A Busy Weekend with Lots of Food!

By Laura Meyers

1). OPEN SATURDAYS AT PEACE LABYRINTH AND GARDENS
Saturday, August 27 2 - 6 p.m. 4 - 5 p.m. Afternoon Tea Peace Labyrinth and Gardens at the Guasti Villa, 3500 W. Adams Blvd. (at 5th Avenue, a few blocks west of Arlington)

If you missed seeing the Guasti Villa/Busby Berkeley Mansion on Community Unity Day in June or at prior events, or you were there and are eager to return, here's your chance. Peace Labyrinth and Gardens is sponsoring an Open Saturday event, with a Special Afternoon Tea ($8.00) featuring fresh-made gourmet tea sandwiches, specialty tea cakes, and organic Urth Caffe teas.

Although you may just walk in to enjoy the gardens, reservations are required for the Afternoon Tea. To reserve your spot, e-mail programs@peacelabyrinth.org, or call 323-737-4055 ext 127. Or, take advantage of Weekday Open Hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tours start at 11 a.m., 12 noon, and 2 p.m. Buffet lunch is served at 1 p.m. ($5.00). Reservations required for both tour and lunch.

Mark your calendar: the next Open Saturday at the Peace Labyrinth and Gardens at the Guasti Villa is on Saturday, September 10, beginning at 2:30 p.m.

2). WEST ADAMS HEIGHTS/SUGAR HILL BLOCK PARTY
Saturday, August 27 1 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Oxford Avenue (just south of Washington Boulevard - one block east of Western)

Food, Games, Jumpers, Basketball, Music, LAPD, LAFD, Dominoes, Bid Whist, and lots of fun for the kids and adults. Come join the fun!
RSVP: Billie Green, bjgreen@pacificnet.net

3). VOLUNTEER MEETING - FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT CONFERENCE
Sunday, August 28 1-3 p.m. Biltmore Hotel, 506 South Grand Avenue (Downtown Los Angeles)

The internationally acknowledged Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy is holding its annual conference in Los Angeles, October 19 - 23, 2005!
The conference will include lectures, tours of buildings by Wright, Neutra, Schindler, Lloyd Wright, and others, receptions, as well as opportunities to meet original Wright clients and building owners.

In recognition of their accomplishments and this conference the Los Angeles City Council has declared October '05 ARCHITECTURE MONTH. And, in turn, nearly two dozen historic preservation organizations, museums, and architecture-related groups are sponsoring additional events under the umbrella of "ArchiFest." West Adams Heritage Association will present a tour of Kinney Heights on Saturday, October 15 as part of ArchiFest. Visit the Building Conservancy's website for complete details about this and other events: www.savewright.org

You are invited to consider joining the Conservancy as a volunteer for the conference and tours. There are numerous opportunities for volunteers to participate in significant portions of the conference, as house docents, manning ("personing") the conference check-in and auction tables, as tour guides on busses, etc. To learn about the benefits of volunteering (like a special party for volunteers at a historic venue after the conference!) you are invited to attend at important volunteer meeting: Sunday. August 28th at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, 1:00 - 3:00 pm in the Heinzberger Room. (Please reconfirm the room and location on the reader board when you arrive.) Parking is available across the street at Pershing Square. All are welcome!

If you are unable to attend this meeting please contact Larry Woodin, Conference Co-Chair at 206.901.0305 or by e-mail, ecohome@mindspring.com. He will forward information to help you explore the opportunities and benefits.

4). COMMUNITY CLEAN-UP IN JEFFERSON PARK
Saturday, August 27 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. Meet at the Leslie Shaw Park, 2211 W. Jefferson Blvd
Community members and Council District 10 are cleaning up the alley behind the Vassie D. Wright Library Between Cimarron and 6th Avenue.
Lunch will be provided.

For more information, please call Albert Lord, SE Area Coordinator for Council District 10, at 323-733-8233

5). WOMEN'S RIGHTS DAY CELEBRATION
Sunday, August 28 2:00 p.m. 1915 South Oxford Avenue (just south of Washington)
Radical Women honors Women's Right Day with a panel of activists who will discuss how militant women are fighting against union-busters, immigrant-bashing and skyrocketing college fees. This festive backyard BBQ will include poetry and music. Door donation is $2. A delicious BBQ dinner, with vegetarian option, served after the program for an $8.00 donation. Everyone welcome. Questions? Call 323-732-6416 or e-mail RadicalWomenLA@aol.com.

6). CHINESE FOOD FESTIVAL
Saturday, August 27 10a.m. - 8 p.m. Sunday, August 28 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Chinatown Central Plaza, 943-951 N. Broadway
Slippery shrimp, tangerine chicken, Singapore noodles, and mouth-watering barbecue will be featured as over 30 Chinatown restaurants, culinary experts, and chefs congregate for the second annual Chinese Food Festival. The festival will showcase such renowned establishments as Empress Pavilion, together with many smaller "best kept secret" restaurants. Cooking demonstrations featuring local chefs, beer and wine samplings, cultural entertainment, children's games, craft booths, and more will ensure fun for the whole family.

