The valley that I live in once
Was only farming furrows
Until the land was purchased
By a man named Edgar Burroughs
He saw the views were lovely
And the climate, fairly nice
Did I forget to mention
That his middle name was Rice
He bought the land with profits
From his movies and his novels
Then built a bunch of dwellings
(Some are mansions, some are hovels)
Tarzana was developed
And this, friends, is the fact
When the author made divisions
Of the last and final tract
They put a school for children
In the center of the town
And built a bridge to get there
That was called “The Charlie Brown”
Charles Schulz himself did murals
That adorned the little span
And the bridge became beloved
To the children of Tarzan
A year or two ago, alas
Some wicked opportunist
Graffitied on the drawings
Of America’s cartoonist
Now this being Los Angeles
An urban imbecility
To rectify the damage
No one took responsibility
Until a man named Donovan
Who hates graffitied walls
Swung in like a hero and
He started making calls
The citizens all rallied
And the council members too
To make a better place
That’s what communities should do
So when you drive up Wilbur Ave
Go slowly and start glancing
For Charlie’s playing football
And Snoopy’s up there dancing
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Kirk Donovan
Councilperson Bob Blumenfield
Jeanine Hattas (Hattas Studios) and her artists
&
The Charles Schulz Foundation