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Lotus Festival Rumored to Return

Militant Angeleno is reporting that the Lotus Festival will indeed return again despite another year of, well, a lotus-less lake. Last year the Lotus Festival was canceled due to budgetary cuts, and instead turned into the first Echo Park Community Festival.

According the Militant Angeleno blog, L.A. Lotus Festival, Inc. filed the paperwork for the event, which is scheduled for the weekend of July 10-11, 2010. While this year’s festival won’t coincide with the blooming of the lotus flowers (once the largest bed outside of Asia) since the flowers have stopped growing, it will as always be a great opportunity to celebrate the Asian/Pacific Islander culture, eat some food, and enjoy fireworks.

This may be the last chance for a Lotus Festival before the Echo Park Lake Rehab project shuts down the park in April 2011; hopefully the revived lake will bring the lotus flowers back!

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Clouds on the horizon

Clouds are looming on the horizon, and rain is in the forecast for the Los Angeles area. Bring your umbrella, and it’s a little windy outside so watch out for those flying palm fronds!

Let’s also hope the weather is favorable for tomorrow’s Dodger game against Cleveland.

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Tommy Mose Abbott Benefit

From 2Headedhorse:

“FRIENDS (AND FRIENDS OF FRIENDS) of 2023!

As you may know, our friend, artist/2023 mastermind Tommy Mose Abbott broke his leg over a month ago. He has been unable to work since then. To make matters worse, Tommy has been evicted from 2023! As you can imagine, it’s hard enough to find work and a place to live these days.

ELVIS PERKINS – FRANK FAIRFIELD – DORIAN WOOD – THE DOUGH-ROLLERS – PETROJVIC BLASTING COMPANY

And MORE TBA!!!

doors @ 8, music @ 9PM – cash bar

Thursday, April 1

We’ll be asking for $5 – $15 at the door. Every dollar will go directly to Tommy!

If enough funds are raised we can look forward to another comparable space opening up soon as this is such an unfortunate time to lose the space.

Come celebrate and give Tommy a big ol’ pinch on the cheek, Granny style!! And let’s all together mourn proper the passing of 2023!”

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EPIA General Meeting Agenda

The Echo Park Improvement Association General Meeting
Thursday, April 1st, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Barlow Hospital, Williams Hall, 2000 Stadium Way

Here’s the agenda, provided by Darren Hubert, EPIA President, via email:

  1. Welcome and Introductions
  2. Council District 1 & 13 reports
  3. Northeast & Rampart Police Reports
  4. Select Patrol
  5. Echo Park Chamber of Commerce – business update / downtown EP
  6. Elections – committee update
  7. Treasurer report
  8. Neighborhood Issues committee report (NIC)
    1. Barlow Hospital
  9. Unpermitted Flea Market at EP Lake – continued talk
  10. Approval of Minutes from February meeting

Reports/Announcements:

To make an announcement, sign a card when you come in, giving your name and topic.  Cards are collected and given to the moderator.

  1. Next meeting on May 6th – featured topic –Drought tolerant landscaping and edible gardens.  Various presenters

Adjournment.

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April Events At Echo Curio

Once again Echo Curio has a lot of shows lined up to entertain the neighborhood. All shows are at 9pm unless otherwise noted. A $5 donation is asked for at the door.

Echo Curio is located at 1519 Sunset Blvd (at Laveta Ter).

Thurs, April 1st – CHRIS CORSANO + WARM CLIMATE + KOLOVOS / SILBERMAN DUO

Wowee-wow-wow-wow… we’re extra psyched for this show, as we all know the
CORSANO-FLAHERTY DUO, or possibly his work with Sunburned Hand of the
Man, Michael Flowers, Bjork or Jandek, and some of us will have experienced the
CORSANO-KOLOVOS DUO, but most of us have not seen Mr. CHRIS CORSANO
solo.  This drummer experimentalist will no doubt take us into realms undreamed
of.  As will our good friend Seth and his WARM CLIMATE project, whether it be in its
solo form or three piece mammoth form.  More to come on this show!!!

