Outdoor Movie Nights at Barnsdall Art Park this Fall Starts this Weekend

Barnsdall Art Park’s famed fundraising Outdoor Movie Night series is kicking off just in time for fall, on Saturday, September 12th through Saturday, October 24th for a seven-week run.

 Join us on the lush west lawn of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famed Hollyhock House with surprise guests introducing the movies. Curated by The Black List, a trailblazing online networking community for the film industry, and Trailers from Hell, a premier platform for trailers from world-renowned contemporary filmmakers, all are invited to celebrate a season of American Pop-themed movies. Enjoy a curated selection of wines, courtesy of Dark Horse Wines as well as a selection of LA’s finest food trucks. Musical entertainment will be provided by D.J. youNGNoon from 5.30pm till dusk with the movies (on a high-resolution screen with superior surround sound) starting at sundown—7.30pm-- on top of Los Feliz’s scenic Olive Hill at 4800 Hollywood Boulevard.

 Tickets cost $25 for movies plus tasting (4 pours) or $15 for the movie without beverages. Additionally, each film will be introduced by special guests including John Landis and Jessica Bendinger. Support the People’s Park with this popular family-friendly event that has raised over a half a million dollars to support the Park’s capital projects, art programs, historic renovations and gallery exhibitions over the last six years.  Please visit http://www.barnsdall.org/events/outdoor-movie-nights/ to purchase tickets.

Here's the complete list of shows:

 September 12th: Shaun of the Dead
• September 19th: Groundhog Day
• September 26th: Coming to America with special guest John Landis
• October 3rd: Bring it On with special guest Jessica Bendinger
• October 10th: Stand and Deliver with FYI Films
• October 17th: Dear White People
• October 24th: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Mickey Mouse and Disney have strong ties to Los Feliz.

2495 Lyric Avenue, Los Feliz

I'm a real estate for Keller Williams in Los Feliz and I love the history of this town.  I love homes in the area too - here's a piece on the Los Feliz is the birthplace of the most enduring and lovable stars that Los Angeles has ever produced; Mickey Mouse.

The Pacific Ready-Cut house at 2495 Lyric Ave. was built by Walt Disney in 1926 for $8,000, including the 2875 square foot lot. His brother Roy bought an identical house and lived next door with his wife. Ready-Cut homes were ready to assemble houses, that came complete with the framing, doors, windows, sinks, cabinets - even the nails and paint were included along with an instruction manual to put it all together. Pacific Ready-Cut were popular houses in the 1920’s, selling over 37,000 in Southern California.

The 12,000 pieces for the houses were delivered by rail in August of 1926 and construction was finished by December, in time for the holiday season. The modest, two bedroom, one bath house was 1066 square feet inside. Walt and Lillian lived on Lyric Ave until they moved to Working Way in 1932. The brothers houses were identical and both are still standing today.

The current owner of the house bought it in 1997 for $150,000, not knowing the home's origins. He started to hear rumors that Walt Disney had owned the house and began investigating. When he bought the house, the previous owner had died, leaving it vacant for six months. Sadly, the house was in such a state of disrepair that it had to be completely gutted, with new plumbing and electrical installed.

Mickey Mouse was born in the garage of the house on Lyric Ave. Walt, Roy and Ub Iwerks worked in secret on the project, while still under contract to Charles Mintz and Universal Studios for the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons.

Disney had strong ties to Los Feliz, with many of the original workers living in the area. A co-worker moved into Walt’s house when he left for Working Way, while his brother stayed on at his home on Lyric Ave.

The very first ‘Disney Bros Cartoon Studio’ was located in the garage of Walt’s uncle Robert Disney at 4406 Kingswell Ave. The garage has been on display for the public since the 1980’s, at the Stanley Ranch Museum in Garden Grove. The brothers also rented an office next to their uncles house, which is where Walt met Lillian when he hired her as an ‘ink and paint girl’.

In 1926, Disney opened a new, larger studio at 2719 Hyperion Ave. Many Disney legends were created in that studio, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarf’s. It was sold in 1940 and demolished in 1966, replaced by a shopping center which is now Gelson’s market. In honor of the studio, Disney continued using the name Hyperion for many different things, such as Hyperion Books and the Hyperion Theatre.

Disney was fond of saying “it all started with a mouse!” The part that many people don’t know is that the mouse got his start in a modest home on Lyric Ave. in Los Feliz.

When hiring a real estate agent, hire local.  Debbie Pisaro

World Elephant Day at The LA Zoo August 8th & 9th

Did you know there is a World Elephant Day?

It is a day dedicated to the conservation of elephants. These majestic creatures are still being hunted and killed for their tusks, to supply the demand for ivory. While ivory bans exist in some parts of the world, many still allow the trade.

President Obama has just announced major restrictions on ivory in the US. He made the announcement while in Kenya, saying that the new legislation would not only further restrict the import of ivory into the US, but severely restrict the sale of ivory between states, limiting it only to antique pieces over 100 years old.

California lawmakers have proposed AB96, a bill that would ban ivory sales in California. The bill was drafted with the help of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s 96 Elephants campaign.

All of this is good news for the elephants. Restrictions on the ivory trade and education about the killing of elephants for their tusks have been largely responsible for the gains in elephant conservation.

To celebrate World Elephant Day, the LA Zoo in our very own Griffith Park will be hosting World Elephant Day Weekend, an event where you can learn about and enjoy it’s resident elephants.

Visitors to the zoo here in Los Feliz will get to see the state of the art Elephants of Asia exhibit, where they can learn about how the elephants are cared for, from feeding to the enrichment activities used to keep the elephants happy and entertained.

For families, the zoo is offering a craft area, where children can create cards symbolizing their commitment to elephant conservation which will be displayed at the Elephants of Asia Elephants Circle. Kids can also bring their toy elephants (or purchase one at the zoo) to be examined by experts and given a certificate of health.

Visitors will learn about current and past elephant conservation efforts, including the restrictions on the sale of ivory and the importance of protecting elephant habitat.

In the Thailand pavilion, you can learn about working and unemployed elephants, who are so essential to the Thai economy but are slowly being replaced by construction equipment. The Elephants of India plaza shows the impact of habitat destruction on that country's elephants. It provides waterfalls for the elephants to bathe in and hidden nooks and crannies for the trainers to place treats. You can also see the respectful relationship between the Dia people of China and elephants in the Elephants of China exhibit. Finally, enjoy the Elephant Lake in the Cambodian Pavilion, where there are many enrichment activities for the elephants.

In addition to the elephants, visitors can view the zoo’s collection of over 1000 animals, covering 250 different species. The botanical gardens boast 7000 plants representing 800 different species.

World Elephant Day Weekend runs on Saturday August 8 and Sunday August 9, from 10am to 4pm. Admission to the zoo is $20 for general admission (ages 13 - 61), $17 for seniors (62+) and $15 for children 2 - 12 years old. Children under the age of 2 are free. Members of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association enjoy free admission.