Hermosa Fiesta Ends The Summer
Blog, Community News, Events, Hermosa Beach News | Dunham Stewart
This Labor Day weekend closes out Fiesta Hermosa’s 40th year as an event that helped make this beach town famous as a festive place to take in the surf and sun and showcase what living along the coast is all about. Since 1972, the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce has produced Fiesta Hermosa, the ”largest arts & crafts fair in Southern California”. Over 400 artists and crafters are featured, including painters, photographers, ceramicists, jewelers, sculptors, and handicrafters. This year’s organizers expect about 150,000 people throughout the weekend. Fairgoers rave about our Food Court, which offers 18 different kinds of ethnic food choices. Everything is delicious – from roasted corn to Thai, Greek, and Mexican food, to tri-tip sandwiches and barbequed sausages, to the Hermosa Beach Lifeguards’ famous fish tacos. In addition to the two stages of live music and a variety of food, there will also be The Kiddie Carnival, which features a 30-foot slide, rides and games for children less than 10 years old. There will also be a petting zoo, pony rides and face painters. Fiesta runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. all three days. Free shuttle bus service will run daily from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. from the Northrop Grumman parking lot on Aviation Boulevard about two blocks north of Marine Avenue in Manhattan Beach. Hermosa Cyclery’s bike valet will be open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. each day south of the Hermosa Beach Pier. The Los Angeles Kings Ice Crew will also make an appearance on Monday, Sept. 3, from noon to 5 p.m. at Fiesta Hermosa. For more information, visit www.hbchamber.net.
Summer is almost over, so take advantage of the gorgeous weather and enjoy a night with your neighbors, friends, and family. Hermosa Beach Friends of the Parks presents the animated flick “The Smurfs” Saturday, August 24th, at Hermosa Valley Park,Valley Drive at Gould, as part of the Movies in the Park series. Venue opens 4 p.m., the movie starts at dark. Popcorn and hot dogs will be available. No pets or alcohol, a $5 donation is suggested for everyone 4 and older; blankets and beach chairs are encouraged, but no high-backed chairs. Proceeds benefit Friends of the Parks, which makes improvements to Hermosa parks.
The skate park is located next door to Hope Chapel, at Pacific Coast Highway and Artesia Boulevard. The building that once housed an Albertsons grocery store. Hope Chapel runs the park at no charge to the kids. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday night the “Hope Chapel Skate Church” provides junior high and high school kids street style features like fly boxes, quarter pipes and seven-stair, and parallel ledges. This is a far cry from the typical hassle of having to jump fences at local high schools and dodge security guards to ollie a ten-stair. The parks success can be measured not only by its popularity with skaters, but also by the impact it has had on Hope Chapel’s mission to provide a positive direction for local kids. Check out photos, video and get all the details at 
Good news for coastal residents of the South Bay. Living on the coast might come with the added benefit of better health, or so say researchers. A study released this month by the University of Exeter, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry. Researchers compared those who reported their conditions as “good” – as opposed to “fairly good” or not good” – with their proximity to the coast, and determined people were on average more likely to have good health the closer they lived to the sea. More sophisticated studies will be needed to try to unravel the reasons that may explain why there is a positive effect. There is a current in-depth analysis of the being conducted as part of the 
Summertime and live music go hand in hand here in the South Bay, and this year all of the Beach Cities are offering a full music calendar! Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach each have an independent concert series of their own. Each city offers their 2012 concerts for FREE. You can choose between a Neil Diamond cover band, Hawaiian ukuleles or anything in between. The Hermosa Beach concert series begins this weekend, each concert begins at 5:30 PM and continues until sunset on the south side of the Hermosa Beach pier. The selected bands are currently popular with top-selling CDs and high-volume downloads from the iTunes store. Last year’s lineup included The Mother Hips, often described as “California Soul; Tribal Seeds- upbeat reggae/pop; and The English Beat.
Professional beach volleyball returns to the South Bay when the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series hosts the Hermosa Beach Open, Friday through Sunday, north of the Hermosa Beach Pier. Thirty-two men’s and 32 women’s teams will compete for a piece of the $100,000 prize purse beginning with qualifying rounds held on Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Every Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series event is free to the public and the Hermosa Open semifinals and finals can be seen live by visiting . 
The South Bay offers a wide assortment of summer concert choices and venues. There are concerts in the park, concerts on the pier, concerts in the cove and what would the South Bay be without concerts on the beach? The Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau is proud to sponsor the 
City officials have noticed an uptick in new condominium projects in Hermosa Beach this year, continuing a trend that began in Manhattan Beach. Community Development Director Ken Robertson said his office has received six applications this year for condo projects, which range between two and four units. In 2009 and 2011, the city received just two applications for multi-unit condo projects. After having no condo projects in 2009, the city of Manhattan Beach approved a total of five in 2010 and 2011. Although no applications have been filed so far this year, Manhattan Beach building officials, expects that to change in the second half of the year. The number of new single family homes being built continues to increase over the past three years, and permits for home remodeling and additions are increasing by 30 percent year-to-year since 2010. In Hermosa, the number of new single family homes approved went from 8 in 2010 to 19 in 2011, with five so far this year. When you see this volume of application in a short period like this it really shows that things in the residential construction or development market are changing, Generally this is an indicator that more speculative type of development is going on rather than custom home remodels or custom home building.
North End Bar & Grill in Hermosa Beach is the place for real Kings fans and also for real Kings players. They got a surprise in the early morning hours on Tuesday when Los Angeles Kings players stopped by to share the team’s first Stanely Cup. Owner John Courts told a reporter he had no idea Los Angeles Kings players would bring the Cup to his establishment to celebrate. The local bar is a favorite hangout for goalie Jonathan Quick and other players who decided a celebration at the venue was in order. The MVP brought the Cup and his trophy and placed it right on the bar. Thanks to 
The history of Hermosa Beach will now be clearly on display thanks to the “Waves of History” project. Waves of History: A Historical Walk through Hermosa Beach is a series of six tiles highlighting historically significant locations in Hermosa Beach. The tiles are located within walking distance of one another, so residents and visitors will be able to enjoy a leisurely walk to take in the sites and learn something about the city. There are six locations where Leadership Hermosa chose to install the tiles: The Bijou Theatre, Pier Avenue School, The First Bank of Hermosa, The Surf & Sand Beach Club, Hermosa Beach Courthouse/Jail and Clark Stadium. Leadership Hermosa worked in conjunction with the Hermosa Beach Historical Society to select the locations. The map will be available year-round at the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce. Additional information about Waves of History as well as a copy of the walking map and old photos of the Hermosa Beach historical sites is online at 
