Walking or watching are both fun at the annual pet fair and fundraiser. Photo courtesy of Kate Karp

“If we could walk with the animals, talk with the animals, grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals,” sang Rex Harrison’s Dr. Doolittle in the film of the same name. Anyone who’s ever loved a pet knows full well that they talk if you know how to listen, and all attendees of the Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA) Pet Appreciation Fair and WALK for the Animals that takes place Oct. 8 in El Dorado Regional Park will have a chance to walk with them, too. 

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Green Long Beach! is a grassroots organization working within Catalyst Community to build collaboration with many groups and individuals that work to make a more sustainable city. The event features a wide range areas the city is going “green” including local commerce, government agencies, non-profit community organizations, as well as local artists of all mediums.

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Festival brings family friendly entertainment and activities to locations throughout Rainbow Harbor

For the second year, The Long Beach Mardi Gras Festival brings the spirit, taste and sounds of New Orleans to the heart of downtown Long Beach. The day-long fest—Saturday, March 5, 2011—will again be set against the beautiful backdrop of Rainbow Harbor.

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The 18th Annual Scottish Festival and Games takes over the Queen Mary Events Park.

Bagpipe bands, whisky, Highland dancing, and sheep herding are a sampling of what awaits at the Queen Mary’s 18th annual Scottish Festival & Games on Feb. 18, 19 and 20 in Long Beach.

Built on the banks of the River Clyde in Scotland, the Queen Mary celebrates her Scottish heritage with this annual festival of all things Scottish. This year’s festival will be extra special as 2011 marks the 75th anniversary of the ship’s maiden transatlantic voyage.

The program features parades, sheep-herding dogs, a Scottish Highland athletics competition, dart tournament, full pipe band and Highland dancing competitions, historical reenactments, firing demonstrations, as well as Scotch whisky tastings and authentic Scottish foods and ales.

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Bagpipe bands, whisky, Highland dancing, and sheep herding are a sampling of what awaits at the Queen Mary’s 18th annual Scottish Festival and Games on Feb. 18, 19 and 20 in Long Beach.

Built on the banks of the River Clyde in Scotland, the Queen Mary celebrates her Scottish heritage with this annual festival of all things Scottish. This year’s festival will be extra special as 2011 marks the 75th anniversary of the ship’s maiden transatlantic voyage.

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• the 14th Annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade
• followed by The Freedom Walk
• and the Veterans Day Festival with Craft and Vendors Fair

The Veterans Day Parade will head south down Atlantic Avenue at 10:00 a.m., led by 2010 Grand Marshals Clarence Bramley and “Rosie the Riveter.” Bramly is a World War II Veteran and Survivor of Bataan Death March. Rosies, many of whom lived in Long Beach and worked at local manufacturing plants, are being honored this year as a patriotic symbol and inspiring icon for women during World War II.

The popular parade, featuring military vehicles, ROTC groups, equestrians, drill teams and marching bands continues down Atlantic Avenue from Harding Street to 56th, where it makes a U turn and return again to the step off point at Houghton Park.

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The festival theme this year will be A Taste of World Cultures. It will include a main stage featuring cultural performances and speakers along with free samplings of various food selections from around the world. There will be information tables of community groups, arts and crafts for the children along with a continuous drum circle in the park. People are encouraged to bring their percussion or stringed instruments and join in.

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Photo by Jeremy Zawodny

In Southern California, more than 20 million people live within 50 miles of the Pacific Ocean. The Aquarium of the Pacific will explore and celebrate Southern California’s Urban Ocean with a new weekend festival that looks at human and wildlife uses of this amazing part of the world ocean. The event will include an art contest and exhibit, mural painting, poetry readings, music, food, and educational activities. There will also be a Poetry and Photography Boat Cruise on Saturday, September 11, 2010, and the Urban Ocean Boat Cruise on Sunday, September 12, 2010, for an additional cost. Each cruise will last approximately two to two and a half hours and will depart from dock #2, which is next to the Aquarium.

