Story provided by Eric Sekuler, Lincoln Heights NC

The Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council has joined other Northeast L.A. Neighborhood Councils in sponsoring the second annual Lummis Day: The Festival of Northeast Los Angeles, a free, public celebration of the history and multi-cultural heritage of the Northeast Los Angeles neighborhoods, on Sunday, June 3. It marks the first time since the formation of Los Angeles' neighborhood council system that a single non-municipal event has been jointly sponsored by six Neighborhood Councils.

Lummis Day: The Festival of Northeast L.A. will feature musicians, artists, dance groups, restaurants and poets representing an array of Northeast L.A.'s ethnic and cultural groups.

The Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council joins the Arroyo Seco, Eagle Rock, Historic Highland Park, Glassell Park and Greater Cypress Park Neighborhood Councils in sponsoring the event.

The Festival is presented by Occidental College with support from City Council Districts 1 and 14, public radio station KPFK, Time Warner Cable, the MTA, the Autry National Center and community groups. It will begin with an 11:00 am poetry reading at Lummis Home (200 E. Ave 43). Lummis Day activities will continue at 12:30 pm in nearby Sycamore Grove Park, where music, dance and puppet performances, food service, art exhibitions, and interactive art activities suitable for young children will continue through 7:00 pm.

Admission to all Lummis Day events--at Lummis Home and Sycamore Grove Park--is free. Visit www.lummisday.org for more information.

Last year’s inaugural Festival drew over 1500 people.  Over 25 community groups, a dozen galleries and half dozen restaurants participated.

Lummis Day takes its name from Charles Fletcher Lummis, who served as the L.A. Times’ first  city editor upon his arrival in L.A. in 1885. Lummis was also one of the city’s first librarians, founded the  Southwest Museum and helped introduce the concept of multi-culturalism to Southern California.

The Festival organizers hope the second annual event will again serve to strengthen linkages among cultural, commercial and community resources of the Northeast L.A. neighborhoods.