The Lummis Day Festival June 1st
Historic LA Neighborhood Celebrates Its Heritage With Jackson Browne, Culture Clash & More
The 3rd Annual Lummis Day Festival on Sunday, June 1, is a celebration of a neighborhood that embraces its rich culturally diverse heritage.
The festival will bring music, poetry, dance, art, puppetry, storytelling and comedy together at three Northeast Los Angeles locations for everyone to enjoy the biggest cultural exposition in the area’s history.
The world famous singer songwriter Jackson Browne is from the neighborhood. A former Highland Park resident, Browne’s family helped found LA’s first arts colony in the area over a century ago. Proud of his roots, he’ll perform a free concert at the community’s signature arts and music event at this year’s Lummis Day Festival.
Browne will be capping a day-long schedule of performances on three stages at Sycamore Grove Park, at 490 North Figueroa Street. Plus additional events at Lummis Home (200 E. Avenue 43) and Casa de Adobe (4605 No. Figueroa Street), in Northeast Los Angeles.
There will be lots of performers with roots in the area, with nationally and regionally celebrated artists performing in Spanish, English and Tagalog.
The famed comedy ensemble Culture Clash is on the schedule for a cameo appearance. Also music from Bole Heights’ Cava who perform Latin-powered Jazz tinged with Peruvian and Salsa beats. Atwater’s the Chapin Sisters, known for exquisite vocal harmonies; the renowned Mariachi Divas with their inventive take on traditional mariachi music; Highland Park’s indie-spirited band Artichoke will be collaborating with the Evangenitals; and the Arroyo Seco All Star Team, led by Eddie Rivera.
Other artists on the three Sycamore Grove stages will include the members of Changing Spirits Native American group, performing the Festival’s ritual opening ceremony, dance groups Kultura Philippine Folk Arts, Ballet Coco and the Cypress Park Folkloric Group, representing Mexican and Philippine folk dance traditions.
Kids can enjoy the Puppets and Players Little Theater, We Tell Stories, and puppeteers’ Carol Colin and Ted Waltz’ Charles Lummis puppet saga, “Puppets Tramp Across the Continent.” The puppets will tell the story of Charles Lummis, who walk from Cincinnati to Los Angeles in 1884-85, embracing all the cultures and a diversity of artists along the way. He settled in Northeast LA, and his legacy lives on with the Lummis Day Festival.
The Sycamore Grove event will be moderated by Los Angeles television and radio personalities from the Festival’s media sponsors, KMEX Univision 34’s Fabiola Kromsky and Cecilia Brogan, KTTV Fox 11’s Hal Eisner, and public radio station KPFK 90’s Fidel Rodriguez.
The Lummis Home poetry event (starting at 10:30 a.m.), poets Steve Kowit, Liz Gonzalez, Cathie Sandstrom and Mike the Poet will read following a musical introduction by LA guitar legend Carlos Guitarlos. The event will be moderated by poet Suzanne Lummis of the LA Poetry Festival.
This year the Casa de Adobe will be used as an art exhibition space. A wide-ranging exhibit of contemporary and traditional art from the burgeoning Northeast LA gallery scene will be displayed at the historic Casa, which was built in 1918 as an authentic replica of an 18th century California rancho home. The Casa de Adobe is currently maintained by the Autry National Center.
The Lummis Day events are easily accessible, with lots of parking, and a city-provided shuttle bus will connect between Lummis Home and Sycamore Grove Park. The Annenberg Foundation and the Autry National Center are presenting the festival, along with many sponsors including Highland Park Heritage Trust and the Los Angeles Arts Commission.
For the schedule of events and more information visit www.lummisday.org.
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