It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

Virginia Avenue Park

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City Council member Kevin McKeown cuts the ribbon during Virginia Avenue Parks grand opening celebration that was held on Sunday, December 4, 2005.

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Santa Monica Marching Band plays at the opening.

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Children help  paint a mural at Virginia Avenue park during the "Teen Graffiti Workshop," by Joseph "Nuke" Montalvo of UNSK8

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Luis Romo and his cousin Ramon Romo spar during a PAL Fitness demonstration

Located in the heart of Santa Monica's Pico Neighborhood, Virginia Avenue Park will provide a broad variety of educational and recreational programs for all ages, as well as social services and employment assistance.

As part of the Virginia Avenue Park Expansion Project, new outdoor amenities and building improvements include:

  • A 2.9-acre open lawn area with a meandering path
  • Two full-size basketball courts
  • Two playgrounds with "space-age" style equipment
  • "The Beach Blanket" - An interactive water play feature
  • Wi-Fi internet access
  • Park Center - will house a Santa Monica Police Department Substation, a fitness gym, activity rooms and park administration offices
  • "The Patio" - A new 1,300 square foot building that will house park programs, park restrooms and mechanical equipment
  • Renovation of the park's teen center called "2101"
  • Cosmetic improvement of the Thelma Terry Building
  • "Our Pico Neighborhood" - an 80' x24' mural reflecting the spirit of the surrounding community by Wayne Healy and David Botello of East Los Streetscapers
  • Additional parking to accommodate the Saturday Farmers' Market and expanded park programs
Posted on Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 05:49PM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Police and Firefighters Annual Candy Cane Drive

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Santa Claus waves hello to the children at Virginia Park on Saturday, December 3, 2005, as he heads in on top of the fire truck during the Police and Firefighters 13 nth Annual Candy Cane Drive.

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Miranda Basseri 7 and her younger brother Michael 4, tell Santa Clause their Christmas list at Marine Park.
Posted on Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 10:05AM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz in | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Party on Montana Avenue

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The Salvation Army band  plays Christmas songs on Montana Avenue during the Holiday Street Party. Right to left: Jean Wyner  on the bell, David Hall on the trumpet and Anthony Begonia on the euphonium. Salvation Army is  celebrating  its 150 year.
Posted on Friday, December 2, 2005 at 10:12PM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Standing in memory Rosa Parks

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Big Blue bus passenger Farshid Naghavi, looks at the empty chair next to him. He had no idea who Rosa Parks was.

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All though its standing room only on this crowded Santa Monica Big Blue bus, this seat remained empty in honor of Rosa Parks and the anniversary of the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott that sparked the civil rights movement.  A black ribbon was draped across the seat, along with a commemorative marker reserving this seat in Parks memory on Thursday December 1, 2005.
Posted on Thursday, December 1, 2005 at 04:33PM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz in , | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Flocking trees

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Robert Nicholson of the 'Delancey Street Christmas's Trees'  flocks  this 7 foot tree. (Flocking runs an additional $2.00 per foot).

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Daved Dimmick steadies the tree as Vincent Gatewood saws through it.

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The Delancey Street Christmas's Tree lot is located on Olympic and 20th. There are 8 more location throughout  LA county.

The mission of the Delancey Street Foundation:

The mission of the Delancey Street Foundation is to provide a structured educational and living environment in which men and women, most of whom are ex-felons and substance abusers, can learn the skills they need to rebuild their lives. The residents of Delancey live and work together, pooling all of their income earned through a variety of business schools. Using the principle of "each one, teach one", the residents take responsibility for each other's welfare and hold each other accountable for achieving the highest possible standards in everything they do. There is no professional staff since the residents teach each other. A core principle is that people learn best by doing, and so everyone is active, learning job skills, acquiring an education, and practicing new ways of living.
Posted on Thursday, December 1, 2005 at 11:49AM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Kiwanis crackdown

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On Wednesday, SMPD Lieutenant Calisse Lindsey (left) and Charles Wiese  (right) go over some security issues with  Kiwanis President Merlyn Raco (center), regarding the disappearance of his gavel during the members weekly luncheon that is held at the Santa Monica Family YMCA . "All though people are closed-lipped", said a Board Member, "We have some strong leads pointing to curtain members."
(Harriette Wulfeck on the piano.)
Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 at 03:55PM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz in | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Queen of Mbira at SMC

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Students were invited on to the stage to view how the 'Mbira' (thumb piano) is played (by strumming the inside of the gourd) by  the 'Queen of Mbira,'  Beauler Dyoko from Zimbabwe and SMC Music Professor Dr. Ric Alviso on Tuesday November 29, 2005 during the "Music & Life in Zimbabwe" Concert by  Beauler Dyoko . This event was sponcered by the Santa Monica College Associates and the Music Department. Beauler Dyoko, known in Zimbabwe as the "Queen of Mbira Music," is Zimbabwe's first woman mbira recording artist. She is leader and featured singer with the popular contemporary mbira ensemble, The Black Souls, and has regularly been invited to perform a traditional song to open the Zimbabwean Parliament. She has also performed with Mhuri yekwa Rwizi/Soul of Mbira groups for many years in Zimbabwe and throughout the world. Beauler is also a spirit medium, an herbalist, fashion designer, and teacher of traditional Shona cooking. Beauler is an active member of organizations promoting women musicians in Zimbabwe, and has written original songs in support of AIDS awareness and non-violence. She is the sole supporter of a large extended family of grandchildren, nieces and nephews in Zimbabwe.
Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 at 02:40PM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz in | Comments1 Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Barbecuing gone wild

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Firefighter John Flores sprayes foam on to the hot spots

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Fire Chief Carl Bjerke shows firefighters were to spray the foam
Santa Monica Firefighters battled a brush fire along the bluffs of Palisades Park on Sunday night at around 9 pm. Firefighter attacked the fire from three directions. They sprayed water upwards from the Pacific Coast Highwasy, downwords from Ocean Avenue and from above with the use of helicopters. Chief Carl Bjerke said that the fire was most likely started by homeless people who were cooking.
Posted on Monday, November 28, 2005 at 08:48PM by Registered CommenterFabian Lewkowicz in | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint
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