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Jazz Festival returns to Rainbow Lagoon this weekend.

The 23rd Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival begins tonight with Boney James, the Orginal Jazz Crusaders, and more. The Jazz Festival takes place August 13-15, 2010 at Rainbow Lagoon Park.

As with previous festivals, the three-day music extravaganza has a special theme and focus—Jazz Up Your Summer. The Jazz Festival showcases the exciting and evolving styles of Smooth and Straight Ahead Jazz, and Rhythm & Blues Music with a lineup that brings together some of the very best performers from the genre.

As one of the longest-running annual jazz festivals in Southern California, the Long Beach Jazz Festival offers something for everyone, from soulful party-vibe, smooth jazz grooves to more traditional jazz improvisation.

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The annual Greek Festival by the Sea, hosted by the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, returns to Long Beach September 4-6 with fun for the whole family.

The three-day cultural festival will also have a full carnival with rides and game booths for the kids, greek dancing and dance lessons, live music, specialty shops and more.

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The 14th Annual Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival – featuring 180 teams from around the world – will churn up the waters of Marine Stadium in Long Beach Saturday and Sunday, July 31-August 1.

Each entry features 18-20 paddlers in brightly-decorated canoes with dragon heads and tails. The colorful boats race through the water while on-board drummers set the pace with the rhythm their traditional drums.

Races take place from 9 a.m. to approximately 5 p.m. each day. Download a race schedule here. Races are 500 meters long; sprint racers paddle a 250-meter course.

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Come on down to Long Beach for a day to taste, rock, relax and celebrate the latest tradition in great food. Long Beach’s first street food festival will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 24, at scenic Rainbow Lagoon Park on Shoreline Drive.

The Long Beach Street Food Festival will feature many of Southern California’s favorite gourmet food trucks, a beer garden and rockin’ entertainment!

A fusion of cuisine from kitchens worldwide will be available as a convoy of gourmet food trucks from all over the southland rolls to the Long Beach shoreline. Many of these trucks attract rock star followings, using social networking technologies to direct fans to their upcoming locations.

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In partnership with the Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA) and the offices off Council members Robert Garcia (First District) and Suja Lowenthal (Second District), the DLBA plans to double the size of this year’s festival with more parade participants and a festival area that will cover two city blocks.

“This event offers a fun and festive atmosphere for all to learn about and experience the best of Latin American culture,” said DLBA Board member and Event Chairperson, Hilda Sanchez. “Last year’s event was incredible and we look forward to working with our partners to expand and build upon that success.”

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Keb Mo will headline the KJazz Blues Bash over Labor Day weekend.

The popular Long Beach Blues Festival, which has taken place over Labor Day weekend for the last 30 years, will be on hiatus in 2010. Instead, KJazz has scheduled the Blues Bash. Set for Saturday, September 4, on the Cal State Long Beach campus, the KJazz Blues Bash will feature a free afternoon fair followed by a ticketed blues concert.

“We’re excited to keep the spirit of the Blues Festival,” said Stephanie Levine, KKJZ station manager. “It’s great to be back presenting a blues event at Cal State Long Beach, home of KJazz.”

Keb Mo Headlines the Blues Bash

The KJazz Blues Bash will begin at noon with a free admission family “street party” held in the plaza area adjacent to the Carpenter Center. Live performances by local musicians and food and beverages will be offered from noon until 6 p.m.

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With more than 20 churches involved, the Long Beach Gospel Fest has established itself as the premiere Gospel concert in the Los Angeles region. The day-long concert features Grammy Award-winning singers and musicians and last years’ music festival attracted more than 3,000 attendees.

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This year¹s Bayou Stage features Geno Delafose, T-Broussard, Mark St. Mary, and Lisa Haley, among others.

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Dr. Leavitt will be leading the combined choirs of the church at the 8 a.m. and 10:55 a.m. church worship services.

