This is the last weekend of summer vacation (for most LAUSD students), so enjoy it while you can!
This is also the second weekend of the month, which means Saturday is LADWP’s Customer Service Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at four of the LADWP’s Regional Customer Service Centers.  The Crenshaw Customer Service Center, 4030 Crenshaw Blvd., 90008, is closest to us…and in addition to providing assistance with payments, service order requests, billing questions and other billing issues, along with information on LADWP programs and services, they’ll be giving away free trees to Los Angeles residents and property owners. (You’ll need an ID or copy of an LADWP utility bill for address verification.) Tree supplies are limited and there’s a limit of one per property address.
One of the great things about living in L.A. is the wonderful cultural diversity, which is celebrated almost weekly with heritage festivals of one sort or another.  This week features a two-for-one entry in this category.  First is the Natsumatsuri Family Festival, from 11:00 am – 5:00 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum, 100 N. Central Ave., in downtown’s Little Tokyo district. Museum admission will be free all day, with a full schedule of family-friendly craft activities, performances, a scavenger hunt, origami, traditional foods, taiko drumming and bon odori dance lessons, in addition to the museum’s current exhibits Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami, Tatau: Marks of Polynesia, and Common Ground: The Heart of Community.
The Natsumatsuri event is actually part of a larger cultural festival – the 76th Annual Nisei Week, which runs from August 13-21 throughout Little Tokyo.  This celebration of Japanese-American culture is one of the nation’s longest running ethnic festivals, with events, activities and exhibits at a wide variety of locations.  Attractions include music and entertainment, food, fun, games, demonstrations, sports, martial arts and much more.  There will also be a grand parade through Little Tokyo at 4 p.m. on Sunday.  See the link above for more information, a full event and location list, and details of the parade route.
Later on Saturday, for beer fans, the 7th Annual LA Craft Beer Crawl takes place from 2 to 7 p.m. in downtown L.A.  Billed as “the Craft Beer lovers’ event of the summer,” it features more than 100 craft beers to sample at seven unique downtown  bars & restaurants, all within walking distance of each other.  The event is a collaboration between 213 Hospitality and The Beer Chicks, a.k.a. Hallie Beaune and Christina Perozzi, who will curate the beer selections, featuring some of the top craft and artisanal brewers in the country.  Tickets are required, and the organizers warn that they always sell out.  See http://www.eventbrite.com/e/la-craft-beer-crawl-tickets-26250416703 for details.
Finally on Saturday, come celebrate baseball, the traditional game of summer, at the Original Farmer’s Market.  In collaboration with the Skirball Cultural Center, in honor of its current exhibition Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American, the Farmers’ Market will feature baseball-themed art projects, along with roving musicians, baseball treats and eats, and a sunset screening of the 1976 movie, “The Bad News Bears” (note: some language and other material in the film may not be suitable for young children). Limited seating will be provided. Attendees are also encouraged to bring blankets or pillows. Personal chairs and outside food and beverages, including alcohol, are not allowed. Activities start at 5 p.m. The film screens at 8 p.m.
On Sunday, you can start your day with some urban exercise…with the latest installment of Ciclavia – the nation’s largest open-streets, bike, run, walk or whatever event.  This time, “Iconic Wilshire Boulevard” will be closed to motorized traffic from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Western Ave. to Alemeda St. , so cyclists, pedestrians, runners, skaters and more can explore Koreatown and points east along a 3.5 mile stretch of street. The organizers promise that “this CicLAvia is going to be all about stories, as we celebrate the Los Angeles of yesterday, today, and tomorrow – the Los Angeles that you are helping to shape with your story.” As always, participation is free, casual and open to everyone of all ages.  It’s not a race, and there’s no required start or end point, just people having fun at their own pace.
If you’d rather be on the water on Sunday, Big Sunday, the Melrose Ave.-based organization that matches volunteers with people who can use their services, is holding one of its periodic “We’re All in the Same Boat Project” harbor cruises, in which people of all ages, from all walks of life, come together for a 2-hour cruise of the Los Angeles Harbor. Guests include individuals, families, corporate groups, and faith groups. Plus nice folks from group homes, hospitals, shelters – some of whom have never been on a boat before.  All participants are asked just one thing: to meet at least one new person. Participants will also enjoy coffee, juice, and awesome donuts, while watching the sea lions take in some sun. This week’s cruise leaves from Ports ‘o Call in San Pedro at 10 a.m. and returns at 12 p.m.  The event is free, but space is quite limited, so you must sign up by contacting [email protected].
Later, if you’d like to scratch a creative itch on Sunday, the Craft and Folk Art Museum invites you to a CraftLab Family Workshop – Colors in Motion: Marker Tie-Dyeing with Mimi Haddon. Drop in to the museum’s color laboratory between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m, and create awesome color explosions by setting molecules in motion – draw on fabric with permanent markers, then add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to create magical tie-dyed designs. The museum will provide a piece of fabric, but you can also bring clean, 100% cotton T-shirts to work on. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for children, and free to CAFAM members.
Finally, our weekly subway construction update from Metro:  This weekend, Wilshire Blvd. will be closed east of La Brea to Highland Ave., from 8 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Monday, for decking installation and jet grouting work.  Other activities will include potholing, saw cutting, piling, drilling, chipping and backfilling.  Also, note that Sycamore Ave., which intersects Wilshire one block east of La Brea, will also be closed just north and south of Wilshire this weekend.  For more information see https://www.metro.net/projects/notices/notice_purpleline_081116/
Drive safely and have a great weekend!
