la parks Archives - L.A. Parent

Griffith Park celebrates its 125th anniversary.

When out-of-town guests ask me where they should go in L.A., the first place I suggest is Griffith Park. One of my fondest childhood memories is Travel Town Museum visits with my dad. Before our recent move, my husband and I spent twelve years waking up to the classic L.A. view of the Griffith Park Observatory next to the Hollywood sign, which I never took for granted. When my daughter was a newborn, the enchanting and shaded Ferndell trail was a weekly ritual. For my husband, it was hitting some golf balls after work at Wilson & Harding Driving Range. In other words, Griffith Park has something for everyone.

On Sunday Nov. 13, The Los Angeles Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and City of Los Angeles Council District 4, will celebrate the park and all it has to offer, with a free, day-long open-house-style event for the community. The public is invited to explore their favorite parts of the park they know and love and discover new corners of Griffith Park, while learning about its history dating back to 1896 when Colonel Griffith J. Griffith and his wife Mary Agnes Christine donated over 3,000 acres of former ranch land to the City of Los Angeles.

The Griffith Merry-Go-Round will act as the event’s central hub on Nov. 13.

Volunteer educators from 30 different organizations will be dispersed throughout Griffith Park to share the stories of its landmarks and cultural institutions, like the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the American West, the Greek Theatre and the Griffith Merry-Go-Round, which will act as the event’s central hub. At the Merry-Go-Round the public can pick up a map, which will also act as a passport booklet where participants can collect stamps at each site they visit. Food trucks, educational activities and entertainment will also be available for guests of all ages.

Griffith Park 125^th Anniversary celebration will go from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a special birthday ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Council District 4 Councilmember Nithya Ramen and Tongva Cultural Educator and Artist Craig Torres will give remarks, followed by a cake cutting. Eventgoers are encouraged to use public transportation to get to Griffith Park and to move from site to site throughout the day.

The Griffith Observatory is one of the sites you can visit during Griffith Park’s 125th Anniversary Celebration on Nov. 13.

To learn more about Griffith Park, transportation options, parking and a full schedule of events, visit LAconservancy.org.

ILLUSTRATED BY JENNIFER CUELLAR/DESIGNED BY MIRIAM BLIER

One of the interesting aspects of Los Angeles is that it’s an intricate weaving of concrete jungle and natural beauty. It’s a city ridiculed for an overreliance on cars and often, by unobservant outsiders, called an ugly tangle of brick walls and highways, but we Angelenos know that just off some of those highways are emerald gems (sometimes small, sometimes sprawling). Our parks, not our highways, are our city’s arteries.

The creators of We Heart L.A. Parks, a coloring book that is so much more, pay homage to L.A. parks in this new book that features personal stories, park histories and original artwork of 52 parks by more than 50 local contributors, from ages 8 to 87. Contributors include everyone from park activists to established muralists to elementary and high school students.

The book is published by the women-led creative collective and indie press Narrated Objects, which also brought us the well-received We Heart P-22 book about our famous mountain lion P-22.

Editors Teena Apeles and Andrea Richards say they chose the family-friendly coloring-book format to reach – and include – young budding activists and people of all ages, and to cover park equity, activism and history in creative and personal ways. Some highlights of the book include:

Two colorful foldout maps of the 50+ parks featured and an L.A. parks–inspired board game, co-conceived by Apeles’ 8-year-old daughter, Dominie.
Birth of BMX at Palms Park and the incredible story of how elementary-school kids made South L.A.’s Estrella Park.
“A Place to Grow” essayby Dennis Cooper, community gardener of West Athens Victory Garden, who writes about the lack of fresh produce in South L.A. and how he fought for funding for the garden and more public parks with other community members.
Tongva elder Julia Bogany provides the land acknowledgment that opens the book.

This board game was written by Teena Apeles and her daughter, Dominie, and designed by Apeles and Miriam Blier. DESIGNED BY TEENA APELES AND MIRIAM BLIER

The Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust will receive a percentage of the book’s profits.

Griffith Park Celebrates 125 Years with Interactive Parkwide Event

‘We Heart L.A. Parks’: More Than a Coloring Book

L.A. Parent