Weekend Buzz – Events for June 25-26, 2016

This weekend, we invite you to start your weekend early.  Really early.  LACMA Local, a new Los Angeles County Museum of Art group whose members gather every other Saturday for art-inspired hangouts at LACMA, will hold a sunrise Local: Break event at the museum’s Levitated Mass exhibit.   Join LACMA Locals at (literally) the crack of dawn to watch the sunrise at Levitated Mass (aka “the rock”), where Carolina Phipps, a senior instructor at Modo Yoga, will lead an optional yoga flow from 5:15–6 am.  You’re also welcome to meditate on your own, listen to music on headphones, or simply sit as the day breaks over Michael Heizer’s iconic sculpture. After the sunrise, around 5:45 am, there will be a coffee and tea reception to chat and mingle with other Locals. Admission is $20 and includes a LACMA Local yoga mat, free parking and the coffee/tea reception. Note that LACMA local events are usually open only to members, but this one is being billed as a chance for non-members to give LACMA Local a try without officially joining.

A bit later, head on over to the Natural History Museum, which kicks off its LA Urban NatureFest,  a two-day celebration of nature in the city, with events starting at 10 a.m. Saturday and continuing throughout the weekend.  According to the museum, urban L.A. is a surprising biodiversity hotspot and they invite you to celebrate our urban nature with behind-the-scenes tours (bird collection!), stage performances (snake feeding!), workshops (taxidermy!), stories, music and more.  See links above for the full details, schedule and tickets.

For design and architecture fans, there’s Dwell on Design, running both Saturday and Sunday (and open to the public after a trade-only day on Friday) at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  The event features speakers, product demonstrations, continuing education classes for design professionals, and seminars for design-seeking consumers. Dwell magazine editors invite you to “step into the pages of Dwell” and experience modern design with 300+ exhibiting brands, 2,000+ modern furnishings and products, 40+ onstage presentations, 4 full-scale prefab homes and 3 days of Dwell Home Tours.

Later, if the Dwell event leaves you in a crafty and creative mood, check out the Craft and Folk Art Museum’s Indigo & Cochineal – A Natural Dye Workshop with Mimi Haddon, on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. at the museum. Artist Mimi Haddon will help you explore the basic techniques of using two of the oldest pigments for textile dyeing. Experience the magic of indigo-color oxidation and learn more about the crimson-dye-producing insects that create cochineal.  For more information, see http://cafam.org/.  Tickets are $80 / $70 members (materials included). Advance registration is required at [email protected].

If you’re ready to regain some of the morning’s yoga-induced well-being, or you just didn’t quite get up that early, there’s another chance to find your center at West Adams’ Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens‘ Saturday Afternoon at the Labyrinth. Treat yourself to an afternoon breathing beside water fountains and/or unwind your mind walking the labyrinth. Reflect, recharge, and experience peace from 12-4 p.m. at 3500 W Adams Blvd.

For you drinking and dining pleasure this weekend, we have both beer and wine.

First, the LAWineFest brings wines and brews from around the world to your doorstep in a fun, relaxed environment, which will also include popular food trucks, boutiques to browse, artisan merchandise to buy, music and more.  Running both Saturday (3– 7 p.m.) and Sunday (2-6 p.m.) at Sunset Bronson Studios, 5901 Sunset Blvd.

And then there’s L.A. Beer Week, founded in 2009 by a group of dedicated beer enthusiasts and community members. This eighth iteration is produced by the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild, a 40+ brewery strong non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the culture of #LAbeer. The event kicked off last Saturday, but concludes this weekend with events and tastings throughout the city.  See the link above for the full scheduled and details.

On Sunday, from 8 to 10 a.m., start your day with a breakfast cruise-in on the third floor of the parking structure at the Petersen Museum.  Come see some of the fastest, rarest and most beloved cars of all time, along with music and food. All car enthusiasts are invited to attend, and bring their cars, trucks and motorcycles.  Prizes will be awarded for Best-In-Show, People’s Choice, and the most historically accurate car.

After breakfast, the West Adams Heritage Association, which celebrates that area’s historic architecture, will help homeowners from all over get handy with a special Historic Home Repair Demonstration Day at the Wellington Square Farmers’ Market.  You’ll be able to listen, observe and chat with experts demonstrating historic home preservation and restoration skills. Highlighted DIY projects include hardware cleaning and restoration, restoration of double-hung windows (glazing, weights, ropes, sills, frames, locks, etc.), and historic paint colors and combinations.  From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 4394 W. Washington Blvd.  And be sure to pick up some yummy treats from the market while you’re there!

Later, for more home and garden inspiration, head north to the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council’s First Annual Sustainable Garden Tour. Presented by the GWNC’s Sustainability Committee, the tour runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and begins at Harold A. Henry Park, 890 S. Lucerne Blvd. It will include prime examples of drought-tolerant and sustainable gardens, along with discussions with landscape designers, landscape architects, and homeowners about their creations.  There will also be a presentation on drought-tolerant plants by the Theodore Payne Foundation, information on Los Angeles Department of Water and Power rebates, and a presentation on the sustainable landscaping at the recently remodeled park and Ridgewood-Wilton landscaped medians.  For more information, contact [email protected].

And finally, we’ll leave you with our now-weekly reminder about the weekend street closures at Wilshire and La Brea.  This week, as subway decking installation continues, there will be a full closure of the Wilshire and La Brea intersection from 8 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Monday.  For full details, detour maps, bus maps and more, see https://www.metro.net/projects/notices/notice_purpleline_2016-06-21/

Enjoy your weekend!