Jackie's South Bay Weekend Guide

There are only a few days left of Hanukkah and Christmas is just around the corner. The last of the big holiday events are taking place this weekend so take some time to celebrate the season with family and friends the South Bay way!

The Automobile Driving Museum presents a special Holiday Hot Rod and Car Craft Cruise Night on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. The El Segundo Fire Department will be on site for the festivities and Santa Claus will be there checking out all the sweet rides! The event will benefit Spark of Love with a toy drive and it is requested that you bring an unwrapped toy valued at $10 or more. By all means, pull up in your classic vehicle! Who knows? Santa may need a lift! As always, there will be good food and great entertainment. The Automobile Driving Museum is located at 610 Lairport St. in El Segundo. For more information, visit the website.

Enjoy a free Holiday Concert on the Redondo Beach Pier on Saturday from 3-5 p.m. Presented by the Redondo Beach Pier Association, the concert features the surf rock band, High Tide. High Tide will be performing songs from the Billboard 100 award winning, Ventures Christmas Album. Sing along to Jingle Bell Rock, White Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Silver Bells and other holiday favorites! Santa will be in the house, so be sure to bring your list and be on your best behavior! The event also features the KROQ Street Team, Fuse Fitness Flash Mob, giveaways and surfing Santa photos. Attendees are asked to please bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Cheer for Children Charity Toy Drive. Holiday tunes performed by a surf rock band on the Pier overlooking the deep blue ... this is how the South Bay celebrates the season! The Pier offers free parking through December 28 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Redondo Beach Pier is located at 100 Fisherman’s Wharf in Redondo Beach. For more information, visit the website at redondopier.com.

The King Harbor Yacht Club presents the 21st Annual King Harbor Christmas Boat Parade on Saturday. This popular South Bay event gets under way at 5 p.m. in the main channel of King Harbor in Redondo Beach and is a longtime favorite of locals and visitors to the area. As always, the Body Glove yacht Disappearance will lead off the parade. This year, Disappearance plays host to a very special guest—Grand Marshall Bo Derek! Yes, that Bo Derek! This year’s theme is ‘A Christmas Wish’ and boats participating in the parade will be judged by vessel type in several different categories. Awards will be given for Best Costumes, Best Lighting, Best Animation, Best Execution of Theme, Best in Fleet and the Overall Winner. The lucky winners in each category will have an opportunity to have their picture taken with Ms. Derek. If you plan to observe from shore, you can do so from any number of vantage points in King Harbor and several restaurants with harbor views.

So if you plan to go to the Holiday Concert on the Pier, you should plan on staying for the Christmas Boat Parade. Better yet, extend the evening and have dinner while you’re down there! Head to Kincaid’s, The Chart House, Samba, Ruby’s, Baleen or one of the many other area restaurants.

Select Beer Store Bottle Shop and Tap room will be hosting a Beer & Cheese event on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. This epicurean adventure will feature beers from The Bruery, located in Orange County, and all beers will be paired with artisanal cheeses expertly selected by Queso Beso. Select Beer Store and Tap Room is located at 1613 S. Pacific Coast Hwy. in Riviera Village in Redondo Beach. For more information, visit the website at selectbeerstore.com or call 310-540-1221.

The one and only Mario Martinoli has landed in Riviera Village with his new Dolce Vita Café and he’s brought along a time-honored family tradition! Mario has travelled the globe cooking and sharing food with people from all walks of life. For fifteen years, he invited family, friends and total strangers to break bread at his famous table. That table has hosted actors, teachers, politicians, doctors, plumbers, musicians and artists. Mario’s table is back and it’s right here in the South Bay. Mario’s Cooking for Friends Cooking Classes and Tastings will be offered throughout the month of December. Each class will be limited to 15 people and begins at 6 p.m. The classes run for 3 hours including dinner. The cost is $50 per person, per class. ‘Like’ them at  facebook.com/mariosdolcevitacafe and receive a $5 discount. Attendees will also receive a 10 percent discount coupon for the Catalina Cooking Store. To sign up for classes and additional information, call 310 844-7462 or visit the website at dolcevitacaferedondo.com.

Santa is making the rounds of the South Bay over the next couple of weeks. I’ve posted the tour schedules for Torrance, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes and Redondo Beach on my website: southbaybyjackie.com/ongoing-events.php. Santa has already completed his tour of Hermosa, and Redondo and Manhattan’s end tonight.

I’ve also posted various holiday observances happening around town, specifically Christmas Tree Lightings and Menorah Lightings. If you’d like to get out and spread good cheer, you can find the details here: southbaybyjackie.com/south-bay-holiday-observations-december.

On a personal note, South Bay by Jackie’ has been chosen as Total Wine & More’s Local Favorite for the month of December. I met with their wine expert at the Redondo Beach superstore for a wine tasting and chose a few vintages we’ll be recommending to consumers. A display with my choices will be featured in all Total Wine & More stores in Southern California during December so be sure to stop in and let me know what you think of my picks! You can read all about it on the Feature Stories’ page here: southbaybyjackie.com/feature-stories.php.

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 had a panel full of guests to discuss the King Harbor Yacht Club Christmas Boat Parade happening this Saturday. Don’t worry, if you missed it, you can listen to it online.

Have a great South Bay weekend!

Jackie

southbaybyjackie.com