Los Angeles Celebrations

A New Year's Eve spectacular of lights, pyrotechnics and special effects; major commissions for 12 works by Los Angeles artists; and a visit from the Dalai Lama to kick off the North American segment of the World Festival of Sacred Music are all part of the plan for "Celebrate L.A.: What's New and What's Next," a two-year millennium celebration of the arts planned by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. At the request of Mayor Richard Riordan, Adolfo V.

Although Stephen and Mika Williamson learned about Juneteenth only recently, the Agoura couple attended Saturday's celebration at Hansen Dam Park for the first time to begin the cultural education of their two young children. "I want to try to teach my kids more African American history than my parents did to me," said Stephen Williamson, holding 18-month-old daughter Stephanie in his arms. His 2-year-old son, Tyler, giggled and tumbled between his mother's legs.

Island breezes and ukulele tunes will waft across Northridge Park today in a spring festival that celebrates Hawaiian culture and raises money for youth scholarships. Now in its 27th year, the Northridge Ho'olaule'a, sponsored by the San Fernando Valley Ohana Kakou, features performances by a Samoan drum corps, hula dancers and ukulele groups from Ventura, San Fernando and Newport Beach.

Though he'd been acclaimed across Europe, he was treated in Hollywood as just another hack writer--and he often found himself at odds with the studio mind-set. His screenplay "Boy Meets Girl, So What?" got nowhere. He called this "the city of merchandisable dreams," and he left muttering about what a sewer it was. Fifty years later, however, the city that spurned Bertolt Brecht is rallying to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth.

The Beyond the Pink Performance Festival, a celebration of events and artists that in recent decades have challenged traditional notions of music, visual art and performance, owes a few things to pure chance. For example, the festival--which begins Monday and continues through Feb. 21 at various Los Angeles locations (including Barnsdall Art Park, Bergamot Center and Art Center College of Design)--got its name because of an errant fax machine. "I was faxing the program to someone . . .

Though he'd been acclaimed across Europe, he was treated in Hollywood as just another hack writer--and he often found himself at odds with the studio mind-set. His screenplay "Boy Meets Girl, So What?" got nowhere. He called this "the city of merchandisable dreams," and he left muttering about what a sewer it was. Fifty years later, however, the city that spurned Bertolt Brecht is rallying to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Fifty-one volunteers will be honored today at an Earth Day ceremony by the Los Angeles Environmental Affairs Department for their commitment to beautifying Los Angeles. City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter will present each recipient with the city's first 1998 Unsung Environmental Hero Award in the City Council chambers.

Thousands of children are expected to converge on Griffith Park today and Sunday for the 10th annual Big Bunny Spring Fling at the Los Angeles Zoo, where they will get to pet rabbits, make bunny ears and go on a scavenger hunt. In addition to the special Easter-related activities, the children will be able to visit the zoo's 1,200 animals, including baby black bears, baby giraffes, a baby Gelada baboon and a baby spider monkey.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Hollywood Bowl Easter sunrise service--a celebrated annual event since 1921--has been shut out of the Bowl by construction projects. Early this year, heavy rains dashed any hopes to ready the outdoor theater for the return of the service known for celebrity narrators, soloists and big-name clergy.