Community News

Ring in 2020 at the New Year’s Eve Night Dive at the Aquarium of the Pacific, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. It will be a night to remember, with live bands playing in the Great Hall and DJs spinning in the galleries – all curated by the team that brings you Night Dive. This event will include dancing, a cash bar, small-bite appetizers for sale throughout the aquarium, and a midnight countdown. 

 

Cost is $34.95 per person and $29.95 per aquarium member. Open to ages 18+ only. Info: (562) 590-3100 or aquariumofpacific.org/events/info/newyearseve.

 

This winter parents can enroll their children in winter day camps specially tailored to different age ranges from five to 15. During the aquarium’s Sea Squirt Winter Camp, Winter Day Camp and Winter Teen Overnight, children and teens can explore different animals and regions of the Pacific Ocean. 

 

For kids ages five and six, the Sea Squirt Winter Day Camp provides an introductory course to the life that exists in the Pacific Ocean. Topics cover the lives and the habitats of wiggly fish and furry mammals.

 

Aquarium staff members will guide campers as they participate in crafts, games and tours. Sea Squirt Winter Day Camp allows young children to explore, interact and develop questions independently. Children will be able to touch the animals in the private classroom touch pool.

 

The aquarium’s Winter Day Camp is for children ages seven to 12. This day camp will take children on an adventure into the depths of the Pacific Ocean through interactive learning at the aquarium. Students will be able to explore marine life through hands-on activities, including games and crafts. They also visit behind-the-scenes areas, meet animal care staff members and help feed the animals that call the Aquarium home. Topics for Winter Day Camp include cold-water habitats, penguins and polar bears.

 

Teens can dive deep and enjoy a night sleeping with the fishes in this teens-only event for ages thirteen to fifteen. Participants can start the night with a pizza party before becoming an ocean explorer to discover the mysteries of the deep sea. This overnight camp program includes aquarium exploration, hands-on activities, pizza party, light snack, cereal breakfast and a souvenir T-shirt.

 

Sea Squirt Day Camp ($80) runs Dec. 26-27, 2019, 8:30–11:30 a.m. Winter Day Camp ($100) runs Jan. 2-3, 8–noon and Winter Teen Overnight ($90) is Dec. 30-31, 5 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.

Info: http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/education/programs/category/winter_camps 

 

 Meet Mark Thompson, author of his debut novel, “Sinatra’s Tailor” and greet title character, Umberto Autore, for a talk and book-signing event on Saturday, Jan. 11, 12:30 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, in the Towne Center.

 

“Sinatra’s Tailor” is the story of Umberto Autore, orphaned as a young boy in Italy during WWII and raised by “nuns and Nazis.” He eventually immigrated to America where he became the tailor to Frank Sinatra and many other Hollywood luminaries. Umberto International Clothiers has been an iconic menswear store, serving Southern California residents since 1960.

 

Long Beach native Mark A. Thompson met Umberto Autore as a 17-year old kid working after school as a salesclerk in the men’s wear department at the Broadway department store in the Los Altos Shopping Center. Now, 50 years later, he’s written Umberto’s fascinating coming-of-age story. 

 

“While World War II stories are naturally captivating, what separates this one from others is the spirited writing – Umberto’s playful personality radiating thanks to author Mark Thompson’s deft style. The likability of the title character and the quick pace of the story will make you look forward to every page. By the end of it, you’ll be hoping for a sequel,” said Miles Ryan Fisher, editor-in-chief, Italian-America magazine, the most widely-read magazine in the U.S. for people of Italian heritage. 

 

Sinatra’s Tailor – An Italian Immigrant’s Story, is available for purchase at bookstores, directly from the publisher, Aakenbaaken & Kent, and online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

 

On January 12 to 14, the Aquarium of the Pacific will host a forum to examine the afterlives of decommissioned oil rigs off the coast of California. At the aquarium’s forum, experts will gather to discuss sustainable options for decommissioned oil rigs in Southern California. 

 

Forum participants will include representatives from federal and state agencies responsible for the decommissioning process, industry experts and academic scientists. The forum will be open to the public, allowing local residents to learn about those platforms, what the decommissioning options are and how the decisions will be made. 

 

The event will begin on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. with a reception and a keynote address by three ocean experts. These include Dr. Sylvia Earle, oceanographer, National Geographic Society explorer in residence and president and founder of ocean conservation organization Mission Blue; Betty Yee, California State Controller and commissioner with the State Lands Commission; and Mark Gold, executive director of the Ocean Protection Council and deputy secretary for Ocean and Coastal Policy for the California Natural Resources Agency. A student poster exhibit will also be on display that evening. The cost to attend the sessions on Jan. 13 and 14 is $125 for the public and $75 for students. Discounted prices of $85 for the public and $50 for students are available for those who register before Dec. 18. To see the full agenda, visit aquariumofpacific.org/events and click on the forum event page.

 

The forum is co-sponsored by the Aquarium of the Pacific, California’s Ocean Protection Council, California’s State Lands Commission, the California Coastal Commission and the Honda Marine Science Foundation and is operated in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The public can RSVP by visiting aquariumofpacific.org/events or calling (562) 590-3100. 

 

Tony Bennet will appear at the Long Beach Terrace Theater on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or at https://www.longbeachcc.com/our-facilities/theaters/terrace-theater.

His initial successes came via a string of Columbia singles in the early 1950s, including such chart-toppers as “Because of You,” “Rags to Riches,” and a remake of Hank Williams’ “Cold, Cold Heart.” 

 

He had 24 songs in the Top 40, including: “I Wanna Be Around,” “The Good Life,” “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)?” and his signature song, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” which garnered him the first two of his 19 Grammy Awards. Tony Bennett is one of only a handful of artists to have new albums charting in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s and 10s. 

 

He introduced a multitude of songs into the great American Songbook that have since become pop music classics.