With all the talk of roller skating lately, with planning the Moonlight Rollerway Jubilee and all, I can’t believe how many people tell me they can’t skate. Even I can skate. And you can’t possibly be more uncoordinated than I am. I can count on one hand the times I’ve been skating since I was in third grade and took skating lessons at the Holiday Roller Rink in Montclair. So, since its been a while, tonight I went to the rink to practice a bit before the big show this weekend. Before long I was gliding around the well-skated wood floor like I had wings on my heels. It was wonderful and I can’t recommend it enough!

This weekend I host the moonlight Rollerway in Glendale at Southern California’s most historic roller rink! Come experience a cast of more than 60 thrilling champion skaters in a spectacular variety of costumed musical acts, I’ll be doing a slide show story of roller skating and there will be an after show all skate party - All this to live Hammond organ music by the worlds greatest rink organist, Dominic! Free snack bar treats will be served!

SATURDAY NIGHT May 17 at 8pm - $20. STANDING ROOM TIX ONLY (Seating for this Saturdays performance is sold out!)

SUNDAY MATINEE, May 18 at 3pm - $35. FEW SEATS STILL AVAIABLE!
Don’t miss out! Tickets and Info!
Here’s to Asses that can skate and YOU!

Speaking of roller skating, I’m SO excited about the THE MOONLIGHT ROLLERAY JUBILEE show. Over 60 skaters, including the Moonlight Rollerway’s own long reigning Unites States champion synchronized skaters, Team In Sinc, and other skating stars and former world champions will perform in a variety of costumed musical acts. I’ve never seen a roller skating show. Have you?

Before the skating extravaganza I will present a retro slide show and tell about the history of roller skating. The evenings musical stylings will be provided by none other than the “Worlds Greatest Roller Rink Organist,” Dominic Cangalosi, live on the Hammond Organ. He is the only rink organist in the Roller Skating Hall of Fame.

Seating for skating show will be in a single row around inside edge of the rink floor. So everyone will have a great view! Free snack bar treats will be served at intermission and after the show the audience is invited to stay and play at the AFTER SHOW ALL-SKATE PARTY. Skate rental is free!

Don’t miss this very special event at Southern California’s most historic roller rink!
Saturday’s performance IS SOLD OUT!

Get your tix now for the Sunday matinee show, MAY 18 @ 3PM
Tickets and Info!
Here’s to THE MOONLIGHT ROLLERWAY JUBILEE and YOU!

A not-so-weeping weeping willow matches the leafy and shady green tones of the oh-so-proud poser’s short sleeved and straight skirted plaid dress. She beams with contentment and joy as she holds the door handle of her very photogenic posing partner, a sparkling brand new 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 four-door hardtop. Pillows cluttering the package tray and a sunshade in the side window suggest that the rear seat doubles as a bedroom.

The morning-sun-soaked lipstick red finish is spectacular. The Ford’s sleeker than sleek side spear and flat rear window are a stark contrast to wide spear and wraparound rear window of the already out-of-date 1958 Pontiac sitting beside it.

And why wouldn’t this woman be beaming from ear to ear? She’s got a ranch house breakfast-filled tummy and a racy red Ford to take her wherever she wants to go.

Here’s to the lady, her ‘62 Ford, Ranch House breakfast and YOU!

Mommy’s pearl button earrings match Missy’s pearly cat eyes glasses and front teeth. And in case you didn’t notice, the pearly white accordion too. How gorgeous is that! Together with mommy’s far more common black accordion, I’m sure they make beautiful music together. Close your eyes and just imagine. Do you hear musical magic? I do.

The first accordion was patented in Austria in 1829. Thank you Austria for that! The American Association of Accordionists was founded in 1938 in Danbury, Connecticut. The organization is also known as the AAA. They will tow your car too! This year they will celebrate their seventieth anniversary with a accordion concert Saturday afternoon June 21st at Westchester Community College, Valhalla, New York. Would I ever love to be there for that!

Here’s to Accordions, families that play them together and YOU!

According to the legend the builder of the Angeles Abbey Memorial Park sent two architects to India in 1922 for inspiration. Two years later this Byzantine-Moorish-Spanish hybrid style Castle-esque mausoleum, was standing in stark contrast in the middle of a patchwork quilt homes and of small farms in one of Los Angeles oldest suburban cities.

I discovered this amazing place quite by chance one day about a decade or so ago when I got a bee in my bonnet to go check out my mother’s childhood home in Compton. After driving back and forth a few times in front of the ‘ol house and being reminded of some of my earliest childhood memories I decided to drive around the neighborhood. Two short blocks later I found this. I was shocked! I drove around the tombstone decorated grounds a bit but was a too chicken to get out and go inside.

