Get your tickets now for Taste of the Eastside

It’s time for the second annual Taste of the Eastside – an event that includes taste-testing awesome treats from local restaurants in the area, including Silver Lake, Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, Los Feliz, Downtown, and Highland Park, and more importantly, Echo Park!

Last year we attended the first Taste of the Eastside and had a blast – beautiful weather plus tons of great Echo Park restaurants made it worth the ticket price. We enjoyed some incredible bread pudding from Delilah’s, vegan ceviche by Elf Cafe, Farro salad from Cookbook, Pho Beef Tacos from Xoia, and savory rhubarb galette from The Park. A memorable cup of coffee from Silver Lake’s Intelligentsia made us realize why the coffee shop is so packed all the time. Click here for our photos from last year.

This year we can expect some of the same restaurants from last year plus a couple of new additions from Echo Park, including The Park, Cookbook, Mohawk Bend, Xoia, and Pazzo Gelato. We know Xoia is serving up some homemade ice cream, which will be perfect for the wonderful 74 degree, sunny weather we can expect!

Tickets are a little more expensive this year, but includes unlimited tastings from the 30+ restaurants from the area. With each $35 ticket you get a unlimited food tastes, a $45 bar ticket adds a wine/beer flight, and a $65 VIP ticket a bunch of other goodies like seminars . Kids 2-12 are only $5, two and under are free!

Taste of the Eastside
Barnsdall Art Park, located at 4800 Hollywood Blvd
Sunday, May 6 from 1-5:00 pm.
Click here for the website

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Tonight: Updates on the Echo Park Lake rehabilitation project

Screenshot from echoparklake.com

Tonight, the city is holding an Oversight and Odor Monitoring Committee meeting for those interested in getting updates on and ask questions about the Echo Park Lake rehabilitation project. Only 11 months left of the project – we’ll find out if things are moving along as planned.

The meeting is today, Monday, April 30, 2012, at 6:30 pm, at the St. Paul Episcopal Cathedral in the “Joseph and Child” room.

St. Paul Episcopal Cathedral is located at 840 Echo Park Ave.

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12th annual Festival of Childhood tomorrow

The 12th Annual Festival of Childhood held by the local Echo Parenting & Education takes place tomorrow, April 28, 2012 from 1-5:00 pm.

In conjunction with The Day of the Child, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and International Spank Out Day, the festival promotes parental self care as well as an understanding of child development:

The message of the Festival of Childhood is that violence is something that is learned. When we raise children with kindness and compassion, they grow to be kind and compassionate adults, who aren’t likely to use violence as a tool. It’s a day when families can experience the possibility of nonviolence in the world!

The event will include a rock climbing wall, face painting, gardening, clay play, button-making, music, story time, street painting, and more.

Live performances include Bob Baker Marionettes, Eco Hero Kids, Birdie’s Playhouse, Children’s Nature Institute, Tierra Blanca and expert parenting speakers.

The free festival will be held in the basement of the Echo Park United Methodist Church Building at 1226 N. Alvarado Street.

Email aortiz@echoparenting.org with questions.

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Found dog: Male Lab mix on Echo Park Avenue

Echo Park Now reader Javier was having lunch at Red Hill today (lucky you!) when he took found a male Lab mix running around. The dog has no tags or a chip, but looks like such a happy one that there’s got be someone looking for him.

Contact us if you know anything about this pup!

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Mark your calendars: The Great Los Angeles River CleanUp is on Saturday!

Got any plans for Saturday? Cancel them! This weekend is the 23rd Annual La Gran Limpieza: The Great Los Angeles River CleanUp.

The community, family-friendly event is on April 28, 2012 from 9:00 am to noon. To entice you a little more, there will be gift giveaways, raffle prizes, entertainment and refreshments at each site. The event is part of Keep America Beautiful’s (KAB) nationwide Great American Cleanup™ day of service,

There will be 15 river clean-up sites, it looks like the closest one to us in Echo Park might actually be the Arroyo Seco cleanup site.

Each year going back to 2004, FoLAR publishes a trash report of what they find and how much in the LA River – from clothes to plastic film, metal, styrofoam, beverage containers, molded plastic, and glass. Some of the strangest items they’ve found include phone booths, cars, swords, and even old saunas. They expect 25 tons of garbage to be removed. Check FoLAR’s website for maps and more information.

Echo Park Trash Abatement Project (TAP) will have a small table at the Echo Park Farmers’ Market on Friday, April 27 from 4-6:00 pm with information and sign-up sheets. Otherwise, click here to sign up online!

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Found dog on Echo Park Avenue

This adorable munchkin was found on Saturday, April 21 near Fix Coffee at Echo Park Avenue and Baxter. The owners must miss this one – don’t you just want to pinch those cheeks?

Contact us if you know anything about this found dog.

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