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Celebrating our Culture, History, and the Arts

March  2008     

Make sure to visit our “See L.A.!” to plan your excursions with your family and friends. We have links to various places right here in Los Angeles to explore. It’s a great page to bookmark for your reference.

See below for more on all of the above. And that’s all way too much for the shortest month of the year, but such is life in the Year of the Rat on Olvera Street.

What’s Happening at
Olvera Street!

“Lions and tigers and bears” probably visit be at Olvera Street at the annual Blessing of the Animals, slated this year for Saturday, March 22, Noon-5 pm, however dozens of other species are expected.

Olvera Street has celebrated the Blessing of the Animals annually since 1930. Humans from all corners bring their friends and companions, both ordinary and exotic, mammalian or reptilian, feathered or --whatever word is used for non-feathered.

There will be a parade followed by the traditional blessing by Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahoney, who is expected to splash holy water on the critters, which never seems to please the felines.  The splashing commences at 2 pm.

All pets welcome. It’s free.  For info: 213-625-5045.
To learn about the history of the Blessing of the Animals, click here.

Olvera Street is the starting place for the 10th Annual Cesar E. Chavez Day Walk and Festival on Saturday, March 29. The state holiday recognized the birth date of the late labor leader Cesar Chavez.
Chavez founded and led the United Farm Workers and was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom & the Aguila Azteca. Join thousands in continuing the call for social justice and labor equality. Walk alongside Chavez family members and elected officials to pay tribute and celebrate Cesar Chavez Day 2008.

For more information: 213-624-3660
To learn more about Cesar E. Chavez, click here.

Written by John Trausch

Long before the “11 original families of Los Angeles” began their historic 1781 nine-mile trek from the San Gabriel Mission to the Olvera Street neighborhood, Los Angeles was home to thousands of people who lived, worked and raised their families.

The Tongva Nation spanned what today is all of Los Angeles County and northern Orange County.  When Spanish explorer Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo sailed into San Pedro in 1542, the Tongva greeted him.  (Cabrillo declined their invitation to come ashore.)

Native Tongva from nearby Yangna greeted Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá and his men in 1769. His expedition which included Fr. Juniper Serra, reached “Alta California, New Spain,” at the top of Elysian Park hill.  They found no Dodgers, but did see a large green valley and a beautiful river (Los Angeles River) that ran through it.

There were an estimated 5,000 Tongva locally when the Spanish “established” “Los Angeles” in 1781. There are 31 known sites believed to have been Tongva villages, each with as many as 400 to 500 huts. This includes a prehistoric milling area estimated, from about 6,000 B.C.E., which was found in 2006 by archaeologists at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The find included about 100 tools used by the Tongvas.

We do know a number of things about the Tongvas, the original Los Angelinos.

The Tongva are among the few Native nations who navigated the ocean. They built seaworthy canoes, called ti'at, using planks that were sewn together, edge to edge, and then caulked and coated with either tar from the La Brea Tar Pits, pine pitch, or asphaltum that washed up on shore from offshore oil seeps. Titi'ats could hold up to 12 people and all their gear and all the trade goods when they traveled to market their goods, often along the coast or on one of the Channel Islands.

The Tongva believed in a God that brought peace to the world by setting it upon the shoulders of seven Atlasian giants. Their God went on to make animals, man, and woman. The Tongva believed that humans originated in the north where the Supreme Being lived and that the Supreme Being led the Tongva to Los Angeles. The Tongva did not believe in evil spirits, or any concept of a hell before the Spanish introduced these ideas. Tongva religious ceremonies were held in a circular structure within the village. Chosen men and close relatives could only enter the structure during funerary ceremonies. Female singers were also allowed.

To fail to show courage was the height of disgrace among the Tongva. Men would lie on top of red anthills and have handfuls of ants placed in their face as a demonstration of, um, courage.

The Tongva introduced boys to manhood through fasting, hallucinogenic rituals and trials of endurance. An elderly man would instruct boys about the ways of the world. These ceremonies were believed to provide the boys with a spiritual nature. The boys were also tested for courage by facing trials by fire, whippings, and lying on anthills. Boys who failed these tests earned reputations of weakness and cowardice.

Also:
Hereditary chieftains led the villages.
The practice of medicine and healing was the responsibility of the medicine man.
Warfare was not frequent for the Tongva and crime was rare.
Owls and porpoises were highly esteemed and never killed.

