The Community Event Will Take Place August 27 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
The power and spirit of community are alive and well in Pacific Palisades—especially when it came to planning the 50th anniversary celebration of Palisades Village Green, which will take place on Sunday, August 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
“It’s overwhelming to me how generous the individuals and businesses are with their time and talent,” Village Green Board of Directors Co-President Cindy Kirven told the Palisadian-Post ahead of the celebration. “It touches my heart.”
Performers and participating individuals and businesses have all donated their time to the event, Kirven explained, coming together to celebrate “a beautiful oasis in the middle of town.”
A full program, which will be emceed by Rich Wilken, is planned, kicking off with playing Jimmy Dunne’s “Palisades Song.” Members of Scout Troop 223G will be on hand to raise both the U.S. and Palisades flags, with Mia Ruhman, a UCLA student who has previously performed as part of the Fourth of July race, singing the national anthem.
“Town treasure” Randy Young is slated to give a 10-minute talk about the founding of Palisades Village Green, then will walk through photographs from before the gas station was built. The program also includes a few speakers, as well as thank you messages for donors and area service organizations.
Winning selections from a photo contest, as judged by professional photographer and Palisades Charter High School teacher Rick Steil, will be announced and on display. For about a month, contest organizers collected entries from community members that captured “the spirit of the Village Green via photography.”
An art table will be available for kids, with a coloring page designed and donated by Palisadian artist Katie O’Neill. There will also be live performances by The Shambles and Westside Jazz Ensemble.
American Growers, founded and operated by Palisadians Tracey and David Price, donated time to get the park in top shape, including cleaning out planters.
“We are so pleased with the local community support lending their talents to make this a special family oriented celebration of community,” Kirven said.
Palisades Village Green is a privately owned park, located at 15280 Sunset Boulevard between Swarthmore and Antioch. Led by current Co-Presidents Kirven and Betsy Collins, it operates with the mission of maintaining “in the heart of the community, an attractive, comfortable space in which people can meet others, have a snack, or simply sit in the shade to relax and read.”
“We invite everyone to join us on the Village Green … to enjoy music, kids’ art table, presentations to notables for all their support to keep this precious park going and information on the history of this space,” Collins wrote.
Palisades Village Green’s history dates back to August 1974, when members of the community rallied to have the space return to a park, as it was when the Palisades was first developed in 1923, after it was converted to a gas station in 1945. After Standard Oil did not renew its lease in 1972, the Village Green Committee was formed, which brought the park to fruition, from fundraising to purchasing the land and certifying the park as a California nonprofit corporation.
“The Palisades Village Green represents an amazing grassroots effort,” Palisades Village Green’s website read. “To this day, it stands as a symbol of our community’s spirit, generosity and love of beauty.”
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