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Free filmmaking workshop for teens around Echo Park

The Digital Institute for Youth Media (DIY Media, a program of the Little Tokyo Service Center) is offering a FREE six week documentary filmmaking workshop for teens ages 12-19 in the Echo Park area. The class will cover all aspects of filmmaking from shooting to editing – students will work in groups of two or three to create a short documentary about a social issue important to them. Classes are held every Tuesday and Thursday from February 15 through March 24.

While the class has already started this week, there are a few spots left for the remaining weeks. The deadline to enroll is Tuesday, February 22, 2011. Please email Tiffany at totoya@ltsc.org to join!

Classes take place in the Angelina Apartments Community Room, located at 1336 Angelina Street.

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Saturday: Family Dance Party at The Echo Center

This all ages, family dance party is open to everyone, and sounds like a lot of fun for families! According to the event announcement, “An LA venue will be transformed into a kid-friendly environment with a live DJ, dancing, face painting, scarves, hula hoops, bubbles and healthy snacks.”

Family Dance Party takes place on Saturday, February 19, 2011 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

The Echo Center will be hosting the event in the basement of the Echo Park United Methodist Church Building, located at 1226 N. Alvarado Blvd.

Cost is $20.00 per family (cash, check, or charge). No family will be turned away for lack of funds.

Click here to download the event flyer (in English and Spanish).

Learn more about The Echo Center by visiting the website: www.theechocenter.org

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Echo Park’s Week in Music

For the week of Tuesday, February 15 through Sunday, February 20

Tuesday
Susan James Cd Release Party Featuring Susan James, Tony Gilkyson/Kip Boardman, Old Californio, Evie Sands, The Quarter After, Double Naught Spycar, Anny Celsi & Nelson Bragg And Others @ Echo
Joseph Arthur, Madi Diaz @ Bootleg Theater
Thurlow Spokes Ep Release Party @ Lot 1
The Singles release party for “Tomorrow I’ll be blue” @ The Fretted Frog

Wednesday
Trmrs, Hindu Pirates @ Echo
Dub Club @ Echoplex
Wake Up Lucid, The Steelwells, Gypsy Death Star @ Bootleg Theater
Echo Park Juke Joint Presented By Homework, The Downtown Train, Santoros @ Lot 1
Melody In The Round #9 @ Taix Lounge
Live Jazz every Wednesday Night at 7:00 pm @ Downbeat Cafe

Thursday
Lucero, Olin & The Moon @ Echoplex
Duniven (Patrick Of Capshuns), Queen Kwong, The Vla, The Delabre @ Bootleg Theater
Little Furry Things, Weird T.V, Shirley Rolls @ Lot 1
Odd Birds @ Taix Lounge

Friday
Marnie Stern, Tera Melos, Power Axe @ Echo
Club Underground W/ Pep Talk @ Echo
Bearracuda @ Echoplex
Mike Viola With Victor Indrizzo And Sean Hurley, Debate Team, Kate Micucci @ Bootleg Theater
Tremellow, Luna Is Honey @ Lot 1
Cave Country, Matthew Van Wrinkle, Fort King @ Taix Lounge

Saturday
Fyf Presents Glass Candy, Austra (Formerly Katie Stelmanis), Bobby Birdman @ Echoplex
Jaxart Presents Speculator, Punk On Mars, Melted Toys @ Lot 1
Artichoke, Lovers & Poets @ Taix Lounge
The Herbert Stanley Bail Orchestra, Psychedelic Future Folk @ The Fretted Frog
Easter Everywhere Records presents: Verse / Chorus / Verse / Chorus: An evening of experimental and pop performances. Click here for info. @ Pehrspace
Family Dance Party @ The Echo Center

Sunday
Beth Hart With Souls On 11 Feat. Jeff Young & Twinkle Yochim@ Echoplex
Man Or Astroman, Octopus Project @ Echo
Louis And Genevieve, Rick, Anenon @ Bootleg Theater

For more information on weekly musical events like club nights, see our community resource pages.Visit the venue website for more information on the cost and times of shows. This list may not represent all the musical events happening in Echo Park this week – feel free to add more events in the comment section. All events listed are subject to change at any time. New events announced for the week after this posting may not be included.

