We have a new neighbor in the Santa Monica Mountains. On April 23, National Park Service biologists captured and radio-collared a 210-pound black bear in…
Liz Shepherd, David Totheroh,and Kedric Wolfe painted “Buddha on the
Wall” on Labor Day 1982. This photo shows Liz, who designed the mural,
posing in front of the incomplete work. The mural can still be seen on the
retaining wall along Topanga Canyon Blvd., near Highvale Trail.
When Topanga’s longest-running newspaper, the Messenger, closed in 2016, publisher Mary Colvig donated its 40 years of accumulated photos to the Topanga Historical Society.
In 2020, a team of volunteers dedicated themselves to organizing this vast collection, revealing its treasures. Ami Kirby, Karen Moran, Gail McDonald-Tune, and Colvig herself were the dream team. With their combined knowledge (Moran was born here in the 1940s, and the others arrived in the 1960s-70s) they were able to recognize more people and places in the photos than probably anybody.
On June 13, Kirby will present (via Zoom) her favorite photos from the collection. The event was postponed from May due to the Palisades Fire.
The selection features artists like Kedric Wolfe, Jack Rice, and Rabyn Blake; musicians like Spanky McFarlane, Fred Tackett, and Wally High; restaurants like Pat’s Topanga Grill, the Topanga Fish Market, and the Three Dolphins Inn; and businesses like Elysium Fields nudist camp, Bridge Building Books, and the Topanga Threads clothing store.
Everyone is invited to attend Ami Kirby’s “Messenger Photos” presentation at 3 p.m. on June 13. Visit www.topangahistoricalsociety.org for details.
