"Eagle Rock: Where land use and
planning is a contact sport"
THE EAGLE ROCK
ASSOCIATION
TERA
-- e.letter --
September 6, 2001
Please encourage
interested friends to send their e.mail addresses to us at artburn@earthlink.net
so we can keep them informed, too.
In this issue:
1. COUNCIL MEMBER PACHECO -- ANNUAL "STATE
OF THE TOWN" ADDRESS -- SEPTEMBER 11
2. NEXT MEETING OF THE COLLABORATIVE EAGLE ROCK
BEAUTIFUL -- SEPTEMBER 8
3. MURAL CELEBRATING EARTH BRIGHTENS HIGHLAND
PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL -- SEPTEMBER 8
4. SOLHEIM LUTHERAN HOME "ROCKATHON"
-- SEPTEMBER 9
5. YOSEMITE GYM ISSUE/HEARING -- LACK OF QUORUM
-- CONTINUANCE TO SEPTEMBER 12
6. "GALLERY FIGUEROA" OPENS --
SEPTEMBER 15
7. BEAUJOLAIS BOULANGERIE'S NEW HOURS -- NOW
OPEN FOR DINNER!!
8. MAXFIELD PARRISH EXHIBIT THROUGH SEPTEMBER
-- IT'S GREAT!
9. GOODBYE TO A FRIEND, AND HELLO TO A NEW ONE
10. HOT OFF THE PRESS!! LOS ANGELES GAY AND LESBIAN HISTORY TOUR MAP
11. TERA IS AWARDED ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD
MATCHING FUND GRANT!
12. OMIGOD!!
EVEN MORE GOOD PRESS FOR EAGLE ROCK!
13. EASY FUNDRAISING FOR EAGLE ROCK ELEMENTARY
AND OTHER NORTHEAST LA SCHOOLS
14. VISIT THE EAGLE ROCK HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION WEB SITE
15. NORTHEAST CHRISTMAS PARADE NOW BEING PLANNED
16. LETTERS AND E.MAILS
17. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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1. COUNCIL MEMBER PACHECO -- ANNUAL "STATE
OF THE TOWN" ADDRESS -- SEPTEMBER 11
What's been happening
in Eagle Rock over the last year?
Please join us at TERA's
next meeting on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, when Council member Nick Pacheco
delivers his annual "State of the Town" address, beginning at 6:30
p.m. at the Eagle Rock Community Cultural Center, 2225 Colorado Boulevard,
Eagle Rock.
Come find out what's
been happening over the last year in our town, and bring your questions! This is yet another terrific opportunity to
meet other concerned community members and activists, and to find out
first-hand from our City Council member what he's been doing to improve our
area of the 14th District. Also, be
treated to great drinks and snacks!
Some of the subjects/questions
covered at this meeting will include the following:
Local historic
preservation efforts
The community of Eagle
Rock has several buildings that are of historical importance. Our community is unusual in that our
historical buildings are very diverse, both in style and age
The Women's 20th
Century Club, a wonderful example of the Craftsman style, is in the process of
applying for a Getty grant.
The old Shopping Bag
Market (currently the One Day Paint & Body building) has a distinctive Moderne
facade and is in danger of being demolished.
What is your position
regarding these structures and your overall position regarding architectural
preservation in Eagle Rock?
Merchant diversity
There have been
indications that Walgreen's may be interested in locating at the One Day Paint
& Body site. Given the close
proximity to several other similar stores, do you think this is the best use
for this property?
Economic
development/Specific Plan
Our community has a
wealth of vacant storefronts on high-traffic streets. One of the reasons they continue to be vacant are obstacles in
the Specific Plan. Entrepreneurs who would
bring attractive new businesses that would foster economic growth in the neighborhood
are encountering obstacles in our Specific Plan that lessen, if not eliminate,
their enthusiasm for coming here. The
issues they encounter most often are:
1. Limited hours of
operation
2. Parking requirements
that cannot be resolved on a practical basis within a mature neighborhood
3. A costly and lengthy
process to obtain waivers for non-controversial exemptions
What actions are you
taking in the short term and long term to mitigate these barriers to economic
growth in Eagle Rock?
