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Last chance to sign up for the Echo Park Community Parade

EPCP_Facebook_Cover_8-19-13

The annual Echo Park Community Parade is just around the corner, but before we get to enjoy the holiday jingles along Sunset Boulevard on December 14th, the deadline for submitting your application is on Monday.

Some general guidelines to follow when considering what super awesome Echo Park-themed float you’re going to have in the parade:

  • Entries will be allowed to perform a 2-minute routine (maximum).
  • Printed materials and items will not be tossed from the parade route.
  • Megaphones or personal amplifying devices (except for performance music) are not allowed.
  • The final parade lineup is thoroughly discussed and meticulously assembled by the parade committee. Unfortunately, there can be no changes.
  • Remember: This is a family event – please dress participants appropriately.

The parade is on Saturday, December 14, 2013, starting at 11:00 am and runs along Sunset Boulevard from Elysian Park Avenue to Park Avenue. The theme this year is “Neighbors Make Echo Park Beautiful.” Visit the Echo Park Community Parade website for more information and to submit your application!

Last year we had a blast at the parade – check out the photos!

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Outdoor yoga classes at Echo Park Lake starting Sunday

Echo Park resident Steven Arcos is bringing outdoor yoga classes to Echo Park Lake starting this Sunday, August 4.

Yoga Echo Park (aka YEP) is starting with Sunday and Wednesday classes, with more that may be added soon. According to founder Steven, here’s what you can expect:

YEP is Echo Park’s community outdoor yoga group! We are local certified yoga instructors looking to share the benefits of yoga. We come together for about an hour for a fun and challenging vinyasa flow hatha yoga class. Experienced yogis and newcomers welcome.

If you’re interested, drop by the northeast corner of the Lake (Echo Park Avenue and Park Avenue) on Sundays at 10:00 an and Wednesdays at 7:00 pm. A $5 cash donation is encouraged. Bring a mat, towel, water, and “positive intentions.”

For more information, visit the Meetup page, or email founder Steven Arcos at skarcosjr@gmail.com.

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Take a ride on the waters of Echo Park Lake

The pedal boats are back in business on Echo Park Lake! It’s been around four years since the city shut down pedal boat operations at the Boathouse due to budget cuts. Yesterday the operators of the pedal boats, Echo Park Lake Pedal Boats, Canoe & Gondola, greeted lines of people renting the bright yellow boats on the newly renovated Echo Park Lake.

The boating company is operating on a 90 day pilot program for the summer, after which the city will review whether or not it was successful. The cafe vendor will also operate under the same trial period – Square One Dining is expected to start serving on August 1.

Cost is $5 per child and $10 per adult for both the pedal boats (up to one hour) and canoe rides (the latter includes two laps around the lake with a guide). A gondola ride sounds like a nice date night – a half hour for one couple will cost you $50.

Wednesdays will be a great day to head down and rent a pedal boat – called “90026 day,” local residents can rent a pedal boat for just $10.

Hours right now are Monday through Friday, 11:00 am-7:00 pm, and weekends open at 9:00 am until 30 minutes before sunset. We imagine hours will fluctuate depending on the season.

The menu for the cafe has not yet been released, but according to The Eastsider LA will include “park fare” such as hamburgers, hot dogs, juices, and brunch items. Currently the sample menu on the Square One Dining website looks pretty delicious – gourmet cold and hot sandwiches, salads, soups, and more. Hopefully the price tag at the new Echo Park Lake Boathouse won’t reflect that menu – the cheapest lunch sandwich is listed at a whopping $10.50.

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Pedal Boats may be back in Echo Park Lake soon!

Flickr photo via atezrm

While the city has not yet released the list of food vendors being considered for the recently rehabbed Echo Park Lake boathouse, one thing looks good depending on how the paperwork goes – the pedal boats may be back by the beginning of August.

