BERRY MERRY: This weekend marks the 30th Anniversary of the Strawberry Festival in Oxnard. It's one of our favorite family-friendly events because it's such a sweet way to spend the day. Nosh on strawberry pizza with strawberry beer, sample fried strawberries or dig into strawberry nachos. Who knew there were so many ways to enjoy strawberries? 

Highlights this year include: 

• Pie eating contests and Tart Toss
• New Berry Zipline
• Build your own Shortcake
• Strawberryland for Kids
• Contests, cookoffs, vendors, live music and more.

MID-MAY: There are plenty of Things to Do between now and Memorial Weekend. Visit our May Calendar for more events.   

FUN(DRAISERS): Have FUN at Fundraisers. This weekend is all about paying it forward while enjoying live entertainment or having pancakes with firefighters. 

MAY-BE: On the fence? Here's what's heating up around town.

• Music & Concerts (high brow, low brow and hoedown)
• Film (eclectic, shorts and oldies but goodies)
• Comedy (sit down for stand up)
• Recreation (perfect weekend for hikes and nature walks)   

What's your pleasure? Whatever your mood, we've got it listed by day of the week or topic. Artsy activities are on our Arts & Culture page or find a broad range of alternative shows on our Entertainment page. We got the pulse on Theater (see below by all our Eyes Up recommended reviews). Short on cash? Find Free Events that will keep you green. 

TIP: you can find events and other things to do near you - you'll find neighborhood and regional calendar links at the bottom of all Eye Spy LA web pages.

Have a Berry Merry Weekend!

For more than 10 years now I've been photographing our city and writing about what's going on around town.  As you might imagine the Eye Spy photo file is quite large.

I thought it would be fun to share some of the old stuff from the past 10 years with you.  In fact this photo is particularly timely right now.

Do you know L.A. like Eye know L.A.?

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Do you know where you'll find this boney creature and where you might meet up? 

HAVE SOME FUN: Share this with your friends to see if they know. The answer will be in next week's newsletter.

Last week we asked Where, what and why was Eye Spy LA at this place? Do you know? Find the answer and all the details here.

The Kiss Method...Keep It Simple Smart in "Years to the Day" 

by M.R. Hunter

The world premiere of Allen Barton's two-hander play epitomizes the KISS Method (otherwise known as 'keep it simple stupid') but in this case it is actually quite smart. Smart enough not to need any window dressing in the sense of a set beyond a table and two chairs; smarter still, director Joel Polis wisely keeps both men's butts in seats almost throughout the 90 minutes. The script is also smart enough to hold the audiences' attention because the actors Jeff LeBeau and Michael Yavnieli dig into their characters with gusto and realism, sniping at each other while maintaining a precarious balance of friendly rapport given the simple but logical premise.

Two guys get together for a coffee four years to the day since last they've seen each other. Their relationship dates back to their college days. Jeff (LeBeau) meets and later marries his college sweetheart and life keeps on trucking with the two getting together less and less over the years. Their only bond is the history and connectedness they share to their former selves...

 READ THE FULL REVIEW

Penguins, Seahorses and Jellyfish, Oh My! Monterey Bay Aquarium 

by M.R. Hunter

An easy weekend getaway is heading up the 101 North and stopping along the way at beach towns like Pismo, wineries in Paso Robles, or John Steinbeck's stomping grounds in Salinas. Those who wish to push further but stay just shy of San Francisco won't be disappointed by visiting Monterey. This area is concentrated with sightseeing excursions from the comfort of your own vehicle like the 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, to winding around the quaint beachfront villas in Carmel and is half an hour away from Santa Cruz.

On the west end of Cannery Row is the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. With an emphasis on conservation this state of the art facility offers guests an opportunity to get up close and personal with sea life ranging from exotic seahorses, penguins and sea otters to sharks. The spacious exhibits accommodate large groups and tours with several aquariums for visitors to peer into within each room....

Happy birthday to these celebrity May Taurus: Tim McGraw (5/01), David Beckham (5/02), Eric Church (5/03), Lance Bass (5/04), Adele (5/05), George Clooney (5/06), Alexander Ludwig (5/07), Melissa Gilbert (5/08), Billy Joel (5/09), Bono (5/10), Cory Monteith (5/11), Tony Hawk (5/12), Steve Wonder (5/13), Miranda Cosgrove (5/14), Emmitt Lewis (5/15), Megan Fox (5/16), Nikki Reed (5/17), Tina Fey (5/18), Grace Jones (5/19), Cher (5/20), Mr. T (5/21)

GEMINI - Get in Touch
CANCER - Drop Down
LEO - Adoring Fans
VIRGO - Up and Down

LIBRA - Brainstorming

SCORPIO - Fight

SAGITTARIUS - Done to Perfection
CAPRICORN - Springing Up

AQUARIUS - Checklist

PISCES - Krazy Glue

ARIES - Off and Running  

This is a time for clarity and introspection. Most signs will be doing a lot of soul-searching now. Unresolved issues cannot continue to be avoided. Unpleasant tasks should be dealt with soon. Health and fitness will be at the forefront of those who'd like to shed those stubborn pounds. This is a good time to get in shape and add variety into workouts by being active outdoors too. There could be minor conflicts with how we perceive ourselves or the image we wish to portray and our internal motivations. We need to be mindful of how we come across. Be authentic!

Read your full EYESTROLOGICAL Forecast 

There's something for everyone playing live on stage this weekend. We've covered the best that is spooky, gritty, silly and downright magical. 

These shows are EyeSpyLA APPROVED & STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Urban Death at Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre in North Hollywood Saturdays 11pm - "Pregnant women and those suffering from heart conditions should probably pass on this immersive sensory experience as total darkness precedes each scene. For everyone else who enjoys things that go bump in the night, you won't be disappointed..." Read our REVIEW 

Trainspotting at the Elephant Theatre in Hollywood - "Aboot fuckin time n aws thit, likesay, director Roger Mathey remoots his belter 2002 production based oan the novel by Scottish punter, Irvine Welsh....you just need to get up off of your ass and see it because it is a night of total licentious enjoyment. Read our  REVIEW 

Smoke and Mirrors at the Road Theatre in North Hollywood -"The multi-dimensional show touches on a myriad of emotions without any guile and sleekness. It is at times, almost raw, spontaneous and chockfull of unexpected surprises." Read our REVIEW  

Eye Spy LA has been the online Local's Guide to L.A. since 2003. Content is written, edited and maintained by locals and focuses on local and nearby events and the local creative community.

Editorial policy: Eye Spy LA editorials are stories written about places, entertainment and events that we go to. The opinions are those of our editorial staff and the writer of the piece. Calendar listings are ads posted by the people producing events and activities in the local area. Each week we pick and recommend events and other things to do based on our experience or sometimes because they look particularly unusual, unique or in some other way interesting. We do not recommend them based on any fees they may or may not have paid us for advertising.

You'll always find the latest events & activities plus commentary about where we've been at eyespyLA.com - updated daily. 

Andrea Kirk, publisher (editor@eyespyLA.com)

 EYE SPY LA CONTRIBUTORS:

M.R. Hunter - editorial and reviews

Mark Share - reviews

Kelly Hargraves - dance and reviews

Abby Abanes - food adventures

Charles Phoenix - retro slide of the week