Editor’s Note: This article was originally printed as an April Fool’s joke. It is purely satire.
By Carol Rock
Buoyed by the success of the first Thursdays in Old Newhall, the City of Santa Clarita is planning to launch a new project that will enhance the arts community and reflect the makeup of the surrounding areas.
ArtFree, a coalition of visual artists who specialize in public arts, will bring their proposal for bilingual signs to the City Council at Tuesday’s meeting. If approved, the project, which qualifies for federal funding, will begin immediately.
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“This is the wave of the future and a unique opportunity to involve our youth in their community,” said ArtFree President David Cartman, who leads a drum circle at Newhall Bicycle at the monthly events.
The bilingual signage – with business names in Spanish and English – was also one of the changes suggested during focus group meetings on One Valley, One Vision. With recent census figures showing a concentration of Hispanic residents in the Newhall area, the pilot program could once again set Santa Clarita apart as a trendsetter among cities.
“I can’t wait to make this presentation at my League of California Cities meeting,” said Mayor Marsha McLean. “This is something we’ve needed for a long time. It can only help the city’s economic development and attract high-end businesses, like an El Torito.”
Bilingual signage is the only civic improvement/public art program that was spared during recent federal cutbacks. If approved, the City will receive a $6,000,000 grant from the feds to re-sign every business located in the redevelopment area on Main Street between 5th Street and Lyons Avenue. Property owners will have six months to comply with the new regulations.
“This is a terrific idea and plays right into our plans to diversify culturally,” said Canyon Theatre Guild Artistic Director TimBen Boydston, who has already ordered a ‘Teatro Canon’ sign. He added that the theater’s board of directors recently voted to add a series of telenovelas adapted for the stage to the 2012 season.
Editor’s Note: This story is 100 percent fabricated, because, well, it’s April Fool’s Day and we in the news room like to have fun. Hope you at least got a chortle out of it.