Community News

Fireworks on the Water

Hornblower Cruises & Events (HCE) is offering a perfect way for families to celebrate the 4th of July– on the water. Cruise beneath a cascade of fireworks as you enjoy an unforgettable night filled with great food, award-winning service and the spectacular views you can only find on the water.

Sailing from Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, on July 4th, Hornblower is featuring a special July 4th Fireworks Observation Cruise aboard Hornblower Yachts. This cruise will feature a bubbly glass of champagne upon boarding, display of freshly prepared hors d’oeuvres as well as a cash bar available onboard with indoor and outdoor deck spacto view the beautiful fireworks display over Long Beach.

Reservations are required as these holiday cruises do sell-out. It is recommended that you plan to arrive early. As always, parking is at premium during this holiday.

To make reservations or for more information, call 1-800-ON THE BAY, or feel free to cruise by Hornblower on the web at www.hornblower.com.

 Link to: https://www.hornblower.com/port/overview/lb+4th-of-july-fireworks-observ...

Music at the Point

The Grace First Concert Series welcomes Hedgehog Swing back to the Grace First Sanctuary on Saturday, June 10, at 8 p.m. Gage Hulsey developed an interest in Gypsy Jazz while at Poly High School in Long Beach. Meanwhile, Kale Stiles and Luca Pino played in the jazz band at Wilson High School (Poly’s arch rival). They soon got word of each other and teamed up to found Hedgehog Swing.

The Hedgehogs play a style of jazz that is a direct homage to the Gypsy Jazz sounds of Django Reinhardt, hearkening back to the Parisian cafes of pre-World War II France. This concert is a free-will donation concert, with a suggested donation of $10. For more information about the concerts, contact Stan DeWitt, minister of music, at (562) 420-3393, or stan@gracefirst.org.

SCAN CEO Q&A

Chris Wing, CEO of SCAN Health Plan, will be the guest on the next edition of Straight Talk. He joins host Art Levine to provide a summary of SCAN’s accomplishments over the past year and the exciting plans for the future. Also appearing on the show is Independence at Home Vice President Denise Likar, who reviews IAH’s substantial contributions to the community.

This Straight Talk show will air in Long Beach/Signal Hill on Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11 at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on LBTV Channel 3 and Frontier FiOS 21. It also airs Saturday and Sunday in Long Beach and 70 surrounding cities at 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Charter Channel 188. The show will be repeated the following weekend at the same times. Straight Talk is also viewable on demand at www.StraightTalkTV.com.

Rip Roaring 20s

Primetime Players, an all-volunteer group of seniors, celebrating 20 years of service to Long Beach residents, seniors and persons with disabilities, will soon be holding auditions for their summer show Rip Roaring Twenties. Auditions and the first rehearsal will be held on Monday, June 12, at 1 p.m. at the Long Beach Senior Center, 1150 East 4th St.

Rehearsals will be held during the months of June and July, followed by eight performances at various Long Beach and Lakewood locations in August. For more information, contact Jim Meyer at (714) 269-7496 or Barbara Klein at byrdbud2@verizon.net.

NARFE

The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association meets on Monday, June 12, 1 p.m., Veteran’s Community Center, Veteran’s Park, 101 E. 28th St. Liz McDargh, with the Department of Housing and Development (HUD) will be speaking on homelessness in Long Beach and how federal budget cuts will affect members.

The largest federal employee/retiree organization, NARFE represents the retirement interests of nearly five million current and future federal annuitants, spouses and survivors.

Downtown Walking Tour

Join Long Beach Heritage on Saturday, June 17, for a Walking Tour of Downtown Long Beach. The city is filled with historic gems. From modern architecture to the Art Deco style, it’s all here and waiting to be discovered.

The Walking Tour Program fosters preservation advocacy and education throughout Long Beach.

The tour begins at 9:30 a.m. and lasts 2 to 2½ hours. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased through Pay Pal at www.lbheritage.com. Tickets will be held in will call and distributed at the meeting site. Free parking at the 3rd and Promenade parking structure until noon. For additional information, call (562) 493-7019 or visit www.lbheritage.org.

US Sumo Open

The largest sumo competition outside of Japan returns to Southern California for the 17th year on Saturday, June 17, 1-4 p.m. Witness eight tons of power as 60 international sumo champions shake the Walter Pyramid with bone-rattling collisions.

A true cultural experience, the event pays homage to its Japanese roots with authentic Taiko drumming and a menu of Japanese food, Sapporo Beer, and Hakutsuru Sake, on sale all day.

For additional information, call (310) 288-3641 or email info@usasumo.com.

Bone-Anza

The LA & Lakewood-Long Beach Pug Lover’s Meet-Up Groups present, “The World’s Largest Beach Bone-Anza For Pugs.” Pugs and Pug-lover’s from around the world will be gathering at Rosie’s Dog Beach at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 17, for a day of fun in the sun. Hundreds of Pugs and Pug lovers will be running, splashing and playing off-leash at the beach. Pug Nation LA will be in attendance with Pugs available for adoption and volunteer opportunities. Grab your beach chairs, towels and toys and come join the fun.

This event is free and all breeds of dogs are welcome. For more information contact Katy Cable at weeklyrunt@gmail.com

Father’s Day Breakfast

The Father’s Day Pancake Breakfast is an all-you-can-eat event on Sunday, June 18, 7-10 a.m. at Applebees, at 899 E. Spring Street, Signal Hill. Tickets are $10 per person.

The event serves as a fundraiser for the Love Beyond Limits organization, which has served over 1,000 families in the Long Beach, Compton, and Greater Los Angeles areas. The first 50 fathers to arrive will receive a free 4” by 6” family photo.

Global Water

Global Water Dances is a visionary worldwide event of simultaneous outdoor performances illuminating water issues, inspiring and empowering citizens to take action since 2011. This year, more than 90 cities dance on June 24 to raise awareness about local and global water crisis. These performances are open to the public and free of charge, and are shared by live streaming and video uploads on the website www.globalwaterdances.org.

Global Water Dances – Long Beach will participate with a dance festival at 4 p.m. Alfredo’s Beach Club at Granada Beach, focused on taking care of our beaches, local empowerment, intending to inspire environmental knowledge and activation of public spaces through dance. Both dancers and audience members will participate and have fun while taking care of our precious resource: water.

This is a free, family-oriented event, so bring your towels or beach chairs.

Nasty Woman Concert

From the ashes of the ERA movement and the polarizing U.S. presidential election of 2016, began the vision for the Nasty Woman Concert Series (NWCS). The concert series is designed to bring together the women’s community through the healing power of music and comedy, especially those women who have been marginalized because of their gender identity and sexual orientation. NWCS will kick off on July 8 at diPiazza’s Lounge, 5205 E. Pacific Coast Highway and then expand throughout California and the west coast.

All of the performers for this inaugural show are female-fronted, with a dash of drag queen and a gender fluid singer. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.nastywomanconcertseries.com.