Events include "Chinatown Fear Factor" for children which involves trying 1,000-year-old eggs, chicken feet and jellyfish. A "Chinatown Chicken Challenge" will be added to the cooking demonstration lineup challenging students from the California School of Culinary Arts to cook a chicken dish using only ingredients from Chinatown. Chinese films "Eat Drink Man Woman" and "The Wedding Banquet," both of which celebrate food, will also be showcased. The 2005 Chinese Food Festival will take place in the historic heart of Chinatown at Central Plaza. Kid Friendly: World famous Hsiao Hsi Yuan Puppet Theater with large wooden puppets; Chinese acrobats; Chinese opera face painting; lantern-making, and more crafts and games. Chinese acrobatic art dates back nearly 2,000 years when Chinese farmers and village craftsmen, with little to do over the long winter, decided to try to improve their positions in society and earn extra money by becoming acrobats. They practiced with whatever they could find around the house and farm: cups, plates, chairs, etc.. Their acrobatics were exhibited at harvest celebrations to the delight of whole villages. Today's artists have added new techniques and spectacular stunts thrilling artists around the globe. The 2005 Chinese Food Festival will showcase several acrobats from China performing a number of seldom seen stunts.

Restaurants participating in the festival include B's Wonton Noodle, Chow Fun, Classic Thai, Empress Pavilion, Golden City Seafood Restaurant, Golden Dragon, Good Taste, Fire Grill, Full House, Hawaiian Chicken, Hawaii Tropical Drink, Hop Woo BBQ & Seafood Restaurant, JC Café, Mandarin Chateau, OK Seafood, Sam's Thai BBQ, Spring Street Smoke House and BBQ, and Thien Huong.

The event is presented by the L.A. Chinatown Business Improvement District. General Admission $10; Senior s (60+) $8; Youths (5-12) $6; children under 5 free. (Cost includes two food tastings, except for kids under 5.) $2 discount on General Admission w/proof of public transportation. Located just north of the Chinatown Gold Line Station at Broadway and College Avenue. To purchase tickets call the Chinatown BID at (213) 680-0243, or visit www.chinesefoodfestivalla.com or www.chinatownla.com.

7). EIR MEETING FOR PROPOSED NEW SCHOOL ON WASHINGTON BOULEVARD
Wednesday, August 31 6 p.m. Pio Pico Span School, 1512 South Arlington (at Pico) LAUSD is proposing the construction of a new 875-seat, 70,000-square-foot elementary school (Central Region Elementary School No. 13) in Arlington Heights on the south side of Washington Boulevard running west from approximately Arlington to 3rd Avenue (excluding the gas station).
A Draft Environmental Impact Report has now been prepared for this project, with a public review period that began August 15 and ends September 28. Copies of the draft EIR can be reviewed at the Washington Irving Library (4117 West Washington Blvd.), the South Seas House (2301 West 24th Street), Mount Vernon Middle School (4066 West 17th Street), Pio Pico School, and the Memorial Los Angeles Public Library (4625 West Olympic Blvd.) or by downloading it from www.laschools.org/find-a-school.

LAUSD will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, August 31 for interested people to attend and present their oral comments. Written comments should be sent to: Stan Yeh, CEQA Project Manager LAUSD Office of Environmental Health and Safety 355 S. Grand Avenue, 15th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90071 Fax: 213-633-7001 E-mail: ceqa-comments@laschools.org

8). JAZZ IN THE AVENUES
Sunday, September 4 7 - 11 p.m. Seventh Avenue (between Adams and 25th Street)
West Adams Avenues invites everyone to the neighborhood's Annual Free "Jazz In the Avenues" event on the Sunday before Labor Day. Bring your own tables, chairs, and/or blankets to sit on - plus a packed meal (or you can purchase tacos from a neighbor). The Avenues will provide some water, soda, and lemonade. Questions? Call Donna Jones, 323-734-6473

9). SUBMIT YOUR NEWS
We welcome your contributions to the WAHA E-News and West Adams Heritage Association's monthly publication, "West Adams Matters." Please understand that we do have deadlines. Material for the print newsletter should be submitted no later than the 1st of the prior month (i.e.: April 1 for the May issue). If your event is scheduled for early in a month, we suggest you request coverage for the prior month (i.e.: May issue for a June 3 event), because it's entirely possible that not all of our members will have received their newsletter by then (we do try hard…). We reserve the right to edit submitted material. For the WAHA E-News, we prefer to only send it out once or twice a month, circa the 5th and the 20th. Please don't wait until two days before an event to let us know about it. It may not be sent out. EXCEPTION: If you suddenly hear of an important city hearing or other public meeting that is important to West Adams, we will endeavor to send out a special bulletin. Submit your material to Laura Meyers, editor, lauramink@aol.com