WeHo’s Russian Community to be Recognized in May

A week of activities celebrating West Hollywood’s Russian-speaking community will culminate in the 12^th Annual Russian Style Festival on Sunday, May 19.

The festival at Plummer Park will include: a basketball game between players at the Royal Basketball School, an LA camp led by a former NBA player Yaroslav Korolev, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; a fashion show put on by Balizza Fashion Boutique from 3 to 3:30 p.m.; a presentation of the famous Russian game of “What? Where? When?” by Club “Znatoi,” one of LA’s oldest operating Russian-speaking clubs, in Room 5 of Plummer Park’s Community Room; two performances of popular Russian fairy tales put on by the Puppet Theatre; a children’s art exhibit put on by Golden Key Art Studio, and a martial arts performance by the Aikido Academy of LA.

A week of events leads up to the festival. They are:

• West Hollywood’s Russian advisory board and the Russian-speaking veterans of WWII will hold a celebration of the 68th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day on Saturday, May 11, 2013 starting at 11 a.m. at Fiesta Hall in Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. in between Fuller and Vista.

  Victory in Europe Day marks the celebration of the Allies’ victory and the end of fighting in Europe during World War II.

  A ceremony will honor West Hollywood and Los Angeles area veterans of WWII. The ceremony will also pay tribute to individuals who lost their lives during the war. The event includes live entertainment, and is free and open to the public. For more information, call (323) 848-6826.

• The 8^th Annual Russian Community Awards presentation takes place May 15, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the West Hollywood Library Auto Court, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd. at Melrose. The ceremony includes a reception, Russian food and live entertainment. RSVP is required, call (323) 848-6501.

• The Unity in Diversity Arts Foundation will present an Evening of Choral Singing featuring the Russian Choir of West Hollywood, the Metropolitan Master Chorale and the Kol Sephardic Choir. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. on May 16 at Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. in between Vista and Fuller. Suggested donation is $5. For more information, call (323) 848-7988 or visit www.uidarts.org.

• The Unity in Diversity Arts Foundation will present a Concert with Guldana Zholymbetova and Chris Dunn featuring piano music from around the world in styles ranging from classical music to jazz. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. on May 17 at Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. in between Vista and Fuller. Suggested donation is $10. For more information, call (323) 509-7229 or visit www.uidarts.org.

• The Unity in Diversity Arts Foundation will present a Favorite Melodies Concert featuring popular melodies of the 20^th century and a silk painting exhibition by artist Lida Karapetyan on May 18 at 4 p.m. at Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. in between Vista and Fuller. The evening will be hosted by Nonna Ter Avanesova. Tickets are $15 at the door, $10 in advance. For more information, call (323) 509-7229 or visit www.uidarts.org

• An exhibition of wooden sculptures by Leonty Usov will be on display at the Great Hall in Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. in between Vista and Fuller on May 19 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free.

For more information, call (323) 848-6826.