South Redondo Beach News

The 32nd annual lighting of the Christmas tree and other holiday festivities will take place at the Redondo Beach Civic Center, located at 415 Diamond St., Tuesday, Dec. 4, beginning at 5 p.m. Sponsored by the Redondo Beach Beautification Committee, the event features special guest Rick Dickert, KTTV Fox 11 meteorologist and traffic reporter. Also on hand to perform will be the Redondo Beach High School MCJROTC, the RUHS Jazz Band, Alta Vista School Choir and the RUHS Choir. Other festivities include hot chocolate and Christmas cookies, face painting for children and a visit from Santa and Sparky. Bring unwrapped toys or gift cards for the non-profit group Cheer for Children. Parking is available in the Main Library parking garage.

Start your holiday celebrating in Riviera Village at the annual Holiday Stroll on Thursday, November 29th, from 6 to 10 pm. This wonderful collection of upscale shops will stay open late that night, offering fabulous finds and delectable treats to all. Santa will greet young revelers from 5:30 to 7 pm in the parking lot of Coffee Cartel, at the corner of Catalina and Elena. The Holiday Parade down Catalina Ave. steps off at 6pm and features local bands. Stroll with friends under twinkling lights amid holiday cheer. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride past the beautifully decorated shop windows as you’re surrounded by the sounds of the season. Best of all, you’ll feel good knowing a portion of the evening’s proceeds will be donated to Richstone Family Center. For more information on Riviera Village and the Holiday Stroll, please visit them on the web at www.rivieravillage.org.

The historic tall ship Lady Washington will return to the waters of Redondo Beach on Thursday to kick off a two-week stay in King Harbor that will offer the public guided sailing adventures and walk-on ship tours. The wooden ship, a replica of the original Lady Washington that sailed in late 1700’s, is the official tall ship ambassador for the State of Washington and serves as a living history exhibit in its ports of call. The replica Lady Washington is known for its appearance as Captain Jack Sparrow’s pirate ship in the blockbuster movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl and, more recently, Captain Hook’s ship in an episode of the ABC television show Once Upon a Time that aired in October. During its time in the South Bay, the ship will be available to the public for self-guided walk-on tours. Three-hour adventure sails cost $39 for all ages and a $3 donation is requested for self-guided ship tours. For more information, and to buy tickets for the adventure sails, visit Lady’s Washington’s official website. The Lady Washington will remain in King Harbor until December 5.

The third annual Taste of the Pier will take place on Sunday, Oct. 14, from noon to 6 p.m. This popular event will include a variety of small bites, live music, free balloons, face painting, arts and crafts, and more while touring the pier and boardwalk. Tasting tickets are $1 each. Receive one entry to win pier prize giveaways when you purchase 10 tickets. Each restaurant will feature a different menu item and non-food retailers will offer other discounts and items. Event proceeds benefit the Redondo Beach Educational Foundation and Cancer Support Community-Redondo Beach. For more informationvisit www.redondopier.com.

The 2nd Annual South Bay Art Auction is coming to the Shade Hotel on October 25th. You’re invited to an exclