ECHO PARK CHILDREN TO WORLD PREMIERE

"PHILADELPHIA CHICKENS" AT CENTRAL LIBRARY’S MARK TAPER

What's this about a world premiere of a new
musical ... danced by the children of Echo Park? And
what's this about a free bus to see this free show at
Central Library??
Echo Park Branch Library's Summer Theatre
Workshop is world premiering selections from
Sandra Boynton's swinging new musical The
Philadelphia Chickens at Central Library's Mark
Taper Auditorium, Friday, August 22, at 5 PM. The
soundtrack features Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, and
Laura Linney. This is an all Echo Park production--
the performers are children from the area, ages 7-12.
They have been working very hard in rehearsals since
mid-June.
The show is directed and choreographed by Jeni
Zam brano , form er pro fessio nal dancer/
choreographer who is now the Children's Librarian at
the Echo Park Branch Library. She was assistant
choreographer for musicals such as CATS and
OLIVER! for the prestigious Buckley School Summer
Musical Theatre Workshop, and has danced on stage
and screen, including the movie "The Mambo
Kings" (Warner) and several MTV music videos. No, these are not the dancers in ―Philadelphia Chickens‖,
A free bus will transport you to the downtown Los they are Heather Woodbury and Robert Palazzo
exchanging vows in their Italian-Renaissance-inspired
Angeles Central Library from the Echo Park Branch
wedding at the Marion Harlow Memorial Grove in Elysian
Library. Travel with the performers, then tour the Park. See page 8 for full story.
Central Library, and catch the show after wards at
Central Library's Mark Taper Auditorium. The bus
will leave Echo Park Branch Library at 3 PM, Friday,
August 22, and return to Echo Park at 6 PM. questions, please call or leave a message with Jeni
Everything is free! What better way to support local Zambrano at the Echo Park Library, (213) 250-7808,
youth with your presence and applause? And a free and let her know how many people are coming.
trip to the Central Library besides?? Space is subject to availability.
If you are interested in joining the fun or if you have

Echo Park Improvement Association

Meets at 7 p.m. the 1st Thursday of each Month
in Williams Hall at Barlow Hospital 2000 Stadium Way in Elysian Park
 (323) 634-0830

Blvd

(800) 787-8227

MEMORANDUMS
INVOICES NEWSLETTER CREDITS
WARRANTIES
BUSINESS CARDS
EDITORS:
PRICE CATALOGS LYNN BARBÉ
APPRAISAL CERTIFICATES STEVEN M. ARTHUR
COIN ENVELOPES ADVERTISING
Lyman CommercialPrinting FLORA KERP
DESKTOP PUBLISHING:
1201 N. ALVARADO (213) 413-5355
S.M.ART SYSTEMS
LOS ANGELES, CA 90026 (213) 413-5469 FAX
PRINTING:
LYMAN PRINTING
 Silver Lake/Echo Park Community Plan Update
by Bennett Kayser
Echo Park’s portion of Los Angeles’ General
Plan was completed in the late 1980’s – the last
one of the City’s 35 Community Plans. An up-
dated version of the Community Plan has been
under development for more than two years. The
new version will help plan for nearly 2,000 more
people to live, shop and work in Echo Park. Some
of the changes may affect your property.
The Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood
Council (GEPENC) and the Silver Lake Neighbor-
hood Council jointly will hold a Community Plan
Forum on the morning of October 4 at Michel-
torena Elementary School.
girl’s teen yoga
Pilates
You and your neighbors will have the opportu-
nity to learn about the Community Plan and
share your views. The Neighborhood Councils
will present your opinions to the City Planning
Commission, the City Council and the Mayor. It’s
important that you attend.
For further information, please watch the
Greater Echo Park Elysian NC web page at
www.GEPENC.org or send an e-mail to Bennett
Kayser (bennettk@earthlink.net) or a postcard to
Community Plan Forum, c/o Bennett Kayser,
P.O. Box 26514, Los Angeles, CA 90026.
(323)
LIBRARY HAPPENINGS
AUGUST 9TH BOOK SALE FUNDRAISER FOR ECHO PARK BRANCH LIBRARY

Greetings!!! Friends,
=
by Margarita Fernandez, epVolunteer Co-ordinator

$
On Saturday August 9th the Volunteers of the Echo
Park Library will be holding their third book sale to
benefit the children's activities being held at the
library. The sale will include some rummage items, = =
and of course the books, which are always of an
interesting nature. We hope to surpass the previous
amount of over $500 and so look forward to your
continued support.
It is important that the community continues their
It is always a pleasure to see the children, listening
fabulous support of our quarterly book sales, and the
to stories being read, participating in dancing, writing,
children will continue to have these super experiences.
in the company of their leader Ms. Jeni, Children's
Librarian at the library. Jeni, certainly, has a way of Looking forward to seeing you at our book sale.
speaking to them and they in turn relate to her.

WWW.ECHOPARK.NET

1911 SUNSET BOULEVARD

LOS ANGELES, CA 90026
(213) 484-1265
Echo Park Lake Support Group By Judy Raskin

I have been watching the nest building of the and plunge-dived into the water, focused on catching
American coots in the lotus pond and at the storm a tasty fish treat. This bird does not submerge.
drain as well as the nest built by a pied-billed grebe Afterwards, it flew a few feet above the water before
along one of the blue-and-white marker chains near gaining altitude and repeating this exercise several
the island. There were at least 4 coots’ nests and one times.
grebe’s. Coot parents take turns building the nest When at rest these birds are on the island, so
and sitting on the eggs. From what I could surmise, make sure to take your binoculars with you. Don’t
there were at least eight chicks hatched over a 4 to 5 delay! These birds won’t be around very long, and all
week period, although as of the end of July, only 2 those chicks will grow up.
seemed to have survived. Collectively there were
seven grebe hatchings; six appear to have survived.
In addition, a pair of resident Chinese geese raised
one gosling to maturity while a pair of migratory
Canada geese raised another.
The Lake also hosted several birds we don’t see
here very often. A Great blue heron, whose blue-gray
feathers allow the bird to blend in so well with its
surroundings, stayed around the storm drain and the
north end of the island for a couple of days. A pair of
ruddy ducks—the male is a ruddy brown, has white
cheeks, a dark cap and a blue bill—paddled around
the deep end for several days.
Most exciting was the appearance of a pair of
Caspian terns, who are not from the Caspian Sea. In
five years of serious birding at the Lake, I had never
seen any, although their migration route passes
above us. They are a little smaller than the gulls and
infinitely more pleasing to the eye. One tern had a
thick, large red bill, a short black crest and a white
body. (The other was an immature, from its coloring).
It flew circles around the lake several times, hovered,
 ECHO PARK CALENDAR
Event Date Location Comments
EPIA Meetings 1st Thursday, 7:00 p.m. Williams Hall at Call EPIA message
September 4, October 2 Barlow Hospital, phone for additional
2000 Stadium Way in information
Elysian Park
EPIA Steering Committee 2nd Monday, 7:15 p.m. Taix French Take an active part in
Meetings August 11, September 8 Resaurant EPIA. Join the Steering
Committee

Chamber of Commerce 3rd Friday, 1 p.m. Taix French Echo Park C of C

General Meeting August 15, September 19 Restauant information/message
213-630-3032
Citizens Committee to 1st Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Call 213-666-9651 for
Save Elysian Park Mtg. September 3, October 7 meeting location

Greater Echo Park 4th Tuesday, 7 p.m. Logan Street School Call (213) 413-3196 for
Elysian Neighborhood August 25, September 22 Auditorium, 1711 W. info or visit
Council Meeting Logan Street www.GEPENC.org

