On October 6, residents gathered on the back patio at Forman’s Whiskey Tavern to enjoy an evening of riveting storytelling, delicious food and drink, and community camaraderie at the inaugural Toluca Lake Story Slam, hosted by the Toluca Lake Homeowners Association.
Greeting the enthusiastic audience, TLHOA vice president Leonard Garner explained that the goal of the event was to not only support the association and attract new members, but also find a fun and fresh way to bring neighbors closer. “One of the things that we’re really trying to do is to get people in the community to know each other more, and this came about as a way to get people together,” he said. “I’m really excited by how many people we have here this evening.”
Garner helped inspire the show and also served as one of the performers, bringing listeners to the edge of their seats with his suspenseful and emotional experience of escaping being held captive at gunpoint by spree killer Robert Garrow in the early 1970s. He was joined onstage by three other expert storytellers sharing tales of pivotal and transformative moments in their lives: Vicki Juditz detailed a bizarre adventure at a questionable museum while exploring her new home city of L.A., Suzanne Weerts described taking both a literal and figurative gamble on herself while launching her early career in sports promotion, and Kevin McGeehan related his hilarious and heartwarming encounter with idol Harrison Ford. Singer–songwriter Henry Fleishman, son of TLHOA board member Susan Fleishman, provided musical interludes to enhance the showcase of local talent.