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In case you missed it: Echo Park in the news

Betty Plasencia Elementary School was on lockdown Monday morning after reports of an armed man on campus. Turns out, there was no reason for alarm. Echo Park Patch.

A shut-down of Sunset Boulevard for paving in Echo Park was a huge pain in the you-know-what for those of us living on the detour routes. The Eastsider LA has the info and photos.

Maria the Goose is getting a lot of news coverage as we get closer to the start of the Echo Park Lake Rehab Project. We caught a glimpse of her favorite human, Dominic, over the weekend at Masa. Among many articles, the Wall Street Journal has a story, as well as the LA Times.

There’s a new pop-up shop opening in Echo Park called Street Art Pop Up. Apparently the exact location is super secret, but plans are to open March 4.

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Monster truck show this weekend at Dodger Stadium

The stadium floor is covered in dirt as they prep for the Monster Truck course

Dodger Stadium is ready for the final show of the Motocross/Monster Truck exhibits before the start of the baseball season.

On Saturday, February 19th, the Stadium is hosting a monster truck show from 2:00 pm – 10:00 pm. Here’s the full announcement from Dodgers Community Relations Manager, Noel Paillas:

This is a friendly reminder that this upcoming Saturday, February 19th, Dodger Stadium will host a monster truck show. This family-friendly event will occur on the field within the Stadium and will showcase racing, as well as skills of individual drivers and their respective trucks.

The exhibition and racing will begin by 2:00PM and be completed shortly before 10:00PM. This event is expected to be a sell-out and all parking gates used for games will be used for inbound, as well as outbound traffic. As such, this will be handled like all other major games/events at the Stadium. Therefore, to minimize the impact on the community a complete complement of LAPD/LADOT officers will be deployed in the community

And, like the Motocross event, there will be a limited number of first come, first serve tickets available for community members:

Finally, as has been our standing offer, we have a limited number of tickets available for members of the Echo/Elysian Park and Solano Canyon residents who are interested in attending the event. *Please understand these tickets are on a first-come, first served basis* Therefore, if you are a resident of either community and are interested in attending as our guest, you may contact me at noelp@ladodgers.com with interest (including total ticket request), your address and telephone number (additionally, since these tickets will be left under your name they are not-transferrable).  Requests must be received by 9:00AM on Wednesday, February 16th.  Tickets will be available for pick-up from our front desk starting at noon on Wednesday to 3:00PM on Friday (the day before the event) since Will-Call will not be available on the day of the event. Our Club-Level offices are located in parking lot D. Finally, if your request is granted, you will receive a follow-up confirmation email.

Should you have any questions, require additional information on this event, you may contact our Neighborhood Focus line at 323.224.2636.

Anyone thinking about going?

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Hear from Garcetti himself at Chamber meeting

A thoughtful expression, photo from Garcetti's Facebook page

That’s right, Echo Park resident and our Council District representative (and fellow fan of Masa) Eric Garcetti will be the speaker of honor at the next Echo Park Chamber of Commerce Meeting.

Come early to guarantee your seat, order an awesome spicy margarita from and Allston Yacht Club staff member, and ask questions!

When: Thursday, February 17 from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm.

Where: Allston Yacht Club at 1320 Echo Park Ave.

Follow Eric on Twitter, and what the heck – follow us too.

