For those treasure hunters already up and about on this sunny morning, we have both a yard sale and an estate sale to explore:
The yard sale starts at 10 a.m., at 455 N. Wilton Pl., and features “mostly women’s clothing, jewelry, some books, and some housewares. Very reasonable prices.”
The estate sale, which started yesterday, and also runs today (Saturday) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m, and tomorrow (Sunday) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 301 N. Windsor, features a set of Kirk Steiff rose sterling flatware, a sterling tea set, miscellaneous sterling dresser sets, platter and serving pieces, a collection of porcelain, wood and glass birds, dining room set, sofa with carved wood, chairs, rugs, bronzes, artwork, crystal, china, costume jewelry, beads, novelties, chandeliers, and more. See the link above for pictures and more details.
Later, bring the kids over to the John C. Fremont Library, 6121 Melrose Ave., where STAR volunteer reader Isaac will be available to read to kids in the children’s room from 2 to 4 p.m. (Note that this event has traditionally been scheduled on Fridays, but dates are changing. Upcoming dates will be sent by email or can be found at the library.) Books come alive for kids when they share the fun of reading with STAR library volunteers!
Or, for another calming and family-friendly activity today, try Saturday Afternoon at the Labyrinth – the Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens, 3500 W. Adams Blvd., 90018. On the fourth Saturday each month, from 1-4 p.m., you can take some time to relax, breathe, let go and explore your soul at this wonderful venue. Enjoy labyrinth walks on the outdoor stone labyrinth, and reflect in the Asian-themed meditation garden, where the water fountains and koi pond will soothe you. Breathe in the peace and leave recharged to start your week anew. Admission is free; reserved time tickets are available at the link above.
On Saturday evening, the tension level rises again as the American Cinematheque presents a double feature as a part of its Noir City: Film Noir Festival 2017 at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater. Starting at 7:30, see “Ministry of Fear,” in which Ray Milland plays a Londoner who’s released after two years in an asylum – and walks straight into a network of Nazi spies…followed by William Cameron Menzies’ “Address Unknown,” in which friends Paul Lukas and Morris Carnovsky become enmeshed in a Nazi-wrought nightmare before World War II. (There will also be another noir-themed double feature on Sunday night, featuring “Lady on the Train,” and “Escape the Fog.”) See the link above for details and tickets.
Sunday morning begins with another yard sale (this one’s specifically labeled a moving sale), from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 756 S. Orange Drive, in the Sycamore Square neighborhood. Items for sale include furniture, lamps, bedding, housewares, women’s clothing/shoes/accessories, large men’s clothing, tile, wallpaper, art and picture frames, treadmill, bar, rugs, party supplies and garden stools and pots.
Then, just west down Wilshire a bit, the Petersen Museum will hold its monthly Breakfast Club Cruise-In event, starting at 8 a.m. on the third floor of its parking structure. You can enjoy strolling through rows of classic, custom, exotic cars, trucks motorcycles and more. And there will be complimentary parking, coffee and bagels for all attendees. Petersen members will also have Early Access to the museum from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
For those who’d like some great exercise, there’s the hugely popular Ciclavia closed-streets event, this time returning to one of its most popular routes, from Culver City to Venice. The route, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., starts at the intersection of Washington and National Blvds. in Culver City and travels to Windward and Speedway in Venice. Streets will be closed to cars and open for cyclists, pedestrians, runners and skaters to use as a recreational space. It’s not a race, and traffic flows in both directions, so start and finish anywhere you like, and just enjoy and explore. For more information, including feeder rides that may be scheduled from various areas, see the links above.
If music is more your style, head east instead of west on Sunday, to the Dorthy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, where the LA. Opera will hold an open house with a full day of opera-related music, fun and backstage magic for all ages. Everyone from seasoned opera fans to complete newcomers is invited, and several events are designed specifically for families with young children. Everything is free, including Sing Out Loud, a 30-minute, interactive introduction to opera for children (ages 4-10) and their families, hands-on finger puppet and postcard decorating workshops for children ages 4 to 10, a Young Artist Recital, where singers from LA Opera’s prestigious Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program will perform beloved arias and ensembles from favorite operas, a Great Opera Choruses Concert, in which the LA Opera Chorus will perform famous choruses from a number of popular operas (and audience members of all ages—and any musical ability—can sing along with the pros), and a Pittance Chamber Music Concert, in which an instrumental ensemble made up of members of the LA Opera Orchestra, joined by tenor Arnold Livingston Geis, will perform folk songs arranged by Benjamin Britten, the song cycle On Wenlock Edge by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the string sextet by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. There will also be screenings of the LA Opera’s iconic productions, all filmed live at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, running throughout the day.
