Earth Week: Community and Urban Gardening

We figured that Earth Day week would be a good time to address the subject of community gardens and urban farming in and around Echo Park.

First, if you are interested in finding a community garden near you, I suggest consulting the Los Angeles Community Garden Council website. There aren’t any LACGC-affiliated gardens in Echo Park itself, but there are a few located pretty close to us. The closest one is Jarden del Rio located in Elysian Heights.

The LA Community Garden Council also uses a site called GrowFriend that helps link up growers who need land with those who have land and don’t garden. If you go to the website and create a profile, you can view a map of what and who’s available in your area.

Second, some exciting news just came to us from Tara over at Silver Lake Farms. Since 2003, Tara has been growing flowers, herbs and vegetables in her backyard and selling them at local farmer’s markets. In 2009 L.A. City’s Department of Building and Safety told her that she would have to stop or pay a fine/serve six months in jail. They told her that what she was doing was illegal because it wasn’t “Truck Gardening.” This means that it’s illegal to sell anything grown in residential gardens unless it’s a vegetable. Read more

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Earth Week: Recycling How-to’s in Echo Park

When I first moved to Echo Park a few years ago, one of my primary questions had to do with recycling in the neighborhood. I was concerned about some pretty basic stuff, like what to recycle in the blue bin, but I also wanted to make sure I wasn’t throwing away items that didn’t belong in either bin.

General Recycling in your blue bin:

  • Styrofoam: This was my biggest surprise about L.A. County recycling. The Styrofoam containers and cups you get to-go from a restaurant are recyclable – just rinse it out so it’s nice and clean and you’re good to go.
  • Clean, dry paper
  • Cardboard Boxes and Chipboard (even your frozen food boxes that aren’t heavily coated in wax.)
  • Flattened metals such as aluminum, tin, cans, etc. Rinse them out or clean them off. Empty paint and aerosol cans are also recyclable when you remove the caps.
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Clean plastics 1 through 7
  • Plastic bags and film bags such as grocery bags and clean film plastic.
  • Miscellaneous plastics like coat hangers and even plastic swimming pools.

Click here to view the Bureau of Sanitation’s full list of do’s and dont’s for blue bin recycling.

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Earth Week: Echo Park Clean Up for Sunday

In celebration of Earth Day, the Los Angeles Neighborhood Cleanup Project is hosting an Echo Park Cleanup Day on Sunday, April 25 at 10:00 am.

Donuts and supplies will be provided, and anyone in the community is welcome to join. The group will be meeting at the Walgreens parking lot at 10:00 am.

Click here for information about the L.A. Neighborhood Cleanup Project and its cleanup efforts around the city.

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Earth Week: Help Revitalize Elysian Park

Celebrate Earth Day with L.A. Works with a revitalization project at Elysian Park on  Thursday, April 22 from 8:00 am – 12 noon.

“We are honored to restore and preserve the beauty of this park for our city,” says the website. “Project activities will include: weeding, mulching, raking, trimming, trail maintenance, trash pick up, graffiti removal and park bench refinishing.”

So far, 29 people of 150 spots are signed up to volunteer, and you can register here (you’ll receive specific directions once you sign up).

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Earth Week: Echo Park Film Center Screening and more

In honor of Earth Day, the Echo Park Film Center will be presenting the film Earth by Ukrainian director Alexander Dovzhenko. Earth is a 1930 Soviet film about an insurrection by a community of farmers, following a hostile takeover by affluent landowners. “One of the undisputed masterpieces of the cinema, no single viewing of Earth will ever reveal all of its poetic brilliance… The story itself is secondary to the visually stunning and incredibly moving images that Dovzhenko creates.” Thursday, April 22 @ 8:00 pm

Also playing soon at the Echo Park Film Center:

Saturday, April 24 @ 8:00 pm – FLORESTINE COLLECTION FUNDRAISER
Helen Hill was an experimental filmmaker and film teacher who made many fun, inspiring, and original short films. At the time of her murder in New Orleans in January 2007, Helen was working on The Florestine Collection, a thirty-minute animation and live action documentary about 100 hand-sewn dresses she found in the trash on the side of the road. Her husband Paul Gailiunas decided to finish the movie as a 16 mm film and needs to raise funds for the last steps in the filmmaking process. Please join us to see a ten-minute preview of The Florestine Collection, as well as other short experimental films by Helen, and several of her filmmaking friends. Treats provided! Admission is $5.

Thursday, April 29 @ 8:00 pm – GIRLS N’ GHOULS
Feminism isn’t dead – it’s undead! EPFC, along with EdibleBrains Productions, presents an evening of female voices in zombie film, zombie music and zombie art. “The Dead Walk in Brooklyn” zombie film trilogy will be presented with live musical accompaniment by local Echo Park band PioneerShips. EdibleBrains is a bicoastal, female centric production company dedicated to pieces written and produced by women in the science fiction and horror genres for film, theater and multimedia art. Go here for more info.

