Stephen Colbert once quipped: “Halloween is right around the corner. You can tell because all the stores are decked out for Christmas.” He’s not wrong, but here at TNT we are savoring every minute of October. In this issue, we’re getting ready for Halloween with a look at this holiday’s constantly evolving history and traditions, and with the hope that Halloween 2025 is a safe and happy one for all of our readers! Cover design by Urs Baur
On October 18, millions of Americans will take part in the October “No Kings” protest, a nationwide peaceful protest that will take place in more than 2,000 cities, towns and communities. The big LA protest is scheduled for Downtown, but there are smaller and no less important protests planned for closer to home, including Topanga, Malibu, and Woodland Hills. The Topanga protest will take place right in the heart of this community, at the canyon Post Office on the corner of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Old Topanga, beginning at 1 p.m.
People are angry, upset, and fed-up, but the organizers of No Kings stress that this is a day of nonviolent action and civil disobedience with the emphasis on both definitions of the word civil.
All participants are being asked to avoid and help de-escalate any potential confrontations. Oregon protestors, living up to the “Keep Portland Weird” motto are showing the way. It’s challenging for even the most authoritarian government to make peaceful protestors attired in inflatable frog and unicorn costumes and nude bicycle brigades into violent anarchists. Instead of generating images of things on fire, these protestors are projecting a joyful vibe that is far more powerful.
The organizers of protests together with the ACLU have developed guidelines for participants that address First Amendment rights and what to do if a confrontation breaks out. We know many of our friends and neighbors are planning to participate in the protests on October 18. We encourage everyone to empower themselves by visiting nokings.org for a refresher course on safe and effective action. We’ve included some basic information on protesting rights, but we recommend that anyone planning to participate on October 18 also take a moment to visit www.nokings.org.
It is critically important that everyone participating works not only to stay safe but to ensure the safety of others. Carry signs, and flags, and banners, wear an inflatable dinosaur costume, a chicken suit, a rainbow ballgown, or just your heart on your sleeve, and make what the late Civil Rights champion John Lewis called “good trouble,” but know your rights and stay alert.
The Mountain Mermaid is turning one hundred this year. This historic building opened its doors in 1925 as the Sylvia Park Country Club and has witnessed a lot of history. The Mermaid’s owner and proprietor, Bill Buerge, will be presenting a talk on the Mermaid and its history on Wednesday, October 29. There will be a potluck supper at 7 p.m. and the presentation at 8 p.m. This event, sponsored by the Topanga Historical Society, takes place at the Mermaid, a building that has been a casino, a Jewish boys school, a gay bar, and a concert venue in its long and colorful history, and has survived to become a landmark and a local legend. Buerge describes his adventures restoring and running the Mermaid as “the ride of a lifetime.”
Rain was in the forecast as TNT went to press, enough rain to raise mudslide concerns in the canyon, enough rain to generate evacuation warnings for many within the footprint of the Palisades and Franklin fires. Everyone who depends on canyon roads and Pacific Coast Highway this winter needs to be prepared for weather related delays, detours, and potentially disasters. Hillsides denuded and destabilized by the fires remain a major hazard.
How much of a rainy season we will have this year remains to be seen. The long-predicted La Niña weather pattern arrived last week, but this potentially disruptive weather phenomenon is expected to be relatively weak. It would be nice if we could have a “normal” winter—the kind with enough rain to revive creeks and vegetation and reduce fire risk, but not so much that roads and houses are imperiled by seas of mud—there are no guarantees, but we can hope.
Now that summer is over, Caltrans is currently working to mitigate some of the damage caused by a landslide that happened in 2024. Expect one-way traffic on Topanga Canyon between Fernwood Pacific and Grand View drives, 9 am-5 pm weekdays for the rest of the month.
This project is in addition to the ongoing one-way traffic farther down the canyon. Southern California Edison also has one-way traffic control, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm daily, from the Topanga Library to Happy Trail. It’s a good idea to leave early and expect delays on the canyon and all too often in life these days.
Shorter days means more of us traveling after dark, and that increases the risk of encountering wildlife on the road. Slowing down and staying alert can save not only their lives but our own.
Stay safe, be well!
