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By Jorge Casuso
June 27 -- Hundreds of kids Tuesday kicked off the
summer with a warm clear evening of free fun and games at
the 3rd annual PALpalooza sponsored by the Santa Monica Police
Activities League (PAL).
The youngsters took spins on the solar powered Ferris Wheel,
rode Inkie’s Scrambler and took the Pacific Plunge,
among other rides provided courtesy of Pacific Park, the amusement
zone on the Santa Monica Pier.
Unlike previous PALpalooza events, this year’s brought
Pal members from neighboring cities, including Hollywood and
Pasadena.
“It’s good for all these kids to get together,”
said Police Chief Tim Jackman. “PAL keeps kids busy
and less likely to get in trouble. It keeps them from doing
things that aren’t safe and aren’t fun.”
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| Dimitry Malkov and Police
Chief Tim Jackman (Photos by Jorge Casuso) |
For Dimitry Malkov, who joined Pal when he was 12, the league
helped put him on the path to fulfilling his lifelong dream
of becoming a police officer.
“My mom signed me up, and I got into the martial arts
program,” Malkov said. “Because of it, I joined
the Police Explorers and became a volunteer at the Red Cross.
Since I was four, I said I want to be a police officer.”
Five-year-old Noah Aubry enjoys visiting the local PAL center
for the fun of it.
“I like the computer room and games and Nickleodeon
and movies,” he said after stepping out from behind
the wheel of a vintage 1964 Plymouth Savoy squad car, exactly
like the one used by Santa Monica officers four decades ago.
PAL’s summer programs will draw between 200 and 225
youngsters to the organization’s main facility at Olympic
Boulevard and 14th Street and to its activities at Virginia
Avenue Park, said Karen Humphrey, PAL’s program supervisor.
“We’re doing educational enrichment, as well
as recreation,” she said.
The doors are open from noon to 10 p.m. and Pal provides
the kids with a free lunch. Activities include not only sports
and games, but science lessons for “PAL brainiacs,”
arts and crafts, Humphrey said.
Jeff Klocke, Pacific Park’s director of marketing and
sales, joined the PAL board three years ago after working
with police on the pier.
“We work really closely with the police,” Klocke
said. “The support we get from them keeps the park successful.”
It didn’t take long for Klocke to become a big PAL
booster.
“You see results,” he said. “Just go some
day at 4 o’clock.”
So was the 3rd Annual PALpalooza a success?
“It went really well,” said Patty Loggins-Tazi,
director of the Santa Monica PAL. “They’re all
walking around saying, ‘Look at all this stuff, look
at all this stuff.’”
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