www.cor-sano.com
www.myspace.com/warmclimate

Fri, April 2nd – LAURA GIBSON + ETHAN ROSE perform BRIDGE CAROLS + NOVI SPLIT + DANIEL AHEARN + CMG AND THE NIGHT

BRIDGE CAROLS was born of both LAURA GIBSON’s (amazing songstress for
HUSH) and sound artist ETHAN ROSE’s separate disenchantments with the written
and spoken word.  Together they have created an almost Gysin-esque way of
chopping and rearranging word and tone in new and challenging formats.  The
other three bands pretty much go about the same old way that everybody else
does, but man, do they do it beautifully.

www.bridgecarols.com
www.myspace.com/danielahearn
www.myspace.com/cmglovesyou
www.myspace.com/novisplit

Read more

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Silverlake Jubilee Vendor Deadline

Thursday (April 1)  is the last day for vendors to apply for a space at the Silver Lake Jubilee – a music and arts festival coming up on May 22-23.

The Silver Lake Jubilee will include musical and community performances, comedy, local food, interactive booths, and art and literary installations. The event will have a very strong focus on the environment, including the implementation of “Zero Waste initiatives with the goal of 90% land fill diversion and sourcing power from alternative energy resources.” There will be several interactive “villages,” including a Children’s Village, Literary Village, Arts Village and Eco Village along Myra Avenue (from Santa Monica Boulevard to Fountain Avenue).

Spaceland, Origami Vinyl, buzzbands.la and El Echo Parqeuño are curating music for the event.

They are looking for businesses and non-profits to purchase booths for the event (non-profits are encouraged to share booth space if affordability is an issue). You an click here to download the vendor application PDF.

Silver Lake Jubilee
May 22-23, 2010
silverlakejubilee.com

About the event:
The Silver Lake Jubilee bridges cultural diversity through social interactions with the goal of stimulating community involvement. The Los Angeles Arts and Athletics Alliance (LAAAA), a non‐profit organization promoting and educating arts and athletics through events and programs in Silver Lake and surrounding neighborhoods is the driving force behind the festival. Leading up to the Silver Lake Jubilee is a series of monthly showcases, known as Serenade Sunset, occurring the last Wednesday of each month. The showcases raise awareness for the Silver Lake Jubilee. Serenade Sunset is held at El Cid(21+) and the outdoor garden at Mi Alma Design (All Ages).

The Silver Lake Jubilee is an all ages event. The success of the event is contingent upon the support of the local residential and business community, Council District 13‐President Eric Garcetti, Council District 4 ‐ Councilmember Tom LaBonge, Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, corporate sponsors, private donors, non‐profits organizations in the area and the City of Los Angeles.

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Echo Park’s Missed Connections

“Ships that pass in the night and speak each other in passing; Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness…” Oh Henry, if only you were alive to witness the poetry of these modern-day words of longing.

from Space Penciler X's Flickr

March 27, 2010: You: “There’s A First Time For Everything!” – m4w – 30
You made the cardinal mistake of going to a party: Don’t bring your own cock blocker! My gf and I tried to get you to come home with us but you didn’t drive yourself to the party and it would have been AWkard!

You giggled “There’s a first time for everything…!”  Is there? =)

March 27, 2010: Green Dress Around The Fire Pit! – 49
You asked me if I was going to try to sell you a used lamp on Craigslist. I have something way more interesting in mind.

March 27, 2010: Shortstop Friday Night – m4w
You were devastatingly cute. Brea (Bria?). Wish I could’ve ditched my friends and chatted. God, you’re adorable. I’ll be back looking for you.

March 26, 2010: Taix thursday night – m4w – 30
sitting outside when you came out for a cigarette. had a brief conversation about music, buses, and merlin and guinevere. i regret not asking for your phone number before you went back in. maybe you’ll see this?

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The Patty Wagon – LA’s Newest Food Truck

The other day, I woke up late, jumped in my car and drove down Sunset intent on finding myself some good eats. I was at Sunset and Micheltorena when what to my wandering eye should appear but the Patty Wagon! They are the newest addition to Los Angeles’ fleet of food trucks offering mini burgers made from grass-fed beef. So, I got behind the truck and followed it all the way to the Trader Joe’s in Silverlake.

