A recent article in the HB Independent newspaper said the prices for water may be going up. On my recent visit to Shipley Nature Center and an excellent lecture, “What Happened to the Pond?” by Juana Mueller, attendees sat in a shaded grove near the beautiful Redwoods and heard that we are sitting on an aquifer in Huntington Beach. Because of our fortunate position, our water prices and access to water is better than most cities in Southern California. But, our prices will go up in 2009, Mueller said. Why? Water levels are way down. Mueller and the Shipley Nature Center volunteers have watched the Shipley pond rise to record levels, then dwindle and disappear. Mueller explained that it took some research to find out why this was happening. Frequent talks with the Water District pros provided answers and much more. Mueller, a volunteer, and the non-profit org. board have set goals to inform and educate the public on the need for water conservation. As we sat and listened, we could look at a conservation garden which was planted as an example of what residents can do themselves to create drought resident gardens that replace grass. A special, popular event in the fall will help speed you toward getting your garden or lawn changed over before the water prices are due to spike in 2009. Native Plant Sale is one of Shipley’s annual events to help the public adjust to the changing environment in a pro-active manner.
Aaron Peirsol set swim world record in Beiijing Summer Olympic Games 2008
U.S. swimmer wins gold medal in backstroke has Huntington Beach connection.U.S. swimmer wins gold medal in backstroke has Huntington Beach connection. There’s one family with more than a passing interest in the swimming action this week at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Canadian natives and California residents Joe and Margaret (Burke) Morrison are the maternal grandparents of American multi-medallist swimmer Aaron Peirsol and the Morrisons are cheering on their 25-year-old grandson, who won gold in the men’s 100-metre backstroke, carving 0.35 seconds off his previous world record with a time of 52.54 seconds. Aaron won three gold medals in swimming events at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, and a silver medal in the 100-metre backstroke as a 17-year-old at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
According to grandfather Joe, Aaron seems to live in the water, whether he’s swimming or surfing. His father was an excellent swimmer and Aaron was on his father’s back swimming out in the ocean. So he was in the water from the time he was born really. He was born to it.
Headed to Huntington Beach in 1952, the family relocated to southern California from Canada. Aaron lived with his grandparents until after he started school, when he moved with his family to a nearby community. He now calls Austin, Tx., home and is building a residence in Costa Rica where he plans to pursue his other passion — surfing — first ignited in Huntington Beach. Called ‘Surf City’, a lot of people come to Huntington Beach just for surfing. Aaron holds the world record in the 100-metre backstroke and shares the record in the 200-metre backstroke with fellow U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte.
Kids Klub at Bella Terra HB Mall offers weekly free shows for children in the amphitheater (courtyard) of the re-make mall.
Bella Terra Kids Klub is family fun for tots and moms, or dads, even! Get your little one out to the mall in the fresh air and outdoor seating venue for entertainment that’s lively and educational.
Every Monday (No Kids Klub Show on Sept. 1, in observance of Labor Day)
through Oct. 6, Time: 10:30 - 11:00 am
August 4
Singer Dan Crow
Celebrate Summer with one of the best singers for kids around!
August 11
Russian Circus
Tim and Boris return to Bella Terra with a circus tent-full of fun!
August 18
Singer Ken Frawley
Rock out this summer with this audience participation sing-along show.
August 25
Magician Stoil Stoilov
One of our most popular shows - Stoil creates magic with help from our audience.
Next Kids Klub Show - Monday, Sept. 8th * 10:30 am
Call 714-897-2534, bellaterra-hb.com
If the sounds of cannons booming isn’t enough to rock you, then your summer of fun in Huntington Beach is going to get a lot more interesting come Labor Day 2008. For the finale to the summer of fun, the city of Huntington Beach will host several events that are sure to make your day, baby. Start your Labor Day morning with the Boardfest on the beach. Formely a girlie-girl event known as Hello Kitty Boardfest, this board bash has gone coed, its planners announced recently. Beauty and brawn collash on the snow banks and rails as trucked in snow sets the stage for a Mountain High winter to come. Concerts, giveaways, games, contests, and lots of activities for the tweens is on tap. If the beach doesn’t move you, head over to Central Park for the Civil War Days. Costumed re-enactors wander the grounds of a place transformed into encampments with a battlefield where the North and the South fight it out for claim to the USA. The weekend event features four battles, each with a different strategy, and each with canon fire. The planners suggest you leave the dogs at home because the thunderous roar can spook their favorite walking park. Where to take the pooches? If you can find parking on the busiest weekend of the year, head over to Dog Beach on PCH between Seapoint and Golden West Streets to let your best friend romp in the water and chase balls. Huntington Beach locals know the summer doesn’t end in August. The weather generally gets hotter before things really cool down a few months later.