A Facebook page by the name of Echo Park Lake Pedal Boats Canoe & Gondola claims they are in the process of finishing up some paperwork to be the official vendors of the boats. A recent status posted on the page states:

We have had to close our Atascadero Lake site due to lack of water for the rest of 2013 so all of our safety gear and pedal boats are available for Echo Park. We are currently in the paperwork/permit process for Echo Lake. It is a lot more involved than expected, for example contract and compliance papers come to over 120 pages. City staff has been great in helping us wade through it all. Current hang up is trying to get our existing 1 million insurance for water craft upped to the required 2 million. Stay tuned…..

From what we remember before they shut the pedal boats down a few years ago, it cost about $10 per hour (per person!) to rent. We haven’t confirmed how much the rentals will be once things are up and running again, but the Atascadero Lake location mentioned above appears to be about the same.

Will you be first in line to rent pedal boats on Echo Park Lake?

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Author of The Madonnas of Echo Park coming to Stories

Have you read The Madonnas of Echo Park yet?

If not, do! It’s a magical book that takes place in Echo Park, where author Brando Skyhorse also grew up. Many view it as a commentary on the gentrification of the neighborhood – which is the direction that HBO is taking on developing a series of the novel. But if you’re tired of the overuse of the “g” word (gentrification), there’s a lot more to the novel.

Fans of the novel will have an opportunity to get some insight into the book in its original location next week. Skyhorse will be reading excerpts of the novel at Stories Books & Cafe in Echo Park on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 starting at 7:30 pm. He will also join authors Joseph Mattson of Los Angeles and Carlene Bonnivier of Echo Park.

 

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Elf Café now serving beer and wine

We drove by Elf Café the other night – and it was BUZZING!

Considered by many to be the best vegetarian restaurant in Los Angeles, the six-year-old Echo Park restaurant now has something new to offer its patrons (and to compete with the giant and vegan-friendly Mohawk Bend next door): Beer and wine!

Owner and chef Scott Zwiezen is focusing this new menu addition on a natural/organic approach. He explains in an email to us:

Our focus is on wine, with emphasis on biodynamic and natural, dry-farmed wines which utilize native yeasts and natural forms of pest control. There’s a Loire we have in, for instance from Olivier Cousin -a visionary of modern biodynamic winemaking- that is, simply put, incredible. We have also been meeting with and buying wines from other small producers in California, France, Portugal, Australia and Chile.

And there’s beer too – Evan George, of Hot Knives and formerly of Elf, is helping curate the beer menu. Eagle Rock Brewery’s Populist IPA and Solidarity will be available, as well as organic options from Eel River Brewery and Iron First (Vista, California).

Both the beer and wine list will change, depending on availability and season.

We can’t wait to check it out!

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Echo Park Art Walk map!

Click for map

Today is the 4th annual Echo Park Art Walk!

Starting at noon today, there will be art exhibits, sidewalk chalk, workshops, kids activities, live music, food, special discounts in stores, and live performance art all over Echo Park.

Additionally, this year Art Needs Freedom is collaborating with Elysian Heights Elementary School, so there will be a lot of stuff going on there!

So much great stuff going on – the map is dizzying! Click here to download your own map of the festivities.

See you there!

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Opening Day and more Dodgers news

The new Dodgers season is upon us!

For Echo Parkians, however, baseball season is bittersweet. It’s GREAT to be able to walk to the games and we love being Dodgers fan, but the traffic and the noise and fighting for a seat at the sports bars before the game…. Well, it can get a little hectic.

Opening Day

Opening Day is the worst. So prepare yourself. On Monday, April 1 the Dodgers take on the San Francisco Giants once again. Here are some details for opening day:

  • Pregame ceremony starts at 12:10 pm and will include a one minute fireworks display at 1:00 pm
  • Parking gates and stadium gates will open at 10:00 am
  • Street closures are as follows: Scott Avenue between Stadium Way & North Boylston Street; North Boylston between Academy & Stadium Way; Lilac Terrace between Stadium Way & Lookout to Stadium
  • The a-frame signs (“Local Access Only”) will be placed throughout the neighborhood
  • Early LADOT staffing at Sunset/Elysian Park & Academy/Golden State Gate C areas
  • Police officers will be monitoring all activity with a zero tolerance policy in mind
  • Scott Avenue gate will be open on opening day, but for exit traffic only

Report any non-emergency security concerns to our Neighborhood Focus line at (323) 224-2636.