Tongva communities suffered greatly after the San Gabriel Mission was established in 1771. Many Tongva were coerced to join the mission (and the Missions San Fernando and San Juan Capistrano) and forced to abandon their villages and culture. It was their association with the Mission San Gabriel that gave the Tongva their Europeanized name Gabrielino. By the time the first American settlers arrival in the Los Angeles area in 1841, Tongva survivors were scattered and working at subsistence level on Mexican land grants.

Living in our high growth area, controversies have arisen around land use issues relating to the Tongva.  Developers have inadvertently disturbed burial grounds. The tribe has complained about bones being broken by archeologists studying the site.

In the 1990s, Kuruvungna Springs, a natural spring located on the site of a former Tongva village on the University High School campus in West Los Angeles, was revitalized due to the efforts of the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs Foundation. The spring, which produces 22,000 gallons of water daily, is considered by the Tongva to be one of their last remaining sacred sites and is used for ceremonial events.

Another controversy was over Puvungna, the birthplace of the Tongva prophet Chingishnish, and believed by some Tongva to be the place of creation. The site, formerly home to a Tongva village and also containing an active spring, is located on western edge of Cal State Long Beach. Developers repeatedly attempted, beginning in 1992, to build a strip mall in the area. The courts blocked them.

Today, it is estimated that a few hundred to a few thousand Tongva still live in California, and the “Gabrieleno/Tongva of San Gabriel” claim just over 300 enrolled members.

Other remnants of the Tongva are still with us today.  Tongva Peak is a 2,656-foot summit in Glendale’s Verdugo Mountains. The Gabrielino Trail is a 28-mile path through the Angeles National Forest. Tongva named places still in use today include: Pacoima, Tujunga, Topanga, Rancho Cucamonga, Azusa, and Cahuenga Pass.

Happy birthday to the following women:

March 1: Dinah Shore (1931-1994) singer

March 2 Laraine Newman (born 1952) comic

March 3 Jean Harlow (1911-37) actress

March 7 Janet Guthrie (b 1938) race car driver

March 8 Lyn Redgrave (b 1943) actress

March 10 Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) Underground Railroad conducter, the “Moses of Her People.”

March 11 Tina Louise (b 1934) actress

March 12 Liza Minelli (b 1946) singer

March 12 Lupe Anguiano (b 1929) Mexican-Ameican Civil Rights Activist

March 16 Ruth Bader Ginsberg (b 1933) U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice

March 19 Glen Close (b 1947) actress

March 22 Meryl Streep (b 1949) actress

March 23 Joan Crawford (1908-1977) actress

March 25 Gloria Steinum (b 1934) editor/founder: Ms. Magazine

March 25 Aretha Franklin (b 1942) singer

March 26 Diana Ross (b 1944) singer

March 27 Sarah Vaughn (b 1942) singer

March 28 Reba McEntire (b 1955) singer

March 29 Pearl Bailey (1918-1992) singer

March 31 Liz Claiborne (b 1929) fashion executive

We at Olvera-Street.com are doing two things: giving you hopefully not-that-inconvenient ideas every month on way to “go green,” and partnering with the folks at Shaklee, who have been sounding the environmental trumpet for a half-century now.

Shaklee is now suddenly in a position to make a difference in the world, as well as in the everyday lives of every individual.  Don’t just take our word for it.  Oprah said it too, and she’s never wrong.

Take a look at some of Shaklee’s products: http://www.shaklee.net/planetgreenlight/prodMain or for business opportunities visit: http://www.shaklee.net/PlanetGreenLight/
 

Three ways of Going Green for March:

1) Don't print out everything you see! Save it, bookmark it, and only print it out if absolutely necessary. Like if it's a reminder on how to "Go Green," or something.

2) Blow up your tires! Keeping tires inflated can save up to 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere.

3) Get a tap water filer to reduce bottled-water waste. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE by using nontoxic eco-friendly cleaning products and make a positive impact on our environment. "Go green!"

Use Get Clean in your home, and know that you’re letting in products that care as much about your family’s safety as you do. Not to mention the earth’s safety. And yet, they clean more powerfully than most of the other cleaners you probably use. For more information about the starter kit and other products, click here!

