Letting the Good Times Roll

Summer isn’t on the downswing just because it’s the middle of August. This weekend is full of festivals, with mountain music, block partyers, Elvis sightings, Thai arts, Greek dancing, a pride celebration and way stations for foodies. The most adventuresome can crisscross the Southland an truly explore. The rest of us can dip our toes in. Go people-watching. Learn something new. Commit a benevolent act. Have fun.

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James Burks describes the evolution of the Los Angeles African Marketplace & Cultural Faire in tones of promise and much unfinished business.

The 16th annual event--part celebration and part cultural bonanza--opens this weekend and continues Aug. 25 and 26 and Sept. 1 through 3.

More than 350,000 visitors are expected to browse and participate in the many happenings being staged under the thematic banner “Continuing the Millennial Celebration of Africa’s Global Legacy.”

“The objective is to look at the African diaspora as a marketplace so it’s like a county fair that explores the influence of Africans around the world,” said Burks, who, as a member of the city’s Cultural Affairs Department, helped found the event and remains one of its most vocal advocates.

The fair, which fills an 8-acre site at Rancho Cienega Park in L.A.’s Crenshaw District, is organized into themed villages, including North American, Caribbean, African, a children’s village, food court, main concourse and amphitheater.

Some highlights of this year’s event: an expanded Brazilian village, Latin jazz with artists from Cuba and other regions, a doo-wop festival, reggae festival, blues, gospel, tennis tournament, plus hundreds of artisans and merchants.

The African Marketplace was conceived, Burks says, not as an annual festival but rather “something that would be self-sustaining.”

Los Angeles has Koreatown, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Olvera Street and other culture centers. If the African Marketplace is to fulfill its envisioned objective, the event will metamorphose into an Afri-cana cultural and economic hub.

“Think about Universal CityWalk with a black motif,” Burks said. “It’s American. It’s European. It’s Caribbean. It’s Latin. It’s all Afrocentric.”* Los Angeles African Marketplace & Cultural Faire, Rancho Cienega Park, 5001 Rodeo Road; Saturday and Sunday; Aug. 25 and 26; Sept. 1 through 3. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. General, $5; senior citizens and children 10 and younger, $3. (213) 847-1540.

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A simple inscription centered at the top of an announcement for the Sunset Junction Street Fair is a noteworthy guiding principle of the event: “In harmony with our neighbors.”

The wildly popular festival commands a large swath of Sunset Boulevard one weekend each year near the joining of Echo Park, Silver Lake and Los Feliz.

Now in its 21st year, the festival attracts more than 150,000 attendees. From humble beginnings, the event has grown to entertain the masses with a notable concert bill, carnival rides, crafts booths, people-watching and ethnic food of many sorts. The genesis of the event was the neighborhood’s bubbling caldron of ethnic, cultural and class differences, which had reached the boiling point, especially between gays and gang members.

“We felt a great deal of tension and wanted to do something to defuse that,” said event co-founder Michael McKinley.

Led by McKinley and a few of his friends, a neighborhood block party was organized to bring the disparate parts together and work toward greater understanding. The group pulled it off, and a summertime party institution was born.

Though it was never expected to grow as big as it has, McKinley said, “You will notice that everybody is here and getting along.”

The neighborhood continues to benefit from the party’s largess. Proceeds from the event help support at-risk youth programs and neighborhood beautification projects.

Now about that concert bill: Three stages with continuous music will feature soul diva Nona Hendryx, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Freda Payne and Dee Dee Sharp. The entire lineup of performers is too numerous to mention, but suffice it to say fairgoers will find plenty of variety.* Sunset Junction Street Fair, 3600 to 4400 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. $5; children 12 and younger, free. (323) 661-7771.

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Want to go beyond the commonly offered Greek fare of gryos? Consider galaktoboureko or loukanikes. The latter is a type of traditional sausage served with feta cheese, olives and bread; the former a rich pastry of layered filo and custard and both will be among the array of Greek cuisine prepared in Antaean-proportioned quantities at St. Sophia Orthodox Cathedral’s LA Greek Fest 2001.