Yosemite gym proposal
The intent to build a
new gym in Eagle Rock should have been a moment of celebration. Due the following issues, however, the gym
has provoked significant acrimony and discussion:
1. Inadequate
neighborhood communication
2. No plan for parking
3. Unresolved
neighborhood issues surrounding the care and maintenance of the green space
surrounding the school
Please share your
thoughts on this issue. How do we avoid
a similar situation in the future?
Neighborhood councils
TERA supports the formation
of neighborhood councils, but direction and guidance from the City of Los
Angeles has been spotty. There are many
issues concerning formation, organization, and roles of neighborhood councils
that lack clarity.
What is your opinion of
the concept of neighborhood councils?
How will you support us
to ensure that Eagle Rock's efforts to organize a council for our community are
successful?
Population
increases/schools
Two senior-only housing
developments are targeted for Eagle Rock, and we are certain to face the
pressure to accept low-income multi-family housing units in the near
future. Our local schools are already
overcrowded. What is the City's plan to
ensure that adequate school facilities will exist for the increase in students?
Community safety
It is well known that
the LAPD is understaffed and that all communities probably do not have the
optimal amount of police coverage.
Based on assigned
officers as a ratio of the number of residents in a community, how does the
coverage of Eagle Rock compare with other communities in Los Angeles?
Welcome to Eagle Rock
How has becoming a
resident of Eagle Rock influenced your perception of the community?
Childcare will be
provided so that busy parents can attend.
Parking is available on the street and at Bank of America. We ask that all meeting attendees kindly
contribute a $2 donation, and all monies collected are donated to the Center --
a very good cause, indeed!
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11,
2001
6:30 p.m.
2225 Colorado
Boulevard, Eagle Rock
(323) 226-1617
Please join us! As always, everyone is invited.
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2. NEXT MEETING OF
THE COLLABORATIVE EAGLE ROCK BEAUTIFUL -- SEPTEMBER 8
The next meeting of the
Collaborative Eagle Rock Beautiful is this Saturday, September 8, from 9:00
a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Oasis Club, 2435 Colorado Boulevard, in Eagle Rock. Come see what's been happening with our
beautification efforts here in Eagle Rock, and enjoy a continental breakfast!
· PROGRESS REPORTS OF
OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
· REPORT ON EAGLE
ROCK'S 90TH ANNIVERSARY IN OCTOBER
· REPORT ON HISTORICAL
SOCIETY'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY
"REMEMBERING THE
PAST TO BUILD OUR FUTURE"
***COMMUNITY GARDENS ***DOG
PARK ***MEDIAN PLANTING ***GRAFFITI REMOVAL
***SKATE PARK ***CALTRANS
For more information,
please call John Stillion at (323) 254-6540 or Esther Monk at (323) 255-4052 or
beautification@esthermonk.com. We
hope to see you there!
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3. MURAL CELEBRATING EARTH BRIGHTENS HIGHLAND
PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL -- SEPTEMBER 8
Board of Education
member David Tokofsky and Councilman Nick Pacheco will join community residents
on Saturday, September 8th at the dedication ceremony unveiling an ambitious 100-foot
mural at the main Figueroa Street entrance of Luther Burbank Middle School. The
ceremony, which begins at 11:00 am, will be followed by a community
celebration, with performances by local bands Burning Star, specializing in
eclectic soul, and reggae artists Sisboombah. Invitations have also been extended to Assemblywoman Jackie
Goldberg and Congressman Xavier Becerra.
WHAT: Luther Burbank
Middle School Mural Unveiling and Celebration
WHEN: Saturday,
September 8th, 11 am
WHERE: Luther Burbank
Middle Schools, 6460 N. Figueroa St., on the patio near the Figueroa St. main
entrance
Funded through a City
of Los Angeles Neighborhood Matching Fund grant, the mural is a project of the
campus parents group, PADREES In Action. Along with planting a new garden at
the schools entrance, the group enlisted various community volunteers and students
to complete the task of creating the ambitious mural that covers a wall and two
stairwells on the Figueroa Street faade.
