It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Manhattan Beach powered up the holiday lights on the Pier last night and Downtown hosted the annual Open House offering shoppers an opportunity to get a jump start on holiday shopping. There’s even more seasonal events happening over the next few weeks, so be sure to check in to find out what’s going on.
Plaza El Segundo welcomes the holiday season with the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Friday. The merriment commences at 3 p.m. with Radio Disney broadcasting live through 6:30 p.m. Henry DiCarlo of KTLA Channel 5 will emcee the event which will run through 9 p.m. The family friendly festivities will feature live music with performances by the International Children’s Choir of Long Beach and the El Segundo High School Chamber Choir and Middle School Choir. Complimentary horse-drawn hay rides will be offered to get everyone in the holiday spirit and costumed characters are sure to enchant the little ones. Santa Claus will light the Christmas tree at 7 p.m. in The Edge next to the Counter restaurant. El Segundo Mayor Carl Jacobson and other local dignitaries will be attending as well. Photos with Santa will be offered for $10 in the Pinkberry Lounge. Proceeds from Santa photos will benefit El Segundo High School. Plaza El Segundo is conveniently located on Sepulveda Boulevard just north of Rosecrans Avenue. For more information, visit the website.
The Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau host the annual Holiday Sidewalk Festival in Downtown Hermosa Beach on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Spend the afternoon discovering the many fine shops, restaurants and services this classic beach town has to offer. The event will feature live music, kid’s activities, special offers from local businesses and of course, a visit from the jolly, fat man himself, Santa Claus. As soon as you’ve crossed everyone off your shopping list, reward your expertly planned mission with dinner at one of the many fabulous area restaurants. For more information on this event, call 310-376-0951 or visit the website.
South Bay Galleria welcomes Santa for the 2012 holiday season with a special Santa’s Arrival event on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. This special holiday kick-off event will feature fun for the whole family including the first opportunity of the year for children to meet Santa! The first 500 children ages 2-10 will enjoy a free breakfast provided by McDonalds. Parents can reserve their child’s spot by calling 310-371-7546. The event will also feature free entertainment for children including balloon artists, face painters and more. In the spirit of the holidays, South Bay Galleria will be collecting non-perishable food items at the event to benefit Project:Needs, a local food pantry. Guests 13 and older who donate a food item will be entered for a chance to win a $100 Galleria gift card. Participating non-profits include: Project:Needs, Cheer for Children, Walk with Sally, The spcaLA and the Redondo Beach Dog Park. South Bay Galleria is located at 1815 Hawthorne Blvd. in Redondo Beach. The event takes place at the Food Court on Level 3. For more information, call 310-371-7546 or visit the website at SouthBayGalleria.com.
The Torrance Unified School District and the Torrance Transit system will generate a little holiday cheer this year with the Stuff-A-Bus program. The goal is to literally stuff a Torrance Transit bus with as many toys, gift certificates and cash as possible. The items will be given to Torrance families in need determined by the appropriate agencies. To help make a difference in the lives of less fortunate families this Holiday season, please donate to collection bins located at the City Hall West Annex Lobby (3031 Torrance Blvd.), the Civic Center Lobby (3330 Civic Center Drive) and the Torrance Community Credit Union Lobby (2377 Crenshaw Blvd.). On Nov. 23, a Torrance Transit bus will be parked at Del Amo Fashion Center for shoppers’ donations. It will be located along the front of the parking lot directly across from the main entrance of the outdoor Lifestyle Wing from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Del Amo Circle East between Fashion Way and West Carson Street. The deadline for donations is December 12 at 5 p.m.
If you’re tired of driving to the west side to get your foreign film fix, you should know about The South Bay Film Society. The South Bay Film Society was created to bring the best of new foreign and in 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. Visit the website at southbayfilmsociety.com.
If you’re a fan of live theater, make a point to check out what the Norris Center for the Performing Arts has scheduled for the 2012 -2013 season. Visit the website at norriscenter.com.
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, Joe and I discussed a couple of local events we attended recently and what’s on the agenda for the coming week. It’s all South Bay, all the time! Don’t worry—if you missed it, you can listen to it online.
The South Bay Show presents Preparing for Disaster in America. This very instructive program airs every Tuesday morning on Blog Talk Radio at 7 a.m. Our guest next Tuesday is Randy Roberson. Randy has been a world leader in disaster response and management for 15 years. In response to the need for immediate, emergency medical care and water purification that he has witnessed worldwide, Randy created the Doc-in-a-Box™, a 20-foot storage container converted into a fully deployment-ready, telemedicine-equipped medical clinic. 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