I decided to get the “You’re My Everything” (sweet peppers, onions, garlic and swiss cheese) with a side of rosemary and garlic fries. I never knew how much tastier grass-fed beef is than regular beef. It actually tastes like meat! The patty was perfectly cooked and juicy without being greasy. And the toppings all complimented each other and the meat perfectly. The one thing that I failed to realize is that these are mini burgers, so I probably should have ordered more than one.

The unfortunate thing is that the Patty Wagon’s current list of locations doesn’t include Echo Park, so I think we need to encourage them to come to our neighborhood. Maybe they and Grill ‘Em All could have a grill-off!

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Echo Park Film Center April Screenings

Phew! The Echo Park Film Center is wearing us out with all the stuff they’ve got going on next month! Here are the screenings that they’ll be hosting just during the first week of April.

Thursday, April 1 @ 8:00 PM – OPEN SCREEN
Our quarterly cinematic free-for-all dares you to share your film with the feisty EPFC audience. Any genre! Any style! New, old, work-in-progress! First come, first screened; one film per filmmaker; 10 minute maximum. DVD, VHS, mini-DV, DV-CAM, Super 8, 8mm, 16mm. FILMMAKERS GET IN FREE!

Tuesday, April 6 @ 7:45 PM – CINEMA SPEAKEASY: HILAROUS SLIGHTY RAUNCHY SHORTS
Cinema Speakeasy is totally stoked to present an evening of hilarious, slightly raunchy short films– so hilarious and slightly raunchy, in fact, that we’re calling the program nothing more than ‘Hilarious, Slightly Raunchy Shorts’. It’s truth in advertising. There are a lot of films in this program, and a full rundown of what to expect will be online at cinemaspeakeasy.com soon, but in the meantime, know that you can expect to laugh at (with?) former Vice guru Gavin McInness, LA-based comedians and writers Rebecca Addelman, Suzi Barrett, Dustin MacLean, Brian Shortall and more.

Wednesday, April 7 @ 8:00 PM –  REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS NIGHT
EPFC hosts a special night exploring reproductive rights and laws around the world through personal stories. German filmmaker Sarah Diehl is visiting LA to participate in The Ethics of Women’s Health conference at USC, and she will present her documentary “Abortion Democracy: Poland/South Africa,” which contrasts the changes in Poland and South Africa regarding abortion laws and their impact on the lives of women, here at EPFC. Also showing is “The Abortion Diaries,” a short documentary by Penny Lane featuring 12 diverse women who speak candidly about their experiences with abortion. Discussion to follow with FILMMAKER SARAH DIEHL IN ATTENDANCE!

Thursday, April 8 @ 8:00 PM – GEMS FROM THE ARCHIVES OF RUSS HARDEN III
Film collector Russell Harnden is back with another screening of GEMS FROM THE ARCHIVES, a film series devoted to obscure and outdated ephemeral films drawn from his personal collection of cartoons, educational, and industrial films. A sampling of these wonderful films from the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s will be pulled from the vault and screened during an evening that’s sure to stimulate your mind and make you chuckle at the same time. Join us and watch as an entire community tries to “get along” underground (‘OCCUPYING A PUBLIC SHELTER”), a kid with an attitude searches for gainful employment (“HOW TO KEEP A JOB”), and you’ll be amazed at how the future of telecommunications is boldly predicted (“TALKING OF TOMORROW”). So be sure to join us for a fun and “educational” evening!

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CitySip Event to Benefit Downtown Women’s Center

CitySip is hosting a benefit for the Downtown Women’s Center called “Vino and Nibbles” on Wednesday, March 31 from 6-9:00 pm.

The event will cost you only $25 and includes two glasses of wine and hors d’oeuvres. There will be a silent auction for items including Baseline Box seats at a regular season Dodger home game, and a cooking class at Chez Cherie.

Photographer Mark Huddleston’s art will also be displayed, and proceeds of the art sold will be donated to the Women’s Center.

You can purchase your tickets and/or make a donation by clicking here.

The Downtown Women’s Center provides permanent housing and a drop in Center offering food and supportive services for homeless women and women living in poverty in Downtown Los Angeles.

City Sip is located at 2150 W. Sunset Blvd.

