The dance will take place Sunday, Febuary 12, 2012, from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at the expansive, carpeted community hall of Bay Shore Church on The Toledo (@ Nieto Ave.) in Belmont Shore. Rudd says more than $1,500 is expected to be raised from ticket sales for C.A.T.

Read the rest of Justin Rudd Hosts Annual Long Beach Father/Daughter Dance Sunday

The Grand Marshall is Gene Rotondo, the President of the Belmont Shore Business Association for the past 13 years and owner of Legends and the Port of LB will be our Business Grand Marshall celebrating 100 years. Rotondo is being honored for his contributions to the Belmont Shore Business Association and the POLB for their commitment to a Green Environment!

A celebrated holiday tradition, the parade features approximately 100 entries including marching bands, local personalities and dignitaries, floats representing Long Beach businesses and associations. Knott’s Berry Farm will be back with Snoopy and other characters!  Celebrities include: Kim Amadon of The Wave  (94.7) and the popular Disney star Daniel Curtis Lee, two Long Beach residents and of course bringing up the rear is Santa Claus himself.

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Read the rest of Citizen’s Call Leads to Arrest of Auto Burglary Suspects

Fiendishly fun events for Halloween in Long Beach!

Are you looking for tricks or treats? Halloween in Long Beach always has plenty of both. Whether you want to dance the night away at a costume ball or prefer more family-friendly entertainment, there are more than enough events to make adults and kids shriek with delight.

We’ve rounded up a list of terrifying Halloween events including Dark Harbor on the Queen Mary, costume contests for people and pups, Halloween festivals in Long Beach, and dramatic Halloween-themed performances from the symphony, HSLB and more.

We’ll add to the list as we find more fun things to do for Halloween in and around Long Beach.

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Photo by Kelly

On September 3, Belmont Olympic Pool will begin its annual maintenance closure for 2011. The facility is projected to be closed for three to four weeks, pending mechanical diagnostic testing and extent of repairs. Maintenance operation teams will review and treat the basic needs of the pool during this time, including painting interior walls, replacing ceiling and underwater lighting, cleaning carpeting, and replacing fixtures in restroom and showering facilities. The pool will also be drained in order to replace tiles and execute pressure tests.

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Suspect Dewayne Maris

The Long Beach Police Department has arrested a male subject in connection with three residential cat burglaries and it is believed that additional victims may exist.

Read the rest of Burglary Suspect Arrested Additional Victims Sought

Photo by Anchored by Flight

A multitude of teams are expected to bring out their inner child at the 79th annual “Great Sand Sculpture Contest” in Long Beach. On August 13th, Granada Beach in Belmont Shore will be hosting the 79th Great Sand Sculpture Contest. One of the signature events of Long Beach Sea Festival, the Contest has been attracting thousands of people from Southern California and beyond every summer to enjoy sculptures created by professionals and amateurs alike. It provides a great opportunity for businesses, non-profits, and community groups to have a friendly competition while raising awareness about their organization and cause.

Read the rest of Great Sand Sculpture Contest Returns Saturday

Singer-songwriter Raspin Stuwart performs a unique style of contemporary jazz that is filled with energy and soulfulness.

Head down to Belmont Shore to savor the flavor and sounds with live musical performance by Raspin Stuwart on Sunday, July 24th at Peet’s Coffee & Tea.

Eclectic song stylist Raspin Stuwart takes so many approaches in his song writing that critics have said, “his songs place a premium on intelligent lyricism, demonstrating a clear and almost writerly (as in print) sensitivity.”

Read the rest of Raspin Stuwart Performs Live at Peet’s Coffee & Tea Sunday July 24th

Read the rest of Community Action Team Celebrates 12-Year Anniversary of “30-Minute Beach Cleanup”

The Bike-Friendly Business Districts operate under the premise that businesses are looking for ways to reach and retain customers, and customers are looking for ways to shop, dine, and run errands as conveniently and pleasurably as possible.

Read the rest of County Grant Funds Bike Friendly Business Districts in Long Beach

Read the rest of Rotaract Long Beach Announces Beach Cleanup With Inner City Children

The décor is new and the service is friendly. There seems to be a good crowd here and I noticed the table next to us had brought their own wine in for corkage. We started off with the Spicy Mediterranean Fries that were seasoned and had feta crumbled on them. They were delicious and we could have used about a pound more. We also ordered the Chicken Shawarma Wrap which had a delicious garlic sauce and the Falafel Wrap with tahini sauce. Both were great, and the size was great, as they were not huge and easy to eat. The wraps come with your choice of Greek salad, hummus or fries, so we ordered the salad and hummus which did not disappoint.

Read the rest of Boubouffe Mediterannean Grille: Something New on 2nd St.

Read the rest of Everyone loves a Christmas Parade

At 5:45 a.m. early Thanksgiving morning, Long Beach Fire units were called to 264 Covina Avenue where fire crew members found thick smoke and fire pouring out of the second story window of a four-plex. Heavy black smoke was also seen rapidly coming out of the attic vents throughout the roof.

Once the fire was extinguished in the kitchen, efforts then turned to the attic area above. While ventilating the structure, the roof deck collapsed causing a firefighter to fall into the attic space below. The firefighter was quickly rescued and, fortunately, without injury.

A primary search located two cats that were overcome by smoke inhalation. Even with the use of specialized animal masks, resuscitation efforts were not successful.

The resident of the burned unit was not home at the time of the fire. An elderly female in an adjacent unit was examined by paramedics and did not require hospitalization.

The LBFD Arson Units are currently conducting an investigation into the cause of this blaze. Nineteen fire personnel worked at the scene with assistance from units from the Long Beach Gas Department, Animal Control, and Southern California Edison. The fire occurred in the 3rd Council District.

