Sierra Madre

Sierra Madre is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley below the southern edge of the Angeles National Forest. Pasadena and Altadena are to its west, with Arcadia to its south and east. Sierra Madre is known as "Wisteria City", and its city seal is decorated with a drawing of the now widely known 500-foot (150 m) vine. It is also called the "Village of the Foothills" and was an All-America City in 2007.

 

Downtown Sierra Madre has small restaurants and shops. Sierra Madre hosts a locally famous Independence Day parade and three days of festivities each year. The date of the parade varies from year to year, dependent on when the Monday of the holiday weekend falls. Residents like to call it a "Star Spangled Weekend." The old tradition of water-filled squirt guns during the parade has been scrapped for "confetti eggs" to throw at parade participants and viewers. Concerts, food, and game booths, and the ubiquitous beer booth are all a part of the firework-free weekend.

In the northern and northeastern portions of the city are the Lower and Upper Sierra Madre Canyons. These small communities are noted for their narrow and winding roads, lush vegetation, views of the San Gabriel Valley, and small bungalows or cabins. Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park has these resources and hiking trail entrances are available to the public: Sierra Madre Wilderness Trail, Live Oak Nature Trail, and Canyon View Nature Trail. The park itself has a Native Botanical Area and picnic area barbecues and fire rings.

 

Sierra Madre is known for its annual Wistaria Festival (alternative spelling of Wisteria), which celebrates its 1 acre (4,000 m2) Chinese wisteria (Wisteria Sinensis) vine, which was planted in the 1890s. The plant was named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest flowering plant and one of the seven horticultural wonders of the world. The annual festival is the one day a year the vine on private property can be viewed. The city's more than 500-foot (150 m)-long Wisteria Vine, was purchased in 1894 by Mrs. William (Alice) Brugman from the old Wilson nursery, in Monrovia, for seventy-five cents. Over time, the vine, with its lavender flowers, grew so large that it crushed the house. Now the vine spans two back yards in the 500 block of North Hermosa Avenue. The vine measures more than 1 acre (4,000 m2) in size and weighs 250 tons.

 

On January 1, 1917, Sierra Madre made its first entry in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses parade. Since 1954, the year it was founded, the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association (SMRFA) has organized the volunteers who decorate the self-made Tournament of Roses floats every year and receives no funds from the city. The association holds a design competition every year, and volunteers start welding on the float chassis in March, preparing for screening, painting, and decorating, and culminating in "deco week," a busy 6-day period that ends with judging on December 31. While many volunteers reside locally, many come from across the country and international locations to contribute to the effort.

In 2010, the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association and float designer Charles Meier won their fourth award in a row, the "Lathrop K. Leishman Award" for Most Beautiful Non-Commercial Float. Successful for years, since 2006 the Sierra Madre entry has been awarded nearly consecutive awards, showing masterful design and decoration against corporate commercial floats with budgets that dwarf that of SMRFA's. Recent designs and awards include:

2022: Nature's Classroom  "Judges Award," most outstanding float design and dramatic impact
2020: Ka Lā Hiki Ola  "President Award," most outstanding use and presentation of flowers
2019: Harmony's Garden  "Director Trophy," most beautiful artistic design and use of floral and non-floral materials
2018: Chivalry!  "Fantasy Trophy," most outstanding display of fantasy and imagination

2016: Rollin' on the River  "Animation Trophy"
2015: I Think I Can  "Mayor’s Trophy," most outstanding city entry – national or international2014: Catching the Big One  "Mayor’s Trophy," most outstanding city entry – national or international
2013: The Sky's the Limit  "Isabella Coleman Trophy," best presentation of color and color harmony
2012: Colorful Imagination2011: Sueños de California  "Governor's Trophy," best depiction of life in California
2010: California Girls  "Governor's Trophy," best depiction of life in California
2009: Bollywood Dreams  "Lathrop K. Leishman Award," most beautiful entry from a non-commercial sponsor
2008: Valentine's Day "Princess’ Trophy," most beautiful entry under thirty-five feet in length
2007: Our Wonderful Wistaria "Lathrop K. Lieshman Award," most beautiful entry from a non-commercial sponsor
2006: Wonder of Reading "Founder's trophy", the most outstanding float built by volunteers from a community or organization

 

Full and transitional preschool options include Sierra Madre Community Nursery School (SMCNS), Sunnyside School House Preschool, Bethany Christian School, and St. Rita Catholic School.

Public schools within the city are Sierra Madre Elementary School and Sierra Madre Middle School, which sit half a mile apart on Highland Avenue and are included in the Pasadena Unified School District public school system. Private school options include Bethany Christian School, St. Rita Catholic School, and The Gooden School.

Alverno Heights Academy serves 9th-12th grade students.

The Sierra Madre Community College marches every year in the annual 4 July Parade; they wear decorated paper bags over their heads to preserve anonymity and play kazoos down the parade route.

 

Forty-eight properties are listed on Sierra Madre's Designated Historical Properties List, including Sierra Madre Pioneer Cemetery (1884), Old North Church (1890) of Sierra Madre Congregational Church (1928), the Episcopal Church of the Ascension (1888), and Hart's house (1884) in Sierra Madre Memorial Park.