Santa Monica Celebrates Opening of Civic Center Parks

The city of Santa Monica will celebrate the opening of its two Civic Center parks with music, performances and tours from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday.

Ken Genser Square, named after one of the city's former mayors, is a 1.2-acre site directly in front of Santa Monica City Hall on Main Street. Tongva Park is a 6.2-acre site across the street. Together, they occupy most of the block bounded by Main Street, the future Olympic Drive, Ocean Avenue and the I-10 Freeway.

Saturday's festivities will take place at Tongva Park, 1615 Ocean Ave. Chapman University Professor Paul Apodaca and KUSC Host Rich Caparella will be the masters of ceremonies.

A dedication ceremony for Ken Genser Square is scheduled for Nov. 17.

The city's budget for the design and construction of the two parks, including sidewalks and street and other public space improvements was $42.3 million.

Saturday's event is free and open to all. Free bike valet and parking will be available.

For more information about the park and community celebration, please visit www.smgov.net/tongvapark.

A complete lineup of Saturday's events follows.

11:15 – 11:30 a.m: Procession of Gabrieleno Tongva Dancers from City Hall to Gathering Hill
11:30 – 11:45 a.m.: Blessing by Andy Morales
11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: Park Welcome by Mayor Pam O’Connor and James Corner
12:15 – 12:30 p.m.: Performance by the Gabrieleno Tongva Dancers
1 – 1:30 p.m.: Flute Performance by Sarah Thomson and Gary Lemos
1:45 – 2 p.m.: Aztec Dance Performance by Cabeza de Vaca Cultura
2:15 – 2:30 p.m.: Kuruvungna Tongva Music by James Igo
3 – 3:30 p.m.: Chumash Storytelling with Ted and Dennis Garcia
3:45 – 4 p.m.: Closing performance by the Gabrieleno Tongva Dancers

Activities Throughout the Park

12:30 and 2:30 p.m.: String Theory, large-scale performance installation using invented instruments and sonic sculpture
All Day: Snap Yourself Photo Booth. Take home a souvenir of your Tongva Park visit.
All Day: food trucks, including King Kone, Mandoline Grill, Rounds Burger, Waffles de Liege and India Jones

Interactive Exhibits

Cultural Display
Angie Behrns, wearing traditional Tongva regalia, demonstrates how the Tongva made their clothing, what food they ate, the musical instruments they played and their basket weaving tradition.

Native Plants, Food and Tools
Craig Torres, a descendant from the indigenous communities of the Yaavetam and Komiikravetam discusses native plants. Robert Porter, educator, anthropologist and archaeologist, will be discussing native plants, food preparation and tools used by Native Americans.

Park Tours
12:30, 1 and 1:30 p.m.
Designing Tongva Park with Lead Designer and Project Manager Sarah Weidner-Astheimer, James Corner Field Operations and Art Consultant Merry Norris

12:15 and 12:45 p.m.
Designing Tongva Park Construction with Lead Project Manager for Construction Matt Grunbaum, James Corner Field Operations and Peter Cotugno, Construction Project Manager, W. E. O’Neil Construction Company12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.

The Ornamental Grasses of Tongva Park with Grass Ecology Expert John Greenlee, Greenlee and Associates

12:15, 1 and 2 p.m.
The Trees and Shrubs of Tongva Park with Landscape Architect and Horticulturalist Bob Perry

12:30 and 1:30 p.m.
The Public Art of Tongva Park with Artist Inigo Manglano-Ovalle and City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Supervisor for Public Art Malina Moore

12:15, 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
The Water Features of Tongva Park with Landscape Architect and Water Feature Designer Jim Garland and Landscape Architect and Designer Karen Adhikari, Fluidity Design Consultants Inc.

Parking: Free parking will be available from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Civic Center parking structure, located at 333 Civic Center Dr. (corner of Olympic Drive and 4th Street) and the Civic Center Parking Lot, located at 1821 Main St. (just north of Pico Blvd.). Free bike valet will be available on Main St. between Colorado Ave. and Olympic Dr. Visit www.bigbluebus.com for routes to Tongva Park.

The festival is presented by the City of Santa Monica Community and Cultural Services Department and is produced by Community Arts Resources (CARS).