Minutes, November 1, 2012

These are the minutes taken at the monthly meeting of the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62. Click on the page to see a larger image.

Minutes, October 4, 2012

These are the minutes taken at the monthly meeting of the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62. Click on the page to see a larger image.

62 Goes Hollywood! Squad 85 Debuts Nov. 13, 8 pm EST

Our trusty fire station makes its Hollywood debut the 13th of this month when a new series for the YOMYOMF YouTube network premieres. From reports, Squad 85 is shaping up to be a most unusual cop show series:

The premise takes a group of 1985 Los Angeles police officers and transports them twenty-five years into the future via a secret wave of experimentation undertaken by the LAPD.

Curious.... I guess we'll have to tune in to see the star turn Historic FS 62 takes. From the photos Roy Persinko took, it looks like the station came through like a grand dame of cinema. Lots of pics here.

There is more information about the sci-fi action cop series on Twitter and Facebook.

Minutes, September 6, 2012

These are the minutes taken at the monthly meeting of the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62. Click on the pages to see larger images.

 

Whole Foods Does It Again!

Is this a great market or what?!

Whole Foods is holding another fundraiser for the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62, a public benefit corporation in the State of California and in the process of applying for 501(c)3 status. Please, come out Saturday, July 28, and have dinner with us between 4 and 7 pm at the market at National and Barrington. Proceeds from the sale of food will go to the Friends.

One More Week to Purchase Photographs to Support Historic Fire Station 62

"Mis Palabras de Cuba" will be on exhibit till the end of this month at the Venice Grind Coffeeshop, 12224 Venice Blvd. in Mar Vista. As noted in our last blog posting which announced the June 10 reception, Neema Ahadian is generously donating the proceeds from sale of his photos to our community center project.

The reception was well attended. Pics in this posting depict various Friends of Historic Fire Station 62 in conversation with Neema, seen in the white shirt.

Neema exudes a certain warmth in his personality that comes through in his photographs. Whether he's capturing the rich diversity of faces in portraits or the patina of age that graces every element on the island—chairs, cars, buildings—there's a note of invitation in every frame. And for anyone who loves the cars of the '50s, man, they still live on in Cuba, be it a '52 sky blue Studebaker work truck trundling down a street almost as pitted as our own or a '55 foam green coupe zipping along on a rain-slicked avenue.

Walk over to the Grind, pick up an iced coffee, and take in the photos. You just might take one home with you.

Neema Ahadian's website can be found here.

Photo Exhibition, Venice Grind, June 10!

A Mar Vista resident will be donating ALL the proceeds to the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62 from the sale of his photographs which will go on exhibition at the Venice Grind this Sunday, June 10. If you've never dropped in on this cozy neighborhood hang-out, NOW'S THE TIME! Show up between 5 and 8 pm, grab yourself a double-shot decaf expresso latte, and appreciate the photos while schmoozing with the local glitterati of Mar Vista. Christmas is only 7 months away, so why wait to do your gift shopping till the last moment?

Mr. Neema Ahadian has written us to tell us the details of his exhibition (some photos can be viewed at his website):

I am excited to announce a reception for my first photo exhibition and sale of ….

‘Mis Palabras de Cuba’

Sunday, June 10, 2012

5:00 – 8:00pm

at The Venice Grind

A local artisan coffee shop at

12224 Venice Blvd, Mar Vista CA 90066

The photos, taken on a trip to Cuba in November 2009, illustrate the life and beauty of its people and its cultures. Many photos capture the ghettos of Havana and the surrounding villages and towns. Although Cubans suffer from poverty and are encumbered by the effects of communism, they have learned to enjoy the simplest forms of satisfaction in life.

As a Mar Vista local and a strong supporter of my vibrant community, I am donating all proceeds from the sale of my photographs to benefit friends of Historic Fire Station 62, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation of Mar Vista's first community center to house offices for such organizations as girl scouts, the Mar Vista community council, the community emergency response team, and the Mar Vista historical society; a gallery for local artists; cooking demonstrations; educational classes; after-school activities; music; yoga and exercise; etc.

These would be held in a revamped and updated Historic Fire Station 62 on the corner of Centinela and Woodward in Mar Vista.

Please join me at Venice Grind to celebrate this dynamic cause and commemorate my first exhibition and sale!

Good wine, amazing coffee and great company!

We're in The Argonaut!

Today's Argonaut has a top-story article about the newly formed Friends of Historic Fire Station 62, the non-profit that is assuming the lead in converting our fire station to a community center. The report encapsulates the history of the effort thus far and our expectations for the future.

Mar Vista: Historic fire station continues evolution into multipurpose center

By Gary Walker

The News We've All Been Waiting For

First, the birth announcement. Due to the efforts of the Fire Station Ad Hoc Committee of the Mar Vista Community Council, official non-profit status in the state of California has been granted to the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62. Although everyone who has attended meetings has made some contribution to make this happen, the committee's Co-Chair, Rachel Swanger, deserves special recognition for spending countless hours in pulling together the by-laws and seeing us through the 501(c)3 process. Swanger sent out this message:

The Friends of Historic Fire Station 62 is now officially registered as a non-profit, public benefit corporation in the State of California. Moreover, we are in the process of applying for federal non-profit status [so-called 501(c)3]. This status allows us to begin to raise funds for the refurbishment of the station and to begin to plan programming for use of Historic Fire Station 62 as a Community Center.

The Friends of Historic Fire Station 62 may now fundraise. No sooner has the organization been hatched, than the first fundraising event is being launched! Please, come out Wednesday, April 25, to Whole Foods at National Blvd. and Barrington in West LA (upper Mar Vista, really) to shop because 5 CENTS ON EVERY DOLLAR spent that day is going to go toward bringing the fire station back to life!

This is a win-win-WIN situation any way you slice it. You win because you can fund us on Wednesday without having to donate a dime out of pocket. Whole Foods wins because, if you're not familiar with the store, the company can introduce you to their fantastic, healthful alternative to what the supers offer. And we all win because, with the proceeds, we'll be able to take the first step toward having a wonderful community center in our midst!

Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase — We're on the Route!

Please stop by Historic Fire Station 62 on Saturday, April 21, to pick up your map to the 4th Annual Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase. We'll be on hand from 10 am to 4 pm, ready to direct you on the tour, but ALSO to give you the latest news on FS62! If you come by, you'll receive a preview of some very special news I'll be posting on this blog in the next few days.

Through the magic of Photoshop, Agnes Anderson has created a vision of what our front patch of lawn can look like with just the right love and attention. Go here to see her stunning image of our fire station and to learn more about the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase.