☀️ Kickball, Donuts, and Sunshine

Welcome to your weekly San Fernando Valley update: January 8–14, 2026.

In this week’s NoHo Nick:

• ⚽️ Kickball

• ☀️ Sunshine

• 🌱 Vegan Buffet

• 🍩 Donuts

I love how green and vibrant everything looks after a heavy rain in LA.

The flowers practically pop out of the bushes.

And my dog can finally go to the P-A-R-K again.

(I can’t say the word out loud. She’s right next to me.)

📆 New: I revamped the San Fernando Valley event calendar.

Now, it’s easier to submit and discover local events (some that aren’t featured in the newsletter). Check it out.

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Here’s what’s happening:

🗳️ Spencer Pratt announces run for LA Mayor. The former "The Hills" reality TV star announced his campaign on the one-year anniversary of the fire that destroyed his home. Pratt joins former LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner in challenging Mayor Karen Bass, who launched her re-election campaign. (KTLA)

🥕 New Gelson's grocery store opening soon. A new small-format store will open in Toluca Lake on January 28. Wine cellar, hot food bar, a pizza kitchen, and more. (Gelson’s)

These are my favorite upcoming events:

Ongoing

⚾ 2026 Spring Kickball League (Burbank): The Next Fun Thing hosts an 8-week kickball league. Sign up solo, with friends, or bring a full team of 12. $90/player. Wednesdays. February 18 through April 15.

⚔️ Burbank Light Saber Practice (Burbank): The Saber Legion Los Angeles hosts weekly open sparring sessions for beginners and experienced practitioners. Free. Thursdays, 8 to 10:30 PM, at McCambridge Park.

🧘 Tai Chi in the Park (Woodland Hills): Beginner's Tai Chi Meetup. All ages, skill levels, and physical abilities welcome. Meet near Topanga Ave and Marylee Street. Donation-based. Mondays, 10 to 11 AM at Warner Center Park.

🎶 SFV Youth Chorus (West Hills): The award-winning youth chorus is open to new singers ages 2 to 18 at all skill levels. Financial assistance available. $50 to $60/month. Saturdays.

Friday, January 9

🍺 Drinking “Skeptically” (Burbank): L.A. Skeptics Meetup for people looking to have sane and rational conversations. Conversation and craft beer. Meet fellow skeptics. Free. Friday, January 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at Brews Brothers (3000 W Olive Ave, Burbank, CA).

Saturday, January 10

📚 Friends of the Library Book Sale (Sherman Oaks): Books at bargain prices at this library book sale benefiting the Sherman Oaks Branch. Free. Saturday, January 10, 2026, from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM at Sherman Oaks Branch Library.

🧹 North Hollywood Neighborhood Clean Up (North Hollywood): Join volunteers to beautify the community. All tools and refreshments provided, plus volunteer hours verified for students. Free. Saturday, January 10, from 8 to 10 AM at 10900 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601.

🌳 Fruit Pruning Workshop (Panorama City): Hands-on fruit tree pruning workshop. Learn how to prune the native fruit trees in your garden. No experience required. Tools provided. $10 suggested donation. Saturday, January 10, from 10 AM to 12 PM at Cottonwood Urban Farm.

🧚 Fairy Kids “Magical Adventure” (West Hills): An interactive, immersive children's theater experience through the park. Kids meet faeries on a gentle musical quest celebrating nature. Costumes encouraged. Ages 2-10. $20. Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 10:30 AM at Orcutt Ranch.

🎸 Music Teacher Rock Band. (Van Nuys): Three bands of music teachers play songs at the brewery. $10. Saturday, January 10, from 7 to 10 PM at The Garage Music Factory at MacLeod's Ale.

🍷 Coffee & Wine Trivia Night (San Fernando): Friendly trivia competition over wine and coffee. Free. Saturday, January 10, at 5:30 PM at Bodevi Wine and Espresso Bar.

✂️ Vision Board Workshop (Lake View Terrace): Reflection and intention-setting for 2026. Magazines, paper, glue, and boards provided. Coffee and light snacks while you create. For teens and adults. Free. Saturday, January 10, from 2 to 3:30 PM at Lake View Terrace Branch Library.

