Tag Archive for: Maria the Goose

Twitpic by RosalineMae

You may have read that Echo Park’s famous goose Maria (made famous by an OK Go music video, then a Facebook page, then the brilliant snowball effect that comes with celebrity life in Los Angeles) was moved to the Los Angeles Zoo in preparation for the upcoming Echo Park Lake rehab project this summer. Well, as it turns out, Maria is actually a boy! The Zoo learned of the official gender while doing a checkup after the gander arrived. Dominic Ehrler told the LA Times, “He’s Mario now. But I’ll call him Maria if he doesn’t respond to Mario.”

In case you’re wondering, Dominic will be able to visit Mario/Maria.

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LA TACO @ STREET ART POP UP! from LA TACO on Vimeo.

Street Art Pop-Up Store opened last Friday, March 4 at 1461 1/2 W. Sunset Blvd. (formerly Warwick Vintage Store). The temporary art space will be featuring new artwork daily from a variety of artists, including Bigfoot, Robots Will Kill, Evil Design, Shepard Fairey, and more.

The temp shop is open daily from noon to 7:00 pm. Check out the video about from LA Taco.

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We found out on Tuesday this week that Writer Brando Skyhorse’s “The Madonnas of Echo Park” won the Hemingway/PEN Award for first fiction.

Congrats to Brando Skyhorse! And yes, the book is still on my New Years Resolutions to-do list, but I’ll be stopping by the library fairly soon to grab a copy.

You may have noticed the slew of media interest in Echo Park Lake’s own Maria the Goose lately (unless you missed it all). Last week, Steve Hartman of Katie Couric’s CBS show was sent to the lake to interview Maria’s favorite human, Dominic Ehrler. Click here to watch the full CBS story, which aired February 28.

Today we learned from Chicken Corner that Maria was relocated last Friday to the Los Angeles Zoo ahead of the Echo Park Lake Rehab Project starting next month. Dominic told Chicken Corner in an email about the status of her new crib:

Maria has a two-room suite in the quarantine section of the zoo hospital. She will be monitored for things like worms and any other potential problems. … A minor foot problem will be taken care of. After the quarantine period is complete in about 30 days Maria will be moved to the exhibit area where she can be seen by all. The zoo will hold/display her until her ultimate destination is determined. The zoo personnel are all in love with Maria. She is safe and secure.

Dominic will definitely be able to visit Maria regularly, and told Chicken Corner she is doing well!

We’ll miss Maria, but we’ll also miss the lake and can’t wait for the project to be completed. In the meantime, feel free to donate to the Echo Park Animal Alliance, which is overseeing the care and protection of all the other wildlife in the lake that will be displaced during the project.

Betty Plasencia Elementary School was on lockdown Monday morning after reports of an armed man on campus. Turns out, there was no reason for alarm. Echo Park Patch.

A shut-down of Sunset Boulevard for paving in Echo Park was a huge pain in the you-know-what for those of us living on the detour routes. The Eastsider LA has the info and photos.

Maria the Goose is getting a lot of news coverage as we get closer to the start of the Echo Park Lake Rehab Project. We caught a glimpse of her favorite human, Dominic, over the weekend at Masa. Among many articles, the Wall Street Journal has a story, as well as the LA Times.

There’s a new pop-up shop opening in Echo Park called Street Art Pop Up. Apparently the exact location is super secret, but plans are to open March 4.

Flickr photo via LaCaMod

You may have heard the story about Maria the Goose – the only loveable goose I’ve ever heard of. She may not snuggle with you, but she is very friendly and has become very fond of Dominic, a local who visits her quite regularly and is often seen following him down the street as he speeds away on a moped.

You may have also heard about the goose on KTLA, and the Maria the Goose Facebook page (well, they call her Orange Bill) launched from the recent OK Go music video at the lake.

This weekend, a Hiking Club will meet along with new member Dominic to take a walk around the lake. Hike leader Lee Zebold admits that lately, Maria has also “accepted me, and I am now her friend.”

According to the meet-up page, “Now is your chance to meet Maria and walk Echo Lake with her. She will put on a flying demonstration as well to show off her newly learned abilities (she is young and learning to fly). It will take no more than an hour and should be a hike (walk) that you won’t easily forget.”

As you may know, the lake will be gated, dredged, and rebuilt over a two year process starting in April 2011. We have just a couple of months left to enjoy the lake as we now know it, so take advantage now! And don’t worry, there’s still the second largest park in Los Angeles (Elysian Park) in our backyard, so you won’t be left without some great green space.

The meetup this weekend is on Saturday, February 12 at 9:00 am. No dogs, easy hike for all ages. Meet at 1750 Echo Park Avenue. Click here to sign up on the meet-up page.

A lot of us were at the Echo Park Community Parade on Saturday, but there was also another Echo Park Lake Rehabilitation Tour around the lake. This time, Maria the Goose joined in on the talk, raising the question: Where will the infamous goose go once the project starts?

Photo via LA Stormwater Facebook gallery.

Related Articles:

  • “Echo Park Lake Rehab EIR to go before City tomorrow.” Echo Park Now, November 22, 2010
  • “Echo Park Lake Restoration tour.” Echo Park Now, October 14, 2010

Maria the Goose takes a walk around Echo Park Lake. Video caption says, “Dominic had asked, ‘Have you seen Maria,’ to the female jogger you see in the video (she of course had not, or at least had not known that she had.) This time around, she notes that he has indeed found his beloved Maria.”

Check it out:

Makes you wonder… where will Maria the Goose go when the lake is drained next year?