We spoke to the beach patrol police yesterday that ride the quads. Four HB police officers were fueling up at George’s Mexican Restaurant before heading over to the US Open of Surfing. What were their comments about the day? It was going to be busy. Next, I spoke to the frontline of beach catering and concessions…Zacks. What was going on? Massive lines of people (which is fine), but lots of zombies, someone in the background yelled out. Don’t think they worked there, however. Having gone to the US Open on Saturday, and previous final Sunday shows, I do know that the Surf City marketing is taking hold. I continue to predict that the numbers assigned to visitor attendance for this event are topping over 500,000, and are not being tallied to the fullest. What’s the lesson from such an event where beach parking fills up by 11 a.m.? Do these masses of people add money to the coffers of HB, or do they merely take up zombie space as teens and youth who are coming for the beach camps with the free beach babysitting and permission to run wild? A good marketing study should be in order to begin examining the cash value of special events and while I truly enjoy the mania of this once-a-year madness, as a taxpayer I can only hope the gridlock and expense of resources such as police, fire and lifeguards are well worth the investment. Without this type of event where folks don’t tend to spend much cash, what would you have in its place?
This is the time of year the HB Locals clamor for more of the Big Wednesday events. Sarah Long at Duke’s Huntington Beach (I used to work with Sarah at HBCVB-what a sweetheart!), has put together this year’s Big Wednesday line-up at the restaurant near the pier. It’s the best view restaurant in the city of Huntington Beach, actually. Sarah has the world famous Robert August lined up to pour cocktails. Prizes, lifestyle activities, raffles and music are all part of the entertainment at Duke’s Barefoot Bar. They used to have Corky Carroll singing there but I think Corky may have given it up. If you can’t make it, the event will return next Wednesday. This week’s event funds go to Garry Brown, another guy who I used to work with on the board of the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau. Garry’s a super nice guy and his CoastKeeper group promotes ecological, ocean & environment causes.
As always, we’re in stitches during the best deal in all HB, Big Wednesday Surf Cit Comedy Club at Martini Blues. If you’ve never been, you’ll find it hard to imagine they can do this show for free. Top comedians come down from L.A. to perform. This week’s line up has a couple top acts. Then also this Wednesday, stroll over to the Sugar Shack for Kai Weisser’s Lifeguard photo essay book signing. He and his wife will be at Sugar Shack for breakfast. The book costs around $20. Kai is passionate about lifeguarding, as he retired from the Huntington Beach Lifeguard division. He actually sent me a Rip Current poster I’ve been seeking. He has a few appearances upcoming if you miss Sugar Shack.
We posted some sad news stuff that came our way. Marcy, owner of Big Belly Deli that we’ve seen HB locals dining and hanging out at (including the Ali boys who run Zack’s), has lost her young brother-in-law to a heart attack. It happened unexpectedly, and the handsome, loving man left a young wife and two small children behind. A fundraiser will be held at Big Belly Deli to raise funds for the family. Please go or pitch in if you feel it in your heart to do so. The information is on the right-hand column green side panel.
Among our media queries today was discussion with Richard Derk, a travel editor for the Los Angeles Times. I used to be such a fan of Derk back when I worked on a Chicago newspaper and Derk worked there, as well. He is truly a visionary. And he contacted me to purchase my work for a California destination piece. I told him it was an honor to hear from him, not because he was offering to pay (unlike his online counterparts who ask “community contributors” to work for free in the web 2.0 environment), but because it gave me a chance to compliment him on his photography. His work was a source of inspiration when I was just carving my path as a journalist.
As the volleyball AVP Crocs beach event ended, the crowd attendance was pretty low for this event. People just don’t want to pay $20 to watch volleyball…sorry to say, but it’s true. Back when they let everyone in for free, the event was extremely well attended. But frankly, for all the stands and effort to set-up, we’ve never seen the crowds so small. Not even crowds, really. If I were the sponsors such as the liquor company (Cuervo) I would question coming back to Huntington Beach. Speaking of sponsors, I get press releases from a group called Media Ops, or something to that effect. They offered me a free sampling of 1800 Select Silver Tequila a week ago. I said I’d try this special blend and do a report on it. Well, guess what? The liquor was ALL Gone! I joked with the guy out of New York that they must have had it for a Cinco de Mayo party. If I ever get a bottle shipped to me, it is my obligation to sample it and report on its qualities. It says it is 100% Agave. 100 Proof. Sounds OK. Retails for around $35 per bottle.
