As L.A. burned, some venues tried to provide laughter, drinks and normalcy
By 11:30 p.m. Saturday, the line to enter the Vermont Hollywood wrapped around the block. DJs blasted reggaeton music and nearly 700 people filled the dance floor. Others crowded the bars to order vodka and whiskey.
For a few hours, it almost felt like a normal Saturday night in Los Angeles. But nearby, fires were burning through tens of thousands of acres and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate.
The wildfires have forced the postponement of some famous entertainment events, including Oscars nominations, amid debate over whether Hollywood’s awards season should continue. Lower-profile businesses and events have faced similar questions - perhaps with higher stakes - and some have been called insensitive for their decisions to open. Many said they can’t afford to close their venues for long periods of time but still want to be empathetic toward fire victims.
One venue trying to find that balance is the Vermont Hollywood, which is about 10 miles east and southwest, respectively, of the Palisades and Eaton fires. The club is aiming to operate normally; Sandy Savis, the venue’s general manager, has been searching for last-minute replacements after performers and sponsors have canceled due to the fires. Savis said they’re allocating about 12 percent of Vermont Hollywood’s proceeds to supplies for fire victims.
“It is a horrible thing to party while, you know, the rest of the city is suffering,” Savis, 40, told The Washington Post. “And we do feel there is a sense of guilt about it. But at the same time, we understand we have employees. The show must go on, and people just need an escape, and we’re happy to provide that for them.”
Some businesses haven’t had the luxury of deciding whether to open because their buildings have been damaged, demolished or made inaccessible, leaving thousands of Angelenos without work.
So after the wildfires intensified Jan. 7, Jam in the Van, a venue on Motor Avenue in Los Angeles that hosts live music performances and comedy shows, stopped promoting its events on social media.
“All messaging kind of shifted to what can you do to help the fires,” said Jake Cotler, the venue’s co-founder. “And we didn’t feel it was right to message about, ‘Hey, buy tickets to this.’”
The fires haven’t affected the venue, which is about six miles southeast of the Palisades Fire.
This week, Cotler said he saw other venues promoting events on social media. So Jam in the Van began advertising again - starting with a comedy show Wednesday. While fewer people came to the show than usual, Cotler said, the smell of beer and the sound of laughter filled the room.
Next week, Jam in the Van is hosting another comedy show where about 20 percent of ticket sales will go to Pasadena Humane, a local shelter that has taken in hundreds of animals amid the fires, Cotler said.
“If the falloff [from the fires] is that nobody goes out and supports small businesses, restaurants, venues and stuff like that,” Cotler said, “then the suffering just keeps expanding.”
But that justification didn’t stop another comedy club from receiving backlash last week.
Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, California, organized a free show with comedian and TV host Jay Leno on Jan. 10 in hopes of giving people an outlet from the fires. But some people criticized the decision on social media, owner Barbara Holliday said. One joked that guests could use their alcohol to put out the fires, Holliday said, and another photoshopped the words “Flappers” over a burning house.
Holliday said she experienced a “weird sense of guilt,” but Flappers Comedy Club felt normal for a few hours that night as about 130 people visited.
“Laughter isn’t considered essential,” Holliday said. “But it is. This is when we need it more than ever.”
The club lost power Jan. 7 but kept a show going with battery-powered table lamps. It closed the next two days so employees and guests wouldn’t travel during the fires. The club is about 10 miles northeast and west, respectively, of the Palisades and Eaton fires.
While the sound of laughter and the smell of the club’s steak and wood-fried pizzas filled the room last Friday, there were some signs of the wildfires’ devastation. One visitor left in the middle of the show because he had received an evacuation order. And despite the fires being on everyone’s minds, comedians didn’t joke about them, Holliday said.
“It is too soon,” Holliday said.
Holliday asked the people who criticized the club on social media to remove their posts, she said, but the backlash has disrupted her business. The crowds have been small at her club this week. Still, they’ve been laughing louder than usual, Holliday said.
While Flappers Comedy Club is typically open nightly, some event organizers have made decisions this week knowing they only have a few chances each year to hold their events.
Jim Maley, the organizer of a semiannual toy show in Glendale, California, this weekend, said he expects the event to feel pretty normal - aside from the hazy atmosphere and National Guard troops possibly patrolling the area for looters. The show will take place at the Glendale Civic Auditorium, about five miles southwest of the Eaton Fire, and attracts toy collectors from across the world, Maley said.
A handful of the roughly 100 vendors dropped out of the show, Maley said, but he has replaced them quickly.
One vendor attending is Mary Senko, who’s based near Phoenix and organizes doll shows across the country.
When Senko was 6 years old, her family’s house in Lewiston, Idaho, burned down due to nearby coal combustion, she said. Now, she hopes her dolls - including Cabbage Patch Kids, Popeye and Olive Oyl and “The Flintstones” characters - can offer joy to children who have experienced similar devastation. She said she plans to donate a portion of her proceeds to organizations helping fire victims.
“I believe that I can make a small difference,” said Senko, 67.
Permanent Records Roadhouse, a live music venue and records store on Cypress Avenue in Los Angeles, closed for a few days after the fires started - despite being about eight miles southwest of the Eaton Fire. Owner Lance Barresi said he didn’t know when was appropriate to reopen.
But he went back to the store Saturday - inspired by hearing about recovering fire victims on the news. He said giving 25 percent of his proceeds to MusiCares, a nonprofit donating to fire victims, was the best way he could help.
“Even the people who have suffered the worst-case scenario are motivated,” said Barresi, 42. “And if they can be motivated, then we can, too.”
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