Memorial Day weekend is our national day of remembrance.
It is also the weekend that the only-in-California yearly event known as Topanga Days is held.
For the uninitiated, Topanga Days is a 3-day semi-post-hippie country fair/music festival held every year in the chaparral-covered, coyote and rattlesnake-haunted hills of Topanga Canyon.
Among those playing are Ziggy Marley, Maria McKee, Canned Heat and Venice. But more than the music, it’s a one of a kind, wild and fabulous event.
I’ve written about it in the past here and here.
In any case, come’on down.
Monday is the Topanga Days Parade, a not to be missed event where anything can be a “float,” even one’s self. Here are two past rollerblading participants. (Years ago, when my kid was in elementary school, another mother and I used to rollerblade the parade in fairy wings and tiaras. When it no longer embarrassed our kids, we quit. Fortunately others—like the women pictured below—have taken up the rollerblading torch, so to speak.)
In reference to that picture, all I can say is I’m glad the guy who I normally see sitting on the corner of Pine and Sansome, holding a can and talking to an imaginary friend, made it down to Topanga and got a staff job for the festival.
Canned Heat? Thought they were dead. Oh that’s right, most of em are. But damn! Sunday at 5:30 Ziggy Marley. Need to drag out my dashiki, give the horse some extra grain, roll a huge ganja spliff and loft laguidly over the Rockies for THAT show.. Have fun..
I think you’re right about Canned Heat. I just randomly grabbed them because they were a familiar name.
Actually I go on Monday to dance to Venice, which is a great 60s/70s cover band.
Reg, just for you, I’ve now put up some more….um… felicitous Topanga Days photos.
The bearded guy was dancing near to me last year and I thought he was fairly amusing so I snapped photos of him. (Who could resist?) As for the “staff” issue, for better or for worse, there’re a lot more where he came from.
Hey, it’s Topanga.