On Sunday, May 31, the Altadena community will gather at Altadena Triangle Park for a morning of civic joy, public engagement, and a community-driven vision for active transportation.
The Activate Altadena: Golden Poppy Celebration is both a celebration of Altadena’s resilience and a milestone in its recovery from the devastating Eaton Fire in January 2025. At the heart of the event is the inaugural Golden Poppy Bike Ride, which will take riders on a guided tour of the resilient Altadena landscapes and human hands that have tended to the community through both loss and recovery.
“This ride is about so much more than cycling,” said Jacqui Medina, founder and executive director of local disaster recovery nonprofit Lotus Rising LA. “It’s about bearing witness to the gardens that survived, the streets that changed, and the neighbors who stayed. Every mile is a question: What does Altadena want to become?”
Along with providing an opportunity to celebrate Altadena and its communities, the Golden Poppy Bike Ride will also serve double duty as a live street audit of Altadena’s active transportation corridors. Riders are invited to observe and document conditions on the route, including everything from infrastructure gaps to tree coverage. Observations will directly bolster the Altadena Town Trail & Greenway Initiative, which connects multi-use pathways, wildfire recovery, and community healing in areas affected by the Eaton Fire.
“The 2026 Golden Poppy Ride and Garden Tour is a beautiful milestone that fosters deep community connection and healing through people-powered movement,” said Altadena Town Council Member Dorothy Wong. “When we walk and roll together, we strengthen our bonds, celebrate local beauty, and truly visualize our future together.”
In addition to the bike ride, the day of celebration will also include a guided walk, a community lunch and picnic, and tours of the Triangle Park gardens. At 4 p.m., the day will culminate with the public unveiling and dedication of Rails to Trails: Echo Mountain – the largest mural in Altadena. Created by local artist Austin Scott and more than 80 community volunteers, the mural is a visual history of Altadena’s relationship with both mobility and the land.
“The mural tells Altadena’s story of movement — how we’ve always found ways to connect, from the red car to the mountain trails,” said artist Austin Scott. “It felt right to paint it at the very gateway to those mountains, at this moment of rebuilding.”
The grassroots effort is a collaboration between disaster recovery nonprofit Lotus Rising LA, the Altadena Bicycle Club, Altadena Heritage, and Altadena CoLab. The Rails to Trails: Echo Mountain mural is presented by 24LA and supported by organizations like Altadena Rotary, Altadena WILD, Altadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association, Altadena Town Council, Friends of Eaton Canyon, LA Rises, Altadena Rising, ALTA Arts Collective, and Altadena CoLab.
For more information or to register for the event ahead of time, visit Lotus Rising LA’s website.
Event Details:
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Organization: Lotus Rising LA
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Time & Date: 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 31.
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The Golden Poppy Bike Ride is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
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The Rails to Trails mural unveiling is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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Location: Altadena Triangle Park, 800 E Altadena Dr, Altadena, CA 91001
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For interviews, contact Mike Peterson, [email protected], (619) 736-0890,
