Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

Weekend Buzz – Events for September 24-25

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This is one of those weekends when there’s so much going on, it’s hard to know where to start.  But we’ll try…with some treasure hunting at a couple of big local estate sales.

estatesaleFrom 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. you can visit an “entertainment mogul’s stunning historic landmark Tudor estate” at 500 S. Muirfield Rd. to shop for high-end brand-name items including Lalique, Daum, Steuben, Faberge, Herend, Waterford, Llardo and more.  There are also velvet sofas, decorative pillows, a horse hair wing chair, leather wing chairs, a French sofa, arm chairs, lamps, silver flatware sets (service for 40, 60 and 100), huge sets of crystal stemware, china, a claw-foot entry table, a Weber baby grand piano, recliner chairs, leather sectional, leather-top desk, rugs, dining table and chairs…and simply way too much to list here.

The second sale, which started on Thursday, and runs through Sunday at 266 S. Irving, is on behalf of a family that has lived at the address for 73 years.  Items for sale include mid-century furniture and accessories, a Baldwin baby grand piano given to the family by Andre Previn, a 1930s German mid-century dining set, sideboard, cabinet, carpets, china, glassware, crystal, porcelains, artwork, antiques, books, costume jewelry, hundreds of vintage ladies clothing and accessories.  See the link above for hours, which are slightly different on Saturday and Sunday.

Volunteers in the Wilshire Crest school garden on Big Sunday 2014.

If you’d rather start your morning outdoors, the folks at Wilshire Crest Elementary School, 5241 W. Olympic Blvd., would love to have you join them for their Green Apple Day of Service event.  From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., join other volunteers in helping to prepare the Wilshire Crest Farm (an 8,000 square foot teaching garden) for the gardening classes taught to the school’s students every year by the good folks from the Garden School Foundation.  Green Apple Day of Service is sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council and has hosted more than 12,660 Green Apple Day of Service projects since 2012.  The goal is to help parents, teachers, students, companies and local organizations transform our schools into healthy, safe and productive learning environments.  The Wilshire Crest event will include weeding, mulching and planting…and everyone is welcome, including children.

cruisein2For car enthusiasts, the Petersen Museum’s monthly Breakfast Club Cruise-In event has been moved to Saturday this month.  Starting at 8 a.m., join other car enthusiasts on the 3rd floor of the Petersen parking structure to stroll through rows of classic, custom, and exotic cars, trucks, motorcycles and more.  Coffee and bagels are provided, and museum members will have early access to the museum.

koreanfestivalFall appears to be the season for huge cultural festivals, and there are two big ones this weekend.  First, the 42nd Annual L.A. Korean Festival, which started on Thursday, is running through Sunday at Seoul International Park, 3250 San Marino St.  The event promotes Korean culture and provides a venue for the different cultures of Los Angeles to come together for fun and entertainment.  This is billed as one of the largest ethnic celebrations in the country, with food, shopping, performances, exhibitions, and experiences of many kinds.  Hours are 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

sangenarofeastThe second big cultural festival this weekend is the Italian Feast of San Gennaro, which starts today (Friday) and runs through Sunday at Hollywood and Highland.  This festival started in 2002, and is modeled after the similar 80+ year old New York City tradition.  It celebrates Italian culture, food and entertainment, and features live music, street performers, strolling musicians, a kid’s corner, and many games. In addition to sampling wine from local wineries and food from some of Los Angeles’ best Italian restaurants, guests are invited to learn recipes from the cooking stage and play bocce ball and bingo with some of Hollywood’s Italian American celebrities.  Hours are  5 p.m. to midnight on Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

wahasmallFor culture of another sort, try the always-popular Living History Tour, conducted every year at the Angelus Rosedale cemetery by the West Adams Heritage Association.  This year’s tour theme is “Making a Difference: The Bumpy Road Toward Civil Rights, Social Justice and Equality.”  Costumed actors, at graveside, will portray several of the personages who are buried at Angelus Rosedale, one of the City’s oldest cemeteries. This year’s portrayals will honor a group of men and women who, over the past 170 years, fought for a variety of civil rights, including the right to live wherever one wishes, the right to vote, and the right to equal treatment under law.  They include a Suffragette who helped win women the right to vote in California; a developer who helped establish a resort town for African Americans (nicknamed the “Black Palm Springs”); a Japanese American All-Star baseball player who was uprooted and sent to a relocation camp in WWII, along with an African American lawyer who advocated for Japanese Americans’ property rights and their rights as U.S. citizens; a Chinese American wife and daughter whose mother was brought to this country as a child slave; one of the original elders of the oldest black church in Los Angeles; one of the original owners of the Dunbar Hotel on Central Avenue; a firebrand African American journalist; plus Oscar-winning actress Hattie McDaniel, who became a civil rights activist when she was sued for daring to purchase a mansion in an exclusive neighborhood. Tours are by advance reservation only. Tickets are $35.

