From our Neighbors: LA’s Best Health Fest

The 2007 Health Festival

This weekend is the Eighth Annual Health Festival put on by LA’s Best, a city-run organization that organizes after-school programs for children ages five through 12. The Health Festival is a fun fair for families held at East Los Angeles City College, and will offer free medical and dental screenings, healthy snack-making, fun physical fitness activities, arts and crafts and a wide-range of entertainment (including Ariana Grande, of Nickelodeon’s  Victorious and Cymphonique). Here’s the low-down from LA’s Best:

At a time when children’s health and nutrition across the nation is deteriorating and childhood obesity rates are at their highest, LA’s BEST has continued to make health and fitness education a priority in its programming. More than 5,000 children and their families from the lowest income communities in Los Angeles will come together for the 8th Annual Family Health Festival. LA’s BEST serves a predominantly Latino-heritage population.

That’s right, they expect more than 5,000 parents and kids to attend, so it should be a lot of fun for families!

2010 Health Festival
Sunday, October 17th, 2010
9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

East Los Angeles College – Weingart Stadium
1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, CA 91754
Weingart Stadium is located on the campus off Floral Drive
Stage program beginning at 9:00 a.m. and activities taking place throughout the day

/6,325 Comments/by
,

Plenty of Echo Park businesses make the LA Weekly “best of” cut

LA Weekly recently published its Best of LA 2010, the best spots for food, drink, shopping, nightlife, recreation, etc. Echo Park isn’t a stranger to this list – quite a few spots made the cut in those categories (and boy are there a few!).

Check out the Echo Park spots that made the list, along with an excerpt from LA Weekly:

Bob Baker Marionettes: Best bob, stage and puppeteers
“Inside, the theater continues to provide the backdrop for a series of heartwarming stage productions, brought to life by the 86-year-old and his team of young puppeteers… A local institution, Bob Baker Marionettes is now the oldest operating children’s company in L.A. While the puppets may be the ones drawing the crowds, it’s Baker who still pulls the strings.”

Elysian Park: Best Park Hidden in Plain Sight
“Compared with Griffith Park, which has great scrubby, Wild West–looking hiking trails, more of Elysian is domesticated and park-like while still maintaining a strong feeling of nature.”

Angelino Heights Best Historic Neighborhood
“…Angelino Heights’ proud, decades-long residents lend the place another level of solidity. Start at Carroll Avenue to experience the epicenter of tasteful, Victorian splendor, but work your way out from there, as architectural eye candy lies interspersed throughout this semi-circular neighborhood.”

Echo Park Time Travel Mart: Best One-Stop, Head-Scratching Shopping
“Outside, the handwritten ‘Out of order, come back yesterday’ note taped to the slushy machine has been there since the beginning. The dinosaur eggs in the refrigerator still haven’t hatched. It really is the most inconvenient convenience mart.”

Rock Paper Salon: Best Hair Salon Experience for Men
“At RPS, you get the full experience that has made the young stylist an Eastside word-of-mouth success: great, modern hair advice, refreshments, friendly conversation and the solemn promise to never “make you metro unless you really, really want to.”

The Fretted Frog: Best Un-Centric Guitar Store
“The Fretted Frog is the brainchild of French expat Roland Belloir (the “Frog”) and his Echo Park shop is utterly relaxed, a haven for acoustic guitar fans and players to gather for impromptu jam sessions and between-strum banter. Belloir’s stock features rare and hard-to-find brands, small companies that specialize in beautifully crafted instruments.”

Iko Iko: The Odd and the Beautiful
“Scattered across minimalist-style tables made by Okuda — available for sale — are anything from misshapen, strangely elegant flowerpots to vegetable brushes that resemble potatoes to Hannah Keefe’s chain jewelry, so intricately woven they look like textile. The aim here is to inspire, arouse curiosity and have fun. Who needs a $12 million stuffed shark when you have $12 spud-like scrubs?”

Read more

/168 Comments/by
,

Echo Park Lake Restoration tour

Flickr Photo via avilon_music

On Saturday, October 23, we are heading to Echo Park Lake for a “Rehabilitation Pre-Construction Tour” to learn about the upcoming work on the historic lake. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the project, stormwater improvements, and what you can expect come April 2011.

