Culver City Observer -

Warming up summer with birthday candles are Karen Fowler, Linda Thieben, Hayden O’Brien, William Sick, David Olson, Colin Tidwell, Doris MacGregor, Eleanor Brown, Elisa Adeff, Cynthia Leavitt, Joan Steever, Ana Maria Kowalski, Rosa Idalia Giron, Gary Bethel, Alfred Reyes, Lorette Herman, Shannon Gaulding, Joseph Beachy, Lindy Smith, Robert Chancellor, Tina Kaufman, Cherylann Grasso, Cottalango Leon, Kristin Giannantonio, Wrennie Laundau, Ruth McKnight, Stephanie Taylor, Jacqueline Aispiro, Norma Lazcano, Erik Matsubayashi, Jenny Garcia, Maria Rita Panceri, and Michelle Rahmani.

Count us in! The Culver-Palms Family YMCA will be offering a Free Chair Massage and Spinal Screening next Tuesday, July 13, from 4–6pm in the Front Lobby. 4500 So. Sepulveda Blvd. You’re invited to sign up for the free massage plus receive a reading on how your posture is affecting your nervous system. Takahashi Chiropractic, who maintains that posture is the window to the spine, will administer the massage and screening and will provide feedback on your posture. Sign up today at the YMCA’s Front Desk. For more information, contact Diane Etling at 310-390-3604.

What a treat – The 2010 Annual Culver City Historical Society Picnic and meeting on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 will be professionally cooked in the picnic area in Veterans Memorial Park by none other than Jim Rodriques of Santa Maria BBQ Restaurant, who will demonstrate the special techniques that have made his Downtown Culver City eatery so popular. Tri-tip beef roasts and chicken will go on the grill at 5 p.m., served with chili beans, potato salad, green salad, garlic bread, homemade cookies and soft drinks. The party starts at 5:30 p.m. with sodas and conversation, and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $25 per person, and reservations are required, but if paid for by July 16 the price is just $20.00 per person. All CCHS members, their families and friends, and the community are invited to attend.Music will be by Steven Fry’s Razzmatazz Dixieland Jazz Ensemble, and there will be free gifts and door prizes.Advance reservations (tickets can be picked up at the picnic) should be sent by July 16 with a $20 check or money order for each person to CCHS; P.O. Box 3428, Culver City CA, 90231-3428. For additional information, please call the CCHS at call (310) 253-6941.

What a deal – and for a good cause! Downtown Culver City’s Rush Street will be celebrating its second anniversary on this coming Tuesday, July 13 and is sharing its success with the Culver-Palms Family YMCA! From 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. they’ll be offering up two drinks (be they well drinks, beer, or wine) plus passing loads of sumptuous hot and cold hors d’oeuvres for $25.00 per person, with all the proceeds going to the Culver-Palms Family YMCA! In addition, there’ll be live music, a silent auction, and each attendee will receive a coupon worth $10.00 off their next visit to the popular eatery. Always wanted to try Rush Street? Here’s your opportunity to sample some of their tastiest offerings, and if you’ve already been there, you can enjoy lots of your favorites! Rush Street’s Ken Kaufman and Brian McKeany look forward to welcoming you to Rush’s party, 9546 Washington Blvd. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the YMCA (4500 So. Sepulveda Blvd.) or at Rush Street on Tuesday evening.

Seven years in development, Overtone Industries’, contemporary opera “Songs & Dances of Imaginary Lands” is being staged in a vacant 25,000 square foot performance space formerly occupied by Culver City Mazda, 8810 Washington Blvd.! The production, seven years in development, is described as a “…large-scale, genre-bending production integrating an astounding array of innovative art installation, dance, voice, live and recorded music, projected video, costuming, community participation, and theater.” Local Linda Shahinian, who attended a preview performance last week, described it as reminding her “…of the first show of Cirque de Soleil – dazzling both for its talent and its newness. The audience literally travels through time and space with the characters, going with them from scene to scene, either on a moving tram or walking, then sitting on provided chairs.” Intrigued? We are! The production runs July 8-18, with performances on Thursdays through Sundays 8:00 p.m. nightly with 2:00 p.m. matinees on Sundays. Ticket prices range from $15-$50 and can be purchased by visiting www.overtoneindustries.org/sdtickets.php.

Don’t forget: Culver City Middle and high school students from the 50’s and 60’s who were lucky enough to have had Nyda (Shank) Sharritt as a teacher (including this columnist) all remember her fondly – and will gather to celebrate her life on Sunday, July 18 at 2:00 p.m. at our home in Culver City. The NydaFest will begin at 2:00 p.m. and former students are invited to bring photos, memories to share, or just gather in tribute to this beloved teacher, who passed away last year. In addition to having her English and Drama curriculum down pat, she had style, flair, and a beautiful singing voice. Do you remember Nyda and want to join us? RSVP to Shirley (Klein) Wargon at sgwargon@aol.com, or to yours truly at jozelles@ca.rr.com.