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DIY Gallery: Pretty Rad

Aaron Williams & Zach Taylor // Pretty Rad: New Collaborations
Closing Reception April 10 // 7pm (Valet parking available)

Pretty Rad is an eye candied Pop Art painting and cleverly industrial Textual sculpture collaboration between Aaron Williams and Zach Taylor.

The entire show is a result of total collaboration in which not one piece is a solo work, each one requiring up to 3-4 months of work to complete. The artists took turn adding to and/or taking away from the previous artist’s contribution, the last of which was finished as the show was being hung.

The duo, both MFA graduates from The Chicago Art Institute, shows the range of their formal technical skills, ability to break free from said abilities when needed as well as their strength as a creative team. The two have been friends and collaborators for almost 3 years. The gallery represents both artists.

After Pretty Rad’s closing reception, the show is headed to Art Chicago, The International Fair of Contemporary and Modern Art at The Merchandise Mart, April 30-May 3 2010.

The show also marks DIY’s move from their former space at 1218 Temple St to the new Sunset Blvd location, a space previously occupied by Bandit Gallery.

DIY Gallery 1549 Sunset Blvd, LA 90026 (213) 977-9602
Gallery Hours 12-6,  Tuesday – Saturday
http://www.diygallery.info

*** Bloggers Note: We have expanded our Guest Blog week through Monday because we had some technical issues this weekend and these posts didn’t make it out in time. We apologize if the blog slows down for a couple of days while we work things out. Echo Park Now would like to thank the wonderful and talented Dale Dreiling for pitching in last week. Go see his work at Chango and at The Echo Country Outpost during the art walk!

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Echo Park On Apartment Therapy

Head over to Apartment Therapy LA to read their list of ten design inspirations based on life in Echo Park. It is a beautiful little ode to the neighborhood. Read the whole article and see their pictures here.

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Waved Out Pics

Two Boots

Best Coast 1

Best Coast 2

Turbo Fruits

Black Iris, White Adidas

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Menu Mondays: The Park

The Park

I came here last Sunday for dinner with friends and it was amazing. My burger was cooked perfectly, there were coloring books for the child in our party and everyone was super nice.

1400 Sunset Blvd
at the corner of Douglas
in Echo Park, CA.

Tel: 213/482.9209

Dinner hours:
Wed/Thurs/Sat/Sun    5:30-10:00
Tues/Fri    6:00-10:00
(reservations recommended)
Lunch hours:
Tues – Fri    11:00-2:30
Brunch hours:
Sat / Sun    10:00-2:00

The Park Prix Fixe Deals
—Speakeasy Tuesdays—
Ticket price: $15 (includes 3 course meal)

—Friday Supper Club—
Ticket price: $20 (includes 3 course selection from our regular menu)

Wednesday is $5 Burger Night!
Munch a 6 oz. sirloin burger or homemade veggie burger with your choice of side for only $5

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The Onion and The AV Club present “Our Dumb Book Event”

The Onion and The A.V. Club present:

OUR DUMB BOOK EVENT

with Division Day, Tom Lennon, Ben Garant, and Megan Ganz

At the Echoplex, Thursday, April 1
7:30 pm
$10, 18+

Posted on The Echo website:

Beautiful people of Los Angeles, reschedule your Botox appointments. Put that anal bleaching on hold. Stop doing whatever other lazy L.A. stereotype we can’t think of, and point your Prius in the direction of Echo Park: We’re coming to see you.

That’s right, the multimedia caravan around our Inventory book is coming to the Echoplex on April 1, and this time we’re bringing with us our siblings, The Onion—who have their own awesome book to promote. (Buy them together for a low low price here!) For one night only, staff members from both publications will be on hand to read, show videos, talk, and generally goof around for your enjoyment.

And we won’t be alone. Joining us will be Tom Lennon and Ben Garant (of Reno 911!, The State, and a bunch of other stuff), reading their guest lists from Inventory, Important Things With Demetri Martin writer—and former Onion scribe—Megan Ganz, L.A. band Division Day, and others TBA. It’s going to be crazy and fun, and you should most certainly come.

The Echoplex, located at 1154 Glendale Blvd.

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