

Rental forms can be downloaded on the City's website http://www.ci.beaumont.ca.us/

Completed forms can be e-mailed, faxed, mailed or dropped off at the Community Recreation Center, 1310 Oak Valley Parkway. For information: Please contact Yvonne Blake, Customer Service Coordinator: 951.769.8524

Faithful Clock Keeps on Ticking

No matter what you did to a Timex watch, it seemed to keep on running. Some of you may even remember those "torture" test commercials ("Timex - it takes a licking and keeps on ticking"). Delighted TV viewers would watch their flickering screen in amazement as the iconic clock survived the high diver's leap into water, the hoof of a galloping horse, or a propeller blade in the water.

Keeping Time

Maybe it hasn't been quite so dramatic in Beaumont when it comes to keeping track of the hour. But we've all heard the famous expression, "Time stands still for no one." Perhaps it's never been truer than for the old clock in the heart of our city. For nearly a half century, we've driven right by it, glanced up, noted the hour and most likely just kept going about our business.

But in our hustle-bustle lives, do we ever take the time to wonder about that old clock and its significance? Or those big, black hands with tiny arrows that precisely count the minutes and hours of our lives?

Sure, we know that many small towns across America have a tall clock somewhere in the city square. But our clock near the steps of the Civic Center has it's own story, one that deserves telling.

Clock Details

Here's what the Beaumont Blogger knows about the clock that has stood sentry-like for decades.

Nearly a half century ago, the local Soroptimist Club embraced the idea of creating a community clock for Beaumont. On December 23, 1963, dedication ceremonies were held at Beaumont Avenue and Sixth Street - the clock's original location. Over the years, the clock became a fixture. When a car knocked the clock over, people rallied around. They had it meticulously restored and moved to City Hall, where rededication ceremonies were held October 2, 1998.

Today, the face of the clock stares out at passing traffic along the main drag through town. As the seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years tick by, the clock remains a steadfast symbol of Beaumont's timeless small-town spirit.

Unlocking the Mystery of Gravity Hill

For decades, Gravity Hill has been a place of fascination, wonderment and teenage high jinks. It’s on a sweeping, two-lane country road with a gentle dip where cars seem to roll uphill, defying gravity.

During the 1970s, Mike Thompson and his buddies would have fun testing the spot on Oak Glen Road. They would pile into a car in downtown Beaumont, head north into the mountains and wait to be amazed. This was small-town fun at its finest on Friday and Saturday nights.

Coasting to glory

The boys had the routine down pat: Come to a stop, put the car in neutral, let off the brakes, and within moments, the car seemed to be miraculously rolling uphill and gathering speed. There were hoots and cheers, but not because the laws of physics had suddenly been suspended in the San Gorgonio Pass. No, this was a contest with bragging rights!

You see, the boys were trying to see how far they could coast—even if they had to tap the brakes a few times as they rounded tight corners. This was a time of heavy cars and little traffic in the Pass—and sometimes they would go far! Thompson remembers careening through Cherry Valley before gliding right up to the old Alpha Beta on Beaumont Avenue—a five mile run from Gravity Hill. (A few years ago, the supermarket was torn down and replaced by a new Stater Bros.)

Deepening mystery

Over the years, the attraction and myth of Gravity Hill grew along with the hometown coasting contests. That place seemed to intrigue and even mystify the locals. But with the teenage years so full of merriment, it always seemed that answers could wait. Besides, why ruin such a fantastic legend and spoil the fun?

Still, as he grew older, Mike Thompson found himself occasionally drawn to the “mystery of Gravity Hill.” It nagged at him. When the Beaumont Blogger asked him to relive his teenage years by going up to Gravity Hill and making one final run, well, he just couldn’t resist. Thompson grabbed his carpenter’s level and headed for the spot at 12849 Oak Glen Road.

“This is something that I always wanted to do,” he said.

Looking for answers

Was the celebrated spot an optical illusion or a true life mystery? Or were magnetic or even supernatural forces at work? The phenomenon has been reported around the world in almost every culture—some places just seem to defy the laws of nature. Experts say the layout of the surrounding landscape produces an optical illusion that tricks us into believing that a very slight downhill slope is actually uphill. And so, a car left out of gear will appear to be rolling uphill against gravity’s pull. Scientists say the most important factor contributing to this illusion is a completely or mostly obscured horizon. Without the horizon for a reference point, it becomes very difficult to judge the slope of a surface.

Solving a mystery

Thompson wanted to know if the seemingly matter-of-fact explanations made sense. He placed his level on the ground and carefully tested the roadway at three points. He uses the tool everyday as a construction superintendent, and it never lies. Thompson stood up, grabbed the level, and carried it like a walking stick. After nearly 40 years, he had his answer to the secret of Gravity Hill.

“You’re actually going downhill,” he concluded. “But it looks like you’re going uphill.” His words came out softly though, as if to protect the mystery for all time.

The Beacon

From high atop Mt. David, the panorama stretches as far as the eye can see. For hundreds of years, a place later known as "The Beacon" has been a landmark in the San Gorgonio Pass. When skies are powder blue, you can see clear to Hemet and San Jacinto, the Interstate 215 grade at San Bernardino State University, Moreno Valley, Banning, and east to Cabaon. Many have found inspiration, adventure and serenity nearly 3,000 feet above the city lights and everyday life.

On the lookout

Some, like Leslie Rios, remember Pass history classes at Beaumont High School, where students learned about Native Americans keeping a lookout on the mountain top for settlers' wagon trains and the U.S. cavalry. During the 1930s, Easter sunrise services on the mountaintop drew the faithful who took in the early morning light that played across the mountains. In the early 1950s, David Valdivia remembers hiking up to "The Beacon" and heading deepin into the mountains south of Beaumont. He and other youngsters sought adventure in a world all their own. They bagged rabbits with .22 rifles, camped in tents and roamed the nearby hills. Like the wayfarers of old, they came upon many wonders.

Secret spots

They chanced upon an ancient rock cave in the side of a granite mountain. Dropping to their knees one by one, they crawled inside for about 20 feet and felt the air growing colder and colder. They wondered silently who might have lived in this cave through the ages. on another odyssey, the boys stumbled across a deep hole in the ground-probably six feet across. They crept over the edge and peered down into the inky blackness. Then, the boys took turns tossing rocks into the pit and waiting for the muffled sound of a stone to hit the bottom. Valdivia's older brother Arthur was fearless. He would lie on his belly, clutch a rock, and scoot his way over to the lip of the black hole. With friends clutching his feet, Arthur would shoot his arm out and drop a rock. It seemed that whatever the young adventurers threw down, the abyss swallowed right up.

The Beacon's call

As decades passed, the environment changed atop "The Beacon." In the early 1950s, there was only a single red "beacon" light blinking on and off to warn low-flying aircraft. With technological advances, many began wanting space on the high mountain. Today, the Beaumont Police Department and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department have radio equipment atop the mountain summit. Cell phone companies have their own towers. But on a starlit night in Beaumont, "The Beacon" still calls to us. It's always been a special place and remains so today.