In a month crowded with event-stuffed weekends, this particular weekend is packed with great local gift shopping opportunities. It starts with local fashion line Raw Earth, Wild Sky‘s Holiday Warehouse Sale, running Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 937 S. Mullen Ave., in Brookside. Prices will be up to 80% off retail, with some samples priced at $20 (size small/4-6 only), seconds at $10 (sizes XS to XL), and fit samples and prototypes at $5 (small only). Also, joining in on Friday, you’ll find “Body Butters” by Yassi, and “Twenty and Odd” turbans and spa towels. On Saturday, “Wardrobe” accessories and jewelry from TV show sets will be there. Cash and credit cards only, please.
On Saturday, starting at 10 a.m., Two Dog Organic Nursery will hold its Holiday Open House sale at 914 S. Cloverdale Ave. L.A. County’s only Certified Organic retail nursery will be offering everything at 15% off, including all Certified Organic veggie, herb and edible flower seedlings, and all fruit trees and berry bushes. The sale also includes Two Dog’s entire line of garden products, including EarthBoxes, Smart Pots, organic soils, composts, fertilizers and more. Refreshments will be served..so please bring your gardening friends and your holiday wish lists. No appointments necessary.
Moving from clothes and garden products to another great gift item – books – the John C. Fremont Library, 6121 Melrose Ave., will hold its monthly book sale on Friday from 12-4 p.m., and Saturday from 12-5. As always, most items are priced at $1 or less, and all proceeds benefit the library and its always-free programs. It’s a great opportunity to find great bargains and do some good for a great community institution.
For art lovers this weekend, the KP Projects gallery, 633 N. La Brea, will hold a closing reception for the exhibition Axel and Robert Wilhite: Aerials, from 2-6 p.m. on Saturday. Both artists will be in attendance.
Next, as we noted earlier this week, the West Adams Heritage Association will hold its big, annual Holiday Tour and Progressive Dinner this weekend, with six distinctive homes in the historic West Adams Heights-Sugar Hill neighborhood open for docent led-tours and various courses of the gala meal. Tours depart every 40 minutes or so from 3 p.m. to 6:40 p.m. on Saturday, and from 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday. There’s also a self-paced walking tour available from 12-3 p.m. on Sunday, without the dinner. Advance reservations are required for the dinner tours, and several time slots are already sold out, so be sure to see the event link above for up-to-date information.
Finally on Saturday, and speaking of history, the Ebell of Los Angeles will celebrate its 125th anniversary with a gala ball, starting at 6:30 p.m. There will be cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, dinner, dancing, live entertainment by Belles of the Ball and the band Undercover, champagne and cake. Tickets, available at the event link above, are $140 for Ebell members, and $165 for non-members. (Please specify your entrée choice of beef, fish or vegetarian when you make your reservation.)
Moving on to Sunday, the day starts early – at 7 a.m. – with the 4th annual Westside JCC One. Healthy. Community. 5K Run/Walk and Community Event & Fundraiser. The family-friendly event, appropriate for all ages, includes a 5K run, Kids’ Fun Run, health and wellness expo, goody bags and T-shirts for all run and walk participants, a free breakfast for all run and walk participants, and finisher medals for all run and walk participants, with placement medals by age group. Online registration has closed, but walk-up registration is welcome on Sunday morning…so it’s not too late to get up and get moving on Sunday.
Later on Sunday morning, it’s time to get back to some serious holiday shopping, starting with the St. Brendan Holiday Boutique and Carnival, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Brendan School, 238 S. Manhattan Pl. More than 30 vendors will be participating, offering jewelry, toys, holiday gifts and home decor, apparel and accessories, bath and beauty items, cocktail mixers and spirits, personalized gifts and more. There will also be lots of activities for the kids, including cookie decorating, face painting, a photo booth, slime making, ceramics from Color Me Mine, visits with Santa, a bounce house and a boutique raffle. Food trucks and a biergarten will also be available. 20% of the boutique proceeds will go to benefit the school.