Designed and executed
by local muralists Andy Ledesma and Danny Ruiz, the mural commemorates the long
history of humanitys relationship to the earth, spanning indigenous American
civilizations, the schools namesake, horticulturist Luther Burbank, and the
activist legacy of Cesar Chavez.
The new Cesar Chavez
state holiday on March 31st provided an opportunity to rally residents and
youth in this civic improvement through the sponsorship of the "Cesar
Chavez Day of Service and Learning," which engaged students in the
planting of the garden and assisting in the mural design and execution. Funded
by a grant from the Corporation for National Service, the Northeast L.A. Cesar
Chavez Day of Service & Learning Projects was the result of a collaboration
between the Northeast Community Resources Coordinating Council, City Councilman
Nick Pacheco, Occidental College, Eagle Rock High School, Hathaway Family
Resource Center, and others. Hathaway Family Resource Center in Highland Park
provided grant administration and project management.
The mural dedication
ceremony and celebration will take place Saturday, September 8th, at 11:00 am,
at Luther Burbank Middle School, 6460 N. Figueroa Street, on the patio near the
schools main Figueroa entrance. The ceremony will be followed by a free
community celebration featuring live music and refreshments. For more
information, contact JB Sloan at (323) 257-9600 x222.
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4. SOLHEIM LUTHERAN HOME "ROCKATHON"
-- SEPTEMBER 9
4th Annual Rock-a-thon
Solheim Lutheran Home
will hold its 4th Annual Rock-a-thon Sunday, September 9, 2001, from 2:00 to
4:00 P.M. It's a Rock-a-thon! A
what? A Rock-a-thon, for rocking-chair
endurance. What a fitting event for a retirement community! Residents and staff will participate. Rockers from the community are
encouraged. Each rocker will be seeking
sponsors to support their rocking efforts.
"Designated rockers" are needed. We also need rocking chairs and will pick up/return any chairs
donated for the event.
Families and friends of
Solheim are ask to pledge support for residents, for their rocking efforts, and
to come out and support their favorite rockers. All donations are tax-deductible. Please call Nancy Ackerman, Director of Development, at
323-257-7518, for more information or to volunteer.
[Editor's note: Did you know that "Solheim" means
"sun house" in Norwegian?
Solheim Lutheran Home was begun here in Eagle Rock in the early part of
the 20th century as a retirement home for elderly Norwegian Lutherans (only 12
rooms at the time -- it's really big now), or perhaps for advanced-age
Norwegian bachelor farmers, per Garrison Keillor.]
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5. YOSEMITE GYM ISSUE/HEARING -- LACK OF QUORUM
-- CONTINUANCE TO SEPTEMBER 12
The following is a
report from neighbor-to-the-park Saul Traiger regarding the Yosemite gym issue:
"The hearing on
Wednesday, August 8, of the Northeast Area Planning Commission brought about no
action on the Yosemite gymnasium proposal.
The case was deferred until the Commission's next meeting, which was to
be held n August 22nd, but was cancelled.
It is up to those of us present to make sure that the word gets out.
The case has been
deferred until the September 12th meeting. If there isn't a quorum on the 12th
then the appeal fails by default, since the Commission loses its jurisdiction
in the case.
I urge anyone who has a
view about the case to attend the September 12 meeting, at 4:30 p.m. in Ramona
Hall at 4580 North Figueroa Street in Highland Park. If we don't have a quorum for that meeting, or if the case is not
heard, we will appeal to the City Council."
Saul Traiger saul@traiger.net
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6. "GALLERY FIGUEROA" OPENS --
SEPTEMBER 15
Well, we've torn down
walls, torn up floors, and exposed a wood beam ceiling...and now we're in
countdown phase for the opening of Gallery Figueroa. Please join us for our
premier exhibition featuring Los Angeles painter Lori Markman, whose work was
described by the L.A. Times as "anything but dry and academic." Paul
Rudolph and his musician pals will perform live, and there will be food and
drinks.
