Centennial Committees Hard at Work
By Jim
Smith
Readers of last month's Beachhead
article, “Venice Centennial - Country Club Style,” may have gotten
the wrong impression that there is only one organization working on the 100th
anniversary of Venice.
Quite the contrary. It seems that two out
of three Venetians are already hard at work on the celebration. A few of the
emerging groups include:
Venice 1000
Committee - This group is dedicated to returning Venice to a more civilized time
in the past – 1000 AD. Meetings are held at the Long House in the Village
below the bluffs.
Venice Reaction
Committee - The newly revived 80s group believes the time is ripe for some of
its pro-development goals that were rejected 20 years ago. Work groups include
one completing plans for the long-awaited freeway up Speedway and then out
across the Bay to Malibu; others are at work on a plan for a series of 21-story
mixed-use buildings on Ocean Front Walk; and on an outdoor wax museum along the
west side of the Boardwalk with realistic life-sized vendors and artists caught
forever in their off-beat
pursuits.
LVBR - Levitate Venice Beyond
Reach (of the city of L.A.) This non-profit group is raising money to plant
anti-gravity rods in the soil beneath Venice and a quarter-mile out to sea. When
completed (organizers are shooting for July 4, 2005) Venice will soundlessly
sail off the planet. “We'll take a quick tour of the solar system, and
head out for some of the cooler places in the galaxy,” said LVBR co-chair
Arnold Clover. He warns people not to do something dumb on July 4 like going to
Costco and missing the trip of a lifetime. The project is co-sponsored by GRVNC.
The Neighborhood Council is seeking funding from Cindy Miscikowski's Surplus
Property Fund. “We've been assured by Miscikowski's deputy, Sandy Kievman,
that the Councilmember is in favor of levitating Venice into space,” says
GRVNC President Suzanne Thompson.
Venice
Hysterical Society - “Oh gawd, I'll scream if I see one more SUV barreling
down Abbot Kinney Blvd. because Lincoln Blvd. is too clogged. And they were
probably on Lincoln in the first place just to get around the 405
traffic!” says Ken Anderson of the newly-formed VHS. “Our goal is to
restore traffic conditions in Venice to 1905 levels.” The VHS is also
working on restoring and/or rebuilding all the turn-of-the-century buildings on
Windward Avenue and OFW that were pulled down by the city of L.A.'s code
enforcement department.
Canal
Restoration Project - This Central Venice group is promoting neighborhood action
to dig out the Abbot Kinney-era canals that were filled in by the city of Los
Angeles in the 1920s. John Davis, a co-founder of the organization claims the
city had no right to fill in the canals since they were actually part of a state
park. Bringing sea water as far as Cabrillo Avenue (Canal) will also extend the
boundary of the coastal commission jurisdiction, says Davis. “Lincoln
Center and Lincoln Place will definitely be under coastal jurisdiction,”
he added. This Saturday at Noon at the corner of Lion and Altair Canals there
will be a class for beginners in the proper technique of wielding a pick axe.
The class will be taught by Pete “Pegleg” Johnson. Please bring your
own gloves and heavy work boots.
Venice Bi-Centennial Committee -
Believing that the centennial celebration has already been corrupted by
bickering and infighting, the bi-centennial committee is focusing on the 200
anniversary of Venice in 2105. “Already, Future Senior Citizen clubs have
been formed at Westminster, Broadway and Walgrove Elementaries, with more to
come,” says first grader and Westminster Future Senior Citizen President,
Destiny DeMarras. “We're going to be ready with a full program of
activities when 2105 rolls around,” added DeMarras. For more information
on the Venice Bi-Centennial, see
www.freevenice.org/Beachhead/July2003/Page8.html
Posted: Wed - December
1, 2004 at 07:58 AM