dinofestsmallA different kind of “dead” will be celebrated at the Natural History Museum this weekend, at its big, two-day Dino Fest.  66 million years ago, our world was filled with enormous insects, colossal flora and monstrous creatures.  This two day (Saturday and Sunday) festival celebrates “dinosaurs, their prehistoric past and the science that brings their world back to life.”  The event is free and includes world-renowned paleontologists from the Museum and beyond, historic and ongoing fossil discoveries from around the world, exhibitors featuring items including dinosaur inspired jewelry, artwork, geology kits and dig pits, rare specimens from the Museum’s collections, hands-on dino activities…and more.  Reservations not required.

rescuetrain1Later, for some exercise with a greater purpose, try the Flywheel Ride for the Rescues event, where instructor Lacey Stone (once named “hottest personal trainer in America” by the Wall Street Journal)  will help you sweat and save pets at the same time.  The event, on behalf of The Rescue Train, a non-profit no-kill orgnaization dedicated to eliminating animal suffering and euthanasia through hands-on resucue work, spay/neuter, education and awareness. The event takes place on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Flywheel’s Larchmont Blvd. location (147 N. Larchmont Blvd.), and there will be prizes for the highest scores and top fundraisers.  Every registered rider also gets a “Ride for the Rescues” shirt.

tarfestAs the afternoon heads toward evening on Saturday, the La Brea Tar Pits is the place to be for the 14th annual Tar Fest music and art festival. The event celebrates local artists, musicians and culture with performances by headliners Dear Boy and opening acts Durand Jones & The Indications, Brit Manor and BRAEVES, as well as special DJ sets by Ale, Mitchell Brown, T-Kay, Slayron and Sleano of dublab, dance performances by Move The World Dance Activism in collaboration with The DIAVOLO Institute and Clairobscur Dance Company, a silent auction of original artwork and limited edition prints from notable artists in an outdoor art pavilion hosted by KP Projects, incredible light artistry by Light Riders, live projections by CLOAKING, and outdoor art installations by Meeson Pae Yang and Ryan McCann. Hours are 4-10 p.m., and all ages and families are welcome.  There will also be free kids art-making activities with The Japan Foundation Los Angeles, Petersen Automotive Museum and more…while the 21+ crowd can enjoy the Lagunitas Biergarten & Wine Bar that will also feature refreshing cocktails by Tito’s Handmade Vodka. And, of course, a selection of Los Angeles’ hottest gourmet food trucks will also be on site, including Baby’s Badass Burgers, Made in Brooklyn NY Pizza, Meat the Greek, and Rice Balls of Fire.

carthay1aSunday dawns with a classic family event – an old-fashioned Pancake Breakfast, from 9 a.m. to noon at Carthay School of Environmental Studies Magnet, 6351 W. Olympic Blvd.  This is the Carthay PTA’s first big fundraiser of the year, and will feature sausage, eggs, pancakes, bacon, and more.  Also, a very special guest: Magician David Groves.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids under 12, if you pre-order, or $12 and $5 at the door.

jailLater, check out another bit of Los Angeles history with a walking tour of the “Jails of Old Los Angeles.”  The event will begin at 2 p.m., after the monthly salon held by the Los Angeles Visionaries’ Association, in the basement of downtown’s Grand Central Market.  LAVA co-founder Richard Schave, Nathan Marsak and other special guests will lead the tour around Temple and Broadway to the sites of the historic jails of old Los Angeles. According to the organizers, “You’ll learn about the places where criminals were housed, judged and sometimes autopsied, from the earliest Yankee-era adobe cells to the grand 1924 Hall of Justice (“HOJ”). The tour reveals a giant nexus of law enforcement, encompassing U.S. Attorneys, District Attorneys, the Office of the Sheriff, the county’s central jail, County Supervisors, the Office of Coroner, and more. The history of these lost buildings will be punctuated with historic accounts of mayhem, lynchings, and other sordid tales of woe. We’ll also discuss the 1990s closure of the HOJ and the long process of its restoration. If the criminal and civic history of Old Los Angeles intrigues, don’t miss this tour.”  Tickets are free, but reservations are required.

metro purple lineAnd, last but not least, please remember, the section of Wilshire Blvd. between Highland and La Brea will be closed from 8 p.m. on Friday through 6 a.m. on Monday, for the installation on subway-related concreted decking on the street’s surface. So plan your commutes carefully…especially if you’re heading to the Tar Fest on Saturday.

Have a great, big, busy weekend!

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Elizabeth Fuller
Elizabeth Fuller
Elizabeth Fuller was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN but has lived in LA since 1991 - with deep roots in both the Sycamore Square and West Adams Heights-Sugar Hill neighborhoods. She spent 10 years with the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, volunteers at Wilshire Crest Elementary School, and has been writing for the Buzz since 2015.

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