LOCALmotion – Jozelle Smith

It’s July: So keep celebrating your independence – from cooking! Wednesday, July 18 is Downtown Culver City’s “Third Wednesday” event and the patriotic spirit continues, inviting you to celebrate “All-American Red, White & Blue Drink and Dessert Contest” Happy Hour. Stay in the American vibe with free samples of red, white & blue drinks and desserts at restaurants, bars and retail establishments throughout Downtown Culver City. Live entertainment will abound, with Job’s Daughter’s Bethel 2 Drill Team, to live folk pop music by Rosendo, reggae, funk jam band Project Moss, Irish stylings by Slugger O’Toole, and more. The fun goes from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m., so head to our own Downtown and enjoy!

Wednesday must be a popular night for partying – you’ll see (and smell – yum!) Jim Rodrigues of Santa Maria BBQ firing up the grill at Veterans Memorial Park when the Culver City Historical Society hosts its Annual Picnic. Chef Rodrigues will grill choice tri-tip beef roasts and juicy chickens, which will be served with his special chili beans, potato salad, green salad, garlic bread, homemade cookies and soft-drinks. Picnic-goers will meet at 5:30 p.m. for soft drinks and conversation, and dinner will be served from 6:30– 7:30 p.m. Stephen Fry’s Razzmatazz Dixieland jazz ensemble will perform throughout, and there’ll be free gifts and door prizes too. The price for the picnic dinner is $25 per person and reservations are preferred. (The cost is $30 on the night of the event without reservations.) Children ten years and under are $10. All CCHS members, their family and friends, and the public are invited to attend. For reservations, please call (310) 253-6941 or e-mail [email protected].

On Saturday, July 21 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. bring your family and friends to the Culver-Palms Family YMCA‘s 2nd Annual Family at the Y, 4500 Sepulveda Blvd. Kids of all ages will enjoy a day packed with fun activities, including pony rides, an exotic petting zoo, train rides, rock wall climbing, a giant obstacle course, an arcade of exciting games with lots of prizes, a dunk tank, face painting, a giant raffle with big prizes, kids’ dancing and musical entertainment at the Carnival’s Grand Stage, and tasty treats that include midway hotdogs, hot tamales, giant pita delights, snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn, Jamba Juice and cool beverages. Along with Carnival they’re hosting a Summer Marketplace where carnival goers will find gifts on sale by local vendors. Entertainment and ride tickets can be purchased in advance at Culver Y: 6 tickets for $5; 14 tickets for $10; 35 tickets for $20. All tickets are $1 each on the day of the Carnival. Raffle tickets can also be purchased for $1 each, in advance or on the day of the Carnival For more information contact Brooke Miyamoto at 310-390-3604 or check online atwww.ymcala.org/cp. All proceeds go to help fund scholarships and camperships to YMCA programs. Local sponsors include Pacific Alarm Systems, FastSigns, Miller Honda, Abbot’s Pizza, AAA Flag & Banner, John Riordan Plumbing, Merrill Lynch, Culver-Palms Animal Hospital, Hull Bros. Roofing, Joseph A. Davidson Plumbing and the Ya Yas of Culver City.

Mark your calendars, because this certainly won’t be your Mamacita’s fiesta – is it Mike Cohen’s leadership plus a great committee that’s turning our annual Fiesta La Ballona into a mega-event, “Party in the Park” this year? It kicks off late Friday afternoon, August 24 with mellow music early followed by Fiesta Palooza, featuring the area’s top teen bands and doesn’t stop. Saturday and Sunday, August 25 and 26 include a carbo-load Kiwanis breakfast, Culver City Fire Dep’t. Bucket Brigade contest, Family Fun Zone, picnic relays, climbing wall, petting zoo and pony rides, arts & crafts, a beer & wine garden. Interactive workshops featuring yoga, Pilates, hip hop, tie dye, cheerleading, karate, face painting, storytelling, obstacle courses, Scandinavian dance, tie dye, and mixed media art. Add to that a Vintage Car display with antique Model A police car, Model T fire engine, post office delivery vehicle, MGM service bikes and Helms Bakery Olympic coach. How about free afternoon swim games, synchronized swimmers, boy vs. girl match races among state-ranked swimmers, and a water polo match between rivals Culver City and Beverly Hills high schools. Cycle City presents bike decorating, bike wash, repairs, tech workshops, safety skills course and bike parade. Local pros and ranked tennis and paddle tennis players lead clinics, exhibitions, and contests for youth and adults at the Tennis and Paddle Tennis-Fest in the tennis court zone. Top it all off with Sony Studios characters, magician, unicyclist, mime and the Culver City High School Centaur mascot greeting the expected 20,000 guests. We’re exhausted thinking about it – but what a wonderful weekend to look forward to!
Birthday wishes go out this week to Joyce Perlick, Barbara Popkin, JoAnn “Jodi” Aylsworth, Tammy Lunch, Diane Kasha, Gabriel Koppula, Joyce Elder, Dana Goller, Ukamaka Anagu, Jim Corbett, Stephen Hook, Robert Zullo, Christine Ferreira, Sierra Smith, Mike Kubota, Suzanne Lozano, Gillian Scott, Eric Stanley, Margaret Guinee, Gary Guthman, Judy Lafferty, Christine Thompson, Robert Wison, Esther Alva, Scott Boyd, Perr Guerrero, Marika Kawano, Ron Henshaw,Theresa Husberger, Gloria Johnson, Laura Street, Elizabeth Brewer, Julia Ivanova, Tamara Mugalian, Alice McHugh, Eugeny Mishustin, and Karen de Lorell. If you’d like your or a friend’s birthday mentioned in LOCALmotion, let us know at [email protected].