Where: Gallery
Figueroa, 6122 N. Figueroa Blvd. (between York and Ave. 60)
Opening reception: Saturday, Sept. 15, from 7 - 11 p.m.
Show runs through Oct.
28
Contact: (323) 697-4912
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7. BEAUJOLAIS BOULANGERIE'S NEW HOURS -- NOW
OPEN FOR DINNER!!
Hooray! There is another local venue to enjoy
excellent cuisine all day and into the evening! Beaujolais Boulangerie, that charming French cafe with the
fabulous food, is now open every night (closed Mondays) until 10:00 p.m.! Great salads, sandwiches, creamy quiches to
die for, and other delectable dishes.
There is also a variety of coffee drinks, juices, and other liquid
refreshments, not to mention terrific desserts! The Boulangerie offers pleasurable dining both inside and out on
the sidewalk. We HIGHLY recommend it!
Beaujolais Boulangerie,
1661 Colorado Boulevard, here in Eagle Rock, (323) 255-5133. Open 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 Tuesday through
Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Closed Mondays.
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8. MAXFIELD PARRISH EXHIBIT THROUGH SEPTEMBER
-- IT'S GREAT!
My amazingly talented
artist husband and I recently had the privilege of viewing the Gertrude
Vanderbilt Whitney Murals at the Edenhurst Gallery in LA near Beverly
Hills. The murals were designed and
painted by the great Maxfield Parrish, who lived from 1870 to 1966. If you have never seen an original Parrish,
this is your chance.
Parrish's drawing is
incredibly precise, his shadows minimal enough to reveal the linework, his
composition strong, and his oils painted beautifully and thinly enough to
actually see some of the pencil drawing underneath. Colors are luminous. The
background landscapes and their intense hues are monumental and stunning.
These murals were painted
in the lingering part of the Art Nouveau period that commingled with the
already-popular Arts and Crafts movement, between 1912 and 1916, getting very
close to a century ago, when Eagle Rock's Women's 20th Century Club
Craftsman-style building was erected (1914, although the Club itself was
founded in 1903).
There are also some
terrific plein-air paintings on view, including a couple of works by the late,
great Eagle Rocker Hanson Puthuff. Puthuff,
one of the founders of the California Art Club, lived for most of his life in
our town, building in 1913 a beautiful Craftsman-style home with studio for
himself and his family on College View Avenue.
TERA proudly featured the Puthuff home at 5261 College View on our first
Eclectic Eagle Rock in 2000. Current
owners Jackie and Bill Stutz appropriately carry on the tradition -- they are
both painters of plein-air. Other
galleries adjacent to Edenhurst are currently showing Puthuff paintings as
well.
Don't miss the
opportunity to see these exquisite Maxfield Parrish murals and Puthuff
paintings.
Edenhurst Gallery
8920 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles
(310) 247-8151 (call
for hours)
Through the month of
September
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9. GOODBYE TO A FRIEND, AND HELLO TO A NEW ONE
We regret to inform you
that Eric Warren has chosen to resign from the TERA Board of Directors, but we
certainly understand why -- he's one of those dedicated people who has too many
irons in the fire! Knowing your limits
is a gift, and Eric knows his. His
passion is Eagle Rock's history (he's a life-long Eagle Rocker and curator of
the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society), and thus he has decided to
concentrate his efforts there. He did
serve as TERA's Historic Preservation Committee chair, which was more than
appropriate. We thank him, and applaud
him, for all the work he's put forth on behalf of our town for so many
years! Best of luck, Eric. If you're interested in helping with local
historic preservation efforts via the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society,
please contact Eric at erickaren@earthlink.net.
We at the same time
wish to welcome new TERA Board member Michael Southard, who is serving as an
interim (appointed) TERA Board member.
