I remember a couple of years ago when the decision was made to move the Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour from spring to fall because, with the exception of Halloween, there didn’t seem to be that much going on after school started and before the holidaze set in. So now all times of year are busy and I guess it’s better than just sitting around waiting for something fun to come our way.

The Music Festival is this Saturday evening, October 7 and it’s my understanding that Colorado Boulevard will be closed from Eagle Rock Boulevard to Argus Street from early afternoon until the Festival ends at Midnight. I don’t have the official hours, but that’s what I recall. Advise friends, visitors, and family to be prepared to detour accordingly. TERA volunteers will be occupying a booth near Stage 2 at Merton and Caspar to help out with the Festival, pass out information about the Home Tour, sell Home Tour tickets and Eagle Rock flags, encourage people to renew memberships or join for the first time, and most of all, to enjoy the music and the best street party around! Join your neighbors on the Boulevard and party hearty on Saturday night October 7th from 5 p.m. until midnight, thanks to the efforts of the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock and their supporters.

Last Saturday evening I visited the Oinkster Restaurant on the northwest corner of Shearin and Colorado to enjoy the celebration of the return of Cruise Night to its long-time home. The parking lot was filled with Eagle Rock Rockin’ Rodders and their rides, ranging from hot rod roadsters with the requisite V-8's to a black muscle car era Plymouth Barracuda (which Carol said I could take home with me if I could find a Brink’s truck from which to make a forced withdrawal), along with a couple of café racer motorcycles and a modern Triumph Bonneville. Congratulations to Cruise Night coming home and to the Oinkster on its opening. And while things were jumping in the Oinkster parking lot, across the street at the Taco Spot the line was out the door as people enjoyed fresh, tasty and reasonably priced Mexican food at another new Eagle Rock restaurant.

And speaking of openings, I was fortunate enough to join some other Eagle Rockers for a pre- opening tour of the newly refurbished Griffith Park Observatory. The press coverage of the event was good, but couldn’t really do it justice. We arrived at the observatory at around 5 p.m. and were met with clear views from the Verdugo Hills to the Santa Monica Bay. The entrance to the observatory has moved from the front to the west side, and leads directly underground to the newly expanded exhibits. I won’t go through a long description but the “Big Wall” and our place in the galaxy give one pause to think about the vastness of space. I’m sure we are not alone; it’s just such a BIG neighborhood that you don’t run into someone else every day. Or even every millennium.

Tickets are now available for advanced purchase for TERA’s Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour. So as you are sampling fine wines at the Colorado Wine Company (2114 Colorado Boulevard), along with cheeses provided by Auntie Em’s Market Place, be sure to pick up your ticket to the Home Tour. Or perhaps you’ll be having your hair cut at Stephano’s (1551 Colorado Boulevard) and having taken some weight off the top of your head, you’ll suddenly remember to buy your ticket in advance of the Home Tour, saving $5 if you’re a TERA member. And if you liked the cheese you had with your wine at the Colorado Wine Company, for sure your going to stop at Auntie Em’s Market Place (4616 Eagle Rock Boulevard) to buy some more, along with Home Tour Tickets for the whole family. But, if you wait until the day before, you can also pick up your Home Tour ticket as you dine at either Le Petite Beaujolais (north side of Colorado between Vincent and Mt. Royal) or The Coffee Table (south side of Colorado on the southeast corner of Shearin and Colorado) on Saturday, October 14th and still save $5 if you are a TERA member (does anyone see a theme here?). And you are always welcome on the day of the Tour, which starts at the Eagle’s Aerie Social Hall at 1596 Yosemite Drive at 10:00 a.m. on October 15th. With all of the things going on over the next two weeks, if you can’t find someplace in Eagle Rock to really have fun, it’s your own fault!

Enjoy Life!