Has anyone noticed how crisp the air has been lately? It’s going to be a beautiful fall weekend here in the South Bay—and just in time for Halloween! The spookiest day of the year is still a week away but there are several events taking place between now and then to get you in an appropriately fiendish mood!
The 2012 annual ART90266 auction will be held at Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach on Thursday to raise money to send every second and third-grader in the Redondo Beach Unified School District—approximately 1,400 children—to the renowned Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Organized by LA25, a network of entrepreneurial South Bay professionals, the ART90266 fundraiser is a live auction of fine art, photography and mixed media by world-class artists from within and around the South Bay. The money raised will go to the Redondo Beach Educational Foundation, which will help arrange the excursions with the school district. Many of the ART90266 contributing artists have works displayed at prestigious national galleries, including LACMA, the New York Museum of Modern Art, The Smithsonian Institute’s National Portrait Gallery and the Houston Museum of Fine Art. For more information, visit the website at TheLA25.com/art90266.
The Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center presents The Pumpkin Funktion on Friday. Doors open at 7 p.m. with live performances by E40, Suga Free, Ill Camill and others with sounds provided by DJ B Hotta. Costumes are encouraged and food and beverages will be available along with free promo giveaways. Order tickets online at www.tix.phanteye.com or call 323-642-8711. Get your funk on just in time for Halloween. The Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center is located at 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd. in Redondo Beach.
Support local education and children with special needs by signing up for the annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk. This special walk will take place on Sunday, October 28 at 8:00 a.m. and goes from the Manhattan Beach Pier to the Hermosa Beach Pier and back. Participants can sign up all month long at South Bay Galleria and local Skechers stores. This walk is designed to raise awareness and money for organizations that benefit children throughout the greater South Bay area. These organizations include education foundations for Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Peninsula, El Segundo, Torrance, Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach, as well as The Friendship Circle organization. You can sign up now through Sunday. To learn more, visit SkechersFriendshipWalk.com.
The hottest, most contested race of the year takes place on Sunday in Manhattan Beach! The City of Manhattan Beach Parks & Recreation Department and the Downtown Business and Professional Association proudly present the 22nd Annual Pumpkin Race Festival from noon to 6 p.m. at the Manhattan Beach Pier. This national award-winning event is a favorite with locals and has been a Beach Cities tradition since 1990. Anyone can enter the race and Pumpkin Racecar kits are available for $20 at the Live Oak Park Tennis Office while supplies last. The race is fun, easy and free to enter! No registration is required and costumes are encouraged. Compete in single elimination Open Qualifying from noon to 4 p.m. for your chance to race in the Championship Finals beginning at 4 p.m. If you don’t feel the need for speed, there will be plenty of other activities including a Kid’s Costume Parade from 3 to 4 p.m. An awards ceremony takes place immediately following the finals with prizes awarded for Best of Show, Best Team Spirit, Best Crash and the coveted Championship Trophy. Then it’s time to sit back and enjoy a sunset concert. It’s time to grab your pit crew and put the pedal to the pumpkin. For more information, visit the website at pumpkinrace.com.
The Torrance Centennial Committee invites everyone to attend the Grand Finale of the Centennial Celebration that has been taking place over the last year. A Birthday Bash will be held on Sunday to mark the 100th birthday of the City of Torrance. The celebration will take place at Wilson Park located at 2300 Crenshaw Boulevard, just north of Sepulveda Boulevard, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event features something for everyone! The Main Stage will be located closest to Crenshaw Boulevard. Several bands will be performing throughout the day with a special appearance by American Idol semi-finalist Tim Urban. There will be a children’s activity area and free train rides. Softball competitions are scheduled between Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs and Police and Fire Departments. As the day draws to a close, there will be a release of 100 white doves to mark Torrance’s 100 years. The closing spectacular will feature the 21st Century Skydivers, a group of precision skydivers who will descend into the park. Picnicking space is available at the east end of the park and there will be an assortment of food trucks available throughout the day. For more information, visit the website at torrancecentennial.org/events/birthday-bash.
Halloween is next week and you don’t want to miss the annual Riviera Village Halloween Trick or Treat on Wednesday. This event has become a Redondo Beach tradition, attracting thousands of children each year to participate in a fun, safe, Halloween ritual. Catalina Avenue will be closed to traffic from Avenue I to Palos Verdes Boulevard to accommodate the trolling hoards. Music, face painting and other entertainment will be on tap throughout the Village and local shops will hand out candy and other treats from 5 to 9 p.m. For more formation, visit the website at rivieravillage.org/content/view/32/53/.
You may have noticed I’ve recently begun listing movie screenings presented by The South Bay Film Society on my website. The South Bay Film Society was created to bring the best of new foreign and independent films to the big screen in the South Bay. They screen films shortly after they play art house theaters in West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Pasadena and well before the films are available on DVD. They hold discussions after screenings and hope through these film events to foster connections and friendships between people in the South Bay interested in film and the arts. Tickets are now on sale for The Matchmaker, screening Nov. 14 and Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the AMC Rolling Hills Theater. Tickets are $9 and may be purchased through the website at southbayfilmsociety.com. So if you’re a fan of foreign and independent films and are tired of driving to the west side, you’ll want to visit the website to see what they've got lined up. These screenings are hugely popular and sell out quickly so don’t wait!
As always, check the calendar links and ‘Things to Do’ page on my website, southbaybyjackie.com, for details on these and other events throughout the South Bay.
On The South Bay Show this morning, we spoke with Andy DiGirgis, proprietor of Tapas & Vino restaurant in Redondo Beach. Don’t worry—if you missed it, you can listen to it online.
Tomorrow on The South Bay Show, we’ll debut our new Friday program which will feature bands and musicians currently playing at live music venues throughout the South Bay. Joe is keeping tomorrow’s guest a secret, so you’ll just have to tune in to find out. You can listen to the show online.
The South Bay Show presents Preparing for Disaster. This very instructive program now airs every Tuesday morning on Blog Talk Radio at 7 a.m. Our guest next Tuesday morning is Robert Jordan, a retired Major in the US Marine Corps and author of the best-selling book, Is America Safe? It will be an interesting and informative hour so tune in! You can listen to it live or at your leisure online.
Have a great South Bay weekend!
Jackie