Flash from the Past Car Show on the Weekend got hot coverage from Chris, a former HB High School District grad who was thanked by the event planners for his extensive coverage. His work is great. Chris keeps us abreast of HB Happenings. Today he did the power walk with the HB Chamber walk group at Central Park. It was led by Mike Grummett who was instructed by the Chamber’s fearless leader, Joyce Riddell, to get each participant to sign a waiver. Mike Grummett is a comedian of sorts. He’s pretty talented at delivering jokes, and on our Chamber trip to China a few years ago, he kept me in stitches. Not everyone laughed, but I thought his dry sense of humor was refreshing. Another power walker, Anita Brace, one of the city’s best tax preparers and consultants, has finished the tax season gleefully and is out walking at Surf City Nights with a group of ladies. I promised I’d get off my duff and go with them but there’s always some excuse. They wander past the Surf City Nights fruit and vegetable stands to shop a little. And Connie Pedenko, who runs Surf City Nights, just won an award with the city for this event’s success. Nevertheless, they still need sponsors. Look for Chili at the Beach upcoming in June. The press release and flyer is posted on www.HBDOWNTOWN.com. If you think there’s not a lot going on in HB, then read this column. We’ll get you up to speed.
Maria Menounos, a former beauty pageant contestant and now field reporter for a Hollywood gossip tv show, Access Hollywood, hopes to qualify for a position in the Huntington Beach AVP Crocs Cuervo Gold Crown Open this weekend in HB. This is the beautiful Greek woman with long dark hair, big brown eyes, and an award-winning figure to rock men off their feet. She’s a total show-stopper in a bikini, according to the adoring male fans who have written columns and blog notes about her on the internet, stating in naughty language that they’d like to be her love interest, if for only a day (and if their girlfriends and wives would allow them the pleasure. ) Model/Actress and entertainment correspondent Maria Menounos will attempt to qualify for the AVP Cuervo Gold Crown. Menounos hopes her athleticism coupled with her 5′ 9″ stature will enable her to experience the same success on the beach volleyball court that she’s had in front of the camera. All eyes are on the prize in this heated competition.
Huell Howser came to HB. Rumors that a deal was struck between HBCVB and Newport Beach CVB to pay for Huell Howser to do one of his episodes locally (you don’t think he does these with public PBS funding, do you?) may have been realized when Huell showed up, fresh from his Palm Springs abode to check out the Shipley Nature Center, among various highlights of the city. Hitting all of HB’s hot spots, he met with Shipley Nature Center staff, Visitors Bureau Chairman of the Board Shirley Dettloff, and a large cast of characters. Huell is known for his PBS series, California Gold, and other films and videos his production company produces and runs on PBS. A proponent for gay issues in Palm Springs where Howser resides, the Tennessee native is especially recognized for his Southern drawl and friendly presence reaching “every man” with his interviews that are simple to understand and popular in school curricula.
For those who are just getting off the sugar high from all the chocolates and wine supplied at the Taste of Huntington Beach last Saturday, you don’t have to let the good times end. Luggatti’s in downtown Huntington Beach will be featuring the wines of Napa Valley’s Silverado in a five course meal April 28. Reservations required.
Food is plentiful but the you really should get out there and wear it off. Saturday in Central Park you can take a stroll through the Spring Festival grounds of Shipley Nature Center to do just that. Musical acts are hot this week. Saxophonist Marion Meadows will perform in the smooth jazz style at Central Library Theater Saturday night, while on Sunday, rock it with Billy Blastoff & The Surf Rockets, The Insect Surfers and Boardwalkers. This concert is free at the Surfing Museum. These are just a few highlights of another ordinary April in Huntington Beach, Calif. Get out and live it!
About the photo above: Dogs are not allowed at the wetlands, contrary to the image shown above. People actually bring pets there, unaware. They somehow wander past the “NO PETS” sign. Do not take pets to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, please!
There are over 50 events and activities in Huntington Beach this weekend of April 19 -20, 2008. Get out and boogie! The weekend approaches in Huntington Beach and there’s a whole new crop of green events to celebrate not only Earth Day, but also Arbor Day. Jean Nagy will be out planting trees in Gibbs Butterfly Park. A nasty beatle got into the Eucalyptus grove and chomped away and ate up nearly half the forest. It’s looking pretty baren now, so if you can go over and lend a hand, Jean always likes help. Bring gloves and shovels.
