Annual Summer Solstice Hike

Councilmember LaBonge at CD4's annual Summer Solstice Hike with a group of filmmakers from Tblisi, Georgia, who were part of the Sister Cities contingent at the event.

More than 150 people attended the annual CD4 Summer Solstice hike on June 18th.

This hike is traditionally our Sister Cities hike, and in keeping with tradition, members of our 24 Sister Cities organizations attended as did members of the Los Angeles Consular Corps. Special guests included a group of filmmakers from Tblisi, Georgia who were visiting Hollywood to learn about the American entertainment industry.

The hike proved fortuitous for the Georgians since the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) also attended the event in celebration of its 75th Anniversary. The guild has a special relationship with Griffith Park because it was established at a 1933 meeting in Los Feliz that coincided with the worst fire in the park’s history.

Actor Kent McCord, SAG's first national vice president and best known for his role on the 1970s police show "Adam-12," said Griffith Park is the perfect setting for the guild's celebration.

"The rugged terrain served King Vidor well for 'The Big Parade' and proved ideal for Robert Altman’s 'MAS*H,'" McCord said, naming two of the many famous films that were shot in Griffith Park.

Councilmember LaBonge added, at sunset at 1,625 feet above sea level, that the summer solstice hike is becoming a landmark event in and of itself.

“This event started in 1981 when I hiked up here with a friend and said, 'Why don't we turn this into a party?'" the Councilmember said from his perch on top of a picnic table. “Hiking to the top of Mount Hollywood with a group of friends is a great way to experience the City of Los Angeles and the great outdoors.”