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Topanga Students to Perform in Westside Ballet Spring Showcase

Zoe Mack and Sidney Brody will perform with Westside Ballet of Santa Monica in their 2018 Spring Showcase at The Broad Stage, Sunday, May 27, for two limited performances.

Mack, a seventh-grader at Paul Revere Middle School, will be performing in Sleeping Beauty, at the intermediate Level IV “Plus.” She has been dancing  at Westside since she was four. An avid reader, she is passionate about her pursuit of ballet and is grateful to her teachers and the staff at Westside for their instruction, inspiration, and support. Zoe’s family moved to Topanga in 2012, when she started in first grade at Topanga Elementary with Roger Harrell.  

A Pali High Freshman, Sidney Brody will perform in the Level V dance, Etude Classique. She will also perform the role of “Putzie” in the finalé jazz piece, Grease, playing one of Danny’s gang of boys. She has lived in Topanga since she was born, almost 15 years ago.

(l-r) Westside Ballet ballerinas Sidney Brody and Zoe Mack pose before rehearsal for 2018 Spring Showcase. Photo by Mariam Mack

Westside Ballet of Santa Monica, a nonprofit organization, is one of the nation’s premier ballet training companies. This pre-professional company was created by Yvonne Mounsey (New York City Ballet) and Rosemary Valaire (Royal Ballet) in 1973.

The Broad Stage at Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center is located at 1310 11th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Show date and times: Saturday, May 27, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

All tickets are $35, available at westsideballet.tix.com; or (800) 595-4849 (4TIX).

Westside Ballet of Santa Monica Spring 2018 Performance Trailer from Drew Roublick on Vimeo.

For special group rates and ticket questions: tickets@westsideballetcompany.org. For more information westsideballet.com 

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Topanga Days is Nigh

This issue celebrates the 45th anniversary of Topanga’s iconic Memorial Day celebration, Topanga Days. As the key fundraiser to keep the Topanga Community Club doors open–a non-profit 501C3 formed to support the only private community center in California–Topanga Days brings back a little bit of the hippy heydays of yore.

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Mountain Lion Sighting in Old Canyon


The story is my dog was barking like crazy, so I checked my camera and only saw a raccoon, around 9:30 pm. First thing in the morning I checked my camera to see if there was any more raccoon activity, and saw that big boy! I sent the video over to Ranger Kate [Kuykendahl], who said with my address and the exact time, she could pinpoint which mountain lion it was. Kate sent the video to the biologist, who said it was P12. I live on Old Topanga, and there have been several sightings lately, so I asked her if she thought all the sightings were P12. She said no, there are 3 mountain lions in the area, P12, P61, and an uncollared one, which was seen in the state park. She also said that with so many people having quality home surveillance cameras, it is leading people to think there are more mountain lions in the area, but that isn’t the case, they have always been there; we just have more opportunity to see them. Someone from CBS News saw the video, that I had posted on Nextdoor and Facebook. CBS broadcast it on KCAL, and FOX11 saw it there, called me, and asked if they could play it as well.
—Karen Dannenbaum

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Mother’s Day Events

Our calendar was bursting this issue (May 4, 2018), particularly with interesting things to do around the upcoming Mother’s Day weekend.

May 11, 7-10 p.m. | Cafe Mimosa presents: A Mother’s Day Shopping Bazaar. Unique gifts from companies owned by women. Libations, edible delicacies, aural delights. 395 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd.

May 12, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., or 1-4 p.m. I Bus tour of the historic Santa Susana Field Laboratory, sponsored by Boeing. This tour highlights the history of the site as well as remediation activities. To participate, email santasusanacommunitytours@boeing.com by May 5. Attendees must be 12 years of age or older and be able to get on and off a bus with little assistance. Space is limited and early registration is suggested.

May 12, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Plein Air Paint-Out at Rancho Sierra Vista, intersection of Via Goleta and Lynn Road, Newbury Park. All artists and art enthusiasts are welcome to participate. Bring your own art supplies, water, lunch, sunscreen and repellent, hat and walking shoes. Rain cancels the
paint-out. For more information, contact Virginia Kamhi; (805) 807-2070, v.kamhi@yahoo.com, or visit allied-artists.com.

May 12, 8-10 p.m. | Spring Star Party at Paramount Ranch. Join rangers and astronomers for stargazing with telescopes. Watch with us as Venus sets in the west and Jupiter rises in the east. The event is free. Meet in the Western Town, 2903 Cornell Road. Dress warmly and bring a flashlight.

May 13, 10 a.m.-noon. | Topanga Walks Annual Mother’s Day Walk. Join Peter Rice for an easy hike with fun activities for mom and family. Discover how indigenous people used the natural resources, plants, animals and even rocks. Meet by the parking lot at the Trippet Ranch entrance to Topanga State Park, 20828 Entrada Rd. Event is free but there is a parking fee to park in the lot. www.topangacanyondocents.org

May 13, noon-4 p.m. | The 20th annual Mother’s Day Momentum Place at the Theatricum Botanicum.  A magical afternoon of aerial and circus performers, dancers and musicians in Theatricum Botanicum’s rustic outdoor amphitheater. Bring your mother to honor the MOMentum in her life – always on the go for others. Now, she can sit back, relax and enjoy an uncommon afternoon of performance delights that are kid friendly and full of surprises. For an extra treat, enjoy a scrumptious brunch in Theatricum’s rustic gardens before the performance. Performance: $35 advance purchase, $40 at the door; Students with valid ID: $15; Children 12 and under: $10; Brunch: $30. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon , Blvd., Topanga CA 90290. (310) 455-2322 or www.theatricum.com

May 14, 7 – 10 p.m. | Nectar of Song 2018 tour launch.   Supporting Single Mom’s Planet in honor of Mother’s Day! Bathe in the sublime and soothing sounds of the songs of Kimberly Haynes. Kimberly expresses her musical art in a synthesis of uplifting songs in the style of world, folk, pop and sacred chanting in languages of English, Hebrew, and Sanskrit. As a member of the human race, Kimberly is dedicated to supporting harmony on the planet through the medium of art and music. You will be swept away by Kimberly’s enrapturing sonic portals into the bliss of the heart space. Learn more about Kimberly Haynes: MusicMedicineWoman.com.  

Tix in Advance: $20; Day of the Event (Cash only at the door):
General Admission $25

Unitarian Universalist Community Church, 1260 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

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Camp Wildcraft

This Kids Art and Nature camp has two venues: King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas, 26800 Mulholland Highway and Las Virgenes Road, and The Sycamore School in Malibu, 3504 Las Flores Canyon, Malibu. Growing, creative, curious and confident kids will feel at home in nature in either of these two campsite locations set in the Santa Monica Mountains. This camp is where kids can explore unfamiliar territory, make art from nature and share stories. Kids can sketch in nature journals, build with wood, identify plants and insects, find animal tracks, sculpt with clay, take daily hikes, turn leaves into paper, write poems under oak trees, identify fossils or paint landscapes. More info on their website.
They are joining us at Earth Day, April 22, 10am to 6pm with arts and crafts for the kids. More info at the Earth Day website.