I Dream a Garden - Earth Day

Great Leap Events

Great Leap and Baldwin Hills State Park
present "I DREAM A GARDEN"
a community circle dance to bless and heal the land

Great Leap joins with the Baldwin Hills State Park and the Weeds to Wonder program in celebration of EARTH DAY. The event will include volunteer park clean-up, native plant work, community display booths, public speakers, and Great Leap’s “I DREAM A GARDEN” circle dance.

When: Saturday, April 12th, from 10 am to 2 pm
Where: Baldwin Hills State Park
Cost: Free

About the site: Baldwin Hills State Park is a 68-acre property that was recently acquired by the California State Parks Department. Located on the northeast corner of Baldwin Hills, rising from the heart of the Los Angeles Basin, the “Pacifica Vista” property provides sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, Hollywood Hills, San Bernardino mountains, and the Palos Verde Peninsula. It is the hope that this land will be restored and used as a new urban State Park that will provide more than 10 million residents of Los Angeles with a recreational and natural area. A special program called Weeds to Wonder is being established at the Park. The program will involve youth in a restoration project that is designed to bring back native plants and revitalize the land.

Why Great Leap is involved: The music and lyrics for “I DREAM A GARDEN” were first performed in Los Angeles by Nobuko Miyamoto, Nedra Wheeler and Danny Yamamoto at the Watts Labor Community Action Committee in June 2002 to celebrate the creation of a youth community garden project.

For the past several years, Great Leap has also been working in Detroit to create an arts project that supports the community’s urban gardening efforts to revitalize their de-industrialized city. During this time, Nobuko created a harvest circle dance to pay tribute to late master gardener Gerald Hairston, who planted more than 150 urban gardens throughout the city. In August 2002, community groups organized the first annual Harvest Celebration, dedicated to Hairston. “I DREAM A GARDEN” was sung by a gospel choir, while more than 200 people danced to bless the land at a new community garden site in southeastern Detroit.

Now Great Leap brings “I DREAM A GARDEN” back to Los Angeles, to engage community participants in a call for peace and a blessing of the land at the newly acquired Baldwin Hills State Park. Please join us in this free event to stop the violence against people and the land! Children, youth, adults and seniors are all welcome, and no previous dance experience is necessary!!

Directions: Heading south on La Cienega, make a right onto Jefferson. Follow Jefferson as it curves around past Rodeo. Stay on Jefferson until you see Star Eco Station, located at 10101 W. Jefferson Blvd, Culver City. Park in the rear of the building and take a free shuttle to the park site.

Shuttles will run beginning at 9 am and continuing through 3 pm. Please note that as this is a newly acquired property, there is no parking available on-site, therefore, you must take a shuttle to reach the Park.

Food/Drink: There will be light snacks available for sale at several of the booths, but please feel free to bring a picnic lunch if you’d like. No alcohol, please.

For more information about this event, please call (213) 250-8800.

Great Leap is funded in part by the California Arts Council and Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

Updated: 4/4/03

Great Leap, Inc. ~ 1145 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 100-D, Los Angeles CA 90017 ~ (213) 250-8800 ~ Fax (213) 250-8801