August 3
Michael Brunswick, new paintings, Kathrin Burmester, peoplescapes, opening reception 6-8pm, Hunsaker/Schlesinger Fine Art, Bergamot Station, 310.828.1133.
Gypsy Folk Ensemble Dance, 1:30pm, free, Community Room, Lloyd Taber Marina Del Rey Library, 4533 Admiralty Way, MDR, 310.821.3415.
Entertaining Mr. Sloane, Joe Orton’s dark comedy, through August 26, 8pm Friday-Saturday/7pm Sunday, $20, Malibu Stage Co., 29243 PCH, Malibu, 310.589.1998.
First Fridays on Abbot Kinney Blvd., shops stay open late, 6-10pm, free, Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310.392.2525.
Godislav, a drama by Nancy Beverly, through August 26, 8pm Fridays-Saturdays/3pm Sundays, $20, Miles Memorial Playhouse, 1130 Lincoln Blvd., 323.860.6625.
Make Mine Myths, a Japanese-English bilingual musical fairytale, 2pm and 4pm, $10, Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 4th St., 310.394.9779 x2.
Marx in Soho, a play by Howard Zinn in which Karl Marx returns in the modern age, dinner 6:30pm, performance 7:30pm, suggested ticket donation $15, $5 for dinner or pay what you can, Venice United Methodist Church Peace & Justice Center, 2210 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, foodnotbombs.wetnostril.net.
August 4
Casino Royale, a benefit for the Cancer Legal Resource Center, 6-10pm, $50, Loyola Law School Esplanade, 919 Albany St., LA, 213.252.7439.
A Day at Hogwarts, special Harry Potter event, registration required, 11am-4pm, free, Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.458.8600.
Songs of Protest 3, performance with songwriters featured on Neil Young’s Living With War website, 8pm, $20, Largo, 432 N. Fairfax Ave., LA, 323.852.1073.
Topanga Film Festival, 3pm, $20, Topanga Community House, 1440 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, 310.713.4218.
2007 Summer Exhibition, reception, 4-6pm, FIG Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.829.0345.
Trunk Show, work of Patricia Knop and Christine Mason Miller, 11am-6pm, Deborah Page Gallery, 1028 Montana Ave., deborahpagegallery.com. Also August 11.
Gregory L. White, photographs, opening reception 6-9pm, through September 2, James Gray Gallery, Bergamot Station, 310.315.9502.
California World Guitar Show 2007, 10am-5pm Saturday/10am-4pm Sunday, $10, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 918.288.2222.
The John Frieda Beat The Heat Tour, featuring free hair consultations and samples, 8am-closing, Santa Monica Pier.
Santa Monica Quilt Guild Quilt Show, features silent auction, live auction, merchant mall and benefit quilt raffle, Saturday 10am-5pm/Sunday 10am-4pm, $7, Burns Auditorium, Loyola Marymount University, 1 LMU DR., Westchester, santamonicaquiltguild.org.
August 5
Assemblages, art by Diana Elaine Spears, opening reception 12:30-2:30pm, Forbes Hall Art Wall, Unitarian Universalist Community Church, 1260 18th St., 310.829.5436.
Comedy Benefit for Peace and Freedom Party, featuring Paul Krassner, Rick Overton, Larry Hankin, Charlie Hill and others, 7pm, $15, Powerhouse Theatre, 3116 2nd St., 310.568.9622.
Family Book Discussion on the new Harry Potter book, 2pm, free, Multipurpose Room, Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 310.458.8600.
Festival of the Chariots, annual procession with Hindu chariots, culminating in festival of Indian traditions, assemble at lawn in front of Santa Monica Civic, 10am, free, 310.836.4342.
Jazz on the Lawn returns with Brazil Brazil, 5-7pm, free, in front of Santa Monica City Hall, 310.458.8350.
Peter Alsop’s Kids Koncerts presents Asha’s Baba, storyteller, 11am, $8, Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, 310.455.3723.
Steamboat Bill Jr., screening of Buster Keaton silent film with live piano accompaniment by Rick Friend, 2pm, $20-$25, Globe Theatre, 1909 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, 310.455.9400.
Venice Historical Society Celebration of Mar Vista, 10am-3pm, free, Venice Historical Society Booth at Mar Vista Farmers’ Market, intersection of Grandview and Venice Blvds., marvistacelebrates.org.
August 6
The Pursuit of Happyness, film about a man’s struggle to survive in the modern world, 3pm, free, Montana Branch Library, 1704 Montana Ave., 310.829.7081.
SPARK at Powerhouse Theatre presents its monthly storytelling series with the theme “Invasion,” 7:30pm, $10, Powerhouse Theatre, 3116 2nd St., 866.off.main x5.
August 7
National Night Out SMPD Block Party, with contests, refreshments, McGruff the Crime Dog and music by the Wonderelles, 6-8pm, free, front of Public Safety Facility, 333 Olympic Dr., (behind City Hall), 310.458.8474.
August 9
Dreams With Sharp Teeth, documentary on writer Harlan Ellison, 7:30pm, $10, followed by discussion with Ellison, American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., 323.466.film. At 6:30pm, Harlan Ellison discusses his work, free, Every Picture Tells A Story, 1311-C Montana Ave., 310.451.2700.
Picnic and Family Campfire, 7-8:30pm, free, Temescal Gateway Park, 15601 Sunset Blvd., PP, 310.454.1395 x106.
August 10
CDC 55th Statewide Convention, workshops to help Democratic Clubs, 1pm guest speakers, training, registration/2pm workshops, $35 workshops only, Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Airport, 6101 W. Century Blvd., LA, 888.627.7104. Also August 11 and 12.
