LOCALmotion – Jozelle Smith

Do you like to travel? Evidently Culver City Senior Center members do, since the sign-ups for the one-day (and longer) trips take place two months prior to the actual trip itself, e.g. sign-ups will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 8 (current CCSC membership and cash payment for trip must be in your hand) for a two-day jaunt to the Four Queens Casino in Downtown Las Vegas (March 2-4); a one-day trip to the Chumash Casino, March 14; horse races at Santa Anita on Thursday, March 20, and a gambler’s special to Viejas Casino on Thursday, March 27. Coming up later in the Spring will be a nine-day Heritage Highlights (Niagara Falls, Gettysburg, Washington DC, Mt. Vernon, Williamsburg) in April; a six-day Colorado Springs Getaway in July, and a nine-day one-hotel stay in the Austrian Alps in October. The Culver City Senior Center Trip Office is open from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The Trip information line is (310) 253-6708. Be a senior citizen in Culver City and see the world!

It’s unanimous – members of the Culver City Exchange Club, who got together with the Culver City Rotary Club for the event, all agree that their joint Adult Holiday Party held at the Doubletree Hotel on Centinela was a huge success, and a great time was had by all! According to the “Exchanger” bulletin, “President Michelle Ford did a great job putting it all together and everyone seemed to enjoy the lovely dinner. Past President Mike and Francia Fate provided a very profitable raffle for a stay at the hotel as well as two fun Holiday Trivia Games. The Gift Exchange was the quickest ever, and the gifts looked to be quite nice. The DJ played appropriate level music during dinner and for dancing afterward. All in all, a great success!” (If you’re wondering why things were kind of quiet around town the past couple of weeks, both the Exchange Cub (who meet on Tuesdays) and the Rotary Club (their meetings are Wednesdays) have gone dark until the first week in January because of the holiday eves and days falling on their regular meeting times.)

So much fun to visit with Victor and Jen Abascal at their Vines on the Marycrest winery in Paso Robles a few weeks back. You DO know the story: (but just in case you don’t…) Victor and his family lived on Culver Crest some years back and Victor (brother of Sylvia and Paul) eventually became enamored with wines and the prospect of winemaking…he got hold of some cuttings and carefully climbed down the hill behind Marycrest Manor to plant them and see what happened. Well, what happened turned out to be the eventual purchase of 26 acres in Paso, more hands-on learning about vineyards, splitting time there with his own family there on weekends (Jen and their two youngsters) while working down in LA during the week. He’s now in Paso full-time producing award-winning wines, and joining wife Jen in greeting friends in a beautiful new tasting room just steps from their home! Find out more by visiting www.vinesonthemarycrest.com

. Are you sometimes stymied by the behaviors of your 2 or 3 year-olds? Just why are they doing what they’re doing and how should YOU be responding? There’s relief in sight: beginning this Thursday, January 2 and continuing every Thursday night in January a “Family Place Parent-Child Workshop” will be taking place at the Culver City Julian Dixon Library, 4975 Overland Ave. Family Place workshops are an opportunity for parents and caregivers and their children (3 years of age and under) to play and learn together in a playful setting filled with toys and activities that foster learning and creativity. A different community resource specialist will be available at each session to give a brief talk and answer questions on various parenting topics. The series will take place all five Thursday evenings in January from the 2nd through the 30th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. No pre-registration is required. For additional information, contact Joan Mead – (310) 559-1676 or visit www.colapublib.org/libs/culvercity.

This coming Saturday evening, January 4, the Culver City Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Arlette Cardenes, will present “A Night in Vienna” at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Featured will be works by Strauss and Von Suppe (with the addition of professional dancers to provide extra highlights). Tickets are available at www.ccchamerorchestra.com, and MasterCard and Visa are accepted. Ticket prices range from $15.00 for Seniors/Students with ID; to $30.00 general seating; and $35.00 for priority seating. For information and reservations call (310) 397-2490.

Wow! Lots of birthdays to finish out 2013 and begin 2014, including: Joy Jacobs, Diane Miller, Kathy Brundo, Neil Rubinstein, Marion Feingold, Anicia Batongbakal, Robert Clubb, Harumi Ikeda, German Kalinec, Maribel Cruz, Mariana Weber-Smith, Daniel Bennett, Rona Bon Durant, Barry Chapman, Thomas Connolly, Joe Eastburn, Paula Ehrlich, Helen Elson, Scott Garland, Ina Gartenberg, Roberta Gillerman, Blake Handler, Tin Hoang, Iris Hollick, Junko Igarashi, Joanne Lenhoff, Victor Marin, Daniel Nannini, Doris Pocasangre, Mary Rall, Maher Sesi, Lorraine Stone, Jeryll Taylor, Wendy Temple, Patrick Whalen, Jean Yamamoto, Ashley Anaya, Mirja Bishop, Jim Cleaveland, Sandra Evans, Frank Wilson, Michaela Amezquita, Mariana Cruz, Margaret Fredericks, and Christine Ferreria. If you’d like your (or a friend or relative’s) birthday noted here, let us know at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to post it!

The Actors' Gang

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