Oh, What I Night We Had! 4th Annual SPNA Neighborhood Night Out
South Park neighbors gathered – 230+ residents – under the evening skies on Tuesday, August 5 at Audio Graph to enjoy the food, drink, raffles, and information about our neighborhood including SPNA’s security pilot initiative and DLANC’s (Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council) newly elected representatives explaining their work and vision. Kids and dogs and families and young and old-er residents enjoyed a beautiful summer evening in the neighborhood.
Audio Graph beers featured a new brewmaster. Sabrossa food truck joined us for their third year. Pizza was a hit, but the French fries were too. Michoacan ice cream, newly opened on Hope at 11th, made their debut at Neighborhood Night Out with many offerings. For the fourth year, Joyce Fried and Chris Wu’s desserts were fabulously “delish” and found many repeat customers!
Kids made friendship bracelets and bird feeders from Fruit Loops. Adults competed in corn hole games. All gathered for three raffle prize drawings from neighborhood businesses with Michael Robleto, our MC, entertaining the crowd while overseeing the drawings. Kim Moreno from Cut to the Feeling hair salon (1100 S. Grand), Deborah Berry from soon-to-open Sugar Sugar (11th between Hope and Grand), and Ben Bass and Lisa Goldsman from Lagree Fitness (12th at Hope) drew the winners for their prizes. Other prizes were from Orangetheory (1120 S. Grand), South Park Pharmacy (Grand at 12th), Susie Cakes (9th at Hope), John Nilsson Photography (Grand at 11th), and Audio Graph (Olive at 12th). Thank you, South Park businesses, for being part of our neighborhood. Many happy winners at Neighborhood Night Out thank you as well!
Much appreciation to newly elected DLANC South Park representatives – Lori Aliksanian, Amy Mack, Dennis Fried, and Andrew Wong along with DLANC Vice President and South Park resident Teresa Y. Hillery who listened to neighbors about their concerns and talked about their work on DLANC. A reminder – DLANC is our link to LA City government. They speak for us! And you elected them.
SPNA committee members talked with neighbors about SPNA’s security camera pilot program – LynxEye – that includes networking existing public-facing cameras linked to a monitoring system along with two security guards onsite overnight in a pilot area in South Park for 60 days to assess how to improve security in the neighborhood. Check SPNA’s monthly newsletter for updates on this project including in this newsletter.
Audio Graph has been our venue for Neighborhood Night Out for four years. We thank Cristina Ward for hosting but also for all the work she does in supporting SPNA and South Park. Much, much thanks!
Oh, what a night we did have – we made a stronger neighborhood through gathering, talking, laughing, learning, engaging, and having a wonderful time with friends new and old.
By Debra Shrout