POSTPONED: Topanga Earth Day Celebrates Local Gold

Please note that this event has been postponed due to the special event permit being delayed. Stay tuned for a new date sometime in July.

Topanga Earth Day on Saturday, April 27, is shaping up to be an amazing celebration for the entire canyon community. The Kids Corner offers pony rides, bounce houses, face painting, crafts, storytelling, a puppet show, native animals and insects, and live music.

The adult stage will feature live music from 1 p.m. into the night, as well as yoga, group stretch and meditation, and a film screening.

Jim Gamble Puppeteers’ marionettes were a big hit at last year’s Earth Day event. The puppet show starts at 11 a.m. and will kick off a full day of entertainment in the Kid’s Corner.

At noon, Circus Arts takes the stage, with gigantic bubbles, live music and slackline acrobatics. At 1 p.m. join the Messenger Mountain News’ naturalist for a hands-on nature talk. At 2 p.m. Topanga white witch Coco Blignaut takes the stage for an hour of storytelling.

Molly Hogan and the animal ambassadors of Nature of Wildworks are on at 3 p.m., offering a chance to meet some wild Topanga residents, like owls and opossums, up close and personal, while Adam “the Bug Guy” Lazarus returns this year with his amazing assortment of insects at 4 p.m.

The focus of this year’s event is raising funds and awareness for Topanga Gold, the canyon’s new kitchen waste compost hub. LA Compost, the non-profit organization that is building the composting facility at the Topanga Community Center on May 4, will be offering mini workshops and hands-on advice on how and what to compost.

On the main stage, look for environmental activist and folk rock singer-songwriter Jen Youngs, also known as Jennifer Freedom, to start the live entertainment at 1 p.m. Youngs will be performing with nine-year-old Isabel Martin.

The Wild Honeys—singer-songwriters Halina Janusz, Dana Wood, Hyla Douglas and percussionist Michelle Guire—take the stage at 2 p.m. The Wild Honeys are an Americana-flavored band focused on vocal harmonies and varied instrumentation. Their repertoire is also varied with a blend of covers and originals. The band enjoys exploring and interpreting songs from all genres with their own unique arrangements and style.

Acoustic guitarist Merlin Snider performs at 3 p.m. With deep roots in American folk, Merlin’s music blends blues, gospel, swing, and the folk rock on which he was nursed in the ‘60s and ‘70s.His album, One Light Many Windows, was the No. 2 Album on the April 2017 FOLKDJ-L chart of Top 70 albums.

At 4 p.m., Preston Smith will be playing Americana in all its forms—jazz, swing, soul, county and rock.

Bonnie Murray Tamblyn and her band, Blue Heaven, are on at 5 p.m. Tamblyn started her music career on California’s Highway 395 back in the ‘70s. This singer/songwriter is known for her cinematic folk/rock songs about the High Sierra, truck-stops and honky-tonk.

The Greenhorn Brothers take the stage at 6 p.m. This celebrated Topanga band just released their EP of original songs, Flying Down the Road, in October 2018. Their sound is mellow and rich, with beautifully blended harmony.

There will be an interlude for meditation, yoga and stretching at 8 p.m., followed by community-submitted environmentally themed short films under the stars.

Topanga Earth Day will also feature educational booths, arts and crafts, earth-friendly products, a beer tent/wine garden/kombucha bar, and food trucks.

Topanga Earth Day takes place at Rosewood, 1111 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. Free parking and shuttle service will be available at the Topanga Community Center, 1440 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. For information: topangacommunityclub.com; (310) 455-1980.

Suggested donation for attending Topanga Earth Day is $10. Donations will fund the new Topanga Gold Community Compost hub. For more information visit www.topangaearthday.com

TOPANGA EARTH DAY LINEUP

Kids’ Corner

11 a.m, Jim Gamble Puppeteers Puppet Show

12 p.m. Circus Arts: circus acts with gigantic bubbles, music and slackline acrobatics

1 p.m. Nature Walk/Talk

2 p.m. Storytelling with Coco Blignaut

3 p.m. Nature of Wildworks

4 p.m. The Bug Guy

Ongoing, mini-workshops on various composting methods by LA Compost, pony rides, bounce houses, face-painting, crafts, and much more.

Main Stage

1 p.m. Jen Youngs and young friend

2 p.m. Wild Honeys

3 p.m. Merlin Snider

4 p.m. Preston Smith

5 p.m. Bonnie Tamblyn and Blue Heaven

6 p.m. The Greenhorn Brothers

8 p.m. Group Yoga Stretch and Meditation

8:30 p.m. Earth-minded Film Submissions under the Stars

Suzanne Guldimann

Suzanne Guldimann is an author, artist, and musician who lives in Malibu and loves the Santa Monica Mountains. She has worked as a journalist reporting on local news and issues for more than a decade, and is the author of nine books of music for the harp. Suzanne's newest book, "Life in Malibu", explores local history and nature. She can be reached at suzanne@messengermountainnews.com