PEDRO PLAY

by Linda Grimes

Inspired by the redevelopment process of Rancho San Pedro housing and the Harbor Blvd. area, residents of Rancho San Pedro will be performing a play reading in April based on their personal stories, created by acclaimed Cornerstone Theater Company playwright and director Juliette Carrillo.

Pedro Play (working title) is about all of San Pedro, and the Rancho San Pedro housing redevelopment, currently called One San Pedro, is at the heart of much of the changes coming to town over the next decade.

Port of Los Angeles High School (POLAHS) photography students, taught by Erick Miseroy, photography teacher and Pixels Gallery & Creative Space gallery director, are taking pictures of Rancho San Pedro as it exists today to serve as backdrop projections for the play’s performance.

A Yale School of Drama graduate and longtime Cornerstone Theater Company ensemble member, Carrillo was born into a multicultural household, surrounded by her Mexican-American father’s artwork and her Jewish mother’s creative lifestyle. As a regional theater director, she’s traveled the country staging award-winning plays in some of the nation’s top theaters.

Joining Carrillo and helping spearhead the project is Bruce Lemon, the theatre company’s associate artistic director. Born and raised in Watts, Lemon currently hosts 89.3 KPCC In-Person’s Unheard LA and is involved with numerous other theatrical and creative groups in Los Angeles.

At Cornerstone, the company often does plays in cycles or a series with a singular focus. In 2018, The Change Series was begun and organically led to an exploration of the rapidly changing city of Los Angeles. Cornerstone started this series in Watts with A Jordan Downs Illumination as it was in its redevelopment and just beginning the relocation process. During the research phase, connections were discovered about the folks living in Watts and working at the Port of Los Angeles.

In keeping with our commitment to arts appreciation community education, the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District will stage its third Culture TALKS! in collaboration with Cornerstone Theater Company, Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the POLAHS photography students, and One San Pedro. The gathering will occur at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (3720 Stephen White Drive) at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 16.

Complimentary tickets for students and Rancho San Pedro residents are available by emailing 55lindagrimes@ gmail.com or visiting sanpedrowaterfrontartsdistrict.com. spt

Linda Grimes is a retired sales and marketing geek with a passion for art, design, and creative placemaking, and now serves as the executive director of the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District.

Do you have arts and culture story ideas? Please share them — email to 55lindagrimes@gmail.com.

For more information, visit sanpedrowaterfrontartsdistrict.com.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUFFER?

LEARN HOW TO TREAT YOUR BODY WELL NOW TO AVOID PROBLEMS LATER

by Eddie McKenna

Have you heard of the tale of the two wolves? I’ll paraphrase for those who have not. It’s about perspective — usually consisting of two variations: one good and one bad.

I have one grandparent left, and he is turning 89 this year. He is actually the “real” Ed Mckenna, as he puts it. Whenever we are together and meet new people, that is how he introduces himself. I’m not kidding. They laugh every time. He is Ed Mckenna, Sr., and I am Ed Mckenna III, hence, why he is the “real” one.

My other grandfather, Andy, passed away 14 years ago. I called him “Grandpa.” These two men are two of the smartest, most hardworking men I have ever known. They both started their own engineering companies, had families, and lived great lives. But they shared one huge difference: one exercised, and the other didn’t.

Ed McKenna, Sr. (aka “Popa”) was the guy who ran every day of his life starting at a young age and is still an avid gym goer. Grandpa was the guy sitting in his car smoking a cigarette and making fun of people while they jogged in place waiting for the light to change. These two were opposites in how they took care of themselves.

They had countless similarities in what kind of men they were, but that one difference in exercise separated them. As I got older and found myself in the business of health and training, I started paying attention to the people around me more closely, specifically how they were living.

On the one hand, I have Popa traveling the world with his new wife playing golf anywhere he desired, and on the other, I had Grandpa, a prisoner in his own home, attached to an oxygen tank. As I witness this take place, I think to myself, “I’ll go with option A.” Traveling the world playing golf, not worrying about taking the stairs, not afraid of tripping over my own feet, not needing assistance getting out of my own chair all sound like great alternatives to the latter.

This was my Popa and Grandpa when they were in their 70s. Now, Popa is almost 90 years old, and he still plays golf and pickleball, goes to the gym, and can still get out of a chair without help.

It is easy to be nearsighted when you start on your fitness journey. You feel like an idiot. Everyone is lifting more weight than you, working out hurts, and your desired results never come fast enough. Then you have your friend telling you that all that weightlifting is going to damage your joints. Let me tell you right now, those are going to hurt regardless. Just like your skin gets wrinkly and your hair turns gray, your connective tissues within your body also begin to break down.

Please do not fret, because it has been proven that resistance training (weightlifting) has shown signs that it can slow down or stave off the degradation of bones, ligaments, and tendons. Now, all you have to do is decide how you would like to suffer.

I think of my mom and dad, who are 70 and 65, who attend my workout classes regularly every week. They choose to suffer through the workouts, usually not smiling until they leave. My mom and dad are not afraid of retiring in a two-story house. They say taking the stairs is what is going to keep them alive longer.

I think about how I want to live in my later years and what I need to do. I choose to suffer now through my workouts, what goes into my body, and the time I choose to invest in myself. I will never be afraid to take the stairs, nor will anyone need to help me out of my chair. What about you? spt

Eddie McKenna is co-owner of Heyday Elite Fitness. For more info, visit heydaytraining.com.

SAN PEDRO CHAMBER WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION 2023

On Thursday, March 9, the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce held its annual Women’s History Month Celebration at the San Pedro Elks Lodge. The sold-out event brought together a who’s who of San Pedro dignitaries, politicos, and movers and shakers, all to honor seven amazing women who have made significant contributions to our community. This year’s honorees were: SueAnn Ballat (Gang Alternatives Program), Gayle Fleury (Angel Gowns and Light of the Lighthouse), Amy Grat (EXP - The Opportunity Engine), Rosa Pesenti (Boys & Girls Clubs of the LA Harbor and Maria’s Closet), Nancy Richardson (Los Angeles Maritime Institute and Girl Scouts), Camilla Townsend (founding board member of AltaSea and trustee, Port of Los Angeles High School), and Rachel Viramontes (Wednesday Senior Club). San Pedro Today congratulates all the women celebrated this year for their well-deserved honors. Also, congrats to Elise Swanson and her team at the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce for hosting another amazing Women’s History Month Celebration. (photos: Arturo Garcia-Ayala/San Pedro Chamber of Commerce).