Saturday mornings are a great time for gardening, and whether or not you have your own green space to putter in, this week provides an opportunity to join with others in the community to help out at one of our great local school gardens. Starting at 9 a.m., Wilshire Crest Elementary School, 5241 W. Olympic Blvd. (enter through the Olympic Blvd. parking lot), will be celebrating the national Green Apple Day of Service, with a day of sprucing up its big teaching garden. They’ll even have a DJ to help you whistle (or dance) while you work, a master gardener will give a mini class on fruit tree pruning, and you can take home some free, healthy produce from the garden. Everyone (of all ages!) is welcome.
Also starting bright and early, the annual Dino Fest will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend at the Natural History Museum. The two-day event celebrates “dinosaurs, their prehistoric past, and the science that brings their world back to life.” It includes access to world-renowned paleontologists, rare specimens from the museum’s collections, dino-related hands-on activities, a chance to meet Buddy the Dinosaur, and more. You can also learn about dinosaurs that lived in polar environments, like Cryolophosaurus, and celebrate the museum’s Dinosaur Puppets’ 10th birthday. NHM members receive free early admission starting at 9 am, no reservations required.
Back in the world of healthy food, the California Vegetarian Food Festival makes its annual stop at Raleigh Studios Hollywood, 5300 Melrose Ave., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The event features innovative food companies, restaurants, and health and wellness vendors celebrating “the delight of plant-based food and cruelty-free living.” There will be food sampling and items available for purchase, environmental and animal welfare information tables, live entertainment and other activities for “foodies, locavores, vegetarians, vegans, flexitarians, and those who simply 
want to find out more about living a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.”
For those interested in an unusual shopping opportunity on Saturday, check out The Oddities Flea Market, curated by Ryan Matthew Cohn at downtown’s Globe Theater, 740 S. Broadway,from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This Brooklyn, NY-based event offers “three floors of exciting, top of the line purveyors of the odd…an endless sea of strange and unusual objects,” including “medical history ephemera, anatomical curiosities, natural history items, osteological specimens, taxidermy, home décor, jewelry, one of a kind art, bizarre flair, and more.” Admission from 12-6 p.m. is $10, but there are also VIP early-admission tickets available for an 11 a.m. entry, at $25. All ages are welcome, and children under 10 are free. There will also be “multiple cash bars for those 21 and up” (must have I.D.)
Later, head over to LACMA for a special exhibition of “David Antin: Sky Poems.” In 1987 and 1988, poet, artist and critic David Antin (1932–2016) used sky-typing planes to produce two Sky Poems over the skies of California. On Saturday at 4 p.m., the poems will appear again to commemorate Antin and his legacy. The museum says the best viewing will be from the north end of the Smidt Welcome Plaza, near the Levitated Mass installation.
A bit later, starting at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and every evening through October 6, there will be another large-scale art project lighting up the full facade of downtown’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. “WDCH “Dreams” is a “data-driven projection-mapped animation” by media artist Refik Anadol, which will play every half hour from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. across the entire exterior surface of the iconic Frank Gehry-designed building. The show is free and open to the public, and will celebrate the history and explore the future of the LA Philharmonic, which celebrates its 100th season this year (more on that below). The visuals will include transformed archival materials projected in “animated, data-driven patterns, seeming to give consciousness to the architectural landmark.” See https://archinect.com/news/article/150086045/refik-anadol-to-cover-walt-disney-concert-hall-with-vivid-data-projections or https://www.laphil.com/wdchdreams/ for details.
And finally on Saturday, for some much, much scarier projections, you could also check out the offerings at this year’s BeyondFest at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater. The WeLikeLA blog called it “Los Angeles’ strangest, scariest, and largest genre film festival.” It started on Wednesday, Sep. 26 and runs through Oct. 9 with “an absolutely massive lineup – the festival’s biggest yet – of fan-favorites, nightmares, and oddities, along with bold premieres.” See the festival link, above, for the full schedule of screenings, with start times from 10 a.m. through 11 p.m. on Saturday and 3 through 9:45 p.m. on Sunday.
In a much less nerve-rattling vein, the Petersen Museum will host its monthly Breakfast Club Cruise-In event starting at 8 a.m. Sunday on the third floor of its parking structure. Join car enthusiasts of all ages for a morning of conversation, laughs and some truly amazing performance and classic, custom, and exotic cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more. There will be free parking, coffee, and bagels for all, and members will have early access to the museum, starting at 9 a.m. The Petersen store will also be open for those hoping to go home with something special to remember the day. Everyone is welcome, and the event is free (standard admission rates apply to enter the museum).
Also starting bright and early, at 9 a.m. on Sunday, two of the city’s best-loved institutions, Ciclavia and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, are teaming up to celebrate the Phil’s 100th season with a special “CelebrateLA” edition of Ciclavia’s open streets event, from Hollywood Bowl to Disney Hall. As the Buzz reported earlier this week, about eight miles of streets connecting the orchestra’s two homes will be closed to motorized vehicles, and open for biking, walking, skating, and more, with a number of special hubs along the way featuring live music, performances of many kinds, food and more. See our story at https://larchmontbuzz.com/featured-stories-larchmont-village/la-phil-celebrates-100th-birthday-at-ciclavia-on-sunday/ for full details, maps, road closure information and all the other great details.
Finally, starting at 3 p.m. on Sunday, everyone is welcome to explore one of our own neighborhood’s iconic institutions, the Ebell of Los Angeles, at a Champagne Open House and Membership Drive. Come meet Ebell members, learn more about the club, explore its newly renovated garden, take a self-guided tour of the historic building, see pieces from the club’s famous costume collection…and find out how you can participate in the history, present day activities and future of the organization. The event is free, so bring friends and family, too (though RSVPs are requested at the event link above.)
Have a great weekend!