More than 12,000 attendees are expected to take part in the third annual revelry, which will include live bouzouki music, dancing, theatrical performances, art displays, cathedral tours, game booths and children’s activities.

Of particular note, the vaunted olive will receive special recognition via olive oil tastings, cooking demonstrations, curing instruction and historical discussions.

By virtue of the cathedral’s location in the Byzantine-Latin quarter, the festival also assumes a natural bicultural appeal. Latin themes will be featured in some of the foods and musical entertainment.

“It’s acknowledging the reality of Los Angeles that no one culture stands by itself,” said the Very Rev. John Bakas, dean of St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, which is next door to St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church. “We all need each other.”* LA Greek Fest 2001, St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 1324 S. Normandie Ave.; Friday, 5-11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. General, $3; 12 and younger, free. (323) 737-2424.

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The residents of Port Hueneme in Ventura County attended a seaside bash in 1998 to celebrate the community’s 50th anniversary of cityhood. The party was so well received that the politicians in charge of the city’s coffers decided to fund it as an annual affair.

Enter the Hueneme Beach Festival. Now in its third year, the event is held at the foot of the city’s historic wooden pier at Hueneme Beach Park.

“The festival has grown into something that highlights the city’s two greatest assets: a sense of community and the beach,” said Lisa Donley, director of the recreation and community services department. As Donley explains, the two-day fete with lots of live music, crafts, food, children’s rides and exhibitors is not intended to grow beyond a local scope. “Although everyone is certainly invited,” she said.

Among the event’s attractions will be tours of the nearby Port Hueneme Lighthouse and Channel Islands Marine Resource Institute. Transportation will be provided from the festival site.

For the physically motivated, there will be a soft-sand run and events called the waterman and waterwoman contests.* Hueneme Beach Festival, Hueneme Beach Park, 550 Park Ave., Port Hueneme; Saturday, noon to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free. (805) 986-6542.

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The Music in the Forest festival should earn consideration on aesthetic value alone.

Now in its third year, the event is held in the tiny community of Pine Mountain Club, situated west of Interstate 5 near Frazier Park in the Los Padres National Forest, about 80 miles from downtown Los Angeles.

Festivities unfold on a baseball field encircled by a dense forest of Jeffrey pine, white fir and other conifers. Mt. Pinos and Mt. Abel in the Chumash wilderness area tower above the setting.

“When people come up here they are astonished,” said event director Lori Smith. “It is a nearby faraway place, a well-kept secret.”

The glory of Mother Nature aside, the music should hold your interest as well. Saturday’s bill will offer the gospel-minded Rivers Praise Band, Celtic and bluegrass themes by Common Ground, country-western singer Pam Loe, Bonne Musique Zydeco, the uni-named blues singer-guitarist Peach and the zoot-suited Chesterfield King & the Sultans of Swing.

The bands will play on a large stage, complete with professional sound, lighting and blackout curtains. And new for this year: a dance floor.

The event is an arts program fund-raiser for the local school district, which “is not suffering from an overabundance of funding,” Smith said.

There is the foundation for the event’s burgeoning purpose: Though some festivals are born to remain intimate, Music in the Forest is bent on growing like one of those pines.

Smith and her co-director husband Lonon Smith envision a regional Music in the Forest destination where visitors camp out and take part in music and art workshops and related activities.

In the meantime, this weekend’s ancillary offerings will include a classic car show, artisans, including a featured display by master gourd painter Alex Villalva, plus food vendors of varying cuisine.

* Music in the Forest, Pine Mountain Club, Saturday, 1 to 9 p.m. General, $9; ages 17 to 6, $7; 5 and younger, free. (661) 242-5130. https://www.musicintheforest.org.

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The Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena exists to promote the understanding of Asian and Pacific peoples through the arts.

The cross-cultural endeavors at this Chinese-style building on Los Robles Avenue go beyond exhibiting artistic achievement, however, as will be seen Saturday during the Thai Sanok Festival for Families.

A clue to the festivities is in the title: Sanok is a Thai word meaning enjoyment of dance and music.

“It’s all about showing highlights of the culture,” said Pamela Macapagal, who works in the museum’s education department.

