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Jessica Sklar
Since my daughter was born, she's expressed a strong interest in being outdoors all the
time, and doesn'twant to be cooped up in the house! We discovered the Palisades
Village Green and go there on an almost daily basis to "play". Now almost 6 months
old one of her favorite things is to lay under the trees on a picnic blanket practicing
her rolling skills and to watch the people go by, the kids at the fountain, people
walking their dogs and generally being social with the neighbors. I am so thankful
for this area as it's one of my favorite parts of the day relaxing with her and observing the world around us through her eyes. September 6, 2011
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Ariana Kudlo
I've lived in the Palisades for my whole life. It's almost everyday that I get to admire the beautiful town and the peaceful Village Green in the center. A couple of months ago, as finals approached, my friend and I decided that we wanted to study in the sun and breathe in fresh grash and flowers. Because of the calmness that surrounded us, we stayed there for three hours! It was beautiful and we couldn't have asked for a better studying spot. January 20, 2011
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Aurelia Friedman, Palisades High School Volunteer
It was January of my 9th grade year. I was thinking about different community service opportunities that I would want to get involved in. My mom told me about the Village Green in the Palisades Post and how they were looking for high school volunteers. I must admit that at that time, I didn't know what to wear when it came to this kind of work. On that cold January morning, I showed up in knee-high shorts, a short-sleeve shirt, and green slippers (the ones you get for a dollar or so in New York with the flowers on them). February rolled around and I showed up again. I loved working with my community and I had a lot of fun beautifying a place in the village that I have always cherished. I find it cool when I drive or walk past this "heart of the community," I can think of all the amazing things I contributed to, like how I would say to my friends and family, "Hey, I helped paint that trash can with that flower design, removed graffiti here, or removed Cheetos from the fountain there!" I plan to spend more of my time each month to helping out at the Village Green. About a year or so later, Marge told me that when she saw me in those little green slippers, she thought that I would never come back! But I'm glad that I did!
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Fire Station 69 Firefighters & Smokey
All the firefighters of Fire Station 69 really enjoy putting up the Holiday lights on the Village Green tree. It always turns out to be a fun event and the kids really get a kick out of watching the firemen climbing up the ladder. ¶ We enjoy having lunch or a cup of coffee on the Village Green any day of the week all year long. It's a great place to sit, relax and have conversation. Smokey likes to roam around and smell all the wonderful flowers and maybe sneak a snack from one of the fellows eating their lunch.¶ We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the friends of the Village Green. Keep up the terrific work!!
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Mary Cole - Times Change
I have enjoyed sitting in the Village Green with my two grandsons, remembering the Village when I moved to the Pacific Palisades in 1966. I much prefer the "green" to the old gas station!! Times have changed—the traffic is worse, but to sit in the Green and know how lucky we are to live in the P. P. is a joy. I also enjoy the Art Shows in the Green and the music groups. ¶ My friends, Murray and Midge Goldberg, donated money for the fountain and were “special patrons”. The fountain was installed in 1990. The Green is a place for reflection and a rest from our busy lives. Thanks to all who preserve the Green.
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Regan Eastman - Xmas Card
When my parents moved to the Palisades I was 6 months old (1971). I am lucky enough to still live here, married now and raising my own family!! We took our 2009 Xmas card picture in the beautiful Village Green! Thanks for many great memories to come.
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Wally Miller - The Idea at the Beginning
The beginning of anything worth it’s salt, is always the Idea. In 1971/72 when Bob Abernethy was the Honorary Mayor of Pacific Palisades, he contacted a few of the more visible people from the business community, I being one of them. The two of us found ourselves over coffee at Art Pools Coffee Shop, located next to the Mobil station. The first question he had for me was, "what can we do to make Pacific Palisades a better community"? We were sitting looking out the window at the ugly gas station where now stands the Village Green. Out of that conversation is the result you see today. Bob Abernethy was one of those rare people who are completely unselfish in his works and deeds. Not only did he lead the charge to purchase the property, raise the money to do so and build the park, but had the wisdom to make it truly a community park. Long live the Village Green Committee.
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Sophie Aaron - A Perfect Place to Live
If I had to choose a place to live, I would choose the Palisades based on the picture on the bookmark of the Village Green. Sophie Aaron (and signed with a smiling sun)
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Sharon Weil Aaron - High School Gathering Place
Every afternoon the Village Green is crawling with high school kids. I avoid the Green at that time, but am grateful that our community provides a gathering place that is so full of life.
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Belle Perez - Sunday Mornings
Every Sunday morning after church our family picks up bagels and coffee and sits in the Village Green park. We love sitting on the benches and listening to the fountain. We meet new people and watch many dogs walk by. The Village Green is a wonderful spot that we look forward to each week.
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Carol Leacock - A Good Feeling
Many years ago when the Village Green was just being established, I came across a ten dollar bill and two singles while walking through the Village. I picked them up and thought, "OK, I’ll donate these to the Village Green!" I popped them in an envelope, mailed them off and still feel good about it.
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Kurt Toppel - Many Changes
I bought my first house near Bienveneda in 1958 and in 1972/1973 my current place. I was living in town watching how the Palisades underwent change: new homes, new businesses, the markets from Mayfair to Gelsons, from Hughes to Ralphs and I found it so interesting in the early 70's as the Village Green became a beautiful place to meet, how it was landscaped, became a park and the center of so many community activities from Santa to "green awareness". ¶ A little jewel of our community!!!
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Arnie Wishnick - The Man in the Suit
My first job in the Palisades was July, 1978. I managed Southern California Savings at Sunset and Swarthmore across from the Village Green. Every morning I would see from my office window a man always dressed very well, picking up trash on the Village Green. This was an early morning ritual for him. I finally had the opportunity to ask someone, "Who is that guy in such nice suits picking up trash at the park every morning?" ¶ "Why, that’s Wally Miller! He owns Denton Jewelers. He was on the committee that helped build the Green. He’s a community activist." I answered, "Well, I want to be like Mr. Miller." And, to this day I still admire not only his nice suits, but his devotion to the community and to the Village Green.
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Donna Enriquez - Sister's Tea Under the Trees
For the last 3 years, my sister and I have been visiting the Village Green although we don’t live in the area. We would get our tea from the Coffee Bean and sit on the benches under the beautiful trees and have our tea and talk for a bit before we would head down to the beach. Sometimes we would come up from the beach and have a cup of tea under the trees. We have very fond memories of doing this. We still do this presently. ¶ Thank you for keeping the place so beautiful so we can continue our tradition for years to come.
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Erin Mand - Pali and Cali
My husband and I and our two children moved to the Palisades in the summer of 2009. One of our favorite things to do quickly became walking to see the dolphins at the Village Green. We nicknamed them ‘Pali and Cali’. My daughter Maple (2.5) and son Oliver (1) yell ‘Hi Pali and Cali’ as we drive by every day. A weekly (and sometimes daily) visit in person is a must, as well. And, of course, anytime we see dolphins outside of the Palisades the kids call them Pali and Cali. ¶ Thank you to all the volunteers and community members who support financially the park. The Village Green is a little oasis in our city.
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Marge Gold - Student Volunteers!!
When I came on the the Village Green Committee in 2006, it didn’t take me long to see how heavily used our little park was by the youth in our community. You could ride by any afternoon after school during the week and the Village Green was a sea of kids. ¶ This got me to thinking about how we could give the kids more of a feeling of "ownership" of the space. I approached Gretchen Miller of Palisades High School and she agreed to include the Village Green as an approved community service option. With this in place, we announced it in the Palisadian Post and Gretchen pushed it at school and they came!!. The first time, 5 kids showed up and that was a "watch what you wish for" moment. I have to give a lot of credit to our adult volunteers who took the time to show the kids how to do things. Kids would come once and then come back the next month with a friend or two. They were all eager and willing to help in what ever way we wanted. It was nice to have all that young energy. We are now into our second year of having high school volunteers and I look forward to seeing who shows up each month. It has turned out to be a good thing for all of us. Everybody wins!
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Roberta Dundore, volunteer - On Going Green
Volunteering at the Village Green has been a great pleasure for me, on several levels:
1. It brings me out on a Saturday morn to enjoy exercise in the fresh air and sunshine, and to observe the activity of our vibrant little village.
2. It provides me the opportunity to meet many dedicated co-workers who are esteemed members of our community.
3. It allows me to feel a part of a lovely garden oasis which is the centerpiece of our unique village.
A young woman came by as we were working and thanked us. She said, "Whenever I drive by the Village Green, it makes me smile." And I say "thanks" as well. It makes me smile too.
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Sam and Justine - Justine's Fun in the Village Green
Every Sunday morning Justine, who will be 3 in March, and her dad go to the Farmers Market, then Noah's for bagels (preferably for double chocolate chip, chocolate dipped popper bagels), then to the Village Green to play, and then to the Coffee Bean to pick up Mom's Ice Blended, which Justine loves to dip her fingers into. Justine sees the most interesting things at the Village Green. She sees the high school band, learns to make bracelets from girl scouts, listens to the clarinet club, plays with lots of little kids in the morning and watches hundreds of big teenagers in the afternoon after school doing the craziest things. She has even seen Marge kick out some guy drinking beer. We love Marge, she keeps the Village Green safe, clean and fun. ¶ One morning after Noah's, Justine was doing her third lap around the Village Green when she picked up a large rose petal from the ground that had fallen off one of the beautiful roses in the Village Green gardens. She showed the rose petal to Bob (of the famous Bob and Susan clan), who is different then the other Bob (of the Bob and Marge clan). Bob took the rose petal, made a hole with his first finger and thumb, then smacked the rose petal making a large popping sound. This was very cool. Justine proceeded to strip one of the beautiful roses down so Bob could keep making the popping noise (sorry Marge). Justine loves seeing Bob every Sunday to see what is new. Just recently she got to kick him in the knee where he had his big bandage (sorry Bob). ¶ Justine and her Dad love going to the Village Green, and plan on hanging out there together until she goes to college at USC where her Dad works and can keep an eye on her. Wish Dad a little luck with that one.
