Orizaba Park Neighborhood Celebration

The second annual "Hood Games" neighborhood summer kick-off celebration was held at Orizaba Park today in partnership with the West East-Side Community Association, Fourth District Councilmember Patrick O'Donnell, the Long Beach Neighborhood Services Bureau, the East Anaheim Street Business Alliance and the Long Beach Police Department. The free event was a big success with skateboarding, a DJ, arts & crafts, games and refreshments.

El Dorado Nature Center Artisan Craft Fair

I stopped by the El Dorado Nature Center Artisan Craft Fair today. I bought a necklace and browsed through booths with pottery, candles, totes, handbags and other great handmade items. The fair is held on the fourth Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and features crafts made by local artists.

"Upstream" Kicks Off Free Thursday Night Concerts

Mark your calendars for Thursday nights this summer for "Concerts in the Park." The free shows will be held at a different park each Thursday and offer an exciting variety of music from Latin Jazz, Pop, R&B, Rock and Soul. All shows start at 6 p.m. with the exception of the Elm Street Band show at 4 p.m. on August 1 at Whaley Park. Last night "Upstream" took the stage at Tanaka Park and entertained an appreciative audience. For the complete schedule, visit www.longbeach.gov/park/recreation/conmov/parkconcerts.asp.

Summer Park Programs for Youth

Summer is in full swing at Long Beach Parks. Free drop-in supervised "Fun Days" and Summer Day Camps are going on all over the City. Today the five and six year olds at El Dorado Park West played "Capture the Flag."

Rancho Los Alamitos Povuu’ngna Event

On Sunday, June 13 the Rancho Los Alamitos Historic site presented "Come Home to Povuu'nga." The Povuu'nga is the sacred place of emergence of the Gabrielino/Tongva people of the Los Angeles basin. Artists, dancers, storytellers and members of the Tongva communities engaged attendees with exhibits on California native foods and cultural materials, and ancestral storytelling, dance, music and games that evoked the spirit of Mother Earth. The fun afternoon was filled with sand painting, a live raptor exhibit and sample tastings of wiiwiish, chia seed and yucca blossom.

Children Today 2nd Annual 10K/5K Run/ Walk

Hundreds of supporters of Children Today, a non-profit organization that provides services to children and families experiencing homelessness, met at Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier on June 12 for the 2nd Annual 10K/5K Run Walk to raise money for the cause. The event is part of the Long Beach Sea Festival.

The Choral Creature Feature

On the afternoon of Sunday, June 6, the Long Beach Chorale, led by artistic director Eliza Rubenstein and accompanied by Bob Gunn, presented The Choral Creature Feature, a program of animal-themed music in the beautiful setting of Rancho Los Alamitos. The estimated 225 music-loving listeners picnicked in the shade of the giant Morton fig trees at one of Long Beach’s most exquisite historical venues. The atmosphere was casual and relaxing as children romped and rode the saddled wooden horse among the fig trees’ massive roots. The program, billed as being from the serious to the silly, included songs about cows, birds, cats, dogs, and even a hippopotamus.

Pacific Open Water Festival

Many of the “100 Days of Summer” in Long Beach will be filled Long Beach Sea Festival events. On June 4 and 6, the Pacific Open Water Festival and USA Open Water National Championships were held at Marine Stadium and featured the USA top long distance swimmers in both 5K and 10K championship events.

Long Beach saw its first beach soccer championships produced by Beach Soccer USA from May 28-30 at Alamitos Beach. Dozens of teams including the best youth and adult players from around the world and professional players from Senegal, Brazil and Portugal competed for a $4,000 purse. Spectators watched the exciting soccer and enjoyed live entertainment and food.

"Avatar" Kicks off "100 Days of Summer" in LB

Welcome to the “100 Days of Summer” blog. Throughout the next 100 days, I will post information about the “100 Days of Summer” campaign to encourage residents to “stay and play” in the City of Long Beach from Memorial Day to Labor Day. A new web site, http:www.100daysofsummer.org, produced by the Long Beach Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is a great source for free and low cost movies in parks and beaches, concerts, programs at El Dorado Nature Center and City historic sites, Long Beach Sea Festival event, and cooking classes at the Terrace Theater Plaza and Hotel Maya. The site will also remind you about ideas for spontaneous fun like biking, golf, tennis, kayaking, swimming, and free drop-in youth and teen programs.

On day 1 of 100, May 28, Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine screened the hit movie, “Avatar” at the El Dorado Regional Park Archery Range. There was a good-sized crowd for the first time LBPRM has screened a movie at this venue.