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Stay local for Valentine’s Day in Echo Park

‘Tis the season of lurrrrve. Shop and eat and love locally this year for Valentines Day, coming up soon on Monday, February 14! Here’s your Echo Park guide:

  • Feeding Birds Boutique always has great stuff and often sales this time of year (and they just celebrated their second anniversary!)
  • Ohana Flowers (1727 Sunset Blvd., near the corner of Sunset and Lemoyne) are usually open 24 hours around Valentine’s Day for all you who didn’t plan ahead.
  • City Sip will be hosting a Valentine’s Day special: Complimentary bottle of bubbly when you spend $60, and $35 per person for their prixe fixe menu (artisanal cheese and charcuterie platter, caprese or mixed green salad, gourmet panini of your choice, OMG Brownie with peanut butter mousse, or red velvet cake with chocolate grenache frosting). Call 213-483-9463 or email us at Info@citysipla.com for reservations.
  • The Park is closed in Mondays, and thus will be closed for Valentine’s Day. But they encourage those celebrating V Day on Tuesday to come in and try out Prixe Fixe Tuesdays – $15 for a three course meal. Tuesday’s special is shrimp cooked in romesco sauce with wilted spinach and roasted potatoes, and banana chocolate chip upside down cake for dessert. They also started taking 1/2 off bottles of wine on Thursdays! Tempting…
  • If your sweetie likes flan, pick up some delicious treats from the Flan King at the Echo Park Farmers’ Market on Fridays. You can also call 323-960-0770 to place a local order and for delivery.
  • Pick up some organic, locally-made macarons at Delilah Bakery. They are made by new Echo Park residents Bernard and Claire Becker. Yum!
  • Masa is also hosting your Valentine’s dinner from 5:00 pm until 11:00 pm. $45 per couple gets you: Two glasses of champagne, chilled and grilled shrimp with red pepper heart appetizer, manchego salad, heart-shaped Chicago deep dish pizza, and chocolate creme brulee for dessert.
  • From 5:00 pm until 11:00 pm, Taix is serving up main courses for $35 a pop. The menu includes some delicious courses, like slow roasted prime rib au jus, farmhouse chicken breast, and much, much more. Call (213) 484-1265 for reservations and visit the website for the full menu.

Keep checking back, we’ll add more as we come across it!

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Echo Park pet news: Lost and found

Two large dogs on corner of Avon and Cerro Gordo

From Echo Park resident Sandy is concerned about some dogs running around in the area:

There are two large dogs that have been hanging around the corner of Avon and Cerro Gordo St. I saw one last night – large, brown, Akita/Shepherd-ish looking dog. Then this morning while I was out with my dogs, I saw the same dog but he had a buddy with him – very coyote looking – brown, large, tall but much thinner than the other one. This time they were coming down Cerro Gordo from Elysian Park headed towards Avon. Two things – don’t know their demeanor – they could be harmless, but they might not be – and it’s always better to be on the safe side and steer clear of loose dogs. 2nd – maybe they belong to some who is looking for them – so thought this would be a good local venue to get the word out about them.

Please email us if you know anything!

Hank the cat is lost

From Echo Park Now reader Alexandra:

…I am searching for my very large orange and white cat – lost Sunday [February 6, 2011] around the intersection of Avon and Baxter. His name is Hank and I would be very sad if he disappeared forever. Any info would be much appreciated if anyone has seen him.

Email Hank’s owner if you have any tips through the Craigslit posting by clicking here.

Foster or adopt a 7-month old pup

Posted recently on the Echo Park Animal Alliance forum is this sweet face:

Sweet little 7 month old Riley is in need of a new foster home this week. He is a lab/pit mix and both affectionate and playful.  He does well with cats and most dogs.  He sometimes struggles a bit with small, male dogs, especially if they have a “napoleon” complex.  He is about 40 pounds and a funny little character!

He is crate trained, fully housebroken, is doing well walking on a leash, loves people and especially LOVES kids.  If you have room in your household for a lovely 4 legged foster child, please let me know.  I will be taking him out to adoption events weekly and can provide food and flea medicine for him while you foster.

Riley has been fixed, vaccinated, microchipped.

Please email us if you are interested in fostering or adopting and we’ll get you in touch with the proper folks.