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Marie Steckmest and Antonia Balfour, Palisades Cares - The First Blue Recycling Bin
When my partner, Toni Balfour, and I wanted a site for the first blue recycling bin in Pacific Palisades, there was no question of the location--the Village Green! We were thrilled when Roger said that we could place our first blue bin on the Green next to a trash bin. It's in the center of town, the key gathering place, and very visible. ¶ We kicked off recycling in the Palisades on Earth Day, 2008, with Councilmember Rosendahl, girl scouts, and other volunteers who helped us raise funds for the recycling bins and promote recycling. The girl scouts handed out recycling literature and reusable bags. Councilmember Rosendahl gave certificates to local school children who had completed environmental projects.A local Brownie troop performed a skit about saving animals. ¶ The day was climaxed by a photo session of the volunteers and the first recycling bin on the Westside of Los Angeles. ¶ We are so grateful to the Village Green Committee for their support of our project.
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Bobbie Farberow - Mort's "Village Green" Sandwich
My story goes back to around 1972, when Honorary Mayor Bob Abernethy formed the first Village Green Committee with Wally Miller and other prominent Palisadians. Our deli was right on Swarthmore, near the Village Green, so Mort and I looked forward to replacing the gas station with a beautiful garden setting. This was when, as a tribute to the community effort, Mort created the "Village Green" sandwich. A delightful combination of roast beef, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and cole slaw, this hearty sandwich became one of Mort's best sellers. In fact it became so popular, other restaurants put the famous "Village Green" sandwich on their menu!
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Sudhir Chaudhry, Robeks owner - The View Out My Front Window
Most people who live in apartments in major metropolitan cities, do not have a front yard. My wife and I are no different, however, we both grew up in houses with our own front yards where our families used to spend quality time, which is why we envy the pleasure of having our own front yard. I think that the Village Green in the Palisades fills that void in our life and in the lives of countless other people. A typical day in my front yard - Mornings are usually quiet. By Noon or Lunch time, several people take a break from their daily routine, bring their to-go lunch packs, sit back and relax, refresh and recharge themselves before they head back to their work. Afternoon is after-school when teenagers flock this famous rendezvous before getting picked up by their rides. It is a blessing for all of us without having to rake the leaves or clean up this spectacular Front Yard. I think we all are really blessed.
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Noah Martin, Palisades High School volunteer - Community Service
When I first went to the Village Green clean-up, I was not sure if I would enjoy it. I arrived at the Village Green an hour early. At nine o'clock I helped set up and then stayed for two hours cleaning and gardening. I met many people and other kids from Pali were there. I thought it was fun and a great way to help the community. Now I go every month.
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Chris van Scoyk - Friendship
For me, the Village Green has been about friendship. After moving back to the PalisadesI was looking for opportunities to volunteer. Marge Gold, who was a member of my tai chi class, suggested helping with the Village Green. Each month, a group gathers together to provide maintenance of this privately owned park right in the center of our community.I was happy to help. I like to garden so this was a perfect thing for me to do. Over time, the rather regular group have become friends. So, I associate with the Village Green, a nice group of people but also a place where many people gather for friendship. Certainly, high school students are here after school. In addition, people meet here during the week to have coffee and conversation. We are indeed fortunate to have such a place right in the center of our community.
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Bob Gold - Husband’s Privileges
When my wife Marge was getting involved with the Village Green as a volunteer on work party days, I told her that she would become the President sooner or later. She, of course, thought the idea was ridiculous and would never happen. A year later, when she became the Vice President of the Village Green Committee, I reminded her of my earlier prediction and she assured me that I was wrong. ¶ Now that she is the President of the Village Green Committee, I find that the husband of the President is granted certain privileges. Among these are picking up trash and emptying garbage cans, setting and resetting the various timers, telling strangers that smoking is not permitted on the Green, shuttling supplies to and from the Green on work party days and providing computer services as requested by the President. In addition, I am the
semi-official photographer, her companion to community events and unofficial advisor to the President on all matters, large and small. ¶ All of this is my way of supporting Marge in her involvement in the community and my contribution to our way of life here in the Palisades. A worth while effort.
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Joan Graves - The Sad Story of the Easter Bunny
It was Easter week and the Palisades Chamber of Commerce had placed a six or eight foot inflatable Easter bunny on the Village Green for all to enjoy. Mort Farberow, a dedicated chamber member and community supporter was especially pleased with that bunny. On Easter morning Peter and I were passing the Green when we spotted Mort looking dejectedly at the deflated, fallen bunny. Naturally we stopped to see what had happened. Mort said, "We love this place and try to do good things that the community will enjoy. And then THIS happens. Vandals have destroyed the Easter bunny!" With a tear in his eye he said, "I give up," and slowly walked away.
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Fred Zolan, Village Green web designer - Making the Efforts to Keep the "Green" in our Village Green
The Village Green has been a favorite place for me for two decades now. Watching the seasons change, the people change and life change. I have found this island in our mass city brings tranquility, joy and friends. My images that make up the core of this web site are my expression of how I see the "Green". Giving a little bit of help to this green place in our tiny town goes a long way with me. I hope everyone can enjoy this "heart of the community".
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