🌳 It's a wrap! The Picnic in Alma Park was a success!

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JUNE 2022 EDITION, ISSUE NUMBER 20

Hello Neighbors!

The idea for the Picnic in the Park developed during an Alma Park Neighbors planning retreat in January 2022 - the idea was to host a celebration to encourage neighbors and their families to explore and spend time in Alma Park.

Once the best date for the event was agreed upon, Alma Park Neighbors were ready to go! In the days and weeks that followed, the heavy lifting began: park logistics, city permits for usage and equipment provided by Council 15 staff, efforts by LA Recreation and Parks (LARAP) for deep cleaning and tree trimming in the park, developing partnerships with local businesses and community organizations, marketing, and advertising, arranging an event schedule and recruiting volunteers to help on the big day.

Finally, the Picnic in the Park was held in Alma Park on Sunday, June 12, 2022. As families, friends and guests arrived, sounds from our local musicians, The Alley Oops, and performers from Gray’s Music wafted throughout the park.

Kids lined up for a chance to get behind the wheel of LAPD’s ATV and push the siren button or ask questions of our firefighters and take a peek in the fire and rescue units. Children were also drawn to the hands-on activities happening at the Angel’s Gate table.

Adults were busy visiting some of our local business and community organization tables, such as State Farm, Port of Los Angeles, and the emergency preparation CERT table, and, the raffle drawings throughout the day were a big hit! Raffle donations included a family year pass to the Cabrillo Aquarium, gift certificates from local eateries, free music lessons from Gray’s Music, and much, much more.

All told, 160 neighbors attended the Picnic in the Park!

A big thank you to Brad Lyon for his contribution in designing and printing our promotional materials and to our local businesses throughout San Pedro and in Harbor Village for their support and generous donations. A full list of our community partners can be found here on our event page.

Yet we couldn’t have brought this event to life without our volunteers. Over 40 members of our community helped hand out flyers, distribute postcards, staff tables, and just did whatever needed to be done to make this day in the park such a rewarding experience for our community. THANK YOU!

We encourage our residents to explore Alma Park - San Pedro’s little hidden treasure, a clean, safe, and welcoming park for all to enjoy.

A note about fireworks
With the 4th of July approaching we ask neighbors to be respectful and realize that fireworks:

Scare our pets
Can frighten people
Are a fire hazard
Can cause very serious injury
Create poor air quality
Are illegal

The Los Angeles Police Department will accept any fireworks you wish to get rid of by calling 877-275-5273.

To report illegal fireworks, call (877) ASK-LAPD, or file a report online (you can file anonymously).

Public Service Announcement - Porch Pirates
We received a report of a group of kids stealing packages from a resident’s doorstep. Fortunately, a neighbor intervened, recovering some important (and expensive) medication.

It’s a good time to remind our neighbors of things you can do to help prevent such thefts:

Don’t let your packages sit. Leaving packages on your porch or mailbox overnight, or for a few days is an open invitation to thieves.
Talk with your neighbors. Consider asking a neighbor who is home during the day to collect your package(s) on the delivery date.
Ship your merchandise to an alternate address. Think about shipping your packages to a friend or relative’s home. You might even be able to have items shipped to your place of work.
Ship to the store. Some retailers allow you to ship to one of their stores nearest you for pick up. Or, you can ship to your local pack and shipping store such as UPS, FedEx, or even a secure Amazon locker.
Request signature on delivery. Consider having packages delivered only when someone is available to sign for them.
Use tracking apps. There are many helpful delivery apps you can install on your iPhone or Android phones. These apps can monitor, modify, and track your packages.
Be sure to file a police report online if you have a delivery stolen! https://www.lapdonline.org/file-a-police-report/

If you receive packages regularly and throughout the year, you might consider: a video doorbell, a smart parcel box, outdoor security camera, or motion-activated lights.

Our previous meeting
On Saturday, June 4, at 9:30 am, 19 neighbors met in Alma Park for some coffee, cookies, and socializing.

The Park Cleanup team had just finished their monthly deep clean of the park and provided a report. We were informed that between monthly cleanups, neighbors had been busy removing vandalism and trash. As a result, the park was in fairly good shape. In addition, our friends from the Los Angeles Recreations and Parks department paid a visit earlier that morning to survey the park and take care of any maintenance issues ahead of the Picnic in the Park event.