Read our last Echo Park Pets post by clicking here.

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Drop by Farmers’ Market for info about Echo Park Lake Rehab

View from the top of the Clinton Stairs

We have been getting quite a few emails from residents asking about the upcoming Echo Park Lake rehab project. Today at the Echo Park Farmers’ Market, you can drop by the Echo Park Trash Abatement Project (TAP) table to learn more about how to improve water quality, especially at the Lake. They will have on hand some materials from the city’s Stormwater Public Education Program, the Prop O Lake Rehab Project, and trash management information for you. You can also sign up to get information about how to help with trash cleanups, water quality projects, storm drain adoptions, or to share concerns at the table.

The table will be there tonight from 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm.

The Echo Park Farmers’ Market takes place every Friday from 3-7:00 pm in parking lot #663 (half a block south of Sunset Blvd. off Logan Street).

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Art opening party Saturday at Ballard’s Artwork Framing

Ballard’s Artwork Framing and Gallery is hosting an art opening for artist Leland Bankowski titled “1/2 a Christ, 1/2 a V Meyerhold and 1/2 a Stray Dog.” I’m sure you can expect some libations, snacks, and awesome art. And what a great way to check out Ballard’s – because it is really awesome.

When: Saturday, February 12 from 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Where: Ballard’s Artwork Framing at 1568 W Sunset Blvd.

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Talk a walk with Maria the Goose’s favorite human(s)

Flickr photo via LaCaMod

You may have heard the story about Maria the Goose – the only loveable goose I’ve ever heard of. She may not snuggle with you, but she is very friendly and has become very fond of Dominic, a local who visits her quite regularly and is often seen following him down the street as he speeds away on a moped.

You may have also heard about the goose on KTLA, and the Maria the Goose Facebook page (well, they call her Orange Bill) launched from the recent OK Go music video at the lake.

This weekend, a Hiking Club will meet along with new member Dominic to take a walk around the lake. Hike leader Lee Zebold admits that lately, Maria has also “accepted me, and I am now her friend.”

According to the meet-up page, “Now is your chance to meet Maria and walk Echo Lake with her. She will put on a flying demonstration as well to show off her newly learned abilities (she is young and learning to fly). It will take no more than an hour and should be a hike (walk) that you won’t easily forget.”

As you may know, the lake will be gated, dredged, and rebuilt over a two year process starting in April 2011. We have just a couple of months left to enjoy the lake as we now know it, so take advantage now! And don’t worry, there’s still the second largest park in Los Angeles (Elysian Park) in our backyard, so you won’t be left without some great green space.

The meetup this weekend is on Saturday, February 12 at 9:00 am. No dogs, easy hike for all ages. Meet at 1750 Echo Park Avenue. Click here to sign up on the meet-up page.

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Homemade cookies, from Echo Park with Luv

Wondering what to score your sweety for Valentine’s Day?

Longtime Echo Park residents Bill Rangel and Bob Hubbert started Over the Moon Cookies in 2010. You may have seen some of Bill’s artwork in the I Luv Echo Park bumper stickers in the area and on one of my previous articles. Now he’s making gourmet, made-to-order cookies for Echo Park and beyond.

They got the company name when a a Los Angeles Pizza customer exclaimed, “These cookies are over the moon!” after she tried their Super Chocolate Chunk cookies.

You can pick up these all-natural, handmade cookies and ice cream sandwiches at Fix Coffee in Echo Park, and Los Angeles Pizza near Chinatown.

You can also, of course, order online at www.overthemooncookies.com, and on Amazon. Call 323-665-0823 or info@overhemooncookies.com for more information and wholesale pricing.