Superconcentrated – you’d have to spend more than $3,400 to get the equivalent cleaning power in the Get Clean Special Edition Kit. Shaklee is now suddenly in a position to make a difference in the world, as well as in the everyday lives of every individual. Don’t just take our word for it. Oprah said it too, and she’s never wrong.

Take a look at some of Shaklee’s products: http://www.shaklee.net/planetgreenlight/prodMain .

Shaklee offers a healthier and better life with an array of outstanding biodegradable products for home care, water filtration system, air purifiers, nutritional supplements, weight management, and personal care. Shaklee products have been enjoyed by millions of loyal users, athletes and celebrities. For more than 50 years, Shaklee's mission has been to make the world a better place... one person at a time.

Become part of the solution in saving our planet.

To learn how you can receive discounts on products through Shaklee’s memberships, or make smart healthy choices for your family part-time and earn extra income from your home,  visit: http://www.shaklee.net/PlanetGreenLight/ It's easy!

Join us for an incredible financial opportunity in starting an international business AND make a difference in the world. View videos and information on the Gold Ambassador Program for current business opportunities in Mexico, China, Canada and a growing global market. Shaklee's International expansion plans include launching into 50 countries. This is the best way to make a residual financial opportunity for yourself and others while making a difference.

Somebody’s Children

News About Our World Update
Iraq War

At Olvera-Street.com, the spirit of giving, understanding, compassion,
and support goes far beyond our doors.

 

As of January 30, according to a CNN count: “There have been 4,246 coalition deaths -- 3,940 Americans, two Australians, 174 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvian, 22 Poles, three Romanians, five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of January 30, 2008, according to a CNN count. (Graphical breakdown of casualties). The list below is the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen, sailors and Coast Guardsmen whose deaths have been reported by their country's governments. The list also includes seven employees of the U.S. Defense Department.  That is 38 more deaths since December 31, 2007.

At least 29,038 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. That is 265 more wounded since  December 30, 2007.

In 2004 we honored the 1250 Americans who had died in the Iraqi desert; that list has now grown with an additional 2,892 lives cut short. Note: May 1, 2007 marked the four-year anniversary when President Bush announced “Mission Accomplished!” and the end of hostilities in Iraq.

We send our love to them, their families, and dear friends.

The altar was dedicated to their memories so they won’t be forgotten, true to the meaning and spirit of iDa De Los Muertos!

* (The "Altar of the Iraq War" honoring the dead was created by six artists: Ginette Rondeau, Juliane Backmann, Al Herion, Bonjunnie Comostiles, Gabriela Quintero, and John Trausch. The altar does not necessarily reflect the thoughts of the Olvera Street merchants or El Pueblo Historic Monument.) To learn more about the Iraq War, click here!

The first “Altar of the Iraq War” was created on October 28, 2004 to honor and respect the memories and lives of all those who have died. NOTE: The figures do not count the estimated 100,000-200,000 Iraqi deaths, including women and children.

The original altar was featured in a children’s book: “Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life And Death” by Capstone Press and distributed in bookstores around the United States as well as on Amazon and other prominent retailers. National Geographic and NBC News also came out and filmed the exhibition last year.

The “Altar of the Iraq War” was re-created at last year’s “El Amor Eterno” Dia De Los Muertos Juried Exhibition at the Pico House Gallery. There were several thousands of visitors including children who were very touched and left notes of love at the altar. The gallery was created to be a place of healing, understanding and a place of education.
 

“Mailbox to Heaven”

There is a lovely story online in which you can share with your family and friends. Visit the site and learn about a child who desperately wanted to write to her Grandmother who had passed away. It is an inspirational story dedicated to Belen Tapia and by the Dia De Los Muertos Celebration.

If you know someone who died in the Iraq War and would like to share your story in honor of his or her memory, please submit it to webmaster@Olvera-Street.com

Just make sure you write “Stories to Share” in the subject line of your e-mail.

We are looking for communities who would like to make their own Mailbox to Heaven. If you are interested, please contact Ginette Rondeau.

To write a private letter to a beloved one, visit: www.MailboxToHeaven.com

(The “Mailbox to Heaven” has been featured at the El Pueblo Gallery and Pico House Gallery for the Annual Dia De Los Muertos Juried Exhibition, since 1992.)