Sunday, January 11

🎭 Puppets, Donuts, & Coffee (Glendale): Puppeteers, builders, and tinkerers gather for a relaxed morning hangout. Bring a puppet, a half-finished contraption, something you're puzzling over, or just yourself. Donuts and coffee provided. Free. Sunday, January 11, from 10 AM to 12 PM at Brand Park.

🥌 Curling Workshop (Panorama City): Classes for beginners to pros. Dress warm and wear sneakers or curling shoes. From $18-55.. Sunday, January 11, from 6:30 to 8 PM at LA Kings Valley Ice Center.

Happening Soon

🕹️ Dance Dance Revolution Meetup (Burbank): Burbank DDR+ hosts a weekly Dance Dance Revolution workout party. Challenge friends to dance battles on DDR, Pump It Up, and StepManiaX machines. All skill levels welcome. Free. (games require arcade credits). Mondays, 9 PM to 12 AM at Round1.

🌿 Community Market & Clothing Swap (Panorama City): Wellness products, natural skincare, eco-friendly goods, a children's art corner, and a free clothing swap. Free. Saturday, January 17, from 10 AM to 1 PM at Cottonwood Urban Farm.

🚶 Wednesday Social Walk Around Downtown Burbank (Burbank): Evening social walk. Approximately 4–5 miles round trip with a mix of flat and incline. Bring a flashlight, water, and comfortable shoes. Free. Wednesday, January 14, from 7 to 9 PM at 200 East Cypress Ave, Burbank, CA.

🎮 Animal Crossing Drinks (Burbank): Animal Crossing inspired cocktails at Guildhall. Sip on the Celeste-ial Star Fragment, Funfetti Rosetti birthday cake milk punch, or Brewster's Spiced Roost coffee whiskey. Through January at GuildHall.

🌱 Vegan Buffet Fundraiser (Sun Valley): Love Always Sanctuary hosts an all-you-can-eat plant-based feast. Chili beans, BBQ smoked steak, Greek lemon chick'n, mac n cheese, and more. Comedy show and animal sanctuary tour. Gluten-free options. $25 adults, $15 kids. Saturday, January 10, from 1 to 5 PM at Love Always Sanctuary.

🥨 Fresh Pretzels Pop-up (North Hollywood): Hand-rolled, fresh-baked soft pretzels available for pickup at their bimonthly NoHo drop. Pre-order by Friday, January 9. Saturday, January 10, pickup at 12 PM in North Hollywood. 

🍺 Guide: Breweries & Craft Beer in SFV—Dog-friendly, TVs, board games, and more.

🎨 Sketch Your 2026 Manifestations (Echo Park): Outdoor meetup to draw and visualize your intentions for the new year. Bring your own sketchbook and supplies or use materials provided. Free. Sunday, January 11, at 11:30 AM at Elysian Park.

🐦 LA River Bird Walk (Frogtown): Chill morning walk along the LA River to ID and spot wintering birds. Binoculars provided, plus a raffle for swag and stickers. Free. Sunday, January 11, from 9 to 11 AM at Lewis MacAdams Park.

📚️ LA Central Library is celebrating 100 years in operation. They’ll be issuing special edition library cards later in January.

🎥 The AMC “Burbank 30” (AMC 6, 8, and 16) are the highest grossing movie theaters in the United States.

🏡 The median house price in Studio City is over $2M.

🥪 McDonald’s is being sued because the McRib doesn’t contain any rib meat.

❓️ Bob Dylan once painted a local SFV donut shop. Which one?

Hint: It's the first photo in this week's newsletter. Shoutout to @ashleyinburbank for this cool factoid.

Last week’s question: The Burbank Empire Center, a large outdoor shopping center, has an “aviation” theme. Why?

Answer: It's the former Lockheed aircraft plant. The model planes on the parking lot signs are replicas of aircraft built here, including Amelia Earhart's globe-circling plane. During WW2, movie studios helped to disguise the plant to hide it from enemy view.

Thank you for reading. See you next week!

PS Over 4,000 people are now reading NoHo Nick every week! 😯 That’s crazy. Thank you for the continued support.

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