Normally events in the museum’s ongoing themed festival series are held in conjunction with active exhibits from the relevant cultures. That is not the case with the Thai festival, Macapagal said, but a full slate of activities is scheduled for the event.

Performers outfitted in traditional regalia will demonstrate Thai dancing and drumming, and there will be Thai folk and classical musicians.

Cultural immersion will also be offered in the form of workshops in which children can fashion their own traditional headdresses and practice painting and drawing techniques.

There will also be a short slide show-lecture about Thai art and culture and an array of food samples and tea.* Thai Sanok Festival for Families, Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena, Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. Free. (626) 449-2742.

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Just as the founders conceived it 15 years ago, the Orange County Gay and Lesbian Pride Celebration remains an event with a dual purpose.

“The celebration has always been about raising funds and distributing them to nonprofit groups in Orange County,” said Robert Helms, chief financial officer of Orange County Cultural Pride, the event’s organizer. “We knew there were enough gay people and organizations not afraid to attend a pride event, enjoy and celebrate themselves and donate at the same time.”

Not as large as similar pride events in Long Beach and Los Angeles, this weekend’s celebration at UC Irvine is “a low-key, casual affair,” Helms says.

Festival-goers will meander through a series of themed entertainment tents for country-western line dancing, disco, Latin rhythms, plus assorted beverages will be poured at a coffeehouse. A main stage will feature nonstop live musical performances of varying genres.

Also well staffed will be a bevy of support group and organization booths catering to the needs of gays and lesbians, plus an assortment of food, artisans, merchandisers and games.* Orange County Gay and Lesbian Pride Celebration, Aldrich Park, UC Irvine; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. General, $12; 12 and younger, free. Parking, $5. (714) 637-7768. https://www.ocgaypride.com.

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Though not exactly the Taste of Orange County, the Brea Fest will offer many culinary treats from more than 30 restaurants. The city of Brea’s annual fund-raiser will pull at your purse strings in support of arts programs.

The participating restaurants will be donating edibles to the event, and festival-goers will purchase food and beverage tickets for $2.50 each.

Participants include the Bake Shop at Panache, BJ’s Pizza Grill and Brewery, Bucca Di Beppo, Crocodile Cafe and others.

Though beer and wine samples will be poured for your dollars, this is most definitely a family-oriented event, co-coordinator Pat Tremayne said.

The youngsters might take a pass on the gazpacho, but they are likely to find something appealing at the event’s Kidsville, a child-friendly section with hot dogs and the like, storytellers, a magician, crafts projects and other entertainment.

The adult diversions will include live music, theatrical and dance bits, plus art demonstrations and displays.* Brea Fest, Brea Civic & Cultural Center, Birch Avenue and Randolph Street, Friday, 7 to 10:30 p.m. Free admission; food and beverage tickets, $2.50 each. (714) 990-7177.

A true Elvis Presley fan knows that this is Elvis Week. Each year at this time, adoring fans from around the globe make a kind of pilgrimage to Graceland and pay homage to the King in commemoration of the day he left the building for good--Aug. 16, 1977.

The annual weeklong revelry in Memphis ends Sunday. Can’t make it? Don’t fret. The Orange County Market Place would have you consider the Endless Summer Classic Car Show and Elvis Fest something of a Plan B.

The giant swap meet at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa will present its own salute to the music and memories associated with the King’s legacy.

Several Elvis impersonators will gyrate their bonbons and bellow favorites from the Presley catalog of hits. Kirk Wall, a Fullerton vocalist and comedic Elvis impersonator, will perform his shtick and emcee a children’s watermelon eating contest.

The fan club Jailhouse Rockers of California will raise funds for the Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center in Memphis, and visitors can peruse Elvis memorabilia and collections.

The car show portion of the event--the Market Place hosts themed auto shows throughout the year--will include models that were popular with the King.

The more than 1,000 swap meet vendors, food concessions, produce market, manufacturer’s outlets and Automotive Road of Dreams Museum will be in operation throughout the day.

* Endless Summer Classic Car Show and Elvis Fest, Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Orange County Market Place, Costa Mesa Fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. General, $2; 12 and younger, free. (949) 723-6663. https://www.ocmarketplace.com.