During the cleanup, one neighbor went to remove what she thought was an abandoned blanket. When she lifted the blanket she was yelled at by a disheveled man who had been sleeping in the park. He was asked to move along and shuffled away from the park.

Another neighbor reported a trespasser who had checked the doors and windows at her house near 19th and Walker. The trespasser eventually found an electrical outlet and plugged something in, presumably to charge a phone.

The topic soon changed to the Picnic in the Park. An update was provided and a call for volunteers was made.

One neighbor brought some kittens that she had been fostering, which was a big hit with attendees.

The best part of the day came after the meeting ended. Every single person who attended stayed for 45 more minutes to chat with their neighbors. The sight was very encouraging and made the Alma Park Neighbors coordinators realize that their dream of creating a more welcoming neighborhood has become a reality.

Our next meeting
Please join us on Saturday, July 2 at 9:30 a.m. at the park tables for pastries and fresh coffee.

Be sure to follow us at www.almaparkneighbors.org for the latest happenings. Also, you can always email us with questions or concerns at almaparkneighbors@gmail.com.

Emergency Prep tip of the month
By now, pretty much everyone knows that we're in a drought and that we need to conserve water. A side effect of the drought is that plants will be a lot drier, so there's a greater fire risk, especially with fireworks season upon us.

If you don't already have a fire extinguisher, this is probably a good time to get one. For home use, it is recommended to have a 5lb, 2-A:10-B:C fire extinguisher, like this one from First Alert. (This particular unit is also rechargeable, which means if you need to use it, you can get it refilled instead of buying a new one.)

If you do need to use one, remember the acronym PASS:

Pull the pin out
Aim at the base of the fire
Squeeze the trigger
Sweep the stream back and forth at the base of the fire until it is out.

For more information, check out https://www.thisoldhouse.com/home-safety/21015032/how-to-choose-and-use-fire-extinguishers or consider signing up for a CERT class so you can learn how to properly use a fire extinguisher.

Water conservation tip of the month

As you know, the West continues to experience severe drought conditions, and now Los Angeles has implemented lawn watering restrictions (see May’s Newsletter). So, it’s a good time to review and remind ourselves of the small ways we can help save our water.

Tips for around the house:

Fill up a bathtub halfway or less, and save up to 25 gallons per person every bath.
Or, take a 5-minute (or less!) shower and save up to 12 gallons per shower (especially when using a water-efficient showerhead).
Turn off running water when brushing teeth or shaving; this can save up to 8 gallons of water per person per day.
Wash FULL laundry loads and save up to 45 gallons per load.
And, FULL dishwasher loads can save up to 15 gallons per load.
Install aerator heads on faucets and save up to a half-gallon of water per minute.

Look for the July Newsletter on how to save water outdoors.

Upcoming events
Here is a list of upcoming events taking place in our neighborhood:

Saturday, July 2, 2022, at 9:00 am: Alma Park Deep Clean. Join your neighbors, have some fun, make friends, and make a difference!
Saturday, July 2, 2022, at 9:30 am: Alma Park Neighbors monthly meeting IN-PERSON! Join us at the picnic tables in Alma Park for some light refreshments.
Saturday, July 9, 2022, at 5:30 pm: AlmaNet radio check-in! For more information on participating, please check out this article on our website.

Be sure to check out our Events page for the latest information about the schedule.

Thank you to our community partners

Last month we listed 19 local businesses and organizations that helped support our Picnic in the Park. Since that time, even more organizations have stepped forward to help support this community event. A full list can be found on our event page.

Angels Gate Cultural Center (AGCC)

GNRX - Your friendly neighborhood pharmacy at 25th and Western.

Lyon Strategy - All of our printed materials for the Picnic in the Park were designed and produced by Lyon Strategy.

Prontos Fresh Mexican Grill - Located at 25th and Western, this is the most friendly Mexican restaurant around.

South Shores Water - Harbor Village’s newest service!

State Farm Insurance - Leslie Peterson, Managing Broker.

A very special thank you goes out to Harbor Village, the shopping plaza at 25th and Western. Harbor Village is our local shopping center, and has consistently provided a lot of support to our community.

Please take a moment to visit our local businesses and show your support!

Please Donate :)