Michael was serving as Eric's Historic Preservation Committee co-chair,
and he's now taken over as chair of this important committee. Michael has always been involved in historic
preservation efforts, whether in San Diego or Carthay Circle, his two former
residences. He has lots of passion and
energy, two central ingredients for success.
Welcome, Michael! If you are a
TERA member interested in assisting Michael with his efforts as chair of our
Historic Preservation Committee, please e.mail him at lavalodge@earthlink.net.
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10. HOT OFF THE PRESS!! LOS ANGELES GAY AND LESBIAN HISTORY TOUR MAP
We are in possession of
several copies of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian History Tour Map. Friend and founding TERA Board member Jeff
Samudio, who so generously sent us copies, says the first run sold out
immediately! First come, first served. E.mail us at artburn@earthlink.net. Free!
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11. TERA IS AWARDED ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD
MATCHING FUND GRANT!
This in from Dalila
Sotelo, hard-working TERA Board member and wonderful person:
I wanted to let you all
know that I received notification from the City that TERA has been awarded a
Matching Grant in the amount of $5,000 to improve the median in front of the
Women's 20th Century Club! It's not
much but it is certainly a start. I
have not yet heard about the other applications we submitted.
I would like to
especially thank Karin Christie for all her help in reviewing and editing my
narrative as well as the narratives for the other proposals.
Now all the hard work
begins -- we have to plan, design, dig and plant -- so I need your help! I have copied Linda Allen and Ray Patel on
this e-mail because I hope to involve them in the planning process since this
median is located in front of each property.
I would also like to ask Esther Monk and Mary Tokita for their help and
advice in moving this planting process forward. If anyone else is interested please let me know.
Thank you.
Dalila T. Sotelo
McCormack Baron
Vice President
(323) 981-2885
(213) 864-9855
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12. OMIGOD!!
EVEN MORE GOOD PRESS FOR EAGLE ROCK!
Jennie Webb wrote yet
another article on our town that was published in the Pasadena Weekly several
weeks ago in the August 2 issue. Here
it is:
Okay. Eagle Rock has been found out. This week's media darling (cover-girl of the
suspiciously-thin Los Angeles Times Magazine), our own little hamlet has
officially been prophesied as "the next Los Feliz." So there it is. In black and white. Out
in the open.
And now were faced with
the responsibility of hip.
What? You've never paid attention to Eagle
Rock? You didn't know that the
hotel-lined stretch of Colorado Boulevard just west of Pasadena (the part of
the town you look down upon as you travel from Glendale on the 134) was
destined to regain its pre-freeway status as a thoroughfare literally dripping
with trend?
Until three years ago,
me neither. Hell, before we moved here,
I thought Eagle Rock was in the 805 area-code.
But I chose to believe
our ever-so-charming realtor's tales of the growing aesthetic community and
increasing neighborhood activism.
(Especially since the main reason we ended up in the hills above
Occidental College is that we were priced out of Silverlake.).
Indeed, life as an
active Eagle Rocker has proven that it's definitely a neighborhood worth
exploring. Even before the cool factor
was sanctioned by LA's Patron Saint of
Hip, Eagle Rock resident Fred Eric (he of Los Feliz restaurants Vida and
Fred 62), and the openings this year of three hipster hang-outs on Colorado
Boulevard.
Hey. I'm the first one to admit that Fatty's, a
tidy and tasty European cafe/newsstand/artspace straight outta Gertrude Stein's
memoirs, is the place to go to relax and read the paper on Sunday
mornings. Two doors down is Beaujolais
Boulangerie, a fab new eatery owned by the decidedly not-rude French folk who
run the more upscale restaurant down the street. And Swork is the hot, industrial cyber-coffee house prominent on
the corner of Colorado Boulevard and Eagle Rock. Right. Swork is totally
and completely a godsend in a town where, a year ago, you couldn't buy a decent
cuppa joe. Plus, they cheerfully punch
my frequent coffee card despite the fact that, unlike the growing number of
fashionable folk whose vision and savvy are behind the attention-getting
business trends, I've never owned a pair of Doc Martens, pierced anything other
than my ears, nor had my prescription eye-wear referred to as remotely chic.
