🧙 Commander at the Cottage (North Hollywood): Casual Magic: The Gathering Commander rounds in the Elven Bar. Free. Tuesdays, from 6 to 10 PM at The Witch's Cottage (5303 Lankershim Blvd.).

🌳 Pacoima Wash Greenway Grand Opening (San Fernando): Pacoima Beautiful opens a new community green space with a morning celebration, music, and local partners. Free. Thursday, August 27, from 8:30 to 11 AM at 801 8th St.

🃏 SFV Card Expo (Van Nuys): Trading card and collectibles show with buying, selling, trading, and ripping packs. Free. Friday, August 28, from 5 to 10 PM and Saturday, August 29, from 10 AM to 5 PM at The Valley Venue (14533 Gilmore St.).

☕ Coffee & Community Meetup (Van Nuys): A free community coffee meetup from LA Forward, connecting neighbors over political conversation. Free. Saturday, August 29, from 9 to 10 AM at Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park (14201 Huston St.).

🥬 Free Produce Market (Reseda): Fresh fruits and veggies given away, plus a free seedling for volunteers. Free. Saturday, August 29, from 10 AM to 12 PM at 7625 Wilbur Ave.

🌱 Community Seed Exchange (Van Nuys): Swap seeds and meet fellow plant lovers. Baked goods, plants, and $3 goat feeding. Free. Saturday, August 29, from 10 AM to 12:30 PM at 6920 Woodman Ave.

🌿 Second Nature Collective Anniversary (Reseda): A one-year anniversary and fundraiser at Reseda Backyard Farm. Music, vegan food, crafts. Sliding scale from $15. Saturday, August 29, from 5 to 9 PM at 7625 Wilbur Ave.

🎵 Dominguero at City Hall (San Fernando): A free Afro-Latin concert. Part of the city's 115th-birthday celebrations. Free. Saturday, August 29, starting at 6 PM at San Fernando City Hall (117 N Macneil St.).

🎃 Graveyard Cinemas: House on Haunted Hill (Sylmar): An outdoor screening of the horror classic with popcorn and vendors. $20. Saturday, August 29, from 6:30 to 10 PM at 14451 Bledsoe St.

🌍 Garden Sounds with Melody (Northridge): An evening of globe-spanning music and dancing in a garden under the moon. Sliding scale, free to $35. Saturday, August 29, from 7 to 11 PM. Address on RSVP.

🧸 Kids Club: To Infinity & Back to School (Northridge): A family morning on the Town Green with entertainment, character meet-and-greets, and free samples. Free. Saturday, August 29, from 9 to 10:30 AM at The Vineyards at Porter Ranch (20065 Rinaldi St.).

🛍️ NoHo Market (North Hollywood): A vendor market of local crafts and small businesses for a Sunday stroll. Free. Sunday, August 30, from 5 to 10 PM at 5223 Lankershim Blvd.

🎸 Cali Reggae Jam (North Hollywood): Strictly reggae with a live band, DJ sets, and guest artists, plus Jamaican food. 21+. $15. Sunday, August 30, from 5 to 9 PM at Skinny's Lounge (4923 Lankershim Blvd.).

🎤 Lilith Fair Tribute Nite (North Hollywood): L.A. artists cover Fiona Apple, Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan, and more, with themed cocktails and karaoke. 21+. $10. Sunday, August 30, from 7 to 9 PM at The Good Nite (10721 Burbank Blvd.).

🀄 Cozy Mahjong Club (North Hollywood): Learn or compete at mahjong with an included mocktail. Sold out. Waitlist only. $25. Sunday, August 30, from 5 to 9 PM at a private NoHo home.

❓ Trivia at Idle Hour (North Hollywood): Trivia on the patio at NoHo's barrel-shaped bar. Free. Tuesday, September 1, from 8 to 10 PM at Idle Hour (4824 Vineland Ave.).

✏️ Pirate Figure Drawing (Burbank): A Pirates of the Caribbean–themed figure-drawing night with a costumed live model as Captain Barbossa. $25 ($15 students). Thursday, September 3, starting at 7:30 PM at 900 W Alameda Ave.

🥳 Echo Park Rising Music Festival (Echo Park): Weekend-long music festival with hundreds of artists performing in dozens of venues around Echo Park. Free. Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30.

🎴 Pokémon Night Card Trading (Lincoln Heights): A late-night Pokémon card trading event. 21+. Free. Friday, August 28, from 7 to 11:30 PM at 1821 N Daly St.

🌱 Veg Friendly Singles Meetup (Westwood): A casual singles meetup at the Beer Garden during Vegan Street Fair, for vegans, vegetarians, and the veg-curious. Free. Sunday, August 30, from 5 to 7 PM at 1030 Broxton Ave.

🚚 Food Truck Friday (Burbank): Food trucks line Magnolia Boulevard in Magnolia Park with live music and a neighborhood-block vibe.

Free. Friday, August 28, from 6 to 9 PM on Magnolia Blvd. (Hollywood Way to Catalina St.).

🗣️ The Valley’s Top 50: Last week, my community told me some of their “favorite things to do in the Valley.” I posted it on my new community page. Come tell me what we missed!

🎢 Job: Special Effects Designer Intern: The Walt Disney Company (Glendale) is hiring a WDI special effects designer intern to help design, build, and install theme-park effects. Juniors and up in an arts or engineering program. $26.50–$27.50/hour. Full-time. On-site. Apply by September 1.

📚 Your library card now gets you free entry to 200+ California state parks. The state just made the Parks Pass permanent. Check out a vehicle day-use pass at any Valley branch. (FOX 11)

👶 Universal Transitional Kindergarten: California launches free TK and free meals for students.

👗 4 Girl Yard Sale (North Hollywood): Girls' clothing in varying sizes, plus baked goods and drinks. Saturday, August 29, from 10 AM to 4 PM at 6528 Farmdale Ave.

🎃 Halloween Horror Nights 2026 at Universal Studios opens September 3.

❓️ What's the tallest building in the San Fernando Valley?

Last week's question: Studio City is actually named after a particular studio. It opened in 1928 and was built by a silent-film pioneer. Which studio is it?

Answer: Mack Sennett Studios. Silent-film pioneer Mack Sennett opened it in May 1928 at Ventura Blvd. and Radford Ave., and the surrounding area became known as Studio City. The lot survives today as Radford Studio Center.