Quench Your Thirst with Water-Related Events This Weekend
There must be something in the -- ahem -- water, because there are several H2O-related events marked for this weekend. If you thirst for an experience, mark you calendars for these events:
Coastal Cleanup Day, Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon
Give a little back by helping clean up a nearby body of water in Heal the Bay's annual Coastal Cleanup Day, September 21 from 9 am to noon. The non-profit has planned a clean up on 50 sites throughout Los Angeles County. Volunteers can participate at many of the area's waterways and beaches, including the Arroyo Seco, Ballona Wetlands, Balboa Park, Compton Creek, andmore.
One novel way of cleaning up is the kayak cleanup site at Marina del Rey, hosted by Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation. A separate sign-up is required for the popular site.
A family-friendly celebration is planned just north of the Santa Monica Pier at Tower 1550, which includes yoga at 8:30 am, a standup paddleboard clinic from 11 am to 2 pm, and free admission at the Santa Monica Aquarium for volunteers until 5 pm.
Sign up here.
C.I.C.L.E.'s Made in L.A. River Ride, Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
What do surfboards, urban bikewear and pickles have in common? They're all highlights on C.I.C.L.E.'s third Made in L.A. community bike ride coming up this Saturday, September 21.
Angelenos keep hearing about development along the Los Angeles River, but rarely do they see the faces and hear the stories behind these businesses. During the event, while riding bicycles by the Los Angeles River, cyclists will get an up close look at Grain Surfboards, swrve, and Kruegermann Pickle Factory -- all ventures successfully based around the historic waterway.
"Products made in Los Angeles and bicycling go hand in hand. I see bicycling as the future of cities and I see products made locally as the future of our economy," said Dan Dabek, director of C.I.C.L.E. (acronym for Cyclists Inciting Change through Live Exchange), about the free, family-friendly event supported by the Los Angeles Metro and the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation.
Dabek hopes that rides like these will help local makers and residents feel even more connected to their communities. In the second edition of the Made in L.A. ride, Dabek remembers being given tours by the business owners and introduced to each and every factory worker on the manufacturing lines. "Seeing that, I felt good about products that were being made in my community. I saw the act of making with my own eyes. It wasn't something externalized."
The "Made in L.A." ride is free and family-friendly. It meets September 21, 10:30 am at the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens. The ride is about 8 miles and goes until 1 p.m.
More information here.
"Different Kinds of Water Pouring Into a Swimming Pool" at REDCAT, opens Saturday, artist talk 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Architect Andrés Jaque of transdisciplinary studio, the Office for Political Innovation, opens "Different Kinds of Water Pouring Into a Swimming Pool" at REDCAT. In the exhibition, Jaque homes in on the movements of water through and in California backyards by exposing a series of drawn pipes pouring into an invisible pool. The result are beautiful quasi-architectural drawings that lingers in the mind and begs the question, "how are we all connected?" despite the many high gates or hedgerows we erect in between neighborhoods. The exhibition opens September 21 with an artist talk from 7 to 9 pm. More details here.
Studio City/Sherman Oaks Car Free Day, Sunday all day
Celebrate International Car Free Day on Sunday, September 22, in Studio City and Sherman Oaks by walking or biking around the neighborhood. Produced by several community organizations, the event offers special promotions with neighborhood retailers for participants wearing blue.
Families can enjoy a car-free lifestyle by heading to different spots in the area. Stroll along Radford Art Walk by the L.A. River, or enjoy a free chair massage at the community picnic, get some fresh greens at the Studio City Farmer's Market, or stretch your muscles at a free Lululemon yoga class.
Bonus: Don't forget to send in your comments for the ARBOR study. Public comment opens September 20.
Top: Last year's C.I.C.L.E. Made in L.A. Bike Ride. Courtesy of C.I.C.L.E.