Fall events season is in full swing, with a large number of long-running annual events popping up with their yearly installments this week, as well as a bunch of one-time events worth noting.
First up on Saturday, before we get into a few events which might allow you to acquire some new things, take a moment to clean out your closets or garage and head over to an E-Waste Drive, from 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the Formosan Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles, 5211 W. Olympic Blvd. (at Mansfield). It’s a great way to safely dispose of many kinds of electronic items.
Moving on to the acquisition opportunities, on both Saturday and Sunday the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services will join with the Paula Kent Meehan Pet Care Foundation to sponsor a “Basic Black” pet adoption event at all six city animal shelters. Although animals with black fur are often sleek, smooth and very elegant, they’re also often overlooked by people searching for new pets. This weekend, though, the shelters’ black beauties will be on full display, and a $50 discount will be applied towards adoption fees for black puppies and dogs, with adoptions fees waived entirely for black cats and kittens. See the Animal Services link above to find the shelter nearest you, and to see photos of all the wonderful animals available at each shelter.
Next for your weekend shopping pleasure, there’s a two-day estate sale, both Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 738 S. Norton Ave. According to the organizers, a “Hollywood movie producer” is selling a house full of collectibles, including Asian furniture and figures, items from a Moroccan style lounge room, a vintage chess set, life size lion, Italian tea cart, Ridgeway grandfather clock, 1955 Lester upright piano, clocks, paintings by Barbara Woods, Boulanger and other artists, a Kerman rug, a large collection of rare Playboy magazines and special editions, books, records, lamps, a leather sofa and love seat, bar, jewelry, Xerox copy machine and much more…including a 2015 black Nissan Sentra SV, a 1994 black Jaguar XJS convertible, and a 1992 Mercedes 500SL convertible. See the link above for photos.
For collectibles of an entirely different kind, Golden Apple Comics, 7018 Melrose Ave., will join the rest of the country in celebrating National Batman Day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday. This year marks the Caped Crusader’s 80th anniversary, and the store is offering 25% off all new or back issues of any comic with Batman inside, on the cover, or even just related to the cowled crimefighter (such as the Joker, Bane, Riddler, Catwoman, Batgirl, Detective, etc.). There will also be free Batman comics and other giveaways while supplies last.
Meanwhile, over at the Natural History Museum, move from bats to dinosaurs at the fourth annual Dino Fest, taking place on both Saturday and Sunday during museum hours. The festival celebrates all things dino, including “their prehistoric past, and the science that brings their world back to life.” You can also “meet world-renowned paleontologists from the museum’s Dinosaur Institute and beyond as they discuss historic and ongoing fossil discoveries from around the world,” as well as “visit exhibitors, catch a glimpse of rare specimens from the museum’s collections, dig into hands-on activities, and explore [the] famous Dino Hall with the world’s only Tyrannosaurus rex growth series.” It’s all included with regular museum admission.
Not far away from the NHM, the Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens, 3500 W. Adams Blvd., will celebrate the U.N. International Day of Peace with a Neighborhood Peace Prayer and Labyrinth Peace Workshop, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The day, sponsored by the United Nations, ” is an important celebration of diverse cultures to raise awareness of peace on our planet.” Locally, the event will include an open house at the labyrinth and gardens, with a moment of silence at noon to gather as a community and “attune to the peace within you.” You can also explore the grounds, gardens, peace pole, and peace tree…and there will be an ice cream social and live guitar concert as well. Finally, there will be guided labyrinth walks with experts Carol Jones and Charles Bernstein. It’s all free, but reservations are required for timed events. (Sign up at the event link above.)
For film fans, the Japan Foundation, 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 100, will host a screening of Pop in Q, a 2016 film by director Naoki Miyahara, at 1 p.m. on Saturday. In this fantasy anime, a third year middle-school girl “finds a “fragment of time” at the ocean. Upon picking it up, she sees an unknown world stretching out before her and encounters a strange life-form calling itself a Pokon. The Pokon tells her the world’s time is in danger of breaking down, and so with four other girls, attempts to circumvent the crisis.” The film is free, with no reservations required, and will be shown in Japanese with English subtitles.