The fact is, I'm not
the sort of person that even causes a blip on the hipness meter. But little old
dicey, funky Eagle Rock isn't the kind of place where that needs to slow me
down, is it? I mean, where else are
you gonna find a Bowling Alley-Chinese Joint-Karaoke Bar down the street from a
Foster's Freeze and a Peruvian Restaurant?
An Italian bakery to die for, next to a comic book store? The Times Magazine article mentioned our plethora
of auto repair shops and beauty salons, but did it mention we've also got
forty-something churches? (Can you
spell "hell-mouth," anyone?)
And don't forget that
we've gotten celebrity in that past that's not spoiled us. Occidental College students have long
frequented hang-outs like Pat & Lorraine's (a coffee shop featured in the
Tarantino flick "Reservoir Dogs"), Colombo's (with its womb-like red
naugahyde booths, the delightfully-time-warped steak house serves cuts of meat
possibly as old as the upholstery) and Toppers (Wednesday, from the original
Adams Family series, pours the drinks at this smoke-and biker-filled cocktail
lounge). Other
"best-kept-secrets" around town are the flaming bowl drinks at the
Red Dragon in our neighboring Highland Park, the totally-retro, and
pretty-darn-legendary, Casa Bianca Pizza Parlor, a farmer's market and our very
own cultural center, thank you very much.
What's not to love, and
why should I feel apprehensive about the changes coming Eagle Rock's way?
I'm thrilled that Fred
Eric is planning to open a 24-hour diner down the street from me, and refurbish
the decrepit Eagle Theater. And I thank
the heavens that they're planning to overhaul the Eagle Rock Plaza, that
hideous paean to 70s architecture which just lost its even more hideous
Montgomery Wards flagship. Hallelujah!
But I'll cop to the
fact that there's one part of me that's apprehensive at the thought of a
potential hipster invasion. I do have
fond memories of one of Eagle Rock's un-stylish, lonely businesses, which
occupied the building where Swork now bustles.
The Angels of Eagle Rock, it was called. It was a store which sold only angels. And pictures of angels.
Angel jewelry. Clothing with
angels. Probably clothing to put on
angels. And lots of books with angels
in them. I walked in one day and spent
a good ten minutes alone in utter amazement.
Until the shop's owner walked out of a back room. He had a small woman with him, dressed all
in white.
"Oh! I didn't hear you come in," he
said. "This is Astrid. We were in the reference section, trying to
locate the angel she'd seen last week.
We think it was Michael. Don't
we, Astrid?"
She never
answered. So I'll never know.
Anyway. I'm sure I'm not the only one who hopes
Eagle Rock doesn't lose all its mystery and old-world charm in pursuit of
real-estate values. But here's to Eagle
Rock's prosperous, public future.
(I'll just focus on my
own personal goals: Joining the Women's 20th Century Club, and assuring a place
for my husband in the Fraternal Order of Eagles.)
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13. EASY FUNDRAISING FOR EAGLE ROCK ELEMENTARY
AND OTHER NORTHEAST LA SCHOOLS
An easy way to raise
money for the Eagle Rock Elementary PTA is by saving the "Boxtops for
Education" coupons you find on the top of General Mills cereals. GM will donate to our PTA 10 cents for each
coupon turned in. Drop your coupons off
at the Parent Center or give them directly to PTA president Tina Ramirez.
If your child attends
another school in the Northeast LA area, find out from your PTA whether your
school is participating in this program, and, if so, save those coupons!
Another very simple and
even more painless way to raise money for your school(s) and/or organizations
that assist children is through the Escrip program! Participating merchants donate a percentage of your purchases
when you use a variety of registered store, credit, or debit cards. Vons, Pavilions, Eddie Bauer, Chevron, Whole
Foods, and many other merchants participate.
A $10 yearly
administration fee is all you pay for as many cards as you wish to register,
and there is a $5 charge for each additional organization you support, up to
three total. So you can, for example,
support two schools and a church or synagogue for $20 per year. The funds can really add up! The PTA at one of our local elementary
schools on average made over $600 last year from this program alone! Please remember that the PTA helps pay for
field trips, supplies, assemblies, and other things that enrich our children's
education, and their lives.
