Published in Venice Living Magazine, June 2019
As Father’s Day rolls around, six Venice fathers share why they love the neighborhood and the special aspects of the community they want to pass on to their kids.
Shannon Joseph McLendon is the married father of a four-year-old daughter. He says, “I love that she’s growing up here and I love the Bohemian aspect of Venice….Meeting with family friends at Tower 26 north of the Venice Pier every weekend is the most fun I have ever had.” This Venice dad has lived in the area for 20 years. The family has two dogs, Stanley and Alice, poodle mixes.
Married father Evan White, a Venice local since 2011, has a three-year-old daughter. White says they love the California weather with “You Are My Sunshine” quickly becoming their favorite song. White says they enjoy about Venice’s bike culture. His wife had a multi-speed bike to take the baby on a seat, while he rode his electric bike in the neighborhood. Now that White’s daughter is three, she’s on a tricycle. They bike to all the different parks, from the heart of Venice to Burton W. Chace park in Marina del Rey, or to South Beach Playground in Santa Monica.
Dad Kevin Lennon is a second-generation Venice native whose relatives have lived in Venice for more than 100 years. Think of the famous Lennon sisters! Lennon’s house is two doors down from his childhood home. He says, “They could put a blindfold on me and I’d still know all the streets.” Married for 21 years and the father of five children, Lennon says what he loves most about Venice is the small radius of the area, the low-rise buildings, the coastal feeling with the palm trees and the beach. He says, “I think it’s a great place to grow up because it’s so weather-friendly, and it’s so close to amenities.”
Hugh Haskins and his wife moved to Venice 45 years ago in their mid-20s. They have one daughter who grew up in Venice and is now a ballet dancer. She has told her parents to never sell their house and they have all agreed. His daughter has also taken up surfing. Haskin says, “I love having the accessible wide beach close by.” Looking back, he remembers that the boardwalk used to be filled with seniors. Haskin says they never thought of their house as an investment, they saw it as a home.
Franz Steiner, is a married father of three girls, age one, five and six. Steiner says, “I moved to the beach to learn to surf.” He goes to the breakwater by the rocks in Venice. Since his daughters are still little they are focusing on their swimming skills but he hopes one day he can share with them his passion for surfing.
Glen Wilson, married father of two teenage boys, moved to Venice 20 years ago when his wife was newly pregnant. He chose the neighborhood and his block because of the diversity. Wilson's inspired by Venice being part of the social fabric of Los Angeles and he wanted his sons to grow up in that type of community.
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