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Earth Week: Sustainable Silver Lake

For this post, we’ll momentarily drift away from Echo Park and into nearby Silver Lake. Sustainable Silver Lake is throwing an Earth Day event at Spaceland on Thursday, April 22 from 12 noon – 5:00 pm.

The event focuses on getting everyone to adopt just one more eco-friendly practice in our daily lives – from using re-usable grocery bags to turning off the water tap while brushing your teeth. Those pledges will be broadcast live on the web by Dublab during the event. KCRW’s Anthea Raymod, KPCC’s Alex Cohen and actor Ross Marquand will MC, and renowned photographer Doug Hill will document the event. Eco experts will also be present to share tips on how to green our lives, with local vendors providing green snacks.

To participate in this event, please contact Sustainable Silver Lake: info@sustainablesilverlake.org

To volunteer with Sustainable Silver Lake to help with this event and help make Silver Lake Sustainable, beautiful, and green, email membership@sustainablesilverlake.org

The group also hosts a free series called “Sustainable Saturdays” at the Silver Lake Library. The program provides guidance to residents about sustainable living, including talks and workshops by sustainable experts and documentary films about sustainable practices. Learn more here.

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Les Savy Fav at The Echoplex

Les Savy Fav (Listen or Watch)

Sunday, May 9th

The Echoplex

8:30pm

$16 advance, $18 day of show

18+

LSF has two very decidedly different components to the live show: singer Tim Harrington’s antics in enforcing the ‘no boundaries’ policy between him and the crowd, and the band itself. What I figured out quickly and thankfully is that by no means are the remaining members only providing a background soundtrack to Harrington’s act. They can shred, they can swagger, and they can rock just as hard. They’re just not shirtless or have toilet paper stuck to them via sweat glands.

Lead singer Harrington appeared on stage wrapped in toilet paper on top of his red-striped shirt. After mumbling something about how he got into an accident, and that the toilet paper reminded him of a tampon, he bounced around stage for a couple tracks before getting bored and jetting over to the stairs leading up to the VIP section, despite not having a cordless mic. He hooked his feet in the bars to make an airplane with his body before finding two foot stools to use as sleds back down the stairs. Over the duration of the show, he then stripped, donned a brown shower curtain for a cloak, duct taped himself to fans, wandered some more into the audience, used someone’s cell phone, put a bucket over his head and constructed a smiley face out of duct tape, peeled a banana and stuck the end of it in a photographer’s mouth, found a straw hat, passed around a large bag of tortilla chips to the audience, and changed into an actual shirt for the encore. While still singing.

Somehow though, I knew opening the show with something like “The Equestian” was going to breed some psychosis from audience members. The furious track begins with Jabour’s heated guitar plucking, and dance anthem songs like “Patty Lee” only carry the crowd into more destructive oblivion. But for all the mad performance jumping jacks Harrington laid on us that night, I’m relieved to know that as a band LSF has some real rock meat underneath the craziness of their lead singer, even if they themselves look bewildered and slightly mortified at times by Harrington. – Tripwire

I have seen this band live. They put on a great show. This will sell out. You can still buy tickets here.

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Earth Week: Illegal Dumping

Getting rid of an old chair, couch, or other rubbish that just won’t fit in your trash can? Don’t just leave it curbside. The city will actually dispose of bulk items – for FREE.

If your bulk items still have some life left, consider donating to Out of the Closet thrift store in Echo Park, which will pick up your items for you, or Goodwill in nearby Hollywood. Otherwise, all you have to do is dial 3-1-1. Please call the service if you also see abandoned furniture around the neighborhood.

Paints, solvents, and computer equipment can be dropped off on Saturdays and Sundayat the nearest S.A.F.E. collection center in Glendale. Learn more here.

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For The Cheap Seats

Goldstar has deals on Dodgers tickets. You can save up to 50% off select tickets here. Goldstar works directly with various Los Angeles venues to sell unused tickets at reduced prices. You will have to sign up for a free Goldstar account.

Upcoming games for sale:

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Earth Week in Echo Park

This Thursday, April 22 is Earth Day – so what are you doing to support a cleaner, healthier environment this year?

There are a lot of ways the community of Echo Park can make it easier for you to contribute to a cleaner environment, from recycling facilities, to community gardening and eco-friendly shopping and services. Throughout the week, we’ll be exploring all the ways Echo Park can make a difference in big and small ways.

If you have any tips for Earth Day activities going on in Echo Park, or would like to share your favorite ways that support a healthy environment and community, feel free to write us at info@echoparknow.com or fill out our online contact form.

