Jackie's South Bay Weekend Guide for Aug. 15

By Jackie Balestra

Did any of you attend FinFest last weekend in Hermosaritaville? It was a fun-filled couple of days with tons of great music and educational, shark-centric activities. I especially enjoyed the touch tanks and gigantic, monster shark that took up residence on Pier Avenue! The eleventh hour announcement that Jimmy Buffet would be playing sent the South Bay into a flurry of last minute plan changes; everybody wanted to be there! We were supposed to meet some friends that had arrived earlier in the day to set up camp. Threading our way around beach chairs, blankets, umbrellas and coolers, it felt like old hometown week – every ten feet we ran into friends and acquaintances. It was really too much fun and the concert was terrific – everyone knew the lyrics and sang along. BTW, we never did find those friends and happily hung out with other friends we ran into along the way!

The city of Manhattan Beach hosts the AVP Manhattan Beach Open presented by Smart. The largest volleyball tournament on the AVP tour, the event will take place Thursday, August 14 through Sunday, August 17. The Manhattan Beach Open is the largest qualifier on the tour in which amateurs are able to ‘place into’ the event through pre-qualifying rounds. General admission is free and limited VIP tickets are available for purchase. The Manhattan Beach Open takes place on the south side of the Manhattan Beach Pier. For additional information, visit the website at http://themanhattanbeachopen.com/. For ticket purchase, visit the AVP website at http://www.avp.com/tickets/.

The Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau host the annual Summer Sidewalk Sale in Downtown Hermosa Beach on Saturday, August 16 and Sunday, August 17 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event features live music, discounts and specials at local shops and restaurants in the Downtown area. Pick up specially priced merchandise at participating stores and celebrate the summer with seasonal menu items at local restaurants. On Sunday, when all the shopping is done, hang around for the Hermosa Beach Summer Concert starting at 4 p.m. featuring Lukas Nelson with guest Dust Bowl Revival at the Hermosa Beach Pier. For additional information, visit the website at http://www.hbchamber.net/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=348.

Admit it – you’ve always wanted to tango but had no idea where to start. Living Tango is offering a Beginner Argentine Tango Bootcamp on Sunday, August 17 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Hermosa Beach Community Center. This is a beginner friendly workshop and is perfect for folks with two left feet and no partner. Students will learn authentic Argentine tango basics in just 3 hours! The cost is $30 if you pre-register and $35 at the door. But wait – it gets better! If you mention South Bay by Jackie, you get a $10 discount!!! When the workshop is over, tango over to the Hermosa Beach Summer Concert Series right down the street! In the South Bay, the music never ends! To register, visit the website at http://LivingTango.com/tangoclasses. For additional information and questions, call Ilona Glinarsky at 310-621-0622. The Hermosa Beach Community Center is located at 710 Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach. The event will take place in Room 5.

Saint Rocke and LA Car Guy present the 2014 Hermosa Beach Summer Concert Series! The concerts take place Sundays in August from 4 to 8 p.m. on the south side of the Hermosa Beach Pier. This Sunday, August 17 features Lukas Nelson with guest Dust Bowl Revival. These concerts are some of the most popular events in the South Bay and the crowds number well into the thousands. Arrive early to claim a prime viewing spot! Visit the Hermosa Summer Concerts Facebook page for updates and event information at http://www.facebook.com/facebook#!/hermosasummerconcerts or the City of Hermosa Beach website at http://www.hermosabch.org/.

The Automobile Driving Museum presents the Beach Cities Swing Band the third Sunday of each month – that’s this Sunday, August 17. The 16 piece dance orchestra performs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. and showcases a different vocalist each month. The event features classic swing music, non-stop dancing, refreshments for purchase and all those fabulous vintage automobiles. Enjoy a night of dancing to great music from the masters – Benny Goodman, Glen Miller, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington – as well as additional tunes from the 20s to the present. Admission is $8 per person or $15 per couple and parking is free. Couples, singles and families are welcome! For additional information, visit the BCSB Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beach-Cities-Swing-Band/173489626034724. The Automobile Driving Museum is located at 610 Lairport Street in El Segundo. For additional information and a full schedule of events at the ADM, visit the website at http://www.automobiledrivingmuseum.org/.

If you have a special talent and are ready to take the stage, this is your chance to shine! The Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation presents the inaugural South Bay’s Got Talent. The Foundation is a long-time supporter of local artists and will feature them on one stage for a night of great entertainment. Auditions will be held September 8 and 9 at the Armstrong Theater with the main performance on Saturday, September 27. All genres of talent are accepted: music, dance, acting, variety, etc. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. The talent show is open to all residents of the South Bay which includes the Beach Cities (Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach), the Palos Verdes Peninsula, neighborhoods of the City of Los Angeles (Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, San Pedro and Wilmington), El Segundo and inland cities of the South Bay (Hawthorne, Inglewood, Gardena, Carson, Lawndale, Torrance and Lomita). To participate in South Bay’s Got Talent, please submit the audition form by August 18. For additional information and to download the audition form, please go to http://www.torrancearts.org. You may also contact the Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation office directly at (310) 378-8100 or email contest@torrancearts.org.

ShopLocal.us has announced the kick-off of their second annual Small Indie Business Grant program. Over the next two months, ShopLocal.com will be accepting submissions from small independent business owners in the South Bay who wish to highlight, in a 2-minute or less video, one thing that a grant award would be used for to contribute most to their success as a small business. If you are a small independent business owner – or you know a local business that may qualify, share this link or sign up at: http://www.shoplocal.us/grant/.

The Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce has come up with an appropriately awesome way to celebrate the end the summer – with the Backyard BBQ Opportunity Drawing! In an effort to end the season on the right note, the Chamber will provide the winner, and their guests, with everything they need for the hottest summer BBQ in the South Bay. The winner will receive all the essentials courtesy of contributing local businesses: Choura Events ($1000 in party rentals), VOX DJs (4 hours of DJ service), Grow: The Produce Shop (20lbs of tri-tip and 15 Bone-In 1-inch thick Pork Chops), and Goose Island Brewery (cases of beer); combined it’s over a $2500 value! Tickets are on sale for $20 each or 6 for $100 and can be purchased through the Manhattan Beach Chamber’s website at http://www.manhattanbeachchamber.com/. The winner will be announced on September 19, 2014. For more information, visit the website at http://www.manhattanbeachchamber.com/ or call 310.545.5313.

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

This morning on The South Bay Show – South Bay Spotlight, our guest was Chris Wolf, Executive and Artistic Director for the Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation. Chris told us all about the upcoming South Bay’s Got Talent show. Don’t worry, if you missed the program, you can listen to it here: http://southbaybyjackie.com/august-14-2014-chris-wolf-south-bays-got-talent/. Tune in every Thursday at 7 a.m. to keep up with what’s going down in the South Bay!

Tomorrow morning on The South Bay Show – Manhattan Beach 360, our guests will be Ryan Choura, of Choura Events, Jack Farmer of VOX DJs and Josh Harrison of GROW. They’ve partnered with the Manhattan Beach Chamber for the annual Summer Raffle event, The Backyard BBQ and will be providing the winner with all the essential for the BBQ of the summer! You can listen to tomorrow’s show here: http://southbaybyjackie.com/august-8-2014-mb-chamber-medical-service-partners/. Tune in every Friday for all the latest Chamber news and events!

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Have a fabulous South Bay weekend!

Jackie

http://www.southbaybyjackie.com