Over at the John C. Fremont Library, 6121 Melrose Ave., librarian and Master Gardener Annie Cipolla will host a “Happy Orchid” workshop, starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Says Cipolla: “Our attention turns to the misunderstood orchids, who many believe have fulfilled their fate once their beautiful blossoms have dropped. Please don’t toss or give up on them…Bring your bare orchids to the workshop and we’ll re-pot them and give them the TLC they need to re-bloom in the weeks and months ahead.” It’s all free, with no reservations required – just show up with your unhappy flowers to bring them some renewed joy.
For the art-minded, TAG Gallery, 5458 Wilshire Blvd., will hold its 4th Annual Art Auction and Gala, to benefit the Hold You Foundation, which provides help to families with children in critical care due to illness or injury. The event runs from 7-10 p.m. on Saturday, and collectors will be able to bid on works from more than 50 contemporary artists, “starting at 50% of actual value or less.” There will also be “dozens of unique luxury gifts and services up for auction” as well as food, drinks and live music. For more information, see the event link above.
Moving on to Sunday, the West Adams Heritage Association’s 29th Annual Living History Tour – this year themed “The Sporting Life: Champions and Trailblazers” – will play out at the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery, 1831 W. Washington Blvd., from 9 a.m. to noon. Each year, the tour brings to life, through performances of costumed actors, a selection of noteworthy people who are buried at the cemetery. This year’s real-life characters “were champions and enthusiasts…pioneers of sports in Southern California and trailblazers who helped break color lines.” You’ll “hear first-hand accounts of the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, and the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany, where high jumper Cornelius Johnson won a gold medal. Meet the “Father of Southern California Golf,” Edward Tufts. Learn why cycling in the 1890s was all the rage, and how sports fishing was invented.” Also, “the tour will assemble a veritable field of baseball dreams, including an ace pitcher who played in the Nisei League, an outfielder who played in the Negro Leagues, and the legendary Cubs first baseman and manager Frank Chance, of the famed double-play team of Tinkers to Evers to Chance.” Other noteworthys come back to life for the day will include champion female golfer Georgia Dennis Silent; USC’s first African American basketball player, Herman H. Hill; Pauline Barrett, an angler who broke world records when she reeled in a 416-pound bass in 1901; Owen McAleer, the 25th Mayor of Los Angeles who was also an avid cyclist and horse racer; and “versatile athlete and coach Juanita Blocker, who broke barriers when she took up bowling, setting records and becoming one of the first African American female bowlers.”
Back in the Larchmont area, Big Sunday, 6111 Melrose Ave., will host its 7th Annual Books ‘n Brunch event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m on Sunday, at which volunteers can come dressed up as their favorite literary characters, enjoy a delicious breakfast of bagels, pastries, and green eggs and ham, and pack up 10,000 donated books to be distributed to local public schools, headstart programs, kids in foster care, adult and kids’ group homes, seniors and veterans’ groups. It’s a great way to have fun and help out at the same time. See the event link above to reserve your spot.
For different kinds of yummy treats, Milk Bar Los Angeles, 7150 Melrose Ave., will celebrate its first birthday with a special birthday party/block party from 12-3 p.m. on Sunday with music, sundaes, tote decorating and an “impromptu truffle party.”
Also in the block party groove will be the neighbors in Sycamore Square (the area between Wilshire and Olympic, Citrus and La Brea) for their annual Block Party and Annual Meeting, on the 800 block of S. Orange Dr., from 2:30-5 p.m. on Sunday. There will be a bounce house for the kids, a potluck lunch for everyone, a beauty contest for the dogs, and a great raffle with prizes donated by local merchants. Neighbors will also elect new SSNA board members. (If you’re at least 18 and you live, own property, or represent a business in Sycamore Square, you’re eligible to run one of the three open board seats and “take your love of neighborhood to the next level.”)
And finally on Sunday, speaking of local love, it’s time to celebrate “125 Years of Empowering Women” at the Ebell of Los Angeles‘ annual Champagne Open House, from 3-5 p.m. on Sunday at the organization’s historic club house at 4400 Wilshire Blvd. Visitors can learn about the club, explore its newly renovated garden, take a self-guided tour of the historic building, see pieces from the club’s famous costume collection, and learn about the club’s history and preservation efforts. Admission and the champagne are free…and everyone is welcome, including your friends and family.
Have a great weekend!
