Happy Summer and Happy Friday Tomatoes! Watermelon is so delish and fresh this time of year and you can get a mouthful or 2…or more at “The Watermelon Festival”.  The “Summer Nights in the Garden” series is back at the Natural History Museum. And on the other side of the hill, Tomatoes can enjoy a summer night in the valley now that “NoHo Summer Nights” is in full swing.  Nobody spins a sonnet like LA Tomato, Lady Penelope, where Shakespeare meets the San Fernando Valley in the ever so clever new web series “Sonnets from Suburbia”. Perfect for sonnet lovin’ Tomatoes.

July 29-30. Watermelon Festival  

Any way you slice it gals, there is nothing better than juicy Ice-Cold watermelon on a hot summer day and you can find just that for free with unlimited servings of prime watermelon all day long at “The California Watermelon Festival”. Beside FREE watermelon (I feel that bears saying again) there’s a full day of fun with delicious foods, carnival rides and attractions, games, contests, entertainment, a Kids Zone, and more. Be ready to pucker up!

Co-presented by the Sunland-Tujunga Lions Club and the Sunland Tujunga Chamber of Commerce in Lakeview Terrace at the Hansen Dam Park Complex, the celebration kicks off a 54-year tradition that pays tribute to the early days when watermelons were the prized crop of the eastern San Fernando Valley foothills. AND it is a fundraiser, ladies.  Proceeds from the festival will benefit charitable projects in the community.

July 28, August 11 & 25. Summer Nights in the Garden

The Nature Gardens at The Natural History Museum are to be cherished all year but during the summer months their “Summer Nights in the Garden” series gives Tomatoes  an extra special opportunity to enjoy and explore this fanciful nature garden after hours with a garden inspired cocktail, a stroll, a picnic or a botanical tour while listening to the beats of live music.  Sounds loverly Tomatoes.

Before you embark on your night in the garden, you might want to a more bizarre and Extraordinary Experience in the extreme with the new and temporary “Extreme Mammals” .  It’s only here Did you know there was a whale that walked land? The exhibit ends September 10, so don’t miss your chance to discover all the odd features and unusual creatures of the world of extinct and living mammals. A combo of “Extreme Mammals” and “Summer Nights in the Garden” might be just the recipe for a very unique experience.  I’m just sayin’ Tomatoes.

Now-Sept. 9. NoHo Summer Nights

The Valley Cultural Center, in conjunction with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Council District 2, is making Saturday summer nights in North Hollywood easy, breezy and entertaining with the “NoHo Summer Nights” series of concerts and movies. And that’s not all Tomatoes!

Popular LA food trucks will be serving up a variety of food options and interactive art booths will be on site displaying their work. FREE admission Tomatoes and it’s all happening under the stars at North Hollywood Park.

Sonnets from Suburbia

I highly recommend Tomatoes sign up for a weekly dose of “Sonnets from Suburbia” from fellow LA Tomato and incredibly talented Penny Peyser aka “Lady Penelope”. These short iambic pentameter commentaries on “Lady Penelope’s” life in the “Valley” always brighten my Thursday with a great big hoot. I simply think her sonnet videos are genius and addictive!

Her wit, humor and creativity are off the charts while being deliciously satisfying in a plethora of ways. Here’s an example of one “Sonnet from Suburbia” to whet your appetite, where Lady Penelope of the San Fernando Valley ponders a lover’s cowardice. Trust me, Tomatoes, you will want another sonnet fix every Thursday.