Gift Ideas for Valentines!

“See L.A.!”
Supporting the Arts and Our Community
“Events Around Town”

You are invited to attend
 “Elysian Echo”
by Raul Pizarro

Raul Pizarro, an exceedingly interesting local artist, will present “Elysian Echo” on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Eastside Luv wine bar.

The opening reception will be from 5 to 8 pm. 
Eastside Luv is at 1835 E. 1st Street in Boyle Heights. 
For more information, phone: 323-262-7442,

Must be at least 21 years old to attend.

Belmont Shore Chocolate Festival

Down in the LBC, AKA Long Beach, the Belmont Shore Chocolate Festival will be held Saturday, Feb 2.  Thirty merchants are expected to share their wares in the fourth annual event from 1 to 4 pm.

The community can belly up to the bar by entering the Homemade Chocolate Dessert Contest, which is judged by local community leaders, business owners, and press. Kids ages 5 - 12 can get a face full of chocolate during the Chocolate Pie Eating Contest.

Books of 12 tickets will be sold for $10 in front of Washington Mutual, where the event will be centered, at 5200 E. Second Street.  Ticket books will also be sold the week of the event at various BS locations. 
Try: www.belmontshore.org.

30th Annual Super Bowl Sunday
10K/5K Run/Walk

Super Sunday, February 3, will be kicked off the usual way in Redondo Beach, with the 30th Annual Super Bowl Sunday 10K/5K Run/Walk and Costume Contest.  

More than 10,000 runners & walkers are expected to flex their pecs on the oceanfront course. For information on how to enter or where to watch, try: http://www.redondo10k.com/registration.html or phone: 310-376-6911.

Starring Cathy Rigby and Fred Willard
February 5 to 17

Dogpatch, USA will be on display at UCLA’s Ralph Freud Playhouse in a presentation of “Li’l Abner” .

In the play, Dogpatch has just been deemed "the most unnecessary, no account" town in the country. In a scramble to keep Dogpatch from being used for atomic testing, Li'l Abner, Daisy Mae, and the other citizens of Dogpatch must find a reason why their town is worth saving..
To receive $10 off tickets, enter the code: DAISY  http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/3swwg0

East-West Players will present “Voices from Okinawa” this month in Little Tokyo.  “Voices” is the story of an American graduate student of one quarter Okinawan descent, teaches English in Okinawa, and receives an unexpected education in Okinawan- American relations. 

Previews run February 7 to 10, opening night is Wednesday, Feb 13, and the performance run is Wednesday through Saturdays from February 14 to March 9.

The David Henry Hwang Theater in Little Tokyo, just south of Olvera Street; 120 N. Judge John Aiso St. , near the 1st and San Pedro intersections.

Admission is $60 for opening Night,  $30-$35 for regular Tickets $30,  $20 for the preview, and a Pay-What-You-Can Performance will be held Thursday, Feb. 14.  More info: www.eastwestplayers.org or 213-625-7000.

The Golden State

The 24th Street Theatre, located just south of Olvera Street, will host “The Golden State,”  “a comedy of greed, lust and other American values set in a sun-drenched and hedonistic Southern California, "The Golden State" is a 21st Century adaptation of Molière’s comic gem The Miser. 

“This is a rare chance to see The Dell’Arte Company, an internationally-renowned physical theater troupe based in Blue Lake, California. Dell’Arte takes Molière’s comedy of profit-driven family relations and turns it on its head, re-inventing the miser as an elderly California widow with a fortune stuffed in her bra, whose adult children are the desperate products of her fanatical hoarding. It’s Molière with the heat turned up, the stops pulled out and the women on top.”

“The Golden State” runs February 8 through 24, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, at 24th Street Theatre, 1117 West 24th St. at Hoover Street.  Tickets are $25; students and teachers pay only $15. 

For more info, try: 800-838-3006 or www.24thStreet.org. 

World City- Junebug and Carolina Chocolate Drops

February 9th, 2008
Starts at 11:00 AM

Honoring Black History Month, World City proudly presents acclaimed theatre artist and storyteller John O’Neal together with the Carolina Chocolate Drops in their Music Center premieres. Based in New Orleans, John O'Neal's Junebug Productions presents stories, songs and poems drawn from the treasure trove of African American oral history. Then, from the foothills of North and South Carolina, be amazed by the musicianship of the Carolina Chocolate Drops as they perform traditional and contemporary fiddle and banjo music.