Here are the dates of the tours:

Saturday, October 23, 2010
Saturday, November 13th, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010

9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – English
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon – Spanish

Meet at the corner of Park Avenue and Echo Park Avenue. Wear comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothes.

Sign up NOW! There are only 30 slots per tour and RSVP s are required.  Sign up today by emailing Olga.Morales@lacity.org or calling (213) 978-0329.

Click here to download the event flyer.

/107 Comments/by
,

Guest chef serves up raw/vegan Indian food at Mooi

Dinner in the Mythical Kingdom of Shambala (at Mooi)
Friday, October 15

This dinner is a collaboration between Mooi owner Stephen Hauptfuhr and Chef BeLive on Friday night; they are creating a special pre-set and pre-priced seven course Indian dinner that is completely vegan, gluten free and raw. The menu includes:

Curry Soup
Salad w/ Red Pepper Rose Vinaigrette
Samosas w/ Banana Tamarind & Pineapple Chutney
Indian Red Curry over Mock Rice
Pumpkin Curry Zucchini Pasta
Vegetable Korma
Coconut Yogurt
Chai Ice Cream w/ Cinnamon Chili Sauce
Served with Chamomile Jasmine Tea

Cost: $30 per person

RSVP is recommended but not required, email stephen@mooifood.com

/59 Comments/by
,

The Warehouse grand opening party Friday

Just a few months ago, owner Justin Warwick closed down his vintage store, Warwick, on Sunset Blvd. near the Short Stop. He took on a huge project remodeling and fixing up a warehouse space farther down the road, and is now ready to show off his hard work with a grand opening party on Friday, October 15.

Free Booze, piñatas on the patio, local DJs, DIY Class demos, sales! (15% off if you say the magic word, Seahorse), unique restyled vintage, dart painting, and much more…

Friday, October 15
8:00 pm-Midnight
1197 W. Sunset Boulevard (@ Marion)

Click here for the Warehouse Facebook page.

/644 Comments/by

Avalon Street live/work lofts denied

Remember those 8-unit live/work lofts proposed for Avalon Street and Echo Park Avenue? Residents have been collecting signatures for petitions, and working tirelessly with Echo Park organizations like the EPIA to reduce the size and/or stop the development of the four story building for the past couple of months. In an email sent out by neighbors and organizers today, it was announced that the developer has NOT received the approval to proceed with the project as planned.

The developer does, however, have until October 25 to submit an appeal. This gives a few of us in Echo Park hopes that a little bit of community organization, communication, and the right resources can help keep the community on track – hopefully we’ll be able to work with the developer of a pending 64-unit development planned for the former community garden site on Sunset and Elsinore.

We’ll keep you updated!

/586 Comments/by
,

Dia de Los Muertos with El Centro Del Pueblo

Join your neighbors and El Centro Del Pueblo at the organization’s FREE Second Annual Día de los Muertos commemoration. This year they are expanding the event with a special “Día de los Muertos” art exhibit inside the rec center. Set up your own free altar, organize your own booth for $100, and get registered to vote throughout the event.

El Centro Del Pueblo Día de los Muertos
Saturday, October 16 from 4:00 – 9:00 pm
Located at 1157 Lemoyne Street

/101 Comments/by
,

Shakespeare for Everyone: Hamlet at Bootleg Theater


Hamlet, Prince of Puddles, performed by theater group L’Enfant Terrible, has returned to Bootleg Theater for a short run in October after a successful run last Spring. Running every Saturday starting this weekend, October 16, through the 30th, the show promises to make adults laugh and tickle the kiddies at the same time.

Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark, but after the untimely death of his kingly father, his mother Gertrude hastily marries his uncle Claudius. When Hamlet learns who is to blame for his father’s death, he struggles to take revenge against his murderous uncle and becomes known as the Prince of Puddles! Find out why in this hilarious and family-friendly adaptation of the Bard’s classic.