Deadline for October Friday, September 12 Send submissions to

EPIAn ways Newsletter EPIA, Attn: EPIAn
Ways Editor
SPECIAL EVENTS
Temple-Beaudry Kermés Saturday, August 16 Court Street between Information: (213) 617
Festival 4 p.m. — 8 p.m. Edgeware and Bixel 3877
Barlow Foundation 4th Friday, August 22 Robinson Ranch, Candidate Filing Forms &
Annual Golf Classic Santa Clarita other Election Materials at:
Echo Park Library, Echo
Candidate Forum Saturday, Sept 20, Logan Street School Park Methodist Church,
Greater Echo Park 11 a.m. — 2 p.m. Auditorium, 1711 W. Pioneer Market, Ojala Art
Elysian Neighborhood Logan Street Gallery and the Filipino/
Elections of the Saturday, Sept 27, Logan Street School American Service Center.
Greater Echo Park 10 a.m. — 3 p.m. Auditorium, 1711 W. For information or candidate
Elysian Neighborhood forms call Suzi Rogers,
Logan Street 213.250.3208 or Tom
Soong, 323.224.2321.
UPCOMING EPIA TOWN HALL MEETINGS
September— Town Hall Meeting
October – Film Production in Echo Park
 Couple Exchange Vows in Marion Harlow Memorial Grove
The musicians played, the office towers of
Downtown LA stood like markers in the distance
and eighty guests, seated in the open air,
waited. Dressed in flowing robes of red-gold
brocade over peach silk chiffon over saffron satin
and crowned with a flower garland, the lady of
the day stepped out of the grove and brought to
life the Botticelli painting, La Primavera. Her
attendants held fruit and flower-laden branches
aloft as she glided through the arches they
formed toward her leading man. Although many
performing artists participated in the May 24 th
event, it wasn’t a play or a movie shoot; it was
Heather Woodbury and Robert Palazzo’s Italian-
Renaissance-inspired wedding at the Marion
Harlow Memorial Grove in Elysian Park.
Heather, a performing artist and creator of
several ―living novels‖, which originate on stage
and later grow into book form, and Roberto, an
artist who also runs America Rustica, a
decorative paint and finishes business, followed
their bent when planning their wedding. ―We
wanted to express something wonderful in a
place we love. We live next to the park and I walk
there every day,‖ thought Robert. ―Why not get
married there?‖ said Heather.
Following the wedding, the guests walked to
the couple’s Elysian Height home for a backyard
wedding party that stretched well into the night.
The newlyweds left the following day for a
honeymoon in Ireland.
We wish Heather and Roberto the best, and
look forward to the birth, in book form, of her
first living novel, Whatever – a Living Novel to
appear sometime this summer.

Mon — Sat Saturday

11 am — 7 pm Special
Sundays — Typical
Group of 10 Haitian
or more by Food
Reservation
Wood Burning Rotisserie
309 N. Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
www.tigeorgeschicken.com
Email: geo4u@earthlink.net
Central City Action by Gloria
Remember a few issues ago I told you about the With this intensely hot weather, we are always
"stuff" the kids and the staff were spreading around looking at new ventures for our kids. We’re taking
in CCAC's garden? Do you remember the picture of our off-track group on a trip to the Hansen Dam
Sam and the kids with shovels and rakes? Well, take using public transportation. Public transportation
a look at the picture now. The "Stuff" has made it has become vital to our program, as we no longer
possible for a mere small space with old dirt to
become the beautiful and bountiful garden you see
in the picture.
In case you can't recognize all the plants, here’s
a rundown. There are muskmelons (haven't seen
many of these since I ran a keel boat down the river
in ole’ Kentucky with Uncle Abe), lots of cucumbers
(we'll be making a lot of pepinos with lemon and
chili), and radishes both white and red. have a passenger van. Using public transportation is
There's still more--a tomato plant, there's some economical, relaxing, and also allows us to teach the
lettuce underneath, some beans, peas, carrots, youth how to get around our fine City. Later this
arugula and a few beets. Overwhelmingly week we are taking about 30 kids on the Gold Line.
surrounding the garden is watermelon, cantaloupe, All of our staff is becoming more user friendly with
mustard and we can’t forget the final touch of public transportation.
herbs—Parsley, Sage Rosemary and Thyme. Of
course there is a sprinkling of
marigolds, sunflowers and cacti. If Gardeners at Central City Actions Committees new urban garden.
you look along Boston Avenue,
there’s corn, morning’ Glory’s, and
more sunflowers. Starting in July,
Amy (our master gardener) has
been teaching the kids how to
make delectable dishes with
vegetables grown from the garden.
We have sampled guacamole, fresh
salsa, pasta with red peppers,
carrots and broccoli. This week
they are going to make a plum
cobbler. With a little vanilla ice
cream, I’ll be delighted.
The kids have become so good
at gardening that Alicia Brown
asked us to come up and help her
weed her garden plots at the
Solano Garden. While I showed the
kids the difference between a bad
plant and a good plant, Alicia went
home and cooked us a most
delicious lunch. The kids helped
her bring it to the Solano Garden
where we relaxed and ate under a
huge shade tree.
Thanks for having us.
 Vecinos de Spiraling Orchard invites you to attend

