Tag Archive for: Christmas

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Where to celebrate the holidays with Santa and light displays

Christmas in Echo Park. Flickr photo via Alex de Corboba

With all the sewer construction going on in Griffith Park right now, the traditional holiday lights put on by the LADWP were canceled this year. But there are a few options in the Los Angeles area still worth checking out!

Train Rides and Santa at Travel Town Museum

Take a Holiday Train Ride and visit with Santa Claus himself at the Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park, where they’ve got the train route decorated with all sorts of holiday lights. The train rides go through December 23, leaving around 5:00 pm each night until 8:00 pm.

Tickets are $7.00 per person (infants 18 months and under are free) – which you should probably purchase ahead of time online. While you can purchase them at the Travel Town ticket booth, things might get a little crowded!

Digital photographs with Santa are available for $5.00 each. Kids will also get a candy cane!

Click here for more info.

Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena

So you’ll have to get on a freeway to get there, but it’ll delight the kids to see a real pretty Christmas Tree Lane. A bonus: It goes through January 1! Click here for more info and for directions.

For other holiday lights and events around Los Angeles and as far as Orange County, check out this Santa Clarita web page.

Where will the desire for twinkling holiday lights take you this year?

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Echo Park Community Parade on Saturday!

It’s time for the annual Echo Park Community Parade! The parade takes place on Saturday, December 10, and starts at 10:00 am (ending at about 1:00 pm) and goes along Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park, starting at Elysian Park Avenue and ending at Park Avenue.

This year’s theme is “‘Tis the Season.” Each year, young students from the area participant in art contests held at different venues such as the Central City Action Committee (CCAC) and the Echo Park Farmers’ Market, and a panel of judges chooses three winners from varying age groups to have their artwork displayed on the parade flyer, poster and banner. So keep your eye for all the different contributions from area students on these pieces!

In addition to local schools, drill teams, cheer squads, and elected officials, we’ve got a few Echo Park businesses and organizations participating in the parade lineup. Amongst those are The Echo Park Time Bank, Edendale Library Friends Society (ELFS), The Warehouse & The Classroom, Mi Alma, 826LA, and more!

We know that Mi Alma will be bringing in a lot of color to the parade with a piñata-themed float. And The Warehouse LA/The Classroom LA will be sporting a nice big trailer with a live jazz singer and back up dancers. And of course there will be Santa!

Also in the parade lineup, Mitch O’Farrell from Eric Garcetti’s Office is this year’s Grand Marshal. Parade Ambassadors include Holly Calhoun of the Echo Park Farmers’ Market, the Echo Park Improvement Association, Masa of Echo Park Bakery & Café, and Albert Torres of Recreation & Parks.

You might find us sipping mimosas at either The Park Restaurant at Douglas and Sunset, which has a reallllly pretty brand new look to the patio, or keeping a seat warm at Lot 1 Cafe drinking mimosas, where they’ll also be offering hot chocolate and cinnabons.

After the parade, be sure to support your local businesses and shop local! The annual holiday Echo Park Shop Hop is going on, as well as lots of holiday parties at Mi Alma, Tavin, and more!

And lastly my shameless plug: We are so excited to be participating a little bit this year by designing all the new graphics for the flyer, parade program, and all those festive, red posters in the windows around town (hey, it’s our day job!).

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Holiday lights in Echo Park

Echo Park decorations. Flickr photo via Alex de Cordoba

At the Atwater Village Tree Lighting ceremony last week, I got to thinking, why doesn’t Echo Park have one? While we do have a wonderful holiday parade (coming up this weekend!), I think we can certainly add a little more… extreme flashing colored lights to the mix.

Echo Park residents: send us a photo of your house decorations, your neighbor’s decorations, or your favorite one you’ve seen so far. Since Echo Park does such a great job with these holiday decorations, we want to highlight these efforts that make it feel so much more like the holidays (because 72 degree weather isn’t exactly Christmas-like).

Send your photos to:

info@echoparknow.com

In JPG format (up to 3MB in size)

Tell me your name and the address or street the photo is from (the address will not be published, we just want to make sure it’s in Echo Park)

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Annual Echo Park Christmas Bird Count

The annual Christmas Bird Count will be held on Sunday, January 3, 2010 at the Echo Park Lake at 8:00 am. Led by Echo Park’s chief birder Judy Raskin, the Bird Count helps identify and record the different bird species that visit the Echo Park Lake.

“Over the years we have counted more than 60 different species of birds that call the lake their home for all or part of the year. They include cormorants, ring-necked ducks, American wigeons, blue herons, great egrets, and Canada geese. This is the 110th annual Christmas Bird Count. Join more than 50,000 volunteers across the U.S., Canada, Central America, the Caribbean and the Pacific to help determine the health and diversity of local and migratory bird populations. The Echo Park Lake and Vista Hermosa teams are among those fielded by the Los Angeles Audubon Society. It compiles the local figures and sends them to the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, which does the master tally.”

Time: about 2 hours. Terrain: level, easy walking.

Participation fee: $5. per person (for one or both counts). Make checks payable to National Audubon Society.

Binoculars recommended, bird guide too. Take along a snack or water for betweenwalks. Beginners and children welcome!

Information: (323) 663-6767. On count day call (213) 361-7273. Or email judycalifornia@yahoo.com.

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Breakfast with Santa in Echo Park

Breakfast with Santa 2009 Flyer

Enjoy breakfast with Santa at the Echo Park Recreation Center on Saturday, December 19, 2009

9am-11:30am at the Echo Park Recreation Center (1632 Bellevue Ave.)

Breakfast will include pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and your choice of OJ or coffee. Tickets are $3 for youth and $5 for adults. The first 100 kids will receive a FREE stocking with goodies!

There will also be a toy give-away. Tickets for the toy give-away will be given first come, first served to kids who are under 15 years-old and have a Breakfast with Santa ticket.

For more information contact the Echo Park Recreation Center at (213) 250-3578 or (213) 250-8946.

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EP Community Parade Sponsorship Opportunity

A message from Cindy Ortiz:

On Saturday, December 12th, 2009, from noon – 3 p.m., the historic community of Echo Park will celebrate “Peace and Goodwill.”

Last year many of you purchased advertising for the parade program and I hope you will consider us once again. This year 2000 parade programs will be distributed along the Sunset Boulevard parade route.

If you wish to purchase advertising please note the following: This year business card ads and corporate sponsorship will be offered.

We request that all copy be camera-ready. This year’s parade program will measure 8.5″ (width) x 5.5″ (length). Printed business card ads will measure 2 3/8″ (w) x 1 3/8″ (l) and the price is $40.00 (additional donations are always accepted and greatly appreciated). Deadline is Wednesday, November 18th.

If you wish to be a corporate sponsor, please contact Ms. Christine Peters by telephone (323.662.1007), e-mail or visit the parade website.

All proceeds are directed towards this family-oriented event. Please make checks payable to El Centro Del Pueblo (1157 Lemoyne St., Los Angeles, Ca. 90026).

If there are any questions I may be reached by telephone (323.664.2412) or e-mail.

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