Mark Your Calendar
Patti Smith at the Twilight Dance Series, August 16.
Fiber Fest, Santa Monica Civic, August 17-18.
Broad Humor Festival, Beyond Baroque, August 25-27.
Community Announcements / Ongoing Events
The Blue Planet Run Team, which has been running around the world non-stop since June 1, will arrive in Los Angeles on August 5. The team’s run is raising money for safe drinking water. A member of the team will arrive carrying the Blue Planet Run baton, which will be handed off to another runner. The run’s route will swing through Malibu and Venice on the way to areas east, blueplanet.org/runwithus.
The City of Santa Monica offers competitive landscape grants to help property owners take up the conversion challenge, providing partial funding for new or remodeled innovative gardens. Applications for the current grant cycle will be accepted through September 27, 866.728.3229 or smepd.org.
Community Classes in Theatre Games, offered by Mob Rule Inc., a community outreach project, Sundays at 6pm, $5, fanaticsalon, 3815 Sawtelle Blvd., info@mobruleinc.org.
The 18th Street Arts Center is building a new facility and needs an artist or artist team to add to the design group. The design team will create Santa Monica’s first “green” art center. This is an open call for artists to submit their qualifications for consideration. Deadline to apply is September 14, 2007, 18thstreet.org/artistRFQ.html.
The 12 Steps for Everybody’s writing meeting, Thursdays 7-8pm, 16730 Bollinger Dr., PP. Call Frank L. at 310.454.5138.
The Friends of Ballona Wetlands and Santa Monica Bay and Los Angeles Audubon Chapters are offering a six-week training program for volunteers to lead tours of schoolchildren through the Ballona Wetlands. Training begins September 11, 9am-noon, and goes for 6 Tuesdays. For more information, call Cindy Hardin at 310.301.0050.
Hands-On Opportunities are available for volunteers and docents at The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. A meeting for general volunteers will be held on August 5, 10-11am, 323.644.4703.
LAUSD offers classes for veterans at Westside Education and Career Center. Classes are held at the University High School campus, 11800 Texas Ave., WLA, $20, 310.914.3565.
Liberty Hill Foundation is looking for pledges to double a matching fund. The first 100 people to contribute at least $150 will be entered in a drawing for a special night on the town. Donate online or print out form at libertyhill.org/common/to_print/donateform.pdf or write to Liberty Hill Foundation, 2121 Cloverfield Blvd., Suite 113, Santa Monica, CA 90404.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has introduced its “Just Be Ready: Prepare Together” emergency preparedness ad campaign as the next phase of its ongoing effort to encourage residents to ready themselves in case of an emergency. TV, radio, print and online PSAs (public service announcements) in 12 languages will inform the public about assembling emergency kits and planning strategies with their families for dealing with an emergency. For more information, go to lapublichealth.org.
Project Nightlight’s latest billboard is up on Abbot Kinney Boulevard at Westminster Avenue. Project Nightlight is devoted to helping children tell someone if they are being abused. The billboard contains the organization’s phone number.
Recovery Inc. is a nonprofit self-help mental health group that conducts free (donation requested) weekly meetings. For information go to recovery-inc.org.
Recycle your old electronics. To request a pick-up go to californiarecycles.com.
Relief Beads are handmade bead bracelets that raise money for Relief International’s work in Darfur. To purchase a bracelet go to reliefbeads.org.
Sand & Sea Speakers is a top-ranking Toastmasters club. Learn to become a more confident, poised speaker, Best Western Gateway Hotel, Carousel Room, 1920 Santa Monica Blvd., Monday nights, 7-9pm, 310.474.7704.
The Santa Monica Baha’i Center offers Sunday morning prayer services, followed by class on the theme of “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit,” 10am, free, 3102 Colorado Ave., santamonicabahai.org.
The Santa Monica Conservancy’s walking tour of downtown Santa Monica is offered weekly. Tours meet at 10am every Saturday and cost $10 general, $5 for Conservancy members, RSVP 310.496.3146.
Santa Monica is joining its sister water agencies across the southland to promote simple ways to contribute to statewide water conservation efforts in what is now California’s driest year on record. The “20 Gallon Challenge” asks every person to save this much water each day at home and at work by implementing simple strategies for both indoor and outdoor water use, 866.728.3229 or smepd.org.
The Santa Monica Library is taking suggestions for the next CityWide Reads book. Suggestions will be accepted until September 1, 2007. Call 310.458.8600, e-mail citywidereads@smgov.net, or fill out an online form at smpl.org/cwr.
Santa Monica Oceanaires barbershop harmony chorus invites men of all ages and voice parts to sing each Tuesday, 7-10pm, Church of Christ, 9733 Venice Blvd., WLA, oceanaires.org, 310.202.1380.
Santa Monica’s Solid Waste Division has launched a new website that answers many residential and business customer queries. To learn how to setup recycling programs at apartment buildings, what to do with unwanted electronics devices, where to drop off bulky items like refrigerators and answers to many more questions go to smgov.net/swm.
Sony Studios is conducting Twilight Tours every Thursday through September 28, 6:30pm, $25, approximately 90 minutes, RSVP 310.520.tour x8687.
Treepeople’s Gift of Life program offers a chance for people to honor loved ones by planting trees dedicated to them. A single tree is $25 and a grove of five is $100, treepeople.org.
UCLA Extension is looking for stories by alumni for their new website “Your Story is Our Story,” story.uclaextension.edu.
