by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com | calendar@claremont-courier.com

If you’ve been keeping up with the COURIER for the last two months, you may have noticed our updated calendar section: What’s Happening Claremont? In fact, this column is what’s taking its place this week.

In early November our publisher, Peter Weinberger said he wanted to bring back a section of the paper which disappeared in February 2020 when COVID-19 pretty much halted all happenings around Claremont.

In November, Claremont was already beginning to return to normal. Businesses reopened, events returned and the publisher wanted to once again let Claremont know what was going on around town.

I had previous experience looking for, writing up and constructing calendar pages during a three-month internship at City News Group in Grand Terrace where I compiled the calendar for seven individual papers.

Each week at the COURIER I scour the internet in search of, well, what’s happening in Claremont. My searches often lead me to the city and chamber of commerce’s webpages, Inter Valley Health Plan offerings, websites about local senior programs, as well as numerous local organizations’ events. I also check in with Eventbrite each Monday and Friday and am a member of Facebook groups Claremont Connects and Claremont Uncensored, which sometimes include mentions of local events.

Each week a lot of research and work goes into the calendar. However, I can’t help but feel somewhat defeated when I later find events happening in the city that should have been included in that week’s calendar, except that I found out about them too late.

So Claremont, the COURIER and I need your help.

We’re a nonprofit organization now and as such we survive and thrive based on the contributions of you, our readers. I want to produce a calendar that Claremonters not only want to read, but with which they can interact and contribute to themselves.

It doesn’t matter whether your event is small, only lasts for 30 mintues or is a one-time occurrence — Claremonters should know about it. And the best part is, contributing to the calendar is absolutely free.

All the COURIER needs to know about the event is who’s hosting it, what it is, when it’s taking place and the address where it’s being held. While we can’t include everything, if you’re hosting an event you think folks would be interested in, send it our way.

Keep in mind calendar items are a great way to help promote some of the wonderful things your group or organization is doing to over 26,000 people each week. All for free!

All inquiries and event details can be emailed to calendar@claremont-courier.com by 5 p.m. Monday for that Friday’s edition. In 2022 and beyond, I hope to see that email overflowing with content from the community!