This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Theatre 68 Arts Festival:

🎭 August Arts Festival in North Hollywood:

Multi-week celebration of live entertainment in the heart of the NoHo Arts District at the Theatre 68 Arts Complex.

Theatre, comedy, dance, film, drag, burlesque, spoken word, immersive art, and gallery installations. Three stages and two lobbies.

From August 6 to August 23.

View the schedule →

Here’s what’s happening this week:

🎨 818 Creates Young Creatives Festival (Canoga Park): Four days of youth art showcases from Valley artists ages 16–24, with gallery installations, cultural dance, a Thursday music jam, and a Saturday open-mic finale. Free. Wednesday, August 5 through Saturday, August 8 at the Taxco Theatre (7242 Owensmouth Ave.).

🎶 Sounds of LA County (Sylmar): An outdoor indie concert featuring Emi Secrest, Toni Scruggs, PARKS, and Cor.ece, with snacks and lawn games. Free. Friday, August 7, from 6 to 9 PM at El Cariso Park (13100 Hubbard St.).

🎸 A Nirvana Tribute (Reseda): Two full sets of Nirvana classics at an intimate all-ages venue with free parking. $15. Friday, August 7, from 8 to 10 PM at Valley Rox (19300 Vanowen St.).

🎭 Grave Mistakes (North Hollywood): A comedy play about two lovers trapped in a haunted house, trading ghostly mishaps for laughs. $40. Friday, August 7, from 8 to 10 PM at LACAE Theater (11031 Camarillo St.).

🎤 Musical Theater Karaoke Night (North Hollywood): Belt out showtunes over a cold pint. Free. Friday, August 7, starting at 8 PM at Lawless Brewing Co. (5275 Craner Ave.).

📚 Sherman Oaks Library Book Sale (Sherman Oaks): Books, CDs, DVDs, games, puzzles, and vinyl for 50¢ to $1. Proceeds support the library. Free. Saturday, August 8, from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM at Sherman Oaks Branch Library (14245 Moorpark St.).

🆓 Really Really Free Market (Van Nuys): A community swap with free food, books, and goods. Drop off what you don’t need; take what you do. Free. Saturday, August 8, from 11 AM to 2 PM at 6270 Van Nuys Blvd.

🪡 Summer Tattoo & Piercing Pop-Up (North Hollywood): Local artists offering tattoos and piercings. $60–$150. Saturday, August 8, from 12 to 10 PM at 5151 Strohm Ave.

🏀 Valley Titans Youth Basketball Fundraiser (San Fernando): Eat at Dog Haus and 20% of sales go toward the Valley Titans’ gym time, uniforms, and tournament fees. Saturday, August 8, from 8 AM to 10 PM at Dog Haus Biergarten (1003 San Fernando Rd.).

🌶️ NoHo Neighborhood Chili Fest (North Hollywood): Homemade chili, cornbread, sides, and desserts, all on the house. Free. Saturday, August 8, from 4 to 7 PM at First Baptist Church of North Hollywood (11210 Otsego St.).

🖼️ Tongva Mural Artist Talk (North Hollywood): The creators of North Hollywood’s Tongva mural discuss the artwork, the collaboration behind it, and its cultural significance. Free. Saturday, August 8, from 11 AM to 12 PM at North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Library (5211 Tujunga Ave.).

🧸 Family Collectibles Market (San Fernando): A collectibles market with Sonny Angel and POP MART toys, handmade accessories, art, baked treats, food stalls, and a live DJ. Free. Sunday, August 9, from 11 AM to 4 PM at 1242 San Fernando Rd.

🌿 Urban Foraging Walk (Granada Hills): Learn to safely harvest edible plants around the neighborhood. Stroller- and wheelchair-accessible, with ASL interpretation available. All proceeds go to Planned Parenthood. $20. Sunday, August 9, from 10 AM to 12 PM at White Oak Ave. and San Jose St.

🍸 Cocktails, Cadillacs, & Classic Trivia (Sherman Oaks): Trivia spanning the 1950s through ’70s with cocktails. Play solo or team up. Free. Sunday, August 9, from 5 to 7 PM at Pineapple Hill Saloon (4454 Van Nuys Blvd.).

🎸 Rolling Stones Tribute Concert (Woodland Hills): The John McCloy Band recreates the Rolling Stones live show, look and attitude included. Free. Sunday, August 9, from 5:30 to 8:30 PM at Warner Park (5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd.).

🎨 BYO Craft Night (North Hollywood): A bring-your-own craft night with extra supplies on hand, draft and non-alcoholic drinks, and dogs welcome on the patio. 21+. Free. Sunday, August 9, from 4 to 6 PM at Hop Merchants (5013 Lankershim Blvd.)

🌊 FoLAR RiverFest (Downtown LA): Friends of the LA River marks 40 years of LA River advocacy. River festival of live music, local food, and hands-on activities. Free. Sunday, August 9, starting at 2:30 PM at LA State Historic Park (1245 N Spring St.).

🥩 Jus’Brisket (Northridge): A woman-led Valley smokehouse slow-smoking brisket for at least 14 hours until it’s fall-apart tender. Made with ingredients from local farmers and meat markets.

Everything is prepared fresh to order. Place your order at least two weeks ahead.

🎬 Director, Creator Content and Partnerships: The Walt Disney Company (Burbank) is seeking a creator-economy leader to build and scale Disney’s global Creator Studio, driving audience growth and creator-led content. $153,200–$205,400/year. Full-time. On-site.

🗂️ Office Assistant: Pixelogic Media Partners (Burbank) is hiring an office assistant to run the front desk, keep the office organized, and support executive scheduling. $22/hour. Full-time. On-site.

Hiring or looking for work? Check out the SFV job board with more local job postings.

🐾 Burbank Animal Shelter: The city shelter is stocking up on treats, toys, blankets, and collars for the dogs and cats waiting on their forever homes.

Grab something off the Amazon wishlist, and it ships straight to the shelter.

A bag of treats or a blanket makes an animal's day a little better.

💚 Know a Valley charity, fundraiser, or volunteer opportunity? Reply to this email, and I’ll try to help get the word out.

⚾ The LA Queens won the women’s pro baseball league opening game. (NBC LA)

🌊 Point Dume, one of Malibu’s most popular beaches, is closed indefinitely because of high tides and dangerous surf. (SFGATE)

🌮 Del Taco was rated the #1 fast food restaurant in the United States. (Sacramento Bee)

🚒 The Eaton fires in Altadena in January 2025 were caused by faulty Southern California Edison equipment, investigation finds. (LA Times)

🏠 Multi-Family Block Yard Sale (Van Nuys): Several homes selling clothes and accessories, shoes, costume jewelry, bicycles, house plants, home furnishings, tools, and art and craft items. Saturday and Sunday, August 8–9, starting at 7 AM along Haynes St. and Ventura Canyon Ave.

Hosting a sale? Add your garage, yard, or estate sale to the calendar →

❓️ Two Lockheed employees opened this Burbank restaurant at the end of WWII. It’s across from Warner Bros., it shows up in “La La Land,” and people drive across the county for one specific item on the menu. What’s the restaurant? What’s the food item?

Last week’s question: For about one year starting in 1912, Pacoima wasn’t called Pacoima. A developer renamed it after the most famous man in Los Angeles at the time, hoping to sell more land. Who?

Answer: William Mulholland. A developer briefly rebranded the town “Mulholland” to cash in on his fame, but it changed back to Pacoima about a year later.