by John Pixley

Wow! What a difference a month makes! Make that a month and-a-half.

Sure, I love all the activities at the Claremont Colleges. I always say the Colleges are one of the things that make Claremont such a great place in which to live. And in recent years, as my ability and energy have decreased, I have mostly settled with the idea that all of their events are enough, sometimes more than enough, so that I no longer need to venture out to Pasadena, Los Angeles, etc. There is plenty to do right here. (When my Pilgrim Place friends offer to give me the schedule of events there, I say, “Thanks, but no!”)

So, yeah, I will always feel a bit sad when the students take off in mid-May, as the gown leaves the town, leaving us behind, on our own, alone. But at the same time it’s nice to have a bit of respite, a breather, after four months of concerts, plays, talks, especially after the even busier, frenzied spring semester.

It’s nice to have a relatively quiet month and-a-half, until things pick up on the Fourth of July and with other summer park activities. Soon enough the students will be back in late August. And there are still other things to do here; the Village has become quite a hot spot, even without its cinema and places like The Press. It’s nothing like it was, or how I remember it, when I was growing up here when Claremont all but died, went into hibernation during the hot, smoggy months after the Colleges’ commencement ceremonies.

Even so, one gets a bit tired of reading in the backyard and Netflix and chilling, as pleasant as it is. And without so much to do it’s harder to ignore all the crazy, disturbing news coming out of the nation’s capital. It’s harder to ignore how democracy, our precious way of life, not to mention our very lives, are being endangered, if not destroyed, by our tyrant-like president and his minions and henchmen.

It’s even harder to see all this during the month of June, Pride Month. During this period which celebrates the hard-fought civil rights — not special rights as some critics claim — won by LGBTQ+ folks, it’s demoralizing to see diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts dismantled and transgender people vilified and, at least in some places, all but banned. All the more galling is the effort of governors in states like Indiana, Tennessee, and Alabama, to rebrand June as “nuclear family,” “strong families,” or “fidelity month” (as if same-sex couples can’t be faithful and have strong families). Ugh!

To the rescue in this sickening, seemingly hopeless state of affairs comes Ophelia’s Jump’s production of “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” playing all this month at its black box stage just over the border in Upland. This Claremont-rooted company is now in its 13^th season, hanging tough and putting on professional shows under the gutsy leadership of Beatrice Casagran in these tough-on-the-arts times. With “McBride,” it provides not only a great local show during these quiet weeks but also a perfect tonic in these troubling times and challenging Pride Month.

In this play by Matthew Lopez, Casey, an Elvis impersonator struggling to get his act together, suddenly loses his gig at a small-time Florida bar. His rent is overdue, and his wife announces a baby is on the way. So, when Elvis leaves the building and a drag show moves in, “the king” has no choice but to transform into an all-out queen. It is no spoiler to say that hilarity ensues along with a heartfelt message about being true to oneself and to each other.

Directed by Caitlin Lopez, the show features loads of snappy zingers and some terrific drag performances powered by a wonderful cast, topped by a very game and limber Jacob Wilson as Casey and Jonathan Miller as the luscious Miss Tracy Mills. It is not to be missed.

As I said, it’s a real pick-me-up in this lazy month and a rejuvenating cry of defiance, sticking it to those who are trying to do all they can to oppress us, our way of life and, in some cases, even our very lives.

More info is at opheliasjump.org.

What were they thinking?

I don’t know who decided that the Fourth of July parade is to be at 1 p.m. this year, but I don’t know what they were thinking. The day’s heat really kicks in at about that time, with the sun beating right down. Yes, when the parade was at 4 for years it was hot, but the sun was going down and there was plenty of shade along the route. And yes, having the parade at 10 a.m. in recent years was weird, but the day hadn’t heated up yet. All I can say is that I hope the Fourth of July is unusually balmy.