Find out more about the
program, and register online. Log on to
http://www.escrip.com and start helping your school or organization!
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14. VISIT THE EAGLE ROCK HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION WEB SITE
Find out more about the
organization in Eagle Rock that has the most, and most loyal, members! The Eagle Rock High School Alumni
Association Web site can be accessed at http://www.erhsalum.com.
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15. NORTHEAST CHRISTMAS PARADE NOW BEING PLANNED
This year's theme
is "Celebrating a New
Renaissance." Join us and sign up
to volunteer! Volunteers are needed in
every area from logistics to fundraising or just to sign up to volunteer on the
day of the parade. With your help, the
parade can be bigger and better than ever!
For more info, please
call Misty Iwatsu or Gabrielle Woods, 2001 Parade Volunteer Chairpersons @ 323-221-7179 or e-mail mistyli@aol.com or
gabrielle_woods@hotmail.com.
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16. LETTERS AND E.MAILS
"Did I compliment
you on the picture in the LA Times Magazine? I thought that it was so neat looking. I loved how you were interacting with the location, and also how
powerful you looked. It is really an
amazing portrait. I hope you got a
print for yourself to hang up somewhere.
Hope to see you at Fatty's, whose tea service I love."
-- Meg Ferris, Eagle
Rock resident and Collaborative Eagle Rock Beautiful Web site designer
"You looked
gorgeous in the LA Times Magazine.
More good press!"
--Laurie O'Brien,
actor, Highland Park resident, and Eagle Rock Elementary School highly-gifted
magnet parent
"Trish [Neal of
Swork] showed me a copy this afternoon [7/27/01 -- before it 'arrived'] of the L.A.
Times Magazine and I am very impressed.
Didn't get to read it, of course, but the photo of you is a stunner. You, and Trish, are definitely famous. Wow.
We are really coming into our own as a community."
-- Wanda Kuenzli, Eagle
Rock resident, Eagle Rock Community Cultural Association president, and TERA
member
"Nice picture in
the Sunday LA Times Magazine!
Will you autograph mine?"
-- Dr. Ted Mitchell,
President of Occidental College, Eagle Rock resident, and TERA member
"To the LA
Times --
Thank you for printing
a story on Eagle Rock, one of the great, relatively hidden treasures of Los
Angeles. It irked me, however, that
Dave Gardetta didn't really seem to understand that the reason Eagle Rock matters
is not because it might be poised as the Next Hot Place. As a 33-year-old frequent visitor to this
wonderful neighborhood, I feel Eagle Rock offers a great alternative to the
often tired posturing of West Hollywood and Los Feliz.
For Eagle Rock
beginners, I suggest having dinner at Colombo's on a Friday night to get a real
taste of what a rich, quirky, ethnically diverse community of intergenerational
people from all strata that inhabit this town.
Not only will you have a memorable dining experience, but you'll
possibly find yourself singing at the piano, or dancing in a conga line. When you go there make sure you meet the real
cool people -- ones who've lived in this town since before most of the young
urban professionals you wrote about were even born!
This is a town with a
real sense of history and pride -- please don't think a hot spot is truly born
just because someone decides to drop a trendy restaurant there. Eagle Rock has been hot for years, and
hipsters or not -- it'll be hot for years to come."
-- Matt Severson, West
Hollywood resident and Eagle Rock fan
[The above original
letter was edited and then published in the LA Times Magazine Sunday,
August 26, edition. Thanks, Matt, for
writing!]
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17. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Dream as if
you'll live forever. Live as if you'll
die today."
-- James Dean
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We welcome your
comments. Please include your name.
Please encourage
interested friends to send their e.mail addresses to us at artburn@earthlink.net
so we can keep them informed, too.
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Joanne Turner <artburn@earthlink.net>
President, The Eagle
Rock Association (TERA)