A couple of months later I couldn’t stand the suspense any longer so decided to go back and this time go in. Walking inside felt like walking into a European Cathedral. Spectacular old world style hand painted motifs repeating on walls, wood beams, and balconies were peeling form age. Stained glass windows colorized the late afternoon sunbeams that illuminated the one thousand crypts. In a dusty room upstairs urns filled floor to ceiling glass front cabinets. Another room housed babies and children.

And as if one castle in Compton isn’t enough there is another one behind it. The second little tower that you see sticking up on the right is actually on the slightly smaller sister mausoleum behind this one. It was built in the late ‘20s.

Discovering architectural treasures and oddities is always a joy to behold. But finding them in places where they are least expected is even better. Angeles Abbey is located at 1515 E. Compton Blvd. Compton, CA 90221-3499. Call first to make sure they are open 310-631-1141

Here’s to The Angeles Abbey, treasures in unexpected places, and YOU!

Their legs are crossed in opposite directions and they don’t seem terribly comfortable. Drinks have been served. He holds his in his lap while hers sits on a coaster protecting the maple finish on that classic early American coffee table decorated with an eye-catching bouquet of mass-produced plastic fantasy flowers and two milk glass dishes, one of which contains roasted peanuts for them to nibble on.

In case the not-so-cozy couple need to flick some ashes that is not a problem. On the matching end table are not one, but two ashtrays and an XL Hummel figurine of an old world country boy.

And in case you didn’t notice they are flanked by a pair of early American fantasy lamps. Why collectively as a society have we all turned our backs on ruffled lampshades?

Here’s the Early Americana, ruffled lampshades and YOU!

Several weeks ago I went to the Moonlight Rollerway to have a meeting with the rink organist and owner, Dominic Cangilosi. I walked in the door and my eyes almost bugged out of my head. About 16 skaters were practicing a synchronized skating routine. I was mesmerized. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Synchronized skating. But there they were skating in perfect harmony across the huge rink floor as one. They were amazing. And that is what inspired me to put together and present THE MOONLIGHT ROLLERWAY JUBILEE - A ROLLER SKATING SHOW SPECTACULAR more than 50 years in the making!

The show will also feature other skating stars and former world champions in a variety of costumed musical acts. I’ll do a short RETRO SLIDE SHOW CELEBRATING THE HISTORY OF ROLLER SKATING and pay tribuite to Dominic Cangilosi, “the world’s finest roller rink organist,” who will provide live musical stylings on the Hammond organ. After the show everyone is invited to the AFTER SHOW ALL-SKATE PARTY and FREE snack bar treats will be served!

Everyone will have a perfect view of the performance. Chairs will be set in a single row on the rink floor. There is certainly no better place to do a show like this than Southern California’s last classic roller rink. The Moonlight Rollerway opened in Glendale in 1955. They’ve never done anything like this there before!

Tickets and Info!

Here’s to everything having to do with Roller skating and YOU!

A 1955 Ford Pick-Up crosses the intersection in front of a colorful corner lot full of chromy, two-toned cars. The art deco style Valley National Bank in the background wears its sky-high sign like a cherry on top of an ice cream sundae. Bold car lot signage tells us the goods are “USED.” I can just hear those plastic pennants flapping in the breeze. And that land-of-the-giants scale FORD emblem is so effectively rendered it looks 3-D. It for sure would be the crowning touch to this intoxicating city scene but it’s a bit upstaged by a man about to jump out of a 1959 Ford Sunliner convertible on a pole.

At first I thought the man was real. But he can’t be unless he’s seven feet tall. ’59 Fords are quite large! But it also seems highly unlikely that one could buy a mannequin in this pose and bolt him to the car. Maybe he is real and he’s a professional publicity stunt pole sitter. What do you think???

Here’s to Ford’s on poles, pro pole sitters and YOU!

Several years ago after one of my slide shows a guy in the audience came up to me and said, “I want to give you my family slides.” I said “Are you sure?” He said, “Yes I’m sure.” So I said ok fine, thank you very much and took them. After I got home and went through them all and found this one. Since pink ducks don’t occur in nature I called the guy up and said, “What’s with the pink duck?” he said “Oh, that was our pet duck. Every year we dyed him pink for Easter. We used food coloring. It was a family tradition. We died him every year…until he died!”

Happy Easter Everybody!

Here’s to the Pink Duck, Easter and YOU!