Block party, wedding toasts, CHLA beach party, arts summit, more
Several years ago, the Brookside Homeowners Association decided that, with the summer weather being increasingly hot, it would be better to move the annual Brookside Block Party from July to late September. That gamble paid off again this year, as hundreds of Brooksiders gathered on the 900 block of South Hudson Avenue on Sept. 22 to celebrate their neighborhood and community under perfectly sunny skies and not-too-hot-to-potluck temperatures.
BROOKSIDE pie-eating contestants were ready for their challenge. The ultimate winner was William Provinziano.
The 42nd annual block party, one of the longest running block parties in Los Angeles (slightly disrupted by the COVID-19 years, of course), pulled out all the stops as neighbors came to play during the 2 to 6 p.m. street event. A bounce house, water slide, face painting, music, watermelon and pie eating contest, dessert competition and pet parade all brought neighbors young and old together to embrace the fun and games. Pinches Tacos and Mateo’s Paletas were served to those who had paid their annual dues. The deliciousness included street tacos, guacamole, salsa, chips, corn and ice-cold ice cream and sorbet treats. Neighbors were also asked to bring their favorite homemade items for the potluck, arranged by block. Some streets were asked to bring a main dish, while others were assigned the side dishes, desserts and appetizers. Guests were also treated to a raffle featuring prizes from Bellacures, Met Her At A Bar, Pinches Tacos, Rhodes School of Music, Louis the Loafer, and many more local establishments.
BLOCK PARTY participants enjoy the closed streets, food varieties and merriment at the 42nd annual Brookside event.
The Brookside Block Party is an annual tradition that brings together families, neighbors, friends and even politicians (then newly elected Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa attended back in 2005). Some of the new residents in the neighborhood couldn’t believe their eyes. Overheard this year while weaving through the various groups of revelers: “Ihad no idea there was anything like this in Los Angeles! I’m so glad we’ve moved into this area. This is the cutest thing ever!”
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AT LEOPARDO, locals waited in line at the grand opening event for breakfast and lunch service.
Chef Joshua Skenes’ new Leopardo restaurant, which opened recently in the old La Brea Bakery space at Sixth Street and La Brea Avenue, has been slowly rolling out its menus and extending its hours since its first day in May. On Sept. 21, the day before the Brookside Block Party, the restaurant tested out its breakfast and lunch offerings and invited locals to try the lunch and brunch options for free. A line quickly formed around the block as eager patrons waited to try the award-winning chef’s culinary take on casual daytime fare. The free meals included Big Griddle Waffles, Sausage Big Muffin, and several sandwiches made on the restaurant’s famous machete bread, including Oh Banh A Mia!, Crackling Chicken, and Garden Vegetables. Manager Tracy Terrill was thrilled with the turnout, telling me, “We’re excited to, sometime soon, share breakfast and lunch. It’s a great area, and was an easy spot to open. We think we’ll have the best sandwiches in Los Angeles!” If you haven’t tried them yet, you’re in for a real treat!
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Also on Sept. 21, HODG (Hang Out Do Good), a group founded by and including a number of local residents) closed the stub end of Clinton Street, east of June Street and backing up to the Wilshire Country Club, for a big family-oriented political rally featuring seven statewide Democratic candidates for Congress.
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SKAGGS FAMILY and friends gathered in Park City, where sister and maid of honor Jamie Skaggs (left) toasted groom Rahul Mitra, standing, and his bride, Dr. Kira Skaggs, sitting in front of her parents Dr. Valerie Ulene and Dr. David Skaggs. Windsor Square neighbors Gill and John Wagner are in the foreground.
The end of September saw a migration of quite a few Windsor Square residents from there to Park City, Utah. That was the site for the wedding of Dr. Kira Skaggs and Rahul Mitra on Sept. 28. Among the Windsor Square residents traveling to Park City for the Friday night welcome reception and Saturday’s wedding at the River Bottoms Ranch in Midway, Utah, were the bride’s Plymouth Boulevard parents, Dr. Valerie Ulene and Dr. David Skaggs, and their neighbors from the block, Ernie Johnston and Bernie Cummings with their three daughters, Ellie, Caelan and Emma Cummings Johnston, as well as Martha and John Welborne. From around the corner were Gill and John Wagner and from a bit further west, Kimiko and Brad Fox. At the wedding reception, there even was a cocktail (a variation on an Old Fashioned) named “The Bernie” in honor of its namesake, Mr. Cummings, who was quite surprised when he first saw it. At the previous evening’s welcome party at Firewood restaurant, the bride’s sister and maid of honor, Jamie Skaggs, joined the multitudes toasting Kira and Rahul.
FROM PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, Skaggs next-door neighbors (from left) Ernie Johnston, Ellie Cummings Johnston, Caelan Cummings Johnston, Bernie Cummings, and Emmie Cummings Johnston showed up to fête the bride and groom.
