George Harrison Memorial Tree to Be Planted in Griffith Park

Exciting news for all Beatle fans in the area! A George Harrison memorial tree will be planted in Griffith Park this today (the 25th) to replace the one that, funny enough, succumbed to a beetle infestation (perhaps a bad case of Beatle fever?). The original tree was planted in 2004.

There will be a lovely ceremony, headed by Councilman Tom LaBonge. It will take place at the Charlie Turner Trailhead, right by Griffith Observatory, to honor the Beatle’s lead guitarist. The new tree will be a yew pine, replacing the original Canary Island pine tree. Chris Carter, a local DJ with KLSX, will be emcee the entire ceremony. Chris Carter is a particularly perfect choice, as he deejays KLSX’S “Breakfast with the Beatles” morning show. It is the hope that this tree will survive for many more decades, unlike the one it is replacing.

The ceremony will take place on what would have been George Harrison’s birthday, he would have been seventy-two this year. A plaque near the tree reads, “In memory of a great humanitarian who touched the world as an artist, a musician, and gardener”. It also includes one of Harrison’s famous quotes, “For the forests to be green, each tree must be green”.

As Harrison said, “With our love, we could save the world”. It is clear that even though it is simply one tree, Beatle’s fans will not let it succumb. Instead of leaving an empty space and one less tree in the park, it will be replaced by a sturdier tree and hopefully an emphasis on beetle prevention. Though Harrison passed away in 2001, it is clear his message and impact is still felt in today’s world. Harrison, and the love he has taught, and continues to teach, all his fans will live on with his memory, and the tree in Griffith Park. Though it may seem arbitrary, this tree is truly a monument of love, nature, and community.

The George Harrison Memorial Tree acts as a symbol of peace, tranquility, and, most importantly, Harrison’s creative spirit. Like Harrison’s ever-relevant chords, it seems his tree memorial in Griffith Park will continue to keep inspiring Beatle’s fans for generations to come.

Los Feliz is the place for the first West Coast Jeni's!

The company plans to unveil its first California-based store in March. However, in preparation for the opening, the team has embarked upon a tour-de-force ice cream trunk journey around Los Angeles. Jeni’s is an Ohio-based dessert company renowned for its creative and consistently fresh and delectable desserts. Their website touts, “We Make Better Ice Creams” and though that may seem like a lofty claim, Jeni’s has the track record to prove it.

Their ice creams are literally built from the ground up, or should we say the cow up. The milk comes from grass-grazed cows and ingredients that they blend, bake, peek, chop, skin, pulverize and even blowtorch themselves. You won’t find any chemical dyes or artificial flavoring in Jeni’s ice creams. It is clear that this is a premiere company that doesn’t cut corners when it comes to serving their customers.

Jeni's debuted in the area with their food truck

Jeni's debuted in the area with their food truck

Flavors like Brambleberry Crisp, Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet, and Yazoo Sue with Rosemary Bar are some of the eclectic, fresh, delicious flavors you can expect from Jeni’s. Like the flavors Jeni’s creates, the founder and owner, Jeni Britton, is anything and everything but boring. The company claims they are “Ice Cream Explorers” a title evidenced by their wide variety of flavors. You won’t find any boring vanilla here; instead, Jeni’s revamps the classic flavor by introducing Orchid Vanilla ice cream and ice cream sandwiches.

Jeni’s is also a certified B Corporation, endorsed by the international nonprofit B lab as a company that meets rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and most importantly, transparency. This is a company that only purchases fair-trade certified ingredients, like fair-trade-certified vanilla and work with people they, and you, can trust.

But who is Jeni? She studied art at The Ohio State University, worked in a bakery, and has a lot of interesting hobbies. She left college to do her own thing in 1996 and opened up her first ice cream shop. Jeni is ever-developing new flavors, working on a book (of which she already has two), directing art campaigns, dedicating her time to Local Matters, a Columbus-based non-profit she co-founded, and spending time with her husband and two children.

The new, interesting, heart-and-soul driven ice cream shop will fill a substantial gap in the dessert market in Los Feliz. Though Los Feliz is home to frozen dessert spots like Pazzo Gelato, Froyo Life, and the chain Scoop, none of these stores pushes the envelope the way Jeni’s does. Judging by how popular the Jeni’s pastel-hued Ice Cream trunk is, it is clear that Jeni’s will curate a unique audience, tired of the banal, without too much competition.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream has a simple objective: to create high quality foods that support local business. Jeni’s takes helping out the local community seriously; in 2014 alone the company purchased 800,000 pounds of goods from local businesses! Each dollar spent here aids the community and supports the local food movement. The mission of Jeni’s is not only commendable, but also refreshing, and Los Feliz is ready to welcome Jeni’s with open arms!