Stadium Renovations

There have been a lot of changes at the Stadium, including installation of a sophisticated wi-fi network (YES!), a new clubhouse, and new “amenities” on all levels (we think that means restrooms).

All the renovations will debut at tonight’s Exhibition Game versus the Angels, which starts at 7:10 pm.

Craft Beer!

Admittedly the most exciting rumor circulating around Twitter isn’t the renovated restrooms (although that’s awesome). It’s the BEER! Word is Golden Road Brewing will be on tap, finally introducing craft beer to the craft services at the stadium (by the way, Shock Top is not craft beer).

With the growing craft brewery scene in Los Angeles, we hope this is just a starting point for Dodger Stadium to start supporting local craft beer. We’ll toast to that!

This should be an exciting year – with all the roster changes, fans are hoping this will be a winning year and the high ticket sales are reflecting just that. See you at the stadium!

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Easter bunny + egg hunts at the Echo Park Farmers’ Market

Echo Parkian Peter Lassen and the Easter bunny at the Echo Park Farmers’ Market in 2012

The annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Echo Park Farmers’ Market takes place on Friday, March 29.

The craft table will help the kids prepare bunny ears to wear for the egg hunt, and the Easter Bunny will be on hand to take photos (bring your cameras!).

Toddlers ages five and under will start at 5:00 pm, ages six and over at 6:00 pm.

If you’re not able to make it with the family to the hunt on Friday, check out the Saturday egg hunt with the Echo Park Rec Center.

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4th Annual Echo Park Art Walk call for participants

The 4th annual Echo Park Art Walk (Public Displays of Art) is taking place on Saturday, April 20, 2013 from noon to 6:00 pm. This year is a little different – the Art Walk is collaborating with the Friends of Elysian Heights for some extra fun:

The mission behind this event is to “connect and celebrate community” and to share the neighborhood culture with locals and visitors alike.  In collaboration with Friends of Elysian Heights Elementary School’s “Art & Music Festival,” this year’s event is made possible by support from local businesses, schools, artists, musicians, neighborhood organizations, community members and residents.

Explore and discover whimsical chalk art, chain link fence galleries, an art piece scavenger hunt, kids activities, driveway theaters, movie screenings, hands on crafting stations, sculptures, musical and dance performances, live art works, special store promotions and other various creative & mind stimulating public displays of ART!

Last year, over 70 venues and artists participated in the event, and it was a lot of fun! Once again this year, the organizers are looking for volunteers and vendors to participate.

Click here to learn about being a participating venue, or if you’re an artist or musician.

Contact Heather if you’re interested in volunteering at heather@artneedsfreedom.com

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Echo Park Spring Egg Hunt on Saturday

A couple of weeks ago we met the new director of the Echo Park Recreation Center. We are very excited that he is on board, and he seems very eager to reach out to the community about everything going on at the Rec Center.

First up, the FREE Echo Park Spring Egg Hunt. Families will be delighted with this event, taking place on Saturday, March 30 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at the play area.

Egg hunt start times/schedule is as follows:

5 years & under: 10:30 am
6 years & 8 years: 11:00 am
9 years & older: 11:30 am

Activities include: Arts n’ Crafts , Face Painting, Music, Egg Hunts, and a visit from The Spring Bunny.

