Community News

2ND & PCH

Spend Mother’s Day on May 9 shopping and dining in addition to enjoying a live performance by local singer-songwriter, Lisa Ritchie from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the grand staircase. Follow 2ND & PCH on Instagram and Facebook to participate in a special Mother’s Day social media giveaway for the opportunity to win a gift card for LATHER or Gorjana.

Movies & Moonlight returns on Thursday, May 20 at sunset with a special feature of “The Secret Life of Pets” in partnership with bark! bark!, a pet daycare. Movies are complimentary to the community; self-seating will be available on a first come first serve basis. Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets.

Long Beach Opera presents Philip Glass’s Les Enfants Terribles Friday, May 21 through Sunday, May 23 at 8 p.m. Spectators will enjoy a private drive-in opera experience located on the top floor of the southern parking structure. This is a private event, tickets are available with a season subscription to the Long Beach Opera, on sale now at www.longbeachopera.org.

Creative Communal Makers Market returns on Sunday, May 23, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. along Seaport Way. This uniquely curated open-air market features handcrafted treasures with over twenty local makers, kids activities, a creative photo op and live music.

Get Up and Dance

Musical Theatre West’s Get Up and Dance classes via Zoom are May 8, 15 and 22 at 11 a.m. with Christine Negherbon celebrating the golden age of Broadway with tap classes for all ages and levels. She will feature musicals like 42nd Street and Singin’ in the Rain.

Join us on Saturday via zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5628561999. Meeting ID: 562 856 1999

Venmo-What-You-Can to @musicaltheatrewest 50% of the proceeds goes directly to the teaching artists. Tap shoes are not required. Just an open space and a hard surface.

Christine Negherbon is an award-winning choreographer, master teacher, and actress. Her recent director/choreographer credits include Holiday Inn, 42ndStreet, Billy Elliot, and Mary Poppins in Los Angeles.

AAPI Heritage Month

Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) will commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month throughout May with a series of virtual programs, events and activities for all ages. Through story times, book discussions and cultural programs, the library will celebrate and uplift the beauty of many AAPI stories, voices and experiences that add richness to the cultural landscape of Long Beach.

Highlights of this year’s LBPL’s AAPI Heritage Month events are listed below.

Bilingual Storytime (May 22) – Children can enjoy celebrating Asian American cultures through stories, told in Spanish, highlighting Chinese and Korean cuisine and culture.

Virtual Hula (May 11) – A virtual hula performance by local Polynesian dancers.

Miller Room Book Club featuring The Refugees (May 15) - A book discussion for adults on the short stories collection The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen, exploring poignant stories of immigration, family, love and identity through the experiences of Vietnamese refugees to America.

Author Talk & Teen Writing Workshop (May 22) – Middle and high school students can enjoy this online writing workshop, “Storytelling in the 21st Century,” for young, aspiring authors, presented by local author and educator, Ky-Phong Tran.

Pacific Islander Lecture Series featuring “Many Islands, Many Stories: Exploring Oceania Arts, Tradition, & Heritage,” (May 22) - A new virtual arts and culture lecture series presented by Fran Lujan, Director of Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum.

Details on how community members can participate in these virtual programs will be available throughout the month of May on the LBPL website or by calling (562) 570-7500.

Bike Month

The City of Long Beach is celebrating National Bike Month by offering a wide variety of self-guided mobility-related activities, virtual events, bicycle infrastructure and safety tips, and other activities for residents. From bike rides to bike history, to social media promos, there is something for everyone.

Below are ways community members can participate:

Bikes of Long Beach (May 11, 18 and 25) – GoActiveLB will highlight the story of a local bicyclist and their bike. Follow along to find out about local bicycling culture through each rider’s lens and become inspired to forge your own bicycling style.

Self-Guided Tours (May 12 and 26) – Discover some of Long Beach’s hidden outdoor murals and great historical architecture with GoActiveLB’s self-guided tours. This year, virtual art routes of Retro Row and Downtown, as well as the historical architectural route through Bixby Knolls, will be available on the GoActiveLB’s social media. These routes are designed for all ages and skill levels and may be used whenever your next adventure arises.

National Bike to Work Day (May 20) – Residents and employees are encouraged to bike to work on Thursday, May 20. If you are working from home, take a 30-minute exercise break and bike throughout your neighborhood at lunch.

Bike Month is celebrated across the United States and offers an opportunity to showcase the benefits of bicycling and encourages more people to incorporate bicycling into their daily lives.

Nathan & Jessie Perform

Music at the Point concerts will continue on May 16 with charming Americana duo Nathan & Jessie on the steps of the sanctuary. Attendees can enjoy the concert in their own chair with safe distancing and masking.

Nathan Rivera and Jessie Andra Smith form this duo as a unique blend of jazzy folk and blues on resonator guitars and accordion, along with interesting interplay between male and female vocals. They are often joined on tour and on recordings by their friends, Trevor Mulvey on upright bass and Blake Armstrong on drums.

Their performances not only include unique all original music, but stories of their travels and interaction with the audience that make for an unforgettable experience. Love of sharing music has taken Nathan & Jessie all over the world, frequenting places like Mexico, Canada, France, New Orleans and the Pacific Northwest. The upbeat tunes they write reflect the cultural, emotional, and inspirational images of their life experience and are rooted in the spirit of jazz, improvisation, storytelling, language, and humor.

Larry Thompson said of Nathan and Jessie: “Their personalities, both personal and musical, appear seamless. The point is, you never really know what you are going to get. And that’s the great aspect of being part of their audience” (Echo and Buzz.)

There will be a limit on the number of attendees and must register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nathan-jessie-in-concert-at-music-the-point....

Church Re-opens

Bay Shore Church will welcome people to worship in the sanctuary for the first time in over a year, beginning Sunday, May 23, at 9:30 a.m., announced Senior Pastor David Clark.

Safety protocols will be in place, such as sign-in sheets for contract tracing, social distancing, and face masks will be required. Reservations are not necessary. Walk-ins are welcome. The worship service will be livestreamed on YouTube. For further information, call (562) 433-0401.

Bay Shore Church is located at 5100 E. The Toledo. Parking is available at the corner of The Toledo and Granada Avenue. More information is available at www.bayshorechurch.org.