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Dodgers 2010 Promotional Schedule

Between bobbleheads, rally towels, and blanket nights, there are a lot of reasons why you might schedule some Dodger Stadium visits around its special promo nights. We’ve got the best of those promos listed here, just for you:

  • Sunday, April 18: Viva Los Dodgers and hat giveaway for the first 50,000 fans
  • Tuesday, May 4: This Is My Town fleece blanket for the first 50,000 fans
  • Tuesday, May 18: Andre Ethier Bobblehead for the first 50,000 fans
  • Monday, May 31: Manny Ramirez kids batting practice jersey for the first 15,000 kids 14 and under
  • Thursday, June 3: Matt Kemp action figure for the first 15,000 kids 14 and under
  • Friday, June 4: 70’s Night and Loney/Blake poster giveaway for the first 20,000 fans
  • Tuesday, June 8: Jonathan Broxton Bobblehead for the first 50,000 fans
  • Thursday, July 8: Andre Ethier action figure for the first 15,000 kids 14 & under
  • Tuesday, July 20: James Loney Bobblehead for the first 50,000 fans
  • Thursday, July 22: Manny Ramirez action figure for the first 15,000 kids 14 & under
  • Wednesday, August 4: Beach Towel giveaway for the first 30,000 fans
  • Friday, August 6: 80’s Night and Matt Kemp Poster Giveaway for the first 20,000 fans
  • Tuesday, August 17: Matt Kemp Bobblehead for the first 50,000 fans
  • Tuesday, August 31: Cooler Bag Giveaway for the first 20,000 fans
  • Tuesday, September 21: Fleece Blanket for the first 50,000
  • Friday, October 1: Oktoberfest

Fireworks are no longer every Friday home game, instead they are scheduled for:

  • Independence Day: Monday, July 5th (start of game is 6:10 pm)
  • Labor Day Weekend: Friday, September 3rd (start of game is 7:10 pm)

You can also check out the full Dodger Promo schedule here.

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Record Store Day

This Saturday, April 17th is Record Store Day!

Echo Park’s Origami Vinyl will be participating.

They will be opening 2 hours early for the occasion: 10am – 10pm

Free Origami Vinyl/Altamont canvas totes*
Free Shapes and Sizes / The Weird Weeds split 7″*
Free Hooper Heroes Comic Book*
Free Colt45 (21+)

* With purchase while supplies last

Spend $50 and get 20% at etnies.com
Enter to win 500 printed 7″ standard jackets

CoolHaus Ice Cream Truck will be serving up treats from 7pm – 8:30pm.
Non alcoholic beverages and margaritas (21+) will be provided by Function Drinks.

Dum Dum Girls – 2pm
Male Bonding – 3pm
The One AM Radio – 4pm
Adam Harding – 5pm
Lou Barlow + The Missingmen – 6pm

Origami Vinyl is located at 1816 W Sunset Blvd.

Here is a little info on Record Store Day from their website. “This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on.”


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Sports and Recreation in Echo Park

via timothy.steingraeber's Flickr

We recently received a lovely letter from one of our readers:

I would love to be a part of a softball team in our area but there is little or no info out there.  I know Los Angeles has a recreational sports website but they don’t really offer anything local.  Elysian Park has fields that are usually open and if there is enough interest around town, maybe we could organize a Sunday league.  Do you have any thoughts, info, suggestions?

Why, yes, dear reader. We do have some thoughts, info and suggestions! The Echo Park Recreation Center is located at 1632 Bellevue Ave (across from the lake, on both sides of the 101 freeway). It has tennis courts, a baseball diamond, basketball courts and a lot more. The center is under construction, so some of its facilities (such as the outdoor pool) are not accessible at the moment. They also offer a bunch of classes and leagues for kids, but adult teams and leagues are a little more scarce. I recommend checking out their Facebook page for announcements. You can also call them at 213-250-3578 (the phone number on their Facebook page is incorrect) or drop in. Don’t let the scaffolding fool you, they are open right now. Their hours are 9:00 am to 9:00 pm Monday through Friday, Saturday from 9:00 am to 4:45 pm and Sunday from 9:00 am to 2:45 pm.

If aquatic activities are more your bag, I suggest checking out the Echo Park Deep Pool. There is a full-sized indoor pool and offer swimming and water exercise classes. It’s located at 1419 Colton St. The cost for adults is $2.50 to swim, but with your Library card it’s only $2.00.

Another suggestion we have is to look outside the borders of our neighborhood. The Silver Lake Recreation Center has an indoor gym, basketball courts and a baseball diamond. However, they offer mostly classes for kids.Your best bet for adult and senior classes is the Griffith Park Adult Community Center. They offer yoga, tai chi, cardio classes and more.

Another fun thing that you more adventurous types might want to check out: the Los Angeles Dodgeball Society. There’s a Silver Lake league that starts up on April 25th.

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