Community News

Celebrations in Sound

The Long Beach Municipal Band will celebrate their 110th season with free outdoor summer concerts in Long Beach parks, through August 2, with a different theme every week. All concerts begin at 6:30 p.m.

The band is conducted by Larry Curtis, now in his 27th year as conductor. Each performance will end with selections from talented vocalists accompanied by the Long Beach Municipal Band’s Studio Band.

“The old-fashioned concert in the park is one of the finest family entertainment experiences available,” said Conductor Larry Curtis. “Many who attend the concerts bring picnic dinners and blankets or lawn chairs. It’s a very festive atmosphere.”

The concert series is made possible with sponsorship from the Departments of Parks, Recreation and Marine, Energy Resources, Long Beach Recycling, the Port of Long Beach, Partners of Parks and the Friends of the Long Beach Municipal Band. A list with every weekly theme is below. A full schedule, with dates and concert locations, is available at http://bit.ly/MunicipalBand2019.

Week 2 (July 2-5; no concert July 4) – Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All. In honor of Independence Day, enjoy a program of patriotic music with vocalist Beck Martin and the Studio Band.

Week 3 (July 9-12) – A Constellation of Stars. Chart-topping hits will be the theme of week 3. Tony Galla will sing with the Studio Band.

Week 4 (July 16-19) – Classical Favorites. Hear classical favorites from the band’s 110-year repertoire. Meloney Collins will perform with the Studio Band.

Week 5 (July 23-26) – Spectacular Sounds of Cinema. Movie soundtrack favorites, with Mark Kopitzke performing with the Studio Band.

Week 6 (July 30 – August 2) – Toot, Whistle and Boom! This concert will showcase compositions that involve audience participation including the “1812 Overture.” Nicole Kubis will end the season with the Studio Band.

Turtle Trek

On a walk in the wetlands you can learn about the creatures living in this habitat. You might see hawks, the nest of a burrowing owl or perhaps a rabbit. A group of endangered Pacific Green Sea Turtles has taken up residence in a portion of the San Gabriel River. Ecologists will lead a stroll through salt marshes for a glimpse of the sea turtles. The two-hour tour begins at 8 a.m. on July 6 at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and 1st Street, just at the border of Long Beach and Seal Beach. There is parking. The hike is appropriate for ages seven and up. Closed toes shoes are required.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@lcwlandtrust.org. Learn more about the wetlands at www.lcwlandtrust.org.

The Cunard Story Opens

In partnership with luxury cruise line, Cunard, the iconic RMS Queen Mary will unveil her new, permanent exhibition, ‘The Cunard Story,’ on July 5. The exhibition will showcase Cunard’s remarkable 179-year history, its relationship with The Queen Mary, its founder’s vision, the ships it inspired and continues to bring forward and their influence on immigration, global maritime policies and technological innovation. ‘The Cunard Story’ will showcase the company’s legacy through artifacts, photographs and film, and will also feature an ‘immigration salon’ that allows visitors to digitally explore ancestry databases. Through the offerings, visitors can experience ancestor arrival dates and specific ships that carried them, allowing for a deeply personal experience.

The Queen Mary alone transported thousands of passengers during her Cunard service; and approximately one in five immigrants sailed to the U.S. on a Cunard ship at the height of the immigration period during the latter part of the 19th century and early 10th century.

Cunard ships have been legends in their own time; the best in their class – holding records of achievement for speed, comfort, engineering breakthroughs and more. Lusitania was a Cunarder. But, perhaps the line’s most recognized ship was the original RMS Queen Mary. Indeed, the Queen Mary still reigns supreme; she is the only ship of her class and prominence to have survived eight decades on the public stage.

Soon celebrating her 85th Jubilee Year the Queen Mary represents all that Cunard stands for. Retired from service in the 1960s, the ship remains known world-wide and attracts over 1.5 million visitors each year.

Beach Week

The City of Long Beach will offer a series of free beach activities during the week of July 8-12.

Beach Week will include morning yoga, tai chi on the sand, a fitness boot camp, kayaking and canoeing for adults. Children’s activities will include volleyball, flag football and sand soccer clinics, Long Beach Fire Department, Marine Safety Lifeguard mock rescues and a skate park. Beach Week was originally intended to lead up to Sun Soaked, an electronic dance music festival, which was canceled earlier this week by the organizer.

Beach Week events will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, from Monday, July 8 through Friday, July 12, at Alamitos Beach. The schedule of events is available at http://www.longbeach.gov/park/news/free-community-beach-week.

The Little Mermaid

Take a magical journey under the sea when Musical Theater West (MTW) brings Disney’s The Little Mermaid to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center July 12-28. Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story and Disney’s acclaimed film, this love story for the ages features a swimming score of classic songs, from “Part of Your World,” “Kiss the Girl” to the Academy Award-winning “Best Original Song,”

Tickets are now on sale at musical.org, at the MTW Ticket Office, or by calling (562) 856-1999. Tickets start at $20.

Writers Club

The California Writers Club of Long Beach is holding its free monthly meeting on Saturday, July 13, at the Ruth Bach Neighborhood Library, 4055 Bellflower Blvd.

The meeting is from 3-5 p.m. with networking starting at 2:30. The club’s July speaker is Reina Menasche. Her topic: “Using Character Types in Fiction.” Menasche is author of Twice Begun and Silent Bird. She speaks at many writers’ conferences, is a professional social worker, university instructor and actress and hosts the BOOKSHELF radio show on KNSJ90.1 at East County Magazine.

California Writer’s Club is a non-profit 501(C)(3) educational organization. For more information, please see www.calwriterslongbeach.org, info@calwriterslongbeach.org.

Lunch & Learn

Grace First Presbyterian Church has been regularly hosting a monthly series called “Lunch & Learn”, bringing in experts on various topics, ranging from the state of local journalism to human trafficking and immigration issues. On Sunday, July 14 at 12:15 p.m., the guest will be Daniel Brezenoff, senior advisor to Mayor Robert Garcia, deputy for Housing and Homelessness, and the First District council office administrator.

The state of housing and homelessness in Long Beach and Southern California continually ranks among the most pressing concerns of residents. Mayor Robert Garcia appointed Brezenoff earlier this year to lead the discussion and coordinate the city’s approach to the issue. As a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years of experience as an educator and 23 years in community mental health, Brezenoff is uniquely equipped to understand and explain the complex issues around chronic homelessness.

The vision for the Lunch and Learn program is to explore ways in which people of faith can address current social issues of our time and includes a light sandwich lunch for no cost. The event is held in the Saul Ministry Center of Grace First Presbyterian Church, 3955 N. Studebaker Rd. at Los Coyotes Diagonal. The event begins at 12:15 and will be over by 1:45.