Community News

Tree Lighting Ceremony

Mayor Robert Garcia invites Long Beach residents and visitors to join him for the lighting of Long Beach’s tallest holiday tree on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 5-8 p.m.

The event is free to the public and includes free parking in the Convention Center parking structure. This festive celebration kicks off the holiday season with music, games, treats, fireworks show and fun for the whole family.

Bring your camera for pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, plus two giant walk-thru “selfie station” ornaments. There will also be holiday photo booths, a kids’ train for rides, a brass band, DJ, choirs, complimentary holiday sweets and lots of activities for everyone. Local food trucks will be on hand to offer snacks and dinner items for purchase.

The Terrace Plaza Christmas tree is the tallest in Long Beach at 50 feet and will be lit with more than 35,000 colorful LED lights. The Terrace Plaza will be decorated in full holiday style with theatrical lighting, glowing seasonal decorations, giant lighted reindeer, plus some special surprises.

The Terrace Plaza Dancing Water Fountains will sparkle with colorful seasonal patterns. New this year, adorning the roof of the Terrace Theater is a giant red-ribbon bow lit by thousands of LED lights. The newly added lighting features brings the total number of lights on the Terrace Plaza to more than 110,000.

Festivities are sponsored by the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center/ASM Global and the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Holiday Inn Dec. 6-15

Musical Theatre West celebrates the holiday season with the classic movie-turned- Broadway musical Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn Dec. 6-15 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. Tickets are on sale now at www.musical.org, by calling (562) 856-1999, or at the Musical Theatre West Box Office. Tickets start at $20.

The 2017 Broadway musical features music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and a new book by Gordon Greenberg and Chad Hodge, in an adaptation of the 1942 Oscar-winning film starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn features show-stopping dance numbers, laugh-out-loud comedy and a parade of hit Irving Berlin songs, including “Blue Skies,” “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” “Heat Wave,” “White Christmas,” “Shaking the Blues Away” and many more.

The story follows Jim (Cameron Bond), who leaves the bright lights of show business behind to settle down on his farmhouse in Connecticut. He quickly discovers life isn’t the same without a bit of song and dance. Jim’s luck takes a spectacular turn when he meets Linda (Natalie Storrs), a spirited schoolteacher with talent to spare. Together they turn the farmhouse into a fabulous inn with dazzling performances to celebrate each holiday, from Thanksgiving to the Fourth of July.

But when Jim’s best friend Ted (Jeffrey Scott Parsons) tries to lure Linda away to be his new dance partner in Hollywood, will Jim be able to salvage his latest chance at love?

Holiday Show

Long Beach Playhouse and Held2gether, Improv for Life, are partnering for the 5th annual “Miracle on Anaheim Street,” a holiday variety improv show on Friday, Dec. 6, 8 p.m. to benefit WomenShelter of Long Beach (WSLB), a local nonprofit domestic violence agency.

This is not an evening to miss as this show only happens once a year. Taking place at the landmark Long Beach Playhouse Theater, “Miracle on Anaheim Street” brings together the community and the talented performers of Held2gether for an incredible live show. “This event is very special to all of us here at Held2gether as it marks the beginning of the holiday season for our troupe and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate than to support the very important work of WomenShelter of Long Beach,” says Darren Held, CEO & creative director of Held2gether, Improv for Life.

The proceeds from this show go directly to WomenShelter of Long Beach and supports their many programs including services for victims as well as their educational, prevention services for youth and the community. “This is truly one of my favorite holiday events! Each year the performers host an amazing show. Everyone always has such a good time and leaves with so many warm memories! WomenShelter feels extremely thankful to have the support of both Held2gether and the Long Beach Playhouse. They are wonderful friends and community members,” says Mary Ellen Mitchell, WSLB executive director.

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

Charity Bazaar

Join spcaLA for a day of shopping with local vendors, crafter and artisans on Saturday, Dec. 7, 9 a.m. to noon. Vendors will donate 10 percent of their sales to help shelter pets.

The spcaLA PD Pitchford Companion Animal Village & Education Center is at 7700 E. Spring St. For more information visit www.spcaLA.com.

California History Hike

Learn about Native Americans during a nature walk on Saturday, Dec. 7, starting at 8 a.m. Ecologists share how the Native Americans made use of natural resources. Elementary students study California history, including the lives of Native Americans, so this is a great opportunity for your children.

This walk is appropriate for ages 7 and up. Closed toes shoes are required. Park on the inland side of the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and 1st Street, just at the border of Long Beach and Seal Beach. For more information or to RSVP, contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@lcwlandtrust.org. Learn more about the wetlands at www.lcwlandtrust.org.

A Look at Modern Mobility

“MOVE: The History of a Hand” is a look at the nature, use, and possibility of our hands at the CSULB Studio Theater now through Dec. 8. Move is a multi-year arts project to investigate the unexpected possibilities of our bodies in action, and to inspire our Long Beach community to move in creative and collaborative ways.

In “The History of a Hand,” the company explores the nature and possibilities of our hands in a playful, wordless, breathtaking acrobatic theatre performance. The hand is the most dexterous part of the body, and our most frequent tool to interact with the world. But what is a hand capable of if used to its full potential? “MOVE: The History of a Hand” will take you on a journey to look at your hands in imaginative new ways and give you a new appreciation for the 27 bones, 48 nerves, and 123 ligaments that are just past your wrists.

This performance is appropriate for deaf, hard of hearing, and English as a second language audiences. General admission tickets are $23, tickets for students are $18, and for military and seniors (55 and older) are $20; go to www.calrep.org, to buy tickets and find out more information.

The Studio Theatre is inside the Theatre Arts Building on the CSULB South Campus, accessible via 7th Street and West Campus Drive. Parking is available on site for $10.

Light Up a Life

Join in the festivities on Monday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Centre at Sycamore Plaza, 5000 Clark Ave. Lakewood, when families, friends and neighbors come together to light the Pathways Light Up a Life holiday tree.

Enjoy music, reflection, and fellowship with others from your community while honoring and remembering those we love. Lakewood Mayor Todd Rogers will M.C. the event and music will be provided by the Emmanuel Reformed Church Choir.

This holiday event is free to attend, but for each $25 gift you make, a shining light on the Pathways tree will represent your friend or loved one being honored or memorialized. Names will be read aloud at the ceremony and your loved one’s name will also be added to the Light Up A Life scrolls displayed by the tree throughout the holiday season.

Pathways has been providing services in the community, free of charge, for 34 years. From frail and chronically ill older adults, to hospice patients battling terminal illness, to children and families overwhelmed with grief, Pathways has always been a ray of hope in a sea of confusion, heartache and healthcare red tape.

Info: (562) 531-3031 or visit www.pathwayshospice.org.