North Long Beach Fire Displaces 5 Residents

On Thanksgiving Day at around 6:00 pm, units from the Long Beach Fire Department responded to a house fire at 2408 E. 64th Street. The blaze was called into LBFD by a passerby, who stated that they could see lots of smoke coming out of the home. 

Within minutes, Engine 12 arrived on scene and saw heavy black smoke coming from the two-story house. Firefighters quickly charged their hose-line and forced entry through the front door. Because of an aggressive interior attack they quickly located the seat of the fire and extinguished the blaze before further damage could take place.

Fortunately, the occupants weren’t home when the fire ignited and no one was injured. However, five people were displaced from their home until repairs can be made.

Twenty-one fire department personnel were on the scene of 9th District fire. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Photo by Calvin Fleming

Garcia, Community Leaders to Hold Vigil in Memory of LGBT Teen Suicides Participants Wearing Purple to Meet at Ocean and Granada, today, Wednesday, at 5:30 pm.

In remembrance of the teenagers who recently took their own lives after being bullied, harassed or humiliated about their sexual orientation, Councilmember Robert Garcia and other community leaders will hold a vigil this evening, Wednesday, October 20, 2010 in Belmont Shore.

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Yve and Armando Hart

On Saturday September 11, 2010, Alfredo’s Beach Club, the dynamic Long Beach couple Yve and Armando Hart of Drum for Love debut Portal, will host an all day celebration and interactive experience of art, dance, music, ceremony and “hands on” participation, Portal will commemorate 9/11 with a timeless celebration to catapult us into a deeper sense of community.

On the ninth anniversary of 9/11 Yve, Armando and the Drum for Love community invite you to join them as they usher in a paradigm shift from duality to oneness honoring how 9/11 made clear that our differences were momentarily unimportant.

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Read the rest of Long Beach Indian: How Is It So Good? Part 1

Read the rest of BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse: Small Bites Hit The Spot

Photo by anchoredbyflight

The 77th Annual Great Sand Sculpture Contest – one of the oldest of its kind in the U.S. – will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 14-15, at Granada Beach near the launch ramp.

The contest features prizes in multiple categories, from kids under 12 to “masters,” as well as a corporate challenge that includes competition between local restaurants, city departments and other businesses.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. each day, with public viewing of the finished sculptures from 2-4 p.m. and a 4 pm. Awards ceremony. Admission to watch the contest, a 2010 Long Beach Sea Festival event, is free to the public.

Read the rest of Granada Beach to Host Great Sand Castle, Sculpture Contest

“I have been looking forward to the installation of the solar trash bins here in Belmont Shore,” said 3rd District Councilmember Gary DeLong.  ”I am pleased our City, the Belmont Shore Business Association, the Belmont Shore Parking and Business Improvement Area Advisory Commission and the distributor WAXIE have partnered to bring this technology to our City.”

These solar trash bins harness the power of the sun in an effort aimed at slashing waste, costs and greenhouse gases.  The containers have the same blueprint as regular trash cans but can compact about 150 gallons of trash and compact the material into a 32-gallon bin, squeezing the trash into just 20 percent of its normal volume and operating entirely on solar energy.  In addition, these bins come side by side with bottle, can and paper recycling units to increase recycling rates and boost conservation.

Read the rest of Long Beach’s Second Solar Trash Bin Debuts on Second Street

Oh Southern California, how I love thee. Let me count the ways. It is these summer nights which bring us all out from our homes to walk, socialize and enjoy the long dusky evenings.  With no idea of what we were about to find, my husband and I ventured to Second Street to grab some grub and get the blood flowing a little bit on a Wednesday night. After all, he has to walk and feed the pregnant girl!

Read the rest of Stroll & Savor Second Street: Tonight’s Hot Spot

2nd District Councilmember Suja Lowenthal talks with Keith Schneringer, Marketing Manager of WAXIE Sanitary Supply, at the installation ceremony for the Big Belly Solar Compactor on Pine Avenue.

After being approved by the City Council last December, Long Beach’s first solar trash cans debuted at an installation ceremony on Wednesday. Three solar trash cans—installed in Downtown Long Beach, Belmont Shore and Bixby Knolls—are part of a pilot project that will last six months.

“I am pleased our City, the Downtown Long Beach Associates and the distributor WAXIE have partnered to bring these bins to our City,” said 2nd District Councilmember Suja Lowenthal. “These solar trash bins are an innovative and sustainable approach to collecting trash and increasing recycling in the Downtown.”

Trash Bins Promise Solar-Powered Savings

The solar-powered bins are both a trash compactor and collection unit which squeezes refuse to just 20 percent of its normal volume. The containers, which have the same blueprint as regular trash cans but can compact about 150 gallons of trash into a 32-gallon bin, are expected to reduce costs by requiring fewer trash collections and maintenance.

In addition to reducing waste and greenhouse gases, the solar trash bins will increase recycling rates and boost conservation efforts throughout Long Beach. The bins come side-by-side with recycling units to collect bottle, can and paper for recycling.

Read the rest of Collect, Compact, Recycle: Solar trash cans debut in Long Beach

Read the rest of The water is the stage for LBO production of Orpheus & Euridice

Long Beach Bikeway Route 4 can be a frenetic, overwhelming, edgy ride depending on the day and time you are traveling it. Weekends and rush hour are still heavily trafficked periods. Early morning and midday being the most enjoyable times to ride through.

For those unfamiliar with the route, beware that the beginning and end of this route have no official signs indicating such. Also, at its eastern terminus near Long Beach Bikeway Route 1, the signs there are confusing with arrows below the Route 4 sign indicating “to Seal Beach”, followed by Route 2 signs that seemed to indicate a change in route or direction.

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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.

Read the rest of Bay City Rodders accepting entries for Belmont Shore Car Show