Jackie's South Bay Weekend Guide for March 13, 2014

The South Bay has been experiencing some fabulous weather this week. Now might be a good time to use some of those vacation days and treat yourself to a South Bay Staycation. I’m just full of good ideas and plan on taking my own advice….by the time this Weekend Guide is delivered, I’ll be enjoying a spa day at Terranea!

Hermosa Beach celebrates all things Irish at the 20 Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 15. Sponsored by the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce, the parade begins at 11 a.m. at the staging area near City Hall on Valley Drive. The route makes a left onto Pier Avenue and ends at the corner of Hermosa Avenue and 10th street. The Wearing of the Green is a time-honored tradition. Don’t be surprised to find yourself savoring a pint of Guinness, singing Danny Boy and kissing perfect strangers. Ya gotta love the Irish. For more information, visit the website at http://www.hbchamber.net/news_events/st_patricks.aspx.

The Village Runner presents the annual St. Patrick’s Day 5K Run/Community Walk & Leprechaun Dash for the Gold on Sunday, March 16, beginning at 8 a.m. The race starts and ends at the Village Runner store in Riviera Village with the course taking participants along the Esplanade to Knob Hill and back. All participants will receive a St. Patrick’s Day Run t-shirt. There will also be chip timing, age division awards and cash prizes to the top three overall male and female runners in the 5K. Late registration begins at 6:30 a.m. This is a very popular local event so be sure to sign up early! To register, visit the website at http://villagerunner.com/. For additional information, call the race hotline at 310-531-8926310-531-8926. The Village Runner is located at 1811 Catalina Avenue in Redondo Beach.

The City of Torrance invites the community to celebrate the first signs of spring under the blooming cherry trees at the third annual Cherry Blossom Cultural Festival on Sunday, March 16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Columbia Park has over 110 cherry blossom trees which are a symbol of hope, virtue and new beginnings. As is traditional in Japan, the community is invited to bring blankets to sit on under the blossoms. Entertainment during the festival includes the Sampaguita Youth Dance Troupe performing traditional Pilipino works, Susan Mann’s Wahine Ilikea Dancers performing Polynesian dances, O-Edo Ichi-Za performing traditional Japanese fan dances and Myo’on Taiko drumming. Members of the Torrance Craftsmen’s Guild will exhibit and sell their artwork and food will be available for purchase. This free family festival will be held on the east side of Columbia Park at 4045 190th Street in Torrance, near the corner of 190th and Prairie. For additional information, call the Cultural Services Division, Community Services Department at (310) 618-2376(310) 618-2376(310) 618-2376(310) 618-2376 or visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TorranceCherryBlossom.

Chevron presents Family Day at El Segundo Museum of Art on Sunday, March 16. Meet up with friends or bring the whole family for a day of fun and artistic endeavors. Explore the current exhibit, Experience 09: SILENCE, take part in a family-friendly tour with an ESMoA Educator and create unique and abstract weavings using paper with guest artist, Eugenia Torre. Art making materials will be available for a range of ages and ability levels, including adults. As always, admission is FREE! The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Family Day activities will take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. For additional information, visit the website at http://www.ESMoA.org or call 424-277-1020424-277-1020. ESMoA is located at 208 Main Street in El Segundo.

A little over a year ago, Dominique’s Kitchen opened their doors and quickly became a favorite of discerning South Bay diners. In addition to the regular menu, nightly specials and ‘Best of” happy hour (Monday only!), Dominique and his team offer the occasional prix fixe supper. A Coq Au Vin Dinner is scheduled for March 25 and on April 22, a Winemaker Dinner featuring Summerland Winery. In appreciation of their loyal clientele, Dominique and Nora Liza Theval are giving away a $50 gift certificate. The certificate is redeemable at any time including special events. The raffle drawing is scheduled for Monday, March 24. To learn more about Dominique’s Kitchen and to make reservations, visit the website at http://dominiqueskitchen.com/ or call 424-247-9054424-247-9054. To enter the drawing, visit the Things to Do page on my website at http://southbaybyjackie.com/dominiques-kitchen-gift-cert-raffle-drawing-march-24-2014/2/. Dominique’s Kitchen is located at 522 South Pacific Coast Highway in Redondo Beach.

As always, check the calendar links and ‘Things to Do’ page on my website http://www.southbaybyjackie.com for details on these and other events throughout the South Bay.

On The South Bay Show – South Bay Spotlight this morning, our guest, Matt Bennett, gave us the lowdown on this weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Hermosa Beach. Don’t worry, if you missed it, you can listen to it here: http://southbaybyjackie.com/march-13-2014-matt-bennett-hb-st-patricks-day-parade/.

Tomorrow morning on The South Bay Show – Manhattan Beach Chamber Chat, our guest will be Liz Griggs. Liz sits on the Board of Directors for the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce and is Chair of the Manhattan Beach Economic Development Committee. Tomorrow we’ll be discussing how the EDC works with the Chamber on some of the initiatives they are currently working on within the City. You can listen to tomorrow’s show here: http://southbaybyjackie.com/march-14-2014-liz-griggs-mb-economic-development-committee-chair/.

And if you didn’t have a chance to listen to it yet, we celebrated our 100 episode of The South Bay Show – Preparing for Disaster in America program on Tuesday! Tune in here: http://southbaybyjackie.com/march-11-2014-preparing-for-disaster-in-america-100-episode/. Be sure to tune in each Friday for all the latest news and chamber events.

Have a fabulous South Bay weekend!

Jackie

http://www.southbaybyjackie.com