Next, starting at 12 p.m. on Sunday, the St. Elmo Village community arts organization, 4830 St. Elmo Dr., will hold its annual Holiday Bazaar with handmade items from more than 10 local artisans (including jewelry, dolls, mosaic art, paintings, healing arts, prints, wearable art…and more). There will also be food and live music. Please note, though, that street parking is very limited in the area, so a shuttle will be avalable from the Bank of America on Venice Blvd. at Midtown Shopping Center.
Also from 12-4 p.m. on Sunday, the Hollywood Heritage Museum, 2100 N. Highland Ave., will host its 8th Annual Afternoon with the Authors, including more than 15 well-known writers of works about Hollywood and its history. Confirmed authors include Chris Nichols, Mark Vieira, Mary Mallory, Steve Sylvester, Tom Nolan, Rhys Thomas, Jeff Bonds, Manny Pacheco, Meredith Ponedel, Mindy Johnson, Piper Cochrane/Marc Wanamaker/Kurt Wahler, Frances McCaffrey, Cindy Olnick, Eric Lynxweiler, Maggie Wellman, and Craig Calman. The museum’s store will also be stocked with a huge new selection of holiday gift, including books, DVDs, greeting cards, ornaments, and vintage collectibles for the film fans on your list.
And speaking of film fans, starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday, the American Cinematheque‘s “The Style of Sin: Pre-Code Film with Kimberly Truhler” series will continue with a double feature of 1930’s “Our Blushing Brides” and “Footlight Parade”at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Blvd.
According to the Cinematheque, films made between 1930, when Hollywood’s restrictive Production Code went into effect, and 1934, when the Code was fully in force, “are beloved for their provocative content and risqué style.” The two being shown this weekend star Joan Crawford and Joan Blondell, and the program begins with an illustrated presentation by historian Kimberly Truhler. (The films begin at 2:00, after the presentation.)
For some art fun on Sunday, head over to the Craft Contemporary, which will host a CraftLab Family Workshop, Printing with Bubble Wrap starting at 1:30 p.m. Participants will “experiment with printmaking techniques and learn how to create bright and colorful prints and giftwrapping paper using recycled plastics and bubble wrap.” Just the thing to “give your gifts that extra POP with something unique and handmade!” Cost is $10 for adults and $7 for children, and free to Craft Contemporary members. Materials included.
For another dose of local history, the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society will hold its annual Holiday and New Member Party at 5 p.m. on Sunday, at the newly restored former home of the Ruskin Art Club, 800 S. Plymouth Blvd. Tickets are $25 for WSHPHS members, or free for new members who joined in 2019.
Starting at 7 p.m. on Sunday evening, you can jump back into the art world, as LACMA presents its Thirty-Second Annual Michele and Peter Berton Memorial Lecture on Japanese Art
“The War of the Twelve Animals: Anthropomorphosis and Allegory in Medieval Japan.” Sarah E. Thompson, curator of Japanese art at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, will discuss the 15th-century narrative handscroll, “The War of the Twelve Animals,” which depicts a war between the twelve animals of the East Asian zodiac and the rebel animals led by the tanuki (raccoon dog). According to Thompson, it was created at the court of the retired shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and refers to the events of the Ōei Disturbance of 1399–1400, when provincial samurai rebelled against the shogunate. The animal characters represent the competing warriors; Yoshimitsu himself is the dragon. The event is free, but tickets are required at the link above.
And finally, whether you’re a film fan or just a serious student of all things silly, you can head back to the Egyptian Theater, where the American Cinematheque will screen a double feature of Terry Gilliam’s”Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” and “Jabberwocky,” starting at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. An evening with the “limb-impaired Black Knight…the immortal Knights Who Say Ni, killer rabbits, the Black Beast of Aarrgghh and the extremely rude Frenchman” may be the perfect ending to a a crazy-busy holiday weekend.
Have a great one!
