This is St. Patrick’s Day weekend, so there will be at least a couple of good opportunities to celebrate locally (yes, we’ve got your green beer!), as well as a number of other fun and instructive community events.
Early risers are invited to attend a Community Pancake Breakfast at Wilshire Crest Elementary School, 5241 W. Olympic Blvd., from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday. Come get a short stack, meet school staff, families, and PTA members, and learn about the school’s Spanish-English Dual Language Program (now enrolling for Kindergarten and first grade next year). Admission is only $3, and all funds raised will help support the school’s garden education program, provided by the Garden School Foundation. All ages welcome, so bring the whole family!
Starting just an hour later, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, the Miracle Mile Residential Association will hold its annual meeting at Korean Cultural Center, 5505 Wilshire Blvd. Discussions will focus on key quality of life issues for the neighborhood, and guest speakers will include City Council Member David Ryu and LAPD Wilshire Division Captain Anthony Oddo.
Meanwhile, for bargain hunters, there should be some great deals at the last two days of a four-day estate sale at 317 N. Las Palmas Ave., which started yesterday (Thursday) and runs through Sunday. It’s the estate of interior designer Jack Levin, and includes a wide variety of items including brass Tibetan prayer wheels, English Silver servers, a 1920s hand-carved lion-frame sofa, delicate antique chairs, fine porcelains, vintage garden pottery, garage items, and much more.  See the above link for photos and more information.
If you need to purge a few old items to make room for your new purchases, the Sanitation Department is ready to help on Saturday, with a free bulky item drop-off day from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at its sanitation yards (the two closest to us are the West Los Angeles Yard at  2027 Stoner Ave., and the Central Los Angeles Recycling and Transfer Station, 2201 E. Washington Blvd.). Bulky items accepted at this event include furniture, oversized toys, appliances, and more…but do NOT include building debris, concrete, dirt, asphalt or hazardous waste.  For more information, call 1-800-773-2489 or see lacitysan.org/bulky.
Also starting at 10 a.m., there’s another great family event, the L.A. Nature Fest, which runs both Saturday and Sunday at the Natural History Museum. The two-day festival celebrate’s LA’s “wild side,” with scientists, live animals, nature-inspired activities, a raptor flight demonstration, a rat chat, snake feeding, and more. For the full schedule, see the event link above.
Next up, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, City Council Member David Ryu, the LA Fire Department, and two Hollywood-area neighborhood Councils will host an Emergency Preparation and Evacuation town hall event at the American Legion Hall at 2035 N. Highland Ave.  The session will include a panel discussion with city emergency preparedness experts, information tables hosted by a a variety of city agencies, and the screening of a film about emergency response during the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
Moving into Sunday, you could start your day with some other local first responders, the Senior Lead Officers from LAPD’s Wilshire Division, who will be holding one of their periodic Coffee with a Cop sessions at the Wellington Square Farmer’s Market, 4395 Washington Blvd., from 9 to 11 a.m. Come and ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know the local officers. (And it’s also a good opportunity to explore this small, friendly, and very neighborly farmer’s market.)
Later, starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday, you could head back to the Miracle Mile, where the Craft Contemporary will host “Crafting History: A Conversation on the History and Legacy of the Craft & Folk Art Museum.” At this free event, you’ll learn about the beginnings, history, and legacy of CAFAM, which opened in 1965. The conversation will be led by CAFAM executive director Suzanne Isken, who will be joined by former CAFAM librarian Joan Benedetti, independent curator Jo Lauria, and artist Arline Fisch. Space is limited, though, so please RSVP to [email protected] if you’d like to attend.
Also, Sunday is, of course, St. Patrick’s Day, and there are two local celebrations. First, at the Cat and Fiddle, 742 N. Highland, you’ll find “Scotch eggs for the traditionalists, vegan shepherd’s pie for the conscious Angelenos, and beer for everyone.” Everyone is also invited to “come for corned beef and cabbage, some day-drinking happy hours, and more shamrocks than you can shake a shillelagh at.” Admission is free, and Guiness will be $5 from 3-6 p.m.
Also, just a bit west, the Original Farmer’s Market will also be wearin’ the Irish green on Sunday. You’ll find traditional Irish fare at Magee’s Kitchen, green beers and Guinness at EB’s Beer & Wine, and live music all day long. There will also be themed ice cream flavors from Local Ice, strolling bagpipe music, tunes from the Irish duo Celtic Camerata, and if you’re lucky, you you can catch a photo with a strolling leprechaun. In the evening, there will also be a live performance from Irish-American rock band Lilt’N’Tang.
And finally on Sunday, for your movie-going pleasure, the American Cinematheque will celebrate another famous Patrick with a Patrick Swayze double-feature of “Road House” and “Point Break” at the Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. It starts at 7:30 p.m., and between the films there will be a live discussion with “Road House” director Rowdy Herrington; actors Roger Hewlett, Gary Hudson, Bob Jennings, Julie Michaels, Kathleen Wilhoite and John Young; cinematographer Dean Cundey and costume designer Marilyn Vance.
Have a great green weekend!
