LOCALmotion – Jozelle Smith

Hope-it’s-good, Hope-it’s-good, Hope-it’s-Good Dep’t.- the movie “Think Like a Man” opens this Friday, and was described in a very upbeat article in last week’s LA Times Business Section as a “…love letter of sorts to Culver City, which plays a starring role in the movie.” The Screen Gems film, starring and based on a book written by comedian Steve Harvey, benefitted from shooting close to its home base plus our added local business incentives, resulted in scenes taking place at Rush St., Akasha, and L’Epicerie Market, plus in residential neighborhoods and at Culver City High School.
Mike Cohen, chair of this year’s Fiesta LaBallona, is looking for ways to market this year’s Fiesta (August 24-26) so as to “capture the rich history and cultural heritage of Culver City while attracting the 21-39 year old crowd in a hip way.” What a great idea, Mike! The Committee is developing ideas for posters, flyers and online media and will review them at the Fiesta LaBallona Committee’s general meeting, this Tuesday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m in Iksan Room of the newly-refurbished Veterans Memorial Building. Budgets and an overall Fiesta financial plan will also be reviewed, along with programming, sponsorships, vendors, attractions, layout, etc. In recent years the Fiesta, established in 1951, has drawn upwards of 20,000 people, comprised mostly of families, lots of kids, grandmas and grandmas, but a little lacking in that demographic.
A musical history lesson for the aforementioned 21-39 year olds will definitely take place this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Veterans’ Memorial Building. That’s where the Culver City Historical Society (CCHS) will feature the music, songs and stories from MGM’s Broadway Melody musical movies produced between 1929 and 1944. Tenor and CCHS webmaster Winston Gieseke will join pianist Stephen Fry (CCHS Vice President, Programs) to perform songs from some of the musicals our “Heart of Screenland” grew famous for. CCCHS members, the public, and especially students are welcome to attend and there is no charge, and we understand singing along is permissible. The entrance to the Multi-Purpose Room is through the back of the building near the parking lot, and through the ARC space. For more information, please call the Society at (310) 253-6941 or inquire by e-mail at [email protected].  Also, visit the CCHS website at:  www.culvercityhistoricalsociety.org for updates.
Invitations are going out from the Culver City Rotary Club to other local service clubs to join them for a mixer on Wednesday, April 25 at 6:15 upstairs at the Culver Hotel. A $10 per person charge will include a glass of wine or beer and munchies, and great networking opps.
Downtown Culver City’s popular Third Wednesday (this Wednesday, April 18) will incorporate an Earth Day theme, including discounts when you recycle your old eyeglasses at Main Street Optometry, a special Earth Day brew at City Tavern, (a free 6 oz. beer taster of Eel River Earth Thirst Double IPA you’re your purchase of food) and $100 off previous generations of iPads at Melrose Mac. In addition ½ off all wine bottles at Akasha Restaurant; specials at BottleRock; Cold Stone Creamery; Daphne’s; live music on the patio at Ford’s Filling Station (Overstreet’s New Orleans Jazz Band) plus food and drink specials; all-you-can-eat mussels and frites at Meet; free popcorn at the movies, plus more and more. Stroll Downtown Culver City this Wednesday eve from 5-9:00 p.m. and we bet you’ll be back!

Taking place on Earth Day itself (this Sunday, April 22) from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. will be an Earth Day Habitat Restoration at the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, 4100 S. La Cienega Blvd. Culver City’s Ballona Creek Renaissance (BCR) and other co-hosts look to help restore habitat and beautify this park in the hills above Ballona Creek. There will be free parking and a light lunch for volunteers. Other hosts include Assemblymembers Holly Mitchell, Betsy Butler, and Stephen Bradford; LA County Parks & Rec, Baldwin Hills Conservancy, Generation Water, Mujeres de la Tierra, and Council for Watershed Health. For details and fliers, visit www.ballonacreek.org, www.asmdc.org/mitchell, or call 310-342-1070.

Blowing out the birthday candles this week are Marty Hente, Sheila Benjamin, Barbara Jefferson, Maura Sandoval Punturere, Lena Johnson, Jetta Sorensen, Carly Priebe, Valerie Sulkin, Frank Keister, and Amanda Gripp. If you’d like your birthday included in future columns, please let us know at [email protected]

The Actors' Gang

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