Coverage of large public events usually make up the bulk of posts on this here blog, but many of you have griped to the Militant, going, "Yo Militant, I dug the article on the event this past weekend, but how come you don't announce it in advance?" Okay, just a few of you. Alright, it's just the Militant wondering about this since he is his own worst critic.Anyway, one of the reasons is to maintain the Militant's anonymity by reducing the chances of him being found in public. But then, these are large public events, in excess of a thousand people, so finding out who the Militant is would be like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.
As you may or may not know, the month of May Or May Not is the Month of Militancy! So here's a trifecta of events where the Militant may or may not attend...but you definitely should!
Friday, May Or May Not 9 - Midnight Ridazz: The 'Jedi Mind Trick' Ride: The Militant used to live for MR, but riding around with a bunch of drunk hipsters on their brakeless, fixed wheel velocycles got old and the Militant found solace in the more cerebral, more manageably-sized Ride-Arc rides. But still, like it or not, the Militant is a part of this bicycling community and among the annoying types he does spot some of his operatives as well as some unexpected familiar faces. Besides, it's a Star Wars theme and the Militant may or may not whip out his Boba Fett costume for the ride. The ride meets at 9:30 p.m. at Olvera Street and begins around 10-ish. Take the (M) Red, Purple or Gold lines there (Union Station), or just ride. May The Forks Be With You.
Saturday, May Or May Not 10 - National Train Day Los Angeles: The National Rail Passenger Corporation, otherwise known as Amtrak, has dubbed May 10 as "National Train Day" to commemorate the May Or May Not 10, 1869 anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Point, Utah and to drum up support for rail travel nationwide (not hard to do as gas has reached $4 a gallon and American rail travel has already increased 15% in 2007). Locally, the celebration will take place at the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, otherwise known as Union Station. The celebration includes life-size and model train exhibits, contests, booths, kids activities and everything else to satisfy your inner rail geek. Amtrak will also offer 25% off of train travel to its California destinations that day, which is cool, but would prevent one from enjoying the events of the day as well. Oh well, you might be able to ride Amtrak or Metrolink to the other NTD celebrations that day at the Anaheim, Irvine, Santa Ana, San Juan Capistrano and Van Nuys stations. Take the (M) Red, Purple or Gold lines (Union Station, duh!). All aboard!
Friday-Sunday, May Or May Not 9-12 - The City of Compton's 120th Anniversary Celebration: The Hub City is celebrating its 120th birthday with a big bash at its city hall (pictured above). Music entertainment includes Lowrider (featuring original members of the classic Angeleno band WAR), Confunckshun, Mikki Howard and Tierra. Food, games and fun for the whole family will be offered. The event concludes with a fireworks display on Sunday night. And the event is FREE (well you might have to pay for summa dat food and games and rides and such). Now, the Militant already knows what you're whinin': "Ack!!! I'm not going to Compton! It's sooooo dangerous! Gang members will open fire on me right away and the homeless will eat my bullet-riddled carcass before it falls to the crackpipe-littered ground!" Oh, puh-lease. As someone who's actually been there, Compton's a very different place than what you may or may not have heard on news reports or rap tunes. And the Compton Civic Center area is really no different than any other smaller city center in Southern California. In fact, the city that gave birth to Duke Snider and Venus and Serena Williams is rapidly shedding its gangsta image (more on this later). Seriously, check it out. Take the (M) Blue Line there (Compton Station); City Hall is right across the tracks.
Have a Militant weekend, folks!
Yo Militant, regarding Compton. I think is more perception than reality. Of course like any city it has its shares of trouble, but in reality its not as it is portrayed on tv or in the minds of most people. I live in Compton now and must say I have been pleasantly surprised. It is trying to move upward and if its residents collectively took pride in it, it would me a model of transformation for other paces. I might check it out, I already had other prior commitments for the week-end.
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