Back in the Miracle Mile, LACMA will host an Art and Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon at from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Art and Feminism is a campaign to improve the coverage of women and the arts on Wikipedia. A 2011 survey by the Wikimedia Foundation found that fewer than 10% of Wikipedia’s editors identify as female, and its content is skewed by the lack of female participation. So on Sunday, you can join East of Borneo for a Wikipedia workshop to help bridge that gender gap. Beginners are welcome and Wikipedia editor training will be provided at 11 am and 1 pm. Bring your own laptop and any reference materials you’d like to work from or share. You may also search LACMA’s Balch Art Research Library catalog for additional resources. The event is free, but online registration is required at the link above.
Meanwhile, architecture fans will have a chance to explore and ponder one of downtown’s most famous buildings: Parker Center, as the Los Angeles Visionaries’ Association (LAVA) hosts Making Sense of Parker Center – a LAVA Sunday Salon & Walking Tour at 2 p.m. on Sunday. This event looks at the Police Facilities Building (Welton Becket & Associates and J. E. Stanton, 1955), better known as Parker Center or The Glass House, which is facing an uncertain future as the city seeks to demolish it and the Cultural Heritage Commission, Los Angeles Conservancy and preservationists urge adaptive reuse. LAVA’s Richard Schave, architect and historian Alan Hess, and 2015 LAVA Visionary of the Year Nathan Marsak will present a slide show about the facility, followed by a site visit focusing on the building’s history within LAPD and the Little Tokyo neighborhood, its place in Welton Becket’s architectural legacy and its role in the Los Angeles school of mid-century Modernism. They will also discuss the current threats to the building’s survival and efforts to preserve the structure and its integrated sculpture, mosaics and landscaping. The presentation and walking tour are free but reservations are required at the link above (note that there are no “plus ones,” so friends must sign up individually).
Later, for more automotive fun, check out AutoCon Los Angeles, open from 1-8 p.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Billed as “more than just a car show event,” and “an automotive experience like no other,” the show features the world’s top show vehicles and notable industry brands, from classics to concepts. Exclusive vehicle builds/projects will be debuted, and product launches announced as well.
Finally, Sunday evening this week offers two musical opportunities close to home. First, back at LACMA, pianist Mark Robson will perform Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 at 6 p.m. Lauded by the Los Angeles Times as a pianist with “one of the great techniques” and “an inquiring mind,” Mark Robson has created a career which expresses his diverse interests as soloist, chamber artist, composer, and conductor. He has also been on the music staff of the Los Angeles Opera since January of 1991, working as an assistant conductor and coach, and has been a musical assistant at the Salzburg and Spoleto (Italy) festivals. The concert is free, with no reservations required.
Then, a bit later, don your best 1940s garb and head over to the Wiltern Theater for 1940s Swing Dancing Night at the Wiltern. The Fabus Four – “a little band with a big band sound” – will perform two sets tailored to perfection for dancing. Don’t consider yourself a jitterbug? No worries! Come early for a swing dance lesson taught by a professional instructor from the Lindy Loft studio. Whether you are an avid-dancer or a first-timer you’ll be sure to have a swell time! (“There are no mistakes in swing… only variations!”). The dance lesson starts at 7 p.m., and the main event begins at 8, with music and dancing at 8:30. See the link above for ticket and parking information.
Last, but not least, our weekly reminder about Metro construction-related closures of Wilshire Blvd. This weekend, Wilshire will be fully closed from Fairfax to Spaulding Aves. for the installation of surface-level concrete decking. The street will re-open at 6 a.m. Monday. See https://www.metro.net/projects/notices/notice_purpleline_020617/ for full closure and detour information.
Have a great weekend!