While some will be planting, cleaning beaches and wetlands (there’s always a poop scoop cleanup going on at Dog Beach), others will be feasting on the Taste of Huntington Beach Restaurants. Put together mostly by Ron McLin, manager of Longboard Pub in downtown HB, this guy is amazing at how he can rally the local restaurants to participate for the fundraiser. Proceeds go to Central Library, a fitting place for the new HB Taste of event location, HB Sports Complex. We wondered how long the Hyatt Resort would support this event. It was one of the messier events as people crammed into the ballroom space and overflowed into the patios, drinking dining with samples and spilling all over the carpets. There surely must have been a huge cleanup effort after each of these events generously hosted there the past several years. In the new outdoor venue, they can hose the place down.
Launching the Surfin Sundays concert series at the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum is Surftones. Also premiering will be two art exhibits at the museum. One features Jan & Dean and the other, the original art of surfer Celine Chat. Dean Torrence fans will get to see the musician, who will make a guest appearance in between his gigs. We’ve noticed he and his band (he’s a local HB guy) will be playing around the globe upcoming.
When we write articles about Huntington Beach, we generally state there are no theme parks or major attractions except for one–the beach. The beach is the heart of events activities during the summer months. Upcoming at the beach is the AVP Pro Beach Volley Ball tournament May 2 - 4, 2008. A trend last year and this year, however, is the beach events such as the recent NPPL Paintball tournament charged fees (ticket required) to see the main arena games. And now the AVP announces it is charging, as well. It began doing so last year (2007), when it threatened to end its appearance in Huntington Beach because it was not allowed to charge. There must be a way that these groups are skirting the coastal regulations for charging for events on public beaches. If this trend continues, the events that impact the beaches and require city resources will feed back into the coffers of interested parties, but will not serve the public’s needs for access to these public beaches.
Earth Day has become a national celebration and thanks to some great PR, the events range from wine tasting and food sampling to beach clean-ups, the majority of events in Huntington Beach. We called Simple Green, a Huntington Beach-based green products company making cleansers and ecology-friendly items, and asked them what their sponsorship and involvment would be this year. Surprisingly, their PR person said they are not participating in a Huntington Beach clean up program. In past years they have brought out their huge inflatable Egbar, contributed trash bags, and awarded prizes for community teams. Simple Green spokesperson stated that they will be involved in an Earth Day project in a Southern California city.
What’s happening on this Earth Day 2008 or the weeks surrounding it are clean-ups that normally occur in Huntington Beach, California. With several wetlands nonprofit organizations and another dedicated to the Central Park Nature Center stewardship, clean-ups and volunteerism are regular, ongoing efforts. If you would like to be involved in these groups and their good deeds, volunteering doesn’t require a long-term commitment. It is possible to lend a hand for just a day.
While Valentine’s Day is nearly booked on the Sunset Gondola, you can still impress your date with a cruise before or after that special day, February 14, 2007. You can make it special with the little extras. The Gondola departs daily from Peter’s Landing in Huntington Beach where in the words of world class gondolier, Tyson, “It’s who you are with that really counts.” Book a Gondola Cruise
Walter Trout - Blues Artist Supreme. World famous blues guitarist Walter Trout seldom makes it to Huntington Beach (only once or twice a year). In one of his rare U.S. performances, he’ll perform at Perqs Bar in downtown Huntington Beach. It’s always a sell out! Walter Trout and the Free Radicals at Perqs, 21+, ID, cover. 117 Main Street, Huntington Beach, CA. Call: (714) 960-9996. Call for details about next appearance.
The Gallery HB is hosting a book-signing event for the new release Tinker’s Tails with author Peggy Howell, Toreen West as the signature artist, and Dean Torrence (Jan & Dean), contributor. Peggy will also read selected stories and introduce the audience to “pawcasso” whereby dogs will participate in a paw signing. The event is scheduled from 11:30 – 2:00 on Sunday, January 21, 2007 at Park Bench Café, 17732 Goldenwest Street , Huntington Beach , CA . Food and beverages will be served. The public is invited to attend. Cost: Free admission, books sold at event. For more information, please call the Gallery HB at (714) 845-4835.
The Gallery HB at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa releases the first edition of The Tales of Tinker’s Tails© at this book signing event as a way of giving back to the community. Book sales will benefit The Boys & Girls Clubs locally. Children, and dog and cat fanciers can mingle with the author and artists, including special guest, Dean Torrence of the famous 60’s band, Jan & Dean, who designed the book’s cover. Published by Painted Paw Press, the book offers both children and adults a creative way to encounter fine art, one that engages the eyes and entertains the imagination. A collection of sixty tales teach children a love for reading, appreciation of fine art and respect for animals. The Gallery HB is located at 21500 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach.