ArroyoFest Bulletin #5 – June 17, 2002

ArroyoFest Hires a New Coordinator – Thanks to the generous gift of an anonymous donor from Pasadena, we have been able to hire Eric Wallace to serve as the new ArroyoFest Event Coordinator. Eric has a great deal of experience with event planning and production. He has worked for many years with Pallotta Teamworks as the logistics coordinator for the AIDS Twin City to Chicago Bike Ride and the Avon 3-day Breast Cancer Walk. Most recently, Eric took charge of the Los Angeles River Ride for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, which some of you may have participated in.

Eric and I began going over details of the event this past Friday and are looking forward to what we believe will be an active and exciting summer as we bring this project down the home stretch. With Eric taking over the planning and logistics for the event, I will be switching most of my attention to community outreach and helping with the continuing fundraising campaign.

Cultural Affairs Funds ArroyoFest – ArroyoFest has received a grant of $5,000 from the Cultural Affairs Department for the City of Los Angeles. We applied for this grant back in March and found out this past week that we have received money. Due to budget cuts, the grant is less than we requested, but the steering committee had already decided to scale back certain aspects of the activities at Sycamore Grove Park. This grant will help pay for music, dance, theatre and poetry at the finish of the walk and bike ride.

Caltrans Approves Traffic Plan – With little fanfare, but sincere appreciation, the Caltrans District 7 office has approved our traffic plan for the closure of the Historic Arroyo Seco Parkway. Our consultant, Mike Sprouse, has done a great job working with Caltrans and cities to create a traffic plan for the day of the event. The wording on the message signs to motorists has been finalized, the day-of-the-event inspectors have been assigned and all closure points are present and accounted for.

Arroyo Educators Meet to Discuss Collaboration – As April turned into May, educators from different parts of the Arroyo came together to discuss how local schools can use the Arroyo to enhance students experience in school and understanding of where they live. Several ideas were generated: including an updating of the “River Runs Through It” curriculum and using the Internet to let teachers share how they are bringing the Arroyo into the classroom. We also discussed ways for schools to get involved in ArroyoFest this fall, including art projects, performances at Sycamore Grove Park and decorations along the parkway.

Artists Discuss the Arroyo’s Living Heritage – In the cool shade of the Judson Studio’s library, representatives from several local arts groups met to discuss ways to connect the arts and arts organizations in the communities up and down the Arroyo. Creating a master calendar on the Internet of art activities in the Arroyo received a lot of support. Finding ways to make the area a destination spot for tourists as well as looking for ways to engage the local communities in the arts through classes and workshops were discussed. Making schools aware of the past artistic legacy in the Arroyo was also discussed. Everyone hoped this discussion will continue in the future with representatives from additional organizations.

ArroyoFest Starts Spreading the Word – Representatives from the ArroyoFest effort have made presentations to a number of community groups over the past two months, spreading the word about the project and asking for volunteers. Recent presentations have included the Mt. Washington Association, Northeast Democrats, Montecito Heights Improvement Association, Coalition of Historical Societies of Southern California, All Saints Episcopal Church Rector’s Forum and the West Pasadena Residents Association Annual Meeting.

Fundraising Drive in Full Swing – The first money is the most difficult money to get….This expression has proved true in our case, though we now feel we have overcome this important hurdle. To date, ArroyoFest has raised over $50,000 for the project, not including the substantial in-kind support provided by the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College. Close to 30 sponsorship packets have been distributed to local businesses, agencies and corporations and we are working hard to follow up with the contacts that different people have provided. Many thanks should go to Oralia Michel, who, through her public relations firm, has brought focus to the sponsorship drive. If you know of a local business, corporation, agency or individual who might be interested in supporting ArroyoFest, let us know. If you can help us by putting in a good word for the project, even better. The more help we receive in raising funds, the bigger and better event, ArroyoFest can be. We are working hard to raise an additional $25,000 by July 1st and hope an upcoming story in the Los Angeles Times will help to generate additional interest.