A family fun event will take place on Sunday at Veterans Gardens at the Rec Center.
The Ronald Reagan American Legion Post 283 donated more than $400,000 towards improving the upper picnic area at the Palisades Recreation Center with landscaping, new tables and three bocce courts.
To celebrate this family-friendly space, named Veterans Gardens, a picnic will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 19. Legion Commander and resident Jim Cragg invites all residents to stop by and say “Hi.”
This is also a chance for the Palisades community to chat with vets and learn about their experiences. The picnic will include shade shelters where veterans can sit socially distanced and recount some of their histories with visitors.
Kids can enjoy a bounce house, and an In-N-Out Burger truck will be there, serving a free burger to the first 200 residents. The auxiliary is sponsoring a cart from Pacific Palisades The Yogurt Shoppe, and the first 200 can claim a free dessert.
Residents can try bocce ball—experts will be onsite to demonstrate. There will also be military vehicles (sans weapons) that families can explore.
“The founders of Pacific Palisades were also among the founders of the Legion in town,” Cragg said, noting that it was a Legion member (Telford Work) who started the first newspaper. Legion members also helped the town get a fire department and a post office, and later started the Fourth of July parade.
“As we go forward, we want to make sure that residents know that we are still very much a part of the community and its best interest is our best interest,” Cragg said.