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Echo Park’s Week in Music

For the week of Monday, February 7 through Sunday, February 13

Monday
Monday Night Residency: Slang Chickens, Papa, Mini Mansions, Rachel Fannan, Dj Keith Morris, Origami DJs on the back patio @ Echo
Beatdrop with LLCOOLGEE @ The Short Stop
Jenny O, Everest, The Belle Brigade, Micky Adams @ Bootleg Theater

Tuesday
Amanda Jo Williams, Infantree @ Echo
Joseph Arthur, Tom Freund @ Bootleg Theater
Open Mic Night @ The Fretted Frog
Buzz Bands LA Songwriter Series @ Lot 1 Cafe

Wednesday
Mona, Vanaprasta, Polls @ Echo
Dub Club @ Echoplex
One Trick Pony, Ladycop, Mad Gregs @ Pehrspace
Live Jazz every Wednesday Night at 7:00 pm @ Downbeat Cafe

Thursday
Echo and Rootdown Present: Breakestra, Simple Citizens @ Echo
The Rumble Presents Hands, Letting Up Despite Great Faults @ Echoplex
Atomic Tom, Maniac @ Bootleg Theater
Cigarette Bums, Pool Honeys, Hello My Name Is Red, Buffalo Electric @ Lot 1 Cafe
Fort King, Digital Aspergers, Castano, Stepfather @ Taix Lounge

Friday
Murder By Death, The Builders and The Butchers @ Echoplex
Echo, Aquarium Drunkard, Club Underground Present: Smith Westerns, Yuck, Therapies Son @ Echo
Killola, Bullet & Snowfox @ Bootleg Theater
Alpine Decline, Warm Climate, Robedoor, 99% @ Pehrspace
Joe Baiza, Ollin @ Taix Lounge

Saturday
Jarrod Gorbel, Atlantic/Pacific @ Echo
Ana Tijoux, Nocando, DJ Money Mark (special all-cassette throwdown), DJ Ethos, Sara Lov @ Bootleg Theater
Art Opening: Girls Drawing Girls @ Pehrspace
Jaxart Presents: Sean, Alina Cutrono, Gothic Tropic, Maston @ Lot 1 Cafe
Lil’ Valentine’s Hootenanny with Jamie Holiday and The Vampyre Bunnies, Elegant Friction @ Taix Lounge

Sunday
Part Time Punks – My Bloody Valentine Nite @ Echo
Netherfriends @ Origami Vinyl

For more information on weekly musical events like club nights, see our community resource pages.Visit the venue website for more information on the cost and times of shows. This list may not represent all the musical events happening in Echo Park this week – feel free to add more events in the comment section. All events listed are subject to change at any time. New events announced for the week after this posting may not be included.

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Rumor Mill: Durbin Project at Chicken Corner finally bought?

An announcement at last night’s Echo Park Improvement Association meeting (which I am a member of) hinted that the notorious weed-pit known as the Durbin Project has finally been bought!

The 36-condo complex located at 1601-1633 Echo Park Avenue (near Chicken Corner) broke ground in 2008, with plans to open in Summer 2009. Work completely stopped in March 2009 when financer IndyMac went under, and since then, it’s been a weedy unsightly mess.

With potentially new owners, it’s not clear whether work will continue, whether it will turn into a new project (hopefully not one that’s bigger), nor when anything will happen, but we’ve got our eyes and ears open and will let you know when we know more.

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Old-Time Jam tonight at 1642 bar

If you haven’t been to 1642 bar in Echo Park/Historic Filipinotown down there on Temple, you are missing out!

Picture this: Great beer, great wine, friendly service (rare in LA!), and the cool atmosphere of a recently-remodeled-though-not-overdone 1940s building with the decor to match. On tap this week: Eagle Rock Brew’s Populist IPA, Allagash Black, Lost Abbey Port Shark Attack, and North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner. Yum!

Tonight, Thursday, February 3, is the monthly Old-Time Music open Jam from 8:00 – 11:00 pm. The event is hosted by Triple Chicken Foot, an old-time string band that will get your heels a-clackin’ and will give you the urge to pan for gold.

1642 is located at 1642 West Temple St.

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