Looks like it’s going to keep raining for most of today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday), but the sun should be out again by Sunday, just in time for the weekend’s big event – the Academy Awards. Until then, however, we’ve got a number of ways you could spend the first part of the weekend, and most of them will be indoors, so you can stay dry and toasty.
First, if you want to get into the Oscar mood early, the International Documentary Association is hosting its annual DocuDay – a full day of screenings of this year’s Academy-Award-nominated short and feature-length documentaries, at the Writers Guild Theater, 135 S. Doheny Dr., 90210. The films run from 8:45 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and you can purchase tickets for individual films or the full marathon. Most screenings will also include Q&A sessions with the producers, directors and other members of the production teams. See the link above for the full schedule and to purchase tickets.
A bit closer to home, but still early on Saturday morning, local realtor Eileen Lanza will be hosting a Free Home Buyers’ Seminar, starting at 9:30 a.m., at the Keller-Williams Real Estate office at 118 N. Larchmont Blvd. If you’re thinking about buying a home in the near future, you can find out what it takes to be successful in today’s difficult market. There will also be a mortgage lender on hand to answer questions…as well as free coffee and pasties to enjoy while you learn and ask questions. If you’d like to attend, see the event link above to RSVP.
Moving from homes to cars, automotive enthusiasts can keep plenty busy this weekend with the Classic Auto Show, which runs from Friday-Sunday at the LA Convention Center. The event, billed as “the largest 3-day indoor classic car show in the U.S.,” features more than 1,000 classic cars, including vehicles from the Petersen Museum’s legendary Vault. The organizers promise that everyone from collectors to folks working on project cars – or anyone else who “shares a passion for the classics” – will find something of interest. In addition to the cars on display, you can also rub shoulders with your favorite auto celebrities, see live restoration and auto detailing demos, and shop a vendor marketplace showcasing memorabilia, parts, products, and services for car care and restoration. Also, new exhibit areas for 2018 will include sections for Hot Rods, Lowriders, Japanese Classics, Vintage Off Roaders, Porsche, Women Builds, and Motorcycles.
For those who prefer gardening to hot rods, its just a quick jaunt south of our area to the Washington Irving Branch Library, 4117 W. Washington Blvd. (at Bronson), which will be holding a Native Plant Seminar and Potting Class from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. This is a great time of year to work on your garden, and this class can help you get started. And like all library events…it’s free. If you’re interested, RSVP at [email protected].
Saturday morning will also give you a great opportunity for civic engagement this week, as California Assembly Member Laura Friedman hosts a big Town Hall Meeting, “The Future of Los Angeles: Building a Better Tomorrow,” on SB827 – a bill authored by State Senator Scott Weiner (who will also speak at the event) to address the housing crisis in California. As we noted in a story yesterday, SB827 is creating a lively (and that’s putting it mildly) discussion among NIMBYs, YIMBYs and everyone in between who is concerned about this critical issue and the best way to address it. Is SB827 the answer…or not? Come to the meeting, starting at 11 a.m. at the Camino Theater at Los Angeles City College, 855 N. Vermont Ave., and learn more.
Back in the Larchmont area, our own John C. Fremont Branch Library, 6121 Melrose Ave., will be hosting its monthly Friends of the Library Book Sale on Friday (12 to 4 p.m.) and Saturday (12 to 5 p.m.), as well as its free homework help session, from 12:30 to 3:20 p.m. on Saturday. Students from Kindergarten through community college can bring in their math and science work, and tutor Brian Koo will be there to help. No reservations necessary; first-come, first-served.
Also very close to home, this rainy weekend would provide a great opportunity to check out two new shows that just recently opened at the Marciano Art Foundation, 4357 Wilshire Blvd. The first is “Olafur Eliasson: Reality Projector,” which is the MAF’s second artist project, a site-specific installation created for the foundation’s expansive first floor Theater Gallery. Renowned interdisciplinary artist Eliasson’s art includes sculpture, painting, photography, film, and installations driven by his interests in perception, movement, embodied experience, and feelings of self. It’s his first major exhibition in Los Angeles in more than a decade. The second new show is “Line Packers,” a special exhibition conceived by Cornelius Tittel and including the works of two German painters, Peppi Bottrop (b. 1986, Bottrop) and Albert Oehlen (b. 1954, Krefeld). It features Bottrop’s line-drawing paintings responding to the architecture of the Lounge Gallery itself, alongside works from Oehlen’s Computer Paintings, a series that the artist began in the early 1990s and which is now regarded as a turning point for contemporary painting. MAF tickets are free, but reservations are strongly encouraged at the link above. (Walk-ins will be accomodated as space allows.) Hours are Friday, 11am–5pm, Saturday, 10am–6pm, and Sunday, 11am–5pm.
On Sunday, if the weather cooperates, you might be itching for some outdoor fun, so you could join the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition for its third Sunday Funday ride of the year. This month, the group ride will cruise through East Hollywood, Silver Lake, and Historic Filipinotown. Riders will learn about “Hidden Hi-Fi,” make stops at neighborhood shops, and visit the newly opened Silver Lake Reservoir path. Then the ride will continue on to join up with Los Angeles Walks’ free March Forth block party. The bike ride will be approximately 12 miles along an easy route, and if you don’t want to stay for the block party, there will be two return rides to the starting point. For those who’d like to attend the block party, whether riding in or not, the first part of the event, from 12-3 p.m. is free, and will feature games, magicians, face painting, bike lessons and more, on Vendome St., between Council St. and Beverly Blvd. A later extension of the party, from 2-5 p.m. at Gabba Gallery (across the street from the earlier party site), will be a fundraiser featuring food, drinks, music art and a guided Mural Gallery Art Tour. Tickets to that event are $30 in advance or $40 this weekend. See the link above for details.
Sunday also features one of the year’s most travel-convenient, no-fuss events – the Library Foundation of Los Angeles‘ annual Stay Home and Read a Book Ball. It’s a big fundraiser to support Los Angeles Public Library services and events…and you don’t even have to leave home to attend. That’s right…just stay home, crack open a great book, and then donate the money you might have spent on a big night out to the LFLA. No traffic, no uncomfortable attire, and no rubber banquet chicken. Loved ones, friends, children, family, book club members, cats, dogs and parakeets are all welcome, too. See LFLA.ORG/StayHome to RSVP, or text “library” to 41444 to donate.
And of course, once you’re all cozy in your jammies and enjoying your favorite snacks and libations, you can transition very easily to the big Academy Awards broadcast, starting at 5 p.m. on Sunday. All in all, a great way to end the weekend.
Finally, before we let you go, just a reminder that while the 10-day full Purple Line construction closure of Wilshire Blvd., from Western to Manhattan Pl. is now over, there will still be a partial closure of that stretch of Wilshire, involving only the westbound lanes, from midnight Friday through 6 a.m. Monday. See https://www.metro.net/projects/notices/notice_purpleline1_102517/ for full details and detour information.
Also, going back to the aforementioned Academy Awards, there will be a large number street closures for that event in the Hollywood area. Approach at your own peril.
Have a great weekend!
[P.S. – Psssst! Did you know the Buzz’s free community calendar is now also self-service? If you or your business or organization has an event you’d like to publicize, just go to http:/larchmontbuzz.com/calendar and click on “Add Your Event” at the top of the page. Also, if you post a weekend event, we’ll likely include it in this space too. Be sure to check it out…and also check in during the week, for great local events every day.]