BERNIE Cummings was taken by surprise when he first saw his namesake cocktail, “The Bernie.” Sharing the moment behind him are Kimiko and Brad Fox.
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LARCHMONT JCT is a new shopping area in Delta’s Terminal 2 at LAX. Go figure!
Larchmont Boulevard is getting even more famous! Spotted recently at the new Delta Airlines terminal at LAX, as one exits toward baggage claim, was “Larchmont Jct.” This new retail feature clearly is not based on that town in New York. Further research at the LAX website discloses that “Larchmont Junction (Jct) carries a variety of high-end product brands such as Tom Ford and Le Labo fragrances, Tumi Luggage and vintage luxury designer handbags. They also offer a one-stop shop of grab-and-go items such as books, medicine, snacks, beverages and more!” Well, kind of like the Boulevard.
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DODGERS ROOTERS at a Padres playoff game included, from left, Larchmont Chronicle Managing Editor Suzan Filipek and her husband, Ludi Mora, and the newspaper’s founder, Jane Gilman.
That wraps it up for September, but October started getting busy right from the get-go. And, if it’s October, it’s (usually) Dodgers playoff season! Spotted in the stands at Dodger Stadium were Larchmont Chronicle Managing Editor Suzan Filipek, her husband, Ludi Mora, and the paper’s founder, Jane Gilman. Sadly, they didn’t help the Dodgers beat the Padres that particular night! But the Dodgers are playing the Yankees in the World Series!
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SUNSET COCKTAILS preceded the Palm Royale Beach Ball to benefit Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Children’s Chain of Children’s Hospital is a group of women who started supporting the hospital in 1958. Their members create individual fundraising events all around the town and throughout the year. (Local ladies Maureen Hawley, Alexandra Huddle, Ali Jack, Ann Keely and Natalie Stone have a Wreaths + Wine fundraiser scheduled for Sun., Nov. 10, in Hancock Park. Learn more by contacting nkolawa@gmail.com.)
CHILDREN’S CHAIN member Ann Keely shows earrings for sale at the silent auction.
The big Children’s Chain event of each year — where all members and their guests gather to celebrate and support the hospital — is the annual dinner dance. Held this year in Santa Monica at The Beach Club on Oct. 12, the festive extravaganza was titled “Palm Royale Beach Ball.” The event was coordinated by co-captains Cary Brady and Courtney Wyman, with the bright and sparkly (and highly pink and beach-y) décor organized by Alexandra Clark, Jennifer Hasbrouck, Andrea Laks and Paige Pearce. Big contributors to the funds raised were the live and silent auctions arranged by Whitney Campeau, Sarah Dickerson and Denise Perlstein.
SPOUSE supporters at the Beach Ball dinner dance for CHLA included, from left, Bryan Dunne, Daniel Rainer, and Neal Flesner.
The whole flamingo fandango was overseen by Chain president Jackie Dunne. Her husband, Bryan, and his friends, Daniel Rainer and Neal Flesner, were among the hundreds of men and women having a very good time on the sunset-facing patio and inside for dinner. Spotted from our neighborhood were Carlotta Keely, Elizabeth LaBombard (husband John was at the Eric Clapton concert at the Hollywood Bowl), Ann Keely and Christina Won.
CHAIR of Children’s Chain, Jackie Dunne (right) chats with member Carlotta Keely, from Hancock Park.
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The Ebell was the site for a major, major gathering of Los Angeles arts producers and administrators on Oct. 16. Hundreds of people who are thinking about programming for all of the arts in and around the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games gathered for a full day of panels, breakout sessions and conversations over lunch. Sponsored by Arts for LA (artsforla.org), which is the main cross-discipline arts advocacy organization in Los Angeles County, the event appropriately was billed as the “State of the Arts Summit.” That was because the panelists and attendees were at the top of their organizations, that’s for sure. In the morning, welcoming remarks came from County Board of Supervisors Chair, Lindsey P. Horvath (in person) and Mayor Karen Bass (by video). The morning’s main panel, “Legacy of LA,” featured County Director of Arts and Culture Kristin Sakoda, City Department of Cultural Affairs General Manager Daniel Tarica, and Nora Halpern, who is planning with, and advising, Maria Arena Bell, who was announced in June as chair of the LA 28 Cultural Olympiad.
ARTS FOR LA sponsored an all-day program at The Ebell titled “State of the Arts Summit” that featured a prominent panel moderated by Hope Tschopik Schneider.
ARTS FOR LA panel included, at right, from the left: Nora Halpern, Daniel Tarica and Kristin Sakoda.
The panel was moderated by the person probably most knowledgeable about the arts and the Olympics in Los Angeles, Hope Tschopik Schneider. She was the associate director of the highly successful 1984 Olympics Arts Festival.
The day’s networking opportunities were substantial because the summit lasted until 3 p.m. All of Southern California will be looking to see what arts events will emanate over the next four years from all that connecting over at The Ebell.
And now you’re in the Larchmont know!
Category: People
