Community News

Sunset Saturdays

Starting Saturday, Sept. 10, Los Alamitos will have a new weekly destination for residents and out-of-town visitors alike: Sunset Saturdays.

Sunset Saturdays will take place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Pine St. in Los Alamitos, centered at 10932 Pine St. near the intersection of Los Alamitos Blvd. and Katella Ave. Pine will be closed to traffic between Florista St. and just north of Katella Ave. for the event.

With more than 50 vendors every week, the event will feature a Beer Garden by Syncopated Brewing, live music from local bands, a farmers’ market, local artists, crafters and culinary options to satisfy every “foodie.”

In addition, there will be an array of family activities and games at Sunset Saturdays, including a nerf court and axe throwing.

Free parking will be available in the lots north of the CIF building at 10932 Pine St., as well as other areas around the venue.

Sunset Saturdays will also offer local youth sports teams the opportunity to fundraise at the event. Anyone interested in this, or being a vendor at the event, should visit weekendnightmarket.com.

Republican Women

The community is invited to the Saturday, Sept. 10 Long Beach Republican Women Federated’s breakfast meeting to hear from ABC Unified School District President Soo Yoo discuss California education issues. Yoo, who is running for state assembly (67th district), says, “My goal is to awaken Californians to fight back for our children and reestablish common sense in the Golden State.”

Held at The Grand, 4101 E. Willow St., the morning meeting includes an all-you-can eat breakfast buffet for $30 for members and $35 for non-members. For information and/or reservations: LongBeachRWF@gmail.com or (562) 433-8996.

‘Crossing Waters’

Catalina Museum for Art & History will present the exhibition Crossing Waters: Contemporary Tongva Artists Carrying Pimugna, featuring a collection of works created by three contemporary Tongva artists, Weshoyot Alvitre, Mercedes Dorame and River Garza. Opening on Sept. 10, Crossing Waters marks the inaugural partnership between the museum and the Tongva Community, recognizing the Tongva people as the first islanders of Santa Catalina.

Pimugna, often shortened to Pimu, is the Tongva name for the island now commonly known as Catalina Island. It was once an integral part of greater Tonvaangar – the Tongva world. Through their individual practices, the three presenting artists explore their relationship with the island, “crossing waters” to connect past, present and future.

As descendants of the Tongva community, Alvitre, Dorame and Garza will debut a variety of never before seen contemporary art pieces for the new exhibition. Crossing Waters will be the first time the three Tongva artists are shown together. In celebration of the new exhibition, the museum will host an official opening party on Saturday, Oct. 22.

Crossing Waters was created in partnership with members of tribal entities listed on the Native American Heritage Commission list, the LA City/County Indian Commission, the NAGPRA committee at UCLA, and other indigenous community and tribal members to form a Tongva Advisory Council.

For more information about Crossing Waters: Contemporary Tongva Artists Carrying Pimugna exhibition at Catalina Museum for Art & History, visit CatalinaMuseum.org/Upcoming-Exhibits.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and closed on Mondays. For more information about the Catalina Museum for Art & History, visit CatalinaMuseum.org.

Annual Youth Festival

The Long Beach Health Department’s Office of Youth Development, in partnership with the City’s Youth and Families Commission, Long Beach Public Library and Departments of Parks, Recreation and Marine and Economic Development, Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network (Pacific Gateway), will host its second annual Youth Festival at the Billie Jean King Main Library (200 W. Broadway) and the adjacent Lincoln Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24. Young people ages 10 to 24 are invited to participate in the free event dedicated to celebrating the wellness, resilience and empowerment of youth.

The festival will feature an interactive resource fair and activities, including therapy dog sessions, art, music, games, sports, local entertainment, educational workshops and networking opportunities with representatives from employers and colleges. In addition, the event will offer free food and merchandise, raffle prizes and performances and showcases from local poets, artists and dancers.

The festival’s featured activities and workshops are being developed in alignment with the youth-informed goals of the Long Beach Youth & Emerging Adults Strategic Plan and will include an interactive visioning workshop to have young people guide the direction of the city’s support for youth and emerging adults, hosted by the Youth & Families Commission.

Registration for the free event is available through the Long Beach Youth Festival’s registration page. Attendees are encouraged to use public transportation. Free parking will be available during the event in the West Broadway parking structure (332 W. Broadway) located on Broadway between Chestnut and Cedar Avenues.

Lifetime Learning

Registration is open for classes on Zoom and in-person at the Lifetime Learning Center Senior Studies Program at Long Beach City College.

Classes offered in person are “Musical Pageantry, Passion, Pratfalls & Politics” with Lucy Daggett on Fridays, Sept. 16 to Dec. 16, from 1-3 p.m. and “World Affairs & Current Affairs” with Dave Thoits & Guest Speakers, Wednesdays, Sept. 14 to Dec. 14.  from 1-3 p.m.

Classes offered on Zoom are Chair Yoga on Mondays & Strength Training on Wednesday with Jessi McMaster and T’ai Chi Chin with Elizabeth Preston on Thursdays. Classes are available to everyone. Register in person at LBCC, Pacific Coast Campus Room QQ-122 on Sept. 14 & 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or on-line at www.lbcc.edu/lifetime-learning-center.

For more Information contact Theresa Brunella at (562) 930-3047.

Osher Fall Registration

On Sept. 6, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at California State University, Long Beach began registration for its Fall Session. Classes will be held on campus, at satellite community locations and online using Zoom.

Over 100 classes, including 21 new ones, will be offered featuring literature, films, computer skills, music, art, crafting, exercise and wellness, writing, history, current events, investing, gardening and many discussion groups. The seven-week session begins on October 3, 2022 and will be open to adults 50 and over. For more information including registration, visit the OLLI website at www.csulb.edu/olli.

Since 1996 OLLI at CSULB has been dedicated to enriching the lives of older adults through educational opportunities and social engagement.

RuMBa Family Concert

Long Beach Symphony announced the return of its RuMBa Foundation Family Concert on Oct. 2 at the Long Beach Terrace Theater. Entitled Symphony Under the Sea, families are encouraged to come dressed in costume to enjoy an afternoon filled with activities and a 45-minute musical performance conducted by Long Beach Symphony Music Director Eckart Preu.

This concert will feature familiar and sing-along tunes from Spongebob Squarepants, Little Mermaid and Moana, along with classical hits by Tchaikovsky, Handel and Rossini in a setting to be enjoyed by all.

Interactive family activities will be held on the Terrace Theater Plaza starting at 1 p.m., before and after the 3 p.m. concert.

Activities will include an instrument petting zoo, musical games and performances, arts and crafts, hula dancing, kid-friendly food trucks and creative play areas that invite families to experience and play music together.

Plaza presenters include the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Long Beach Ballet, Jewel Box Children’s Theatre, The Growing Experience, Long Beach Public Libraries and the Box of Boom.

Kelly Ruggirello, Long Beach Symphony president, stated, “Making symphonic music accessible to everyone in the community is an integral part of the mission of the Symphony. We are thrilled to be able to bring back this kind of fun, engaging experience for our community to build memories forever!”

This full afternoon of music and activities is free to anyone under the age of 17 thanks to a grant from the RuMBa Foundation that has partnered with the Long Beach Symphony to make these concerts accessible to all children throughout the region. General adult tickets are available for $20 each. Long Beach Transit is providing free, round-trip transportation from the Michelle Obama Library on a first-come-first-served basis. Limited seating available.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.LongBeachSymphony.org or call (562) 436-3203 ext. 1. Tickets are also available on Ticketmaster.