7 minute read
COMMUNITY
Spooktacular Fun
Marina boats prep for parade with spooky and pirate-y costumes
The inaugural Marina del Rey Halloween Boat Parade will be held on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. and the family-friendly event welcomes boaters and watercraft of all shapes and sizes.
By Bridgette M. Redman
They’ll be revving up their engines on Saturday to celebrate Halloween—their boat engines, that is. On Oct. 29 at 7 p.m., Marina del Rey will be home to the first-ever Halloween Boat Parade. Billed as a “spooktacular” event, all the Southern California boating community has been invited to decorate their boats and participate in a rollicking time that proves no one is too old to trick or treat. It’s an event for those who just can’t get enough of holiday boat parades—like event organizer Shemp “Capt. Craig” Howard, who describes himself as a holiday boat parade maniac. “It’s always a labor of love,” Howard said of organizing and participating in boat parades. “For me, it’s really one of the best times of the year. I love our regattas.” He’s a regular participant in Catalina’s Buccaneer Days where everyone dresses as a pirate, bands come out to play and the boats are decorated in the theme. He has a blast with it every year and it got him thinking that there should be something fun like that on Halloween for both the kids and the adults—an opportunity for people to decorate their boats and show them off to the community. With the 29th falling on a Saturday this year, it felt like perfect timing to launch the event because people could do the parade over the weekend and then go trick-or-treating with their kids on Monday night. So, this became the year to launch what they hope will be an annual event with prizes being given out in multiple categories. They started organizing it over the summer, putting out teasers and responding to people who wanted to be sponsors. “When you do events, you can kind of tell when it is getting some traction, when it is something people want to participate in,” Howard said. “We started rounding up boats and taking emails from people to pair them up with somebody if they don’t have a boat.” There is a nominal $25 entry fee/donation that will go to Autism Speaks. It’s an organization that already has a longstanding association with the Marina. Howard said they wanted to continue it with this event. “Everybody is going to have a wonderful time at the first annual Marina del Rey Halloween Boat Parade,” Howard said. “Everybody’s very excited about it and the reaction has been very positive.” Participants have been scouring local stores and the internet to find ways to decorate their boats. Howard said he went to Home Depot, but they were already on to Christmas with only one rack of Halloween stuff left. However, he said he found a secret weapon— there is a pop-up Halloween store above the DSW Shoe Warehouse that is chock full of possibilities. “Everybody should channel their inner Jack Sparrow,” Howard said. “I expect to see a lot of pirates and ghosts and large pumpkins and scary things. I just picked up our 12-foot inflatable ghost.” The sponsors will provide gift cards as prizes and swag to give away to participants and those coming out to see the parade. With the proximity to Hollywood, Howard said they see a lot of really creative people getting involved, including those who work for television and movie studios. One of his friends is a set designer for movies. “He always comes up with something outrageous and he’s got a beautiful sailboat,” Howard said. “We’ve got all the yacht clubs that come together and like to have a lot of fun, so we can always count on them. Then we have the Southern California Yachting Association. There’s a lot of people who always like to put their best foot forward, especially when there’s a little bit of a charity involved.” The plan is for the boats to make one or two laps of the Marina, giving people on shore a good chance to see all the decorated boats. After that, who knows? Howard said they expect a fair amount of pirate boats and such renegades aren’t expected to follow a lot of rules. “My tagline, with apologies to Seinfeld is: it’s real and it’s spooktacular!” Howard said. “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I’m out.”
Encouraging Interactions
By Luke Netzley
When Palms resident Ashley Turner decided to go on a group hike organized on the social media platform Meetup, she wasn’t expecting to meet the love of her life. One year after that “magical” day, she and her husband, Raghu, created Los Angeles Fun Events to help others meet and connect with one another. “It was a way to keep that spirit of community and meeting new people going,” Turner said. “We’ve had this group for about five years now, and only in the past year have we really started to take it to the next level. It’s a platform. It’s a way to help people connect with one another and get off the couch, get off the computer, get out and get interacting with your fellow Angelenos.” For the past five years, the couple has hosted events including beach days, hikes, camping, museum trips, outdoor games, movie nights and dinner clubs. Their goal is to help people form meaningful connections with one another all while helping to support local businesses. Last month, Los Angeles Fun Events hosted a new night market concept built from scratch at HiDef Brewing in DTLA. The event included food pop-ups, art, a DJ, social games, a scavenger hunt and prizes. “It’s a way to get people reengaged with the city and at the same time to support small businesses in the process,” Turner said. “I’ve gone to so many night markets and I just love the atmosphere. It’s at night. It’s cool. You don’t have the sun beating down on you. There was something kind of magical about it. I feel like that’s when the city really comes to life. “We’ve done many events so far with HiDef Brewing. In the past we’ve gone there and set up outdoor games. We bring tons of board games and card games, giant Jenga, and just ways for people to naturally and organically talk, interact and get to mingle with each other.”
PHOTO BY CHRIS MORTENSON
Palms residents Raghu and Ashley Turner started Los Angeles Fun Events to help people to form friendships while also lending much-needed support to small businesses in the community.
Turner explained that she doesn’t just want to be a producer of events where people simply buy tickets and only interact with their own parties. With the night market concept, she wants to create an experience that promotes interaction between attendees and with the vendors as well. “We’ve designed this whole scavenger hunt related to all the businesses and the vendors that are going to be there,” Turner explained. “It’s a way to get people up and moving, working together and traveling throughout the market interacting with everything that’s there.” While Turner described their last night market that ran on Aug. 13 as a success, she is also excited about other new event concepts on the horizon, such as aerial yoga with a rooftop dinner. “I feel like we are just in a constant state of exploring different types of events to offer,” Turner said. “It’s a constant experimentation.
“SCALE IT BACK” (10/20/22) By SCOTT HOGAN & KATIE HALE
We’re looking for really cool, interesting and new things to feature. I’m also really excited to eventually start incorporating more travel. I love nothing more than traveling, experiencing other cultures and being able to share that with people.” Whether it’s a night market in the heart of town or a journey outside of the city, Turner believes that consistency is key to fostering a community around the events. “We’re all about establishing a regular, consistent presence,” Turner said. “I think that in us being consistent with what we deliver, it allows everyone that attends to also be consistent and become regulars who get to interact with each other repeatedly over time. I strongly believe that’s how relationships and friendships form. It’s repeated exposure.” Events are for ages 21 and over. Upcoming events include singles salsa dancing, an outdoor social mixer at Sorry, Not Sorry in West LA on the first and third Sunday of every month from 1 to 4 p.m., and a group lunch at Lobster and Beer on Motor Avenue near Palms on Oct. 30. In the wake of the pandemic and its ensuing social distancing requirements, in-person social interaction is as important as ever for improving mental health and generating a sense of connectedness. With Los Angeles Fun Events, the Turners hope to share the joy they’ve found participating in Meetup events with others throughout LA County.
Los Angeles Fun Events losangelesfunevents.com
Los Angeles Fun Events hosts beach days, yoga classes, camping and museum trips, outdoor games, movie nights and dinner clubs, among other events.
SANJAY GAUR
FOR WEST BASIN WATER BOARD
TAKING WATER SERIOUSLY
Vote by Nov 8, 2022!
(early voting starts 10/10)
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