The Echo Park Recreation Center is located at 1632 Bellevue Ave. For more information, call or email 213-250-3578 echopark.rc@lacity.org

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“Song for Echo Park” screening on Wednesday

Public screening of: Song for Echo Park
Featuring Performances by: Judson, The Digs, nav/attack, Human Mind Automobile
Taix Lounge, 1911 W Sunset Blvd.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 9:30 pm

From the event organizers: 

Directed by Dick Thompson of Wilcox Session, and written/performed by song-poet Judson McKinney, Song for Echo Park is s an epic snapshot into the heart of a mysterious and influential urban district of ECHO PARK. The film follows the verse of a vagrant musician in the fight for his career, docked and stranded in the place where “no one ever cries.” In his quest for individual artistic vision, the narrator paradoxically becomes an “everyman” who unwittingly becomes an invisible fixture of his environment. The spirit of Homer and Woody Guthrie converge with modern film to create art which transcends the mere immortalization of place, but rather reveals itself as a signpost for clues to times and seasons present.

Click here for more information and to RSVP.

 

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Street closures in Echo Park for Sunday’s LA Marathon

The annual LA Marathon is hitting the streets once again this Sunday, March 17, 2013. As usual, there will be many street closures and restricted parking starting that morning – but plan on parking your car the night before unless you’re willing to scramble for parking as early as 4:00 am Sunday.

Starting at Dodger Stadium, the runners will first go down Elysian Park and Sunset Boulevard to Downtown LA before hitting Bellevue and Glendale Boulevard north along Echo Park Lake. Sunset Boulevard through Silver Lake will also be affected, so make sure to check the maps for street closures and timelines.

The marathon runners should hit Bellevue and Douglas in Echo Park around 10:00 am, so by the time some of us Echo Parkians roll out of bed things should be clear.

If you’re not worried about the street closures, be sure to have your earplugs ready. Helicopters (mainly news) hover for hours before and during the start of the marathon, arriving as early as 5:00 am and low enough to disturb  the neighborhood that does, indeed, exist around Dodger Stadium.

Also on the agenda is the LA Big 5K on Saturday, March 16 starting at 8:00 am.

Related links (via The Eastsider LA):

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The Eastsider LA hosting a live reading of website comments

Put this not-to-miss event on your calendar for this weekend – The Eastsider LA is hosting a 30-minute live reading of comments from last year that users posted on its website. If you’re a fan of the site like we are, you know some of the comments are often outlandish, mostly hilarious, and always incredibly entertaining. The event description is spot on: “It’s like ‘Our Town’ if Our Town had more arguments about hipsters and gentrification.”

The performance-style reading, which will also serve as a fundraiser, is directed by Rory Coleman Mitchell. Cast includes Noel Arthur (Bad Lieutentant: Port of Call New Orleans) Brian Beacock, Alison Cardoso (PLUR, Cartel), Jennifer DeFilippo, Jeff Galfer (The River, Buried Treasure), Kimberly Irion (Inappropriate Comedy) Joshua St. Thomas, and more.

See you on Saturday, March 9 at 2:00 pm in the Lounge at Taix in Echo Park, 1911 W Sunset Boulevard.

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Tierra Mia Coffee taking over Echo Lake Coffee

It’s only been a few months since the new owners of Echo Lake Coffee Co took over the former Downbeat Cafe on Alvarado near Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park, but we are told today Echo Lake Coffee is becoming Tierra Mia Coffee.

Owner Ulysses Romero hopes to be opening the Tierra Mia Coffee location soon, which will be its third location in the past year. Romero writes in an email:

Tierra Mia Coffee provides a very high quality latin-inspired coffee offering that is reflected in our menu and store environment. We sell choice micro-lot coffees from some of the best farms in Latin America and roast our out coffee with a fanatical quest to produce the best taste. Our in-store beverage offering includes our brewed coffees as well as several signature drinks such as our mocha mexicano, horchatta latte, cubano con leche, horchata frappe and our rice and beans frappe. In addition to our coffee roastery, Tierra Mia Coffee also operates a bakery and we bake our pastries daily for all of our stores.

Fresh roasted coffee and pastries? Sounds pretty good! Here’s to hoping this one will stick (and will they bring back Wednesday night jazz?).

Tierra Mia Coffee is located at 1202 N. Alvarado St. Planned hours are 6:30 am – 10:00 pm, 7 days a week.

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