John Leavitt is a composer, conductor, teacher, and church musician, whose music continues to captivate listeners and musicians of all ages. An extraordinary composer and clinician for church and school music literature, Leavitt teaches, lectures and conducts numerous workshops, festivals and symposia.

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The mission of the Hope and Freedom Film Festival is to help create a society where all individuals have equal rights. Films from across California have been submitted and critiqued to guarantee an event that not only has aspects of entertainment, but also meaning.

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This year’s festival theme, “Turning the Tide” brings together businesses, government and individuals, to encourage open discussion and promote awareness.

The Long Beach Green Festival will include a whole day of eco-minded activities: Educational Sustainability Classes & Workshops; Visual Arts displays; live performing arts; public discussions; interactive informational and business booths; and the Saturday Organic Farmer’s Market.

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The free event will include over two dozen local entertainers, organizations and government entities that make up the “green” community in Long Beach and surrounding areas. These groups are active participants in environmental stewardship and are excited to share their practices with the public. This year’s street festival will be held in the East Village Arts District on 3rd St. and Long Beach Blvd. in Long Beach.

“This festival is created by a diverse group of people all sharing their limited resources to create something bigger themselves,” said Elliot Gonzalez, Green Long Beach! Festival coordinator. “If people were aware of local resources that are available, we could support the development of these resources.”

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Children can practice lassoing, make rope, punch tin, make a tortilla, or try freshly-baked bread from the horno and hand-churned butter. Festive decorations including cascarones and papel picado, as well as dance lessons and period music by Los Californios, will provide a taste of the fandango (ranch party).

Blacksmiths and leather toolers will demonstrate their skills. Living history performers including Father Serra and Lotta Crabtree will entertain throughout the afternoon, and there will be historic skits on traveling west by covered wagon. Guided tours of the historic adobe ranch house will highlight 1844 architectural features.

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The weekend of bike festivities will kick off with the Fixed Gear Festival in the East Village Arts District (1st Street between Elm and Linden) on Friday, May 7 from 6 to 11 p.m.

The festival, featuring live music, freestyle riders, tricks, track stand and skid competitions and Gold Sprints competitions on the main stage, will start with the return of the City Council Tricycle Race, pitting members of our City’s governing body against each other in a light-hearted one-lap race.

On Saturday, May 8, the Tour of Long Beach (www.touroflongbeach.com), a new component to this year’s event, invites amateur cyclists and bicycle enthusiasts of all skill levels to ride on a 4-mile Family Fun Ride or on a 30-mile open course along bike paths throughout the City.  

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The 4th Street corridor, between Junipero and Cherry Avenues, will be buzzing with activity, including a bike-themed film festival and independent film competition at the newly renovated Art Theatre, plus a music stage featuring local/national bands & deejays, performing artists, food and retail merchants, a wine and beer garden, and much more!

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Professional bicyclist, Tony Cruz, challenged pediatric patients, including Emily Sanchez, to a tricycle race at the Long Beach Bike Festival kick-off celebration.

In anticipation of the Long Beach Bike Festival in May, professional cyclist Tony Cruz and Mayor Bob Foster hosted a kick-off event outside of the new pavilion of Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach on March 24 to encourage community members to ride their bicycles.

Part of the Long Beach Bike Festival is the Tour of Long Beach, a 33.3-mile bike cruise on May 8 that will take riders through neighborhoods, along the coastline and near popular tourist attractions. The riders will get to experience the best sights that Long Beach has to offer.

Mayor Foster encouraged the crowd to join him in riding the Tour of Long Beach, saying that it is going to be a “great event to get exercise and raise money for a good cause.”

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This year’s show will take place on September 12, 2010 from 9 a.m. to noon. and the Rodder’s are now accepting applications from interested owners.

The annual car show draws about 700 vehicles to Belmont Shore’s popular shopping district on 2nd Street. Much of the street is closed off for the day so the car loving can crowds can pass through and admire the vehicles.

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