Kermés
1st Summer Festival
Temple-Beaudry Community

Saturday, August 16th, between 4pm and 8pm

Court Street between Edgeware and Bixel

Traditional Food, Games, Contests, and a band stand with Live Music
FREE
For More Information (213) 617 3877, Alex Cotté / Desiree Aspiras

Sponsored by Councilmember Ed Reyes, Echo Park Library, El Centro del Pueblo, Angelina Pre-school, Echo Park Boys
& Girls Club, Quisido, Planned Parenthood, The Echo Park Pool Kids Dental, Kid Watch LA, and The Greater Echo Park
Elysian Neighborhood Council & more!

the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council

WWW.GEPENC.ORG
Orders for Bulky Item Pick up or Trash Cans Goes Online
If you want to have the Sanitation Department make a bulky item pick up or to order new or replacement
trash cans, you don't have to sit and wait on hold any more. Now you can fill out an online request form
yourself! Complete your e-mail information and you will get a confirmation e-mail with-in a couple of days.

Just point your browser to http://www.ci.la.ca.us/SAN/service_request.htm Type in the same informa-

tion in 60 seconds that you used to wait 20 minutes to tell an operator. Telephone hours have been ex-
tended for Bulky Item Pick Up, too. Call (800)773-CITY / (800)773-2489 to schedule a Bulky Item Pick Up
and find out the hours for the new service.
 Past Echo Park Chamber President Remembered
On July 3, 2003 Viola Redondo, past President contributions to the City
of the Echo Park Chamber of Commerce, passed of Los Angeles and Echo
away. Viola was born in Clemenceau Arizona on Park. Councilman Ferraro
June 29, 1925. Her family moved to Los Angeles wrote, ―Ms. Redondo has
when she was a young child. As a teenager Viola a never ceasing spirit of
won many swimming metals, but she loved to play dedication and
baseball. At the age of 18, Viola was selected to willing ness to help
join the only professional female baseball league in others.‖
the country, later to be known as ―A League of Their Throughout her
Own‖. Ms. Redondo play 2nd base for 3 years. lifetime Ms. Redondo
When the league was dismantled, Viola went to maintained her athletic
work for the Los Angeles Times. After working for prowess and interest in
the Times for 6 years, she became a real estate sports. She loved to lay
agent. She lived and worked in the Echo Park golf and became a semi-
community for over 40 years. pro golfer. Even when ill
Ms. Redondo served as President of the Echo Park with cancer, she played
Chamber of Commerce for 4 years. She was golf every morning at the
instrumental in putting waste containers on the Los Feliz Gold Green in Los Angeles.
sidewalks, planting trees, and getting the Los Viola will be greatly missed by everyone.
Angeles Marathon to go through Echo Park. Voila
received many plaques and commendations for her

S.M.ART Systems, Inc.

