Weekend Buzz – Events for April 2-3, 2016

As our beautiful spring weather is in full display this weekend, it’s a great time to be out and about.

On Saturday morning, you can find the first of two estate sales in our area, this one at 502 S. Bronson.  This is actually the second day of the sale, from a “world famous set director” who is moving overseas, so everything is 25% off.  The sale’s announcement promises “finely curated treasures, both Bohemian and classic, eclectic and traditional,” and it continues on Sunday as well.

For more great deals, try the monthly used book sale at the  John C. Fremont Branch Library, 6121 Melrose Ave. The sale runs from  12:30-4 p.m. Most items priced from $.10 to $1.00, so you’re sure to find some wonderful deals.

If you’d like to spend more time outdoors, it’s an absolutely perfect day for the Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour, which runs both today and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The tour includes 41 residential gardens, in neighborhoods around the city (including many in our general mid-town area), each of which has at least 50% native plants.  They recommend visiting about 6-7 gardens per day, for optimal enjoyment.  Tickets are available online.

And, finally on Saturday, for a very different kind of tour, in a much smaller radius, check out the Miracle Mile Small Business Stroll. This grass roots event, debuting today and created by Runway Boutique owner Fatima Dodson, will be held on the first Saturday of each month this year, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., to foster a sense of community and encourage neighbors to shop local during the current multitude of construction and development projects in the Wilshire-La Brea area. A number of neighborhood businesses are participating, including Runway Boutique, Muse Cafe, Miracle Mile Toys and Games (which is holding a special day of “astronaut training” for kids), Dysonna City Art Gallery and more.  Stop by, support your local community, and make new friends.

Sunday dawns with another estate sale, this time at 355 S. Rimpau. This one features “mostly furniture,” so come prepared to move your purchases.  Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday only.

Later, from 12-3 p.m., it’s time for some creative expression with “Casting the Common Object:  A Clay Workshop with Keiko Fukuzawa” at the Craft and Folk Art Museum. According to the museum’s description, “You’ll make your own slip-cast ceramic piece, which is the same process Fukuzawa used to create works currently on display in the museum’s “Made in China” exhibit. Keiko will provide a few of her own molds and lead participants through the process of casting bottle forms. All finished pieces will be glazed and fired by the artist and available for pick-up at a later date.” Advanced registration required; contact [email protected]

Afterward, it’s time to enjoy the lovely weather again…with a visit to the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council’s Candidate Forum at Robert Burns Park, 4900 Beverly Blvd.  The event, from 2-4 p.m., will introduce candidates currently running for seats on the 21-member GWNC Board (elections are Sunday, May 1).  The people running to represent 15 neighborhoods and special interest categories are neighbors just like you – so come out, get to know them, and decide who you’d like to vote for on May 1.

And finally, if local history is more your style, check out the Los Angeles Historical Society’s Vineyards and Wineries lecture at the Los Angeles Central Library, downtown, at 2 p.m.. Stuart Douglass Byles, author of “Los Angeles Wine,” will trace the history of winemaking in California, going all the way back to the first grape harvest in 1782, at Mission San Juan Capistrano.  The event is free and open to the public…and you’ll get to enjoy a visit to the always-spectacular library as well.

Have a great weekend!