Fire Defense Fair & Pali High Flea Market Features Dozens of Vendors, Informational Booths

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

The community had the opportunity to gather at Paul Revere Charter Middle School on the afternoon of Saturday, May 17, for a Fire Defense Fair & Pali High Flea Market.

The event, which took place in the PE grass field, was hosted by the Palisades High School Booster Club as an “expanded effort to raise vital funds for rebuilding and restoring our local community after the devastating fires.”

The spring market saw more than 60 vendors who were invited to raise funds for a “team, club or personal venture.” Vendors paid a fee to be present at the event, with funds from reservations going to support the Booster Club. Some vendors also donated a portion of sales to the club. In total, about $6,000 was raised.

Palisades High School Booster Club is a nonprofit organization with a mission to raise funds “to support and enhance the learning environment” for all students at Pali High through the support of academics, art, athletics, drama, music and technology.

Some of the vendors who were present included Sandy Days Kids Camp, Palisades Gift Shop, Malibu Road, Spark Robotics, Palisades Patrol, Coast & Canyon Shop, Clever Creations, and more.

Third-graders from Seven Arrows Elementary School were selling handmade bracelets and books to benefit rebuilding efforts at Palisades Branch Library.

The afternoon also featured an array of food vendors (including Sunset Smash, McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, Flour Pizzeria & Café, and Like a Boss), live music from Autoflow, a kid zone sponsored by Upper Mandeville Canyon Association with inflatables and more.\

“We’re recreating the energy and togetherness of our beloved Palisades Village—bringing back the sense of community we all cherish, one booth at a time,” the Booster Club said before the event.

There were also representatives from area officials, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Councilmember Traci Park’s office.

It marked the second fundraising Flea Market, with the first taking place in October 2024 on the Pali High campus, but the inaugural Fire Defense Fair, with 15 entities on hand with information to share.

Event Co-Chair Brian Gantwerker—a resident of Mandeville Canyon—described returning to his home after evacuation orders were lifted and seeing the fire burn scar from his backyard. He recalled seeing his home on TV while the Palisades fire was active near his property.

“We were just praying, feeling completely and totally helpless,” he said.

He explained that part of the reason the event included fire defense was to relay information about creating “more defensible” spaces while rebuilding and retrofitting still-standing homes to be more fire-resistant, including actions he can take at his own home.

Several of those who attended to relay information about fire defense and rebuilding efforts included Johnson Tree Company, Treepublic Solar, Brushfire Battle Systems, CMC Solutions, TreePeople and more. Gantwerker shared hopes of making the event a semi-annual occurrence.

“It’s an inaugural event, and we’re pleased with the outcome of it,” Gantwerker said of the fire defense fair. “It was a great event for information.”