Happy Labor Day Weekend tomatoes. Here are a  few ways to ring in September and enjoy the holiday weekend if you are staying in town tomatoes.

Sept 3.  Artists and Fleas

There is a new market in the Abbot Kinney area of Venice and it is called the “Artists & Fleas” market tomatoes.  Artists & Fleas finally opened its second LA market location in the very apropos location of Venice this past spring.  Yeah! Now the Westside of LA can enjoy this dynamic & intimate market with a fabulous line up of vendors, food trucks and DJ’s. And the timing this weekend couldn’t be more perfect tomatoes.

The Brooklyn born bazaar, Artists & Fleas, creates artisan/craft-focused flea markets that bring together the best of art, fashion, design and vintage tomatoes. The Venice version is smaller in size so you won’t be overwhelmed by it and can browse leisurely taking your time to enjoy the diverse range of high quality wares & goods from expert vendors every Saturday too. And not to worry gals, the DTLA Artists and Fleas market is remaining in the DTLA Arts Districts and starting on September 10 will be open every Saturday. Woo hoo!

Sept. 15-Oct. 23. The Beauty, The Banshee & Me 

The… what…? Well ladies, the extraordinarily talented tomato & playwright/performer Cathy Lind Hayes gives you the skinny on what it would be like to be adopted and not allowed to see your original birth certificate in “The Beauty The Banshee & Me”.  Adopted at three months old by household name entertainers Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy, Cathy embarks on a compelling & intimate decades-long journey to learn the truth about where she came from and why she was given up in this deeply personal, passionate and humorous solo play. I’m so happy it is coming to LA I might just scream for joy like a banshee!

Cathy’s search takes many turns as she tries to make sense of how she is the daughter of two very different women. The story that Cathy beautifully shares with us is not only the story of a search for the truth but a tribute to the mother who raised her and the mother who gave her up.  As an adult, Cathy attempted to obtain the information from the New York Foundling Hospital, only to learn that all she was entitled to was “non-identifying information” and that state law forbid her access to her original birth certificate. It still does. Unbelievable!  But that doesn’t stop Cathy. Michael Allen Angel directs the West Coast Premiere of The Beauty, The Banshee & Me at the Whitefire Theatre.  I suggest getting a jump on tickets.

Our Lighthouse

The super cool Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro is open to the public and gives tours. And let’s not forget lighthouses sit in beautiful locations with great views and Point Fermin is no different. And who were the first Lighthouse Keepers of this Lighthouse? Well low and behold tomatoes it was two women…Mary and Ella Smith. So even more reason to visit the Point Fermin Lighthouse and this weekend might just be the right time tomatoes.

These majestic beacons of light were once only seen as a vital tool to offer navigation assistance to ships but now they are seen as historic icons of sea-travel. Point Fermin Lighthouse was built in 1874 and Mary and Ella Smith were federal employees under the Treasury Department and as I said assigned as its first lighthouse keepers. It was their job to keep the light lit as a beacon for ships, maintain the lighthouse lens, and the general up-keep of the building and they held that position and performed their duties successfully for 8 years. The next female to follow as head Lighthouse Keeper was Thelma Austin in 1925.  Woo hoo!  Now the mission of the Point Fermin Lighthouse Museum and Historic Site, managed by the City of LA’s Department of Recreation and Parks is to educate and inform the public about the lighthouse’s role in the history of California and its influence on the area of San Pedro and its people emphasizing its function as a navigational beacon, its lighthouse keepers, and its inhabitants through preservation, exhibition, and public programming.

Heritage Square

The unique Heritage Square Museum is for any tomato who would love to visit a Victorian Home community from the past.  The houses are the stars of the Museum, from the simplicity of the Longfellow-Hastings Octagon House to the opulence of the William Perry Mansion, it provides a living history of the settlement and development of SoCal from 1850-1950, the first 100 years of our statehood. It’s truly one of LA’s hidden gems and tours inside the houses   are available for only $10. Woohoo tomatoes!

Plus it is a Blue Star Museum which means active duty U.S. military – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps – and up to five family members have free admission through September 5th.

Each home and building has its own interesting back story that provides a unique look at the lifestyles of the people who contributed so much to the development of modern Los Angeles. And the museum itself has an amazing story. The eight historic structures located at the museum were saved from demolition and serve as a perfect background to educate the public so it is definitely a museum worth our support ladies.