This is one of those jam-packed weekends you’ll want to start early. Like 7:45 a.m. early, at Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., where the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment will hold its annual Congress of Neighborhoods. The event – designed for Neighborhood Council members but open to all Los Angeles residents and stakeholders – will include an address by keynote speaker by L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, and more than 30 workshops on many of the current issues of greatest importance to our city – housing, homelessness, climate change, neighborhood council reform, understanding the city’s planning and development process, how to create a cleaner, greener LA…and more. There will also be a free breakfast, lunch, and even free parking if you RSVP in advance at http://tiny.cc/NCCongressRSVP2018. (Speaking as a past attendee, it’s a great way to learn more about your city and how it works!)
Another learning opportunity on Saturday morning, this one for kids, will be a STEAM Squad technology and robotics workshop hosted by STEM to the Future, a non-profit promoting STEM education in Title 1 schools, at the St. Elmo Village arts and community center, 4830 S. Elmo Dr., 90019. Starting at 9 a.m., students ages 6-11 will learn about technology and build their own robots in a makerspace-style workshop. And it’s family-friendly, so parents and siblings are more than welcome to attend, too. Space is limited, however, so please register in advance.
Back in the Larchmont area, the John C. Fremont Library, 6121 Melrose Ave., will be holding an organizational meeting for its LA Play Readers series at 11 a.m. on Saturday. This is your chance to join the library’s very own play-reading repertory group, and to help determine its October pre-Halloween production (which will take place on Saturday, 10/27). You’ll also be able to audition for a part and claim a role for the reading…so come, give it a try, and release your inner thespian.
A bit futher west, at 7150 Melrose Ave. (just west of La Brea), celebrated pastry chef Christina Tosi opens the L.A. outpost of her famous Milk Bar bakery, starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday. (Regular hours will be Sunday through Wednesday (closed Mondays), with an extension to 2 a.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.) In addition to the bricks-and-mortar store, the opening celebration will include, according to a recent story in EaterLA, a Milk Bar-branded soft serve truck and a “side quick service window for preorder pickups.”
Surfas Culinary District, 3225 W. Washington Blvd., will be hosting another food-related event starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday – this one a free demonstration by La Vita e’ Bella Imports, promoting the ease of making its Tiberino Pasta and Foccacia di Recco at home. (And just in time for lunch – yum!)
But don’t fill up too fast. At 1 p.m., Miracle Mile’s annual Tarfest music and arts (and food!) festival kicks off and runs until 7 :30 p.m. at the La Brea Tar Pits. As the Buzz reported earlier this week, there will be a huge schedule of live music performances, DJ sets, kids’ activities, dance workshops, live painting activities, a Lagunitas beer garden, outdoor cocktail lounge, food trucks and more. Admission and performances are free, but food and drinks are available for sale.
Moving into Sunday, there are also a number of big events on deck. First, the Porsche Club of America will hold its 57th Annual Concours d’Elegance, starting at 9 a.m., on the third floor of the Petersen Museum‘s parking structure. Everyone is welcome – from families to car enthusiasts to fellow Porsche owners. You’ll see “the most elegant, powerful and stylish” Porsche vehicles, including popular models 911, 356, Boxsters, and Caymans…along with 20 sponsors exhibiting their products…and a great raffle, with all proceeds donated to the Museum. Spectator admission to the Concours is free, but standard admission prices apply for Museum entry.
The other really big event on Sunday is the West Adams Heritage Association’s annual Living History Tour at Angelus Rosedale Cemetery, 1831 W. Washington Blvd. This year, the tour will highlight “The Immigrants’ Story,” with costumed actors dramatizing the hopes, dreams and stories of some of the many prominent immigrants and their families who are buried at the location. They include: German beer maker Joseph Maier; Japanese émigré Harry Odama and his wife, Alice Ishisaka Odama, who broke barriers in the fashion industry; Rev. Samuel Haroutune Halladjian, whose brother and father perished during the Armenian genocide; Kuang Do Song (Paik), whose family escaped the Japanese Imperial occupation of Korea in 1905; Henry Fook Chew, sent from China at age 15 to find fortune in America; Bavarian native Katharina Kafitz, whose family was beset by scandal after her untimely death; Jean-Louis Sainsevain, a French immigrant who helped establish California’s wine industry; Chinese actor and restaurateur Willie Fung; and Marine Lance Cpl. Luis Alberto Figueroa, a Purple Heart recipient who gave his life in the Gulf War during the Second Battle of Fallujah.  Tickets are available for timed sessions starting every 20 minutes between 9 a.m. and noon. Advance ticket purchases are strongly recommended. See the event link above for details and tickets…and don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes for lots of walking and standing.
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Back in the land of the very much living, the Big Sunday organization will host its 6th Annual Books and Brunch event on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can join Big Sunday’s staff and other volunteers to collect and sort all kinds of new and gently-used books for donations to a long list of worthy nonprofits. (This year’s recipients include local public schools, headstart programs, kids in foster care, adults and kids group homes, seniors, veteran groups and more.) And, of course, there will be brunch for everyone, too. All ages are welcome…and everyone is encouraged to come dressed as a favorite literary character. Just sign up at the link above.
And finally on Sunday, the Los Angeles Zoo will celebrate the International Day of Peace 2018 with Dr. Jane Goodall, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The event, which is free with paid Zoo admission, will feature a Peace Initiative project expo, Peace Day parade, live entertainment, and a message of peace from Dr. Goodall herself in the World of Birds Theater. Live remote viewing of Dr. Goodall’s presentation will also be available on the jumbotron screen in front of the theater, subject to capacity. See the link above for further details…
…and have a great weekend!
