Weekend Buzz – Events for April 29-30

They say variety is the spice of life…and if that’s true, this is definitely one spicy weekend – from health to history, cars to crafts, and both cultural celebrations and civic commemorations.

First up on Saturday, the Anderson Munger Family YMCA, 4301 W. Third St., will participate in the YMCA’s 26th Annual Healthy Kids Day with a free community event featuring healthy and fun activities for the whole family.  From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Y’s Sports Deck, they’ll have music, games, activities, and food…as well as information and sign-up opportunities for summer camps, youth classes, swim lessons, and information on free teen memberships in June and July.  In other words, lots of great opportunities to get your kids to focus on physical and mental play this summer, instead of spending it on the couch.

For many Angelenos, this weekend is particularly notable as the 25th anniversary of the 1992 riots that erupted after the verdict in the trial of the police officers accused of beating Rodney King.  To commemorate the event and its historic importance, there will be a Future Fest rally, march and community festival starting at 10:30 a.m. at the historic Florence and Normandie intersection.  The events focus on an innovative, inclusive and community-led future for South L.A., and include a march starting at 12 p.m., and a festival, from 1 to 5 p.m. following the march, that combines arts, advocacy, and community events, including a long list of musical performers.  The event, sponsored by South LA Building Healthy Communities Collective, “celebrates South LA’s resilience and will highlight a vision for transformation and health which preserves the integrity of the poor and working class people in our neighborhoods and points toward a future for the entire city that builds on South LA’s unique models of cross-racial unity and of model community-driven solutions.”

For a very different kind of history, try Amelia Redux 1937-2012: A Pilot’s Log, starting at 11:30 a.m. at the Craft and Folk Art Museum.  It’s a presentation and poetry reading by Laura Stickney and Vilma Mendillo of their artist book, “Amelia Redux 1937-2012: A Pilot’s Log.” During the event, held conjunction with the exhibition Chapters: Book Arts in Southern California, the artists will discuss their work and take you on a lofty journey of image and word inspired by Amelia Earhart’s 1937 flight. (Maps will be supplied.) The event is free with RSVP.

After the reading, you can stick around CAFAM for a fun craft session:  Upcycled VHS Tape Books – A Bookbinding Workshop with Rachel Curry.  Participants will transform old VHS tape boxes into long-stitch bound journals and sketchbooks.  It starts at 1 p.m., and costs $55 ($45 for CAFAM members), including materials.

Finally on Saturday, if you’re in a movie mood, check out the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center’s 24th Annual Sistas are Doin’ It for Themselves film festival, which will screen eight short films by emerging African American female filmmakers at Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Ave., starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday.  The event will be moderated by award-winning  editor Lillian E. Benson, ACE.  Both men and women are encouraged to bring your daughters to the movies to be inspired, uplifted, motivated, entertained and educated.  For the full list of films and descriptions, see the link above. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for youth ages 8-18. Please RSVP at 310-284-3170. Street parking is available and on the lot for $7.

Sunday events start bright and early, at 8 a.m., with the annual Japanese Car Cruise-In and Tech Day Car Meet on the third floor of the Petersen Museum parking structure.  Last year’s event drew hundreds of Socal’s finest street, show, and track cars…from Civics to Skylines and everything in between. All Japanese makes and models are welcome; parking is $5. Petersen members will also have Early Access to the museum from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. by showing their membership cards.

A bit later, you could head back to CAFAM for its Spring Marketplace, running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.  This free shopping event celebrates the spring season with special one-of-a-kind contemporary jewelry, art, textiles, housewares and other beautiful hand-crafted gifts from the museum’s favorite Los Angeles makers.  Pick up a little something in advance of Mother’s Day…or just treat yourself.

Also starting at 11 a.m., and continuing until 6 p.m. on Sunday, is the the 28th Annual Fiesta Broadway, taking place along N. Broadway and the streets surrounding Los Angeles City Hall in Downtown LA.  This is the city’s signature Cinco de Mayo event, and the largest such festival in the country…with more than 300,000 attendees expected to enjoy the performances by well-known Latin American artists, and authentic food from local-area vendors. There will also be carnival-style games and rides to fill out the fun.

Finally on Sunday, for a fascinating combination of food and film, there’s Chef’s Fable, presented by LA, Grow! and the Los Angeles Times to celebrate the opening of the LA Times Food Bowl, a month-long citywide- culinary festival. Doors open at the Wiltern Theater at 6 p.m. for food by Kogi BBQ, Pasta Sisters, Mariscos Jalisco, Salt & Straw, Pico House, and Crispy Cuban.  There will also be music with DJ Zo…and then a Q&A panel, hosted by L.A. Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold, and featuring Massimo Bottura (Chef, Osteria Francescana), Roy Choi (Chef, Kogi BBQ, Chego! A-Frame, Commissary, POT, Locol), Jon Favreau (Actor and filmmaker, Chef), David Gelb (Director, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Chef’s Table), Magnus Nilsson (Chef, Fäviken), and Niki Nakayama (Chef, n/naka.), who will discuss the evolution of the culinary industry, its impact on the silver screen, and how the world’s hottest chefs have grown to share the stage with Hollywood’s biggest stars. Then, after the discussion, there will be a screening of Jon Favreau’s movie Chef (2014). See https://www.universe.com/events/chefs-fable-where-food-and-film-come-together-tickets-0JSQYT for more information.

And, last but not least, as usual, our weekly update on local Metro Purple Line subway construction:  beginning tonight, Friday, April 28, at 8 p.m. and extending until Monday, May 1, at 6 a.m., there will be a full closure of the Wilshire/Fairfax intersection for street decking construction. The closure will extend from 6th St. to 8th St. on Fairfax Ave. and from Crescent Heights Blvd. to Spaulding Ave. on Wilshire Blvd. For full details and detour information, see https://www.metro.net/projects/notices/notice_purpleline_041917/