Community News

Blessing of the Animals

Grace First and P’nai Or welcome the entire community to an Interfaith Blessing of the Animals, in partnership with South Coast Interfaith Council on Saturday, May 11, 4 p.m. at 3955 N. Studebaker Rd.

Members of the community are invited to bring their own pets. They are also invited to bring photos of any animals or pets who have passed away and/or a pet’s ashes for a special blessing of remembrance.

Clergy of various faith traditions will be present to offer brief reflections and prayers remembering animals who could not be present or who are ill; they will also offer a recognition of animals in shelters waiting for homes or who have been poorly treated, and give thanks for all God’s creatures, including those beloved animals who are our pets.

Following the brief Blessing of the Animals, there will be a time of casual fellowship and refreshment.

For the enjoyment and safety of all participants, all animals must remain on leash or in a closed carrier while on the church campus, as well as be current on their vaccinations.

Republican Barbecue

Long Beach Area Republicans are having their 18th Annual BBQ on Thursday, May 16, 6-8 p.m. at The Grand at 4101 E. Willow St.

Radio Talk Show Host, Larry Elder, will be the keynote speaker and will address our current political landscape. Meet and hear State Senate candidate for the 33rd District, Jack Guerrero. RSVPs are required. RSVP via PayPal on the website www.longbeachrepublicans.org or send a check to LBAR, P.O. Box 14746, Long Beach, CA 90853. The cost is $75 for members and $80 for non-members who pay in advance. All at the door, are $85.

Seven Guitars at Playhouse

Beginning in 1984, playwright August Wilson wrote a series of ten plays covering each decade of the 20th Century. Together they are known as the Pittsburgh Cycle. Seven Guitars, written in 1995, is set in 1948. Running May 18 to June 15 at the Long Beach Playhouse, the production opens and closes after the funeral of Floyd “Schoolboy” Barton in the backyard of a Pittsburgh rooming house. In between those two acts Wilson uses flashbacks to tell us the stories of seven friends whose lives and dreams are compellingly human, and in some cases, breathtakingly tragic.

In the flashbacks we learn Floyd was recently released from serving a short prison sentence for vagrancy. A record he made in Chicago has become a hit and the record company is interested in working with him. He returns to Pittsburgh to get his band back together, find enough money to get his guitar out of a pawn shop and reunite with his girlfriend, Vera. In the span of a week those plans and dreams begin to fall apart.

“It’s an ensemble play,” said Sean Gray, Producing Artistic Director for the Playhouse. “The lives of the seven friends are intertwined in ways that are both good and bad. Like guitars they can make music or they can make noise. Floyd sees music as his ticket out of poverty. Instead what he gets is a cacophony of dysfunction and shattered dreams. Wilson turns heartbreak into a compelling and unforgettable story.”

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling (562) 494-1014, option 1.

LGBTQ Mariachi Band

During Long Beach’s Pride Weekend, Sunday, May 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hotel Maya will present Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles, the world’s first LGBTQ mariachi band.

This unique ensemble was created as a safe haven for mariachi musicians who identify as LGBTQ to come together and perform traditional Mexican regional music in response to a “machista” and at times, discriminating subculture of the mariachi world.

New Hope for Animals

Meet and be inspired by Staycee Dains, new manager of Long Beach Animal Care Services, as she shares her lifelong love of animals and her vision of bettering the lives of pets and homeless animals in our community.

This is a free event on Thursday, May 23, 6:30 p.m. at the Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., sponsored by Friends of Long Beach Animals. The public is invited to come and enjoy appetizers, refreshments and local camaraderie.

Please RSVP: (562) 988-7647 or folbamail@folba.org.

Mid-City Studio Tour

The 9th Biennial Mid-City Studio Tour offers a free,self-guided tour of artists’ work spaces throughout Long Beach on June 1 and 2, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

For a map, images and artist bios please visit www.midcitystudiotour.com.

Great Homes Tour

Six architecturally significant private residences, located in unique neighborhoods throughout the city, will be open for public viewing during the 18th annual “Great Homes of Long Beach” tour on Sunday, June 2, from noon to 5 p.m.

The tour features one-of-a-kind homes designed and built by some of the most renowned names in the city’s architectural history, including Miner Smith, Cliff May and Hugh Davies. Many of the homes maintain the original architectural elements, while others have been carefully restored to respect the original design. They are located throughout Long Beach, in the charming neighborhoods of Bluff Heights, Belmont Heights, Bluff Park, Virginia Country Club, Bixby Knolls and Rancho Estates.

This year’s tour was selected as a featured event for the First Annual Long Beach Architecture Week, sponsored by Long Beach Home+Living. The week will include a series of tours, events and educational opportunities that celebrate architecture, preservation, sustainability and new developments.

Sales to the public began April 15, with discounted early-access pricing at $40 for the general public and $35 for Long Beach Heritage members. For more information, call (562) 493-7019 or visit www.lbheritage.org.

Family Floors New Store

Please join us as we celebrate the grand opening of our newest location in Huntington Beach at 16917 Algonquin St., #F.

We will be having a ribbon cutting, raffles, prizes, food, desserts and drinks. We hope you can all join us, it will be a great time. Please feel free to invite your friends and family on June 19 at 4 p.m.