Comprehensive Computer Assistance
WE CAN HELP YOU
Training & Tutoring
Upgrades & Installations
Flyers & Newsletters
Network Systems Design
Internet Assistance
Web Design & Prescence
Call Us at 323-660-2839
SMARTsystems@dslextreme.com
LOTUS PAD NOTES
NEWS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST
FROM ECHO PARK & ANGELINO HEIGHTS by E.P. Lagoso

Echo Park — hub of the political universe! Okay, Serve," a show from the LAPD archive, was launched
not really, but our neighborhood has had a couple by Fototeka on Echo Park Avenue but is now at its
appearances from some big names this summer. The third national venue ­ the Yerba Buena Cultural
beleaguered Gov. Gray Davis — fending off a recall Center, across from San Francisco's Museum of
effort that is getting weirder and weirder — spent Modern Art. The show, which has been substantially
part of a weekend at Echo Park Lake at a rally increased in size, has generated a book deal.
designed to boost his chances of avoiding a recall. Although Fototeka closed as a gallery months ago,
And Vermont Govenor Howard Dean — whose work continues on the book.
presidential campaign has been raking in online The too-hip-for-words nightclub known as the Echo
campaign contributions — stopped off at the Echo
Park home of Councilman Eric Garcetti.
ONE LOCAL POL MADE BIG headlines outside of
the neighborhood by speaking her mind. Assembly
member Jackie Goldberg, a fixture in Echo Park,
started talking in Sacramento about how there could
be hidden political benefits if California went even
longer without a budget — not knowing she was
speaking into a Capitol intercom system. Once she
knew her comments — made during a political
strategy session — were being broadcast, Echo — long known in our neighborhood as the Nayarit —
Park¹s former city councilmember was fuming, is getting a bit of a make-over. Workers were out on
according to the L.A. Times. Sunset Boulevard painting the façade bronze. An
architect involved in the project said there were no
BACK AT ECHO PARK LAKE, the Lotus seemed to
plans to attempt to restore the building to its
bloom later than normal this year, not that it kept
previous glory. The only sign of the building’s lovely
people from coming by the thousands to the Lotus
arched storefronts can be seen next door to the Echo,
Festival. Things also felt a little bit different at the
where an arch peeks out from behind all the plastic
festival itself, what with the lack of amusement park
and concrete.
rides and the decision to keep visitors away from the
island. Word on the street is that the lake’s bridge SPEAKING OF FACADES, El Centro del Pueblo got
has structural problems severe enough that Rec and a nice modern upgrade of its Lemoyne Street office
Parks didn’t want people walking on it. building. The outdoor playing fields at El Centro del
Pueblo opened have finally opened, with a volleyball
People are still steamed over the proposal for a
match between El Centro and Central City Action
motel on Alvarado Street just south of Sunset. But
Committee days planned for late July.
that drama may soon be eclipsed by anxiety over the
Echo Park — Silver Lake Community Plan. ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC changes to hit
Neighborhood leaders fear the plan would allow much Echo Park this summer was the departure of Gladys
larger buildings on the Sunset-Alvarado-Glendale Rice, who moved out of her Morton Avenue home
Boulevard corridors. At a recent meeting on the plan, after 92 years. Gladys was born in the front house at
one neighborhood council member said he fears the 1704 Morton ­ featured in the movie "LA Confidential"
proposed rules could allow buildings as tall as seven and lived in Echo Park her whole life. Gladys moved
stories on Alvarado south to the 101 Freeway. Plans back east to be closer to her son Robert, who grew up
are under way for an October 4 th
community in the neighborhood and is now a college professor.
workshop on the issue.
A PHOTO EXHIBIT THAT started in Echo Park is Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the writers and
taking San Francisco by storm. "To Protect and To do not necessarily reflect the position of the Echo Park
Improvement Association