FREE ADMISSION, open to the public and no reservations are required. Free tickets for both shows will be distributed starting 1 hour prior to showtime on the day of the event on Grand Avenue at 2nd Street, in front of Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Tickets for 11am show are distributed beginning at 10am, and tickets for 12:30pm show at 11:30am.)

(NOTE: In case of rain, both performances and workshops will be moved inside.)

Location
Family Programming
Walt Disney Concert Hall- W.M. Keck Amphitheatre
111 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA USA 90012
For more info, click here.

An artistic view of the romantic Valentine’s Day
Self Help Graphics

Commencing at the opening Reception on Saturday, Feb. 9, etchings, monoprints, linocuts and woodcuts created by print members of the SHG Print Studio for Valentine's Day will be on display. 

The Feb. 9 reception will run from 12 -5 p.m., and will accompanied by a “Botanica de Amor love-fair” held in the main Self Help Graphics gallery.  There will also be love-sexy poetry by some of Los Angeles' finest spoken word artists (Consuelo Flores, Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, Roberto Leni, Reina Prado, Abel Salas), Poetry on Demand, music by DJ Meraz, aphrodisiac-munchies and drinks, limpias para el amor by renown East L.A. spiritual-intermediaries, tarot card readings by Senorita Pat, Henna Tattoo Love spells with Erika and love potions botanica. 

The art exhibition will run through March 8 at 3802 E. Cesar Chavez Ave.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s Baroque Conversations
Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14
Zipper Concert Hall at the Colburn School

In “signature LACO style,” the artists will scheduled to introduce the music from the stage, share their insights, and invite your questions to conclude the evening. Performed without intermission, the concerts will be held from 7pm to approximately 8:45 pm, including the conversation between the musicians and audience.

The Zipper Concert Hall is opposite Walt Disney Concert Hall, at 200 S. Grand Ave. at 2nd Street in Downtown LA.  For more information, phone: 213-622-7001, or see: www.laco.org/series/24.

Walt Hall  - Kelly Thompson -   Susan Weber

Downtown Art Walk
(Second Thursday of Every Month)

Next Art Walk: Thursday, February 14, 2008
(some locations close earlier, see details on Art Walk map)

The Downtown Art Walk is a free, self-guided tour of the many art exhibition venues in Downtown Los Angeles — commercial art galleries, museums, and non-profit arts venues.

Public information and a printable map of the Downtown Art Walk are available at www.downtownartwalk.com.

Participants in the Downtown Art Walk are The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles Public Library, Grey Goose, Gary Leonard, L.A. Artcore Center, 2nd Street Cigars and Gallery, M. J. Higgins, bank, Continental, Crewest, The Regent Galleries, Pharmaka, Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, El Nopal Press, Bert Green Fine Art, INMO Gallery, Red Dot Gallery, Niche.LA Video Art, Kristi Engle Gallery, Art Murmur Gallery, 626 Gallery, Gallery Waugh, Infusion Gallery, Gallery 727, The Hive Gallery, City Center Gallery, Museum of Neon Art, BOXeight Studios, and the Downtown Art Gallery.

Visitors are encouraged to arrive by public transit, as the Art Walk is easily accessible by the Red, Gold, and Blue line trains which run past midnight, and the area is well served by the

DASH bus system until 6:30 PM. Parking is plentiful in the areas many paid lots and garages, at meters on the street until 4 PM, and free after 6 PM on most streets.

Special Events: The Comedy Walk, will be held at the same time as the Art Walk.

One of Peru's most compelling stars, aka the "Queen of Lando," Eva Ayllón blends African and Spanish cultures - dramatic flamenco phrases, complex, pulsating rhythms, and sweet folkloric melodies - into her signature musica criolla style.

Friday, March 7, 8pm
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Eva Ayllón

Use the link below for a chance to win tickets for Eva Ayllón’s concert on March 7.

“The most wonderful of all things in life is the discovery of another human being with whom ones relationship has a growing depth, beauty and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life.”

- Sir Hugh Walpole

Happy Valentine’s Day!

           May all your wishes and dreams come true.

Ginette Rondeau, Director & John Trausch, Editor


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