Hamlet, Prince of Puddles

$9.99 for adults $5.00 kids (cash or card)
Saturday October 16, 23, and 30 from 12:00 noon – 12:45 pm
Bootleg Theater is located at 2220 Beverly Blvd.
For reservations call (213) 389-3856

/121 Comments/by

Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon to run through Echo Park

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Los Angeles 1/2 Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, October 24, expect some road closures and delays as the marathon runs through communities including Echo Park. The race will start in Griffith Park, cross the Hyperion Bridge, go through Silver Lake down Sunset Boulevard, alongside Echo Park Lake, and end at LA Live in Downtown.

Expect some road closures along the 13-mile course, or just avoid leaving your house altogether except to check out the race along Sunset Blvd. and Echo Park Avenue. Our neighborhood council (GEPENC) will be hosting a water station along Echo Park Avenue (probably near the community center on the corner of Sunset) as well.

We met some of the guys from Rock ‘n’ Roll 1/2 Marathon a few nights ago at the Echo Park Improvement Association meeting, and it seems like everything will go smoothly under their direction (they’ve done this before – this race was formerly called the City of Angels Half Marathon). There will also be quite a few entertainment stages along the course, including live music every mile, and a post-race concert.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Los Angeles 1/2 Marathon
Sunday, October 24 starting at 7:30 am
Go to the Rock ‘n’ Roll website for more details.
Click here to view a full map of the course.

/661 Comments/by
,

Apply for the 2010 Echo Park Community Parade

2007 parade photo by Paul via Picasa

We are a little jealous that Atwater Village has a big tree lighting event every year, but we in Echo Park do have a holiday parade!

The Echo Park Community Parade is currently accepting applicants for the 2010 holiday parade on Saturday, December 11.

To apply, you have a few options:

  1. Complete the participation form online at EchoParkCommunityParade.com
  2. Download a PDF Version of the form here. Print, fill out and fax back to Cindy at 213-483-5523, or mail to:

Cindy Ortiz
Parade Entry Coordinator
1157 Lemoyne Street
Los Angeles CA 90026

It’s free to be in the parade, but you must apply by November 1, 2010.

For more info, contact Parade Entry Coordinator Cindy Ortiz at 323-664-2412.

/2 Comments/by
,

Children’s Program at the Rec Center

From October through December 2010, the Rec Center will be hosting Sunshine Academy – a program for children ages 3-5 four days a week.

Your child will enjoy exploration into the visual learning of colors, shapes, letters, crafts, and music through creative movement and active play. Emphasis on socialization and cooperation in a fun and educational environment will also be covered. Activities are designed for Pre-K academics, and may also include arts and crafts, games, story time, and other socially stimulating activities.

Hours are Monday-Thursday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Cost is $40 per week. It’s a great way to support Echo Park programs and the Rec Center!

Children must bring their own lunch. It is mandatory that children are potty trained. No class will be held on all City observed holidays.

Click here to download the flyer for Seshine Academy

Echo Park Children’s Center is located at 515 Laveta Terrace. Call with questions: (213) 240-3006

/206 Comments/by

Rewind Electronics grand opening party

Rewind The Recycled Electronics Store in Echo Park is having a Grand Opening party on Friday, October 15 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.

Everyone is invited to drop by for live entertainment, refreshments, music, door prizes, and discounted merchandise.

Rewind fixes your audio equipment such as stereos and instruments, and also sells vintage collectibles and equipment. For a free estimate, come by or call them at (213) 273-8904.

Rewind is located at 1041 N. Alvarado

/614 Comments/by

Echo Park’s Week in Music

For the week of Monday, October 11 through Sunday, October 17

The Echo Curio is also closed down for the time being, stay tuned for more info on that!

Monday
The Moth Grandslam Vii @ Echoplex
Monday Night Residency – Evan Voytas, Hands @ Echo
Jessie Baylin, The Belle Brigade, Whispertown (Solo) @ Bootleg Theater
Tleilaxu Music Machine Album Release Party, Nymph, Tujunga @ Pehrspace

Tuesday
Smog Sessions @ Echo
The Blakes (Seattle, Wa), Sea Of Cortez, Lord Huron @ Bootleg Theater
Big Search (New Solo Project From Matt Popieluch Of Foreign Born And Fool’s Gold) @ Echo Country Outpost

Wednesday
The Acorn, Leif Vollebekk, Stone Darling @ Echo
Dub Club @ Echoplex
El Ten Eleven, Baths, Sister Crayon @ Bootleg Theater
We Are Country Mice @ Origami Vinyl
Live Jazz every Wednesday Night at 7:00 pm @ Downbeat Cafe
Brennan Leigh @ Taix Lounge

Thursday
Rain Phoenix (Of Paper Cranes) @ International Playground
Shadow Shadow Shade (Record Release Show), Eastern Conference Champions, Lesands @ Echoplex
Zola Jesus, Broken Spindles, Obstacle Corpse @ Echo
Cory Chisel (Appleton, Wi), Henry Wolfe, Hand @ Bootleg Theater
Devon and the Crazy Hearts, Chris Laterzo and Buffalo Robe @ Taix Lounge

Friday
Tilt 3 Year Anniversary With Jamaica, Nightwaves, Parallels, French Horn Rebellion And More @ Echoplex
Echo & Club Underground Present Nicole Atkins, Gamble House @ Echo
An Evening With Mike Doughty (Soul Coughing), Mike Viola @ Bootleg Theater
Manhattan Murder Mystery, Luna Is Honey, Torches In Trees, Schoenberg Knifefight Ensemble @ Pehrspace

Saturday
Dr. Sketchy Anti Art, Juliette Commagere @ International Playground
Echo, Dub Club & La Weekly Presents Dubquake With Michael Rose, Scientist With Roots Radics, Sister Nancy, Ranking Joe, Lloyd Hemmings, Dub Club Djs, Massamba And Sabar All Stars, Lady Tigra, Dubiterian, Ras Benji, Empress Akua, Rootsman, Jah T, General Jah Mikey, Ryo Vibes, Natasha D, Twelve Tribes Of Israel Sound @ Echoplex & Echo
Valient Thorr, Red Fang, Green & Wood @ Echo (Early Show)
Bootie La – Moved To Spaceland
Funky Sole @ Echo
Kenan Bell, Hesta Prynn @ Bootleg Theater
Tangent Transmission, Fim, John German And The Early Humans, Nacosta @ Pehrspace
Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits @ Origami Vinyl
Ruthann Friedmann, Fort King @ The Fretted Frog
The Mecolodiacs, The Atomic Sherpas @ Taix Lounge

Sunday
Echo, Dub Club & La Weekly Present Dubquake With The Heptones, Peanut Butter Wolf, Stone Love, Sister Nancy, The Lions, Tippa Lee, Dj Pinch, Dub Club Djs, Buyepongo, Viernes 13, El Haru Kuroi, Jah Faith And The Black Emeralds, Concepto Tambor, Raskahuele @ Echoplex & Echo
Vincent Minor, Obi Best @ Bootleg Theater
Lucky Dragons, Mi Ami, Kit, The Urxed (Member Of High Places), Traps, Ps @ Pehrspace

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.

/5 Comments/by

Cars of Echo Park: Outside of Montana Cans

Flickr photo by Albert Domasin

This beauty was photographed outside of Montana Cans during its store opening on September 24, 2010.

/85 Comments/by

Fallen Fruit of Echo Park video/commercial

This is a really cute commercial/advertisement featuring the Fallen Fruit guys on their search for public fruit in Echo Park. Though not all of the shots are Echo Park itself, you can see them building the map of Fallen Fruit in Echo Park using social media and other technologies, specifically this “Samsung Galaxy Tab” device and what looks to be similar to the iPad.

While we haven’t find the Echo Park map on the Echo Park map on the Fallen Fruit website yet, we’re sure it will pop up soon. Based on an old map it had a while back (click here to view that map) we started a while back creating a map of our own. Some items may be outdated, and we are slowly building more of the map, but that’s why you’re going to let us know if we’ve missed anything using the comments field below.

View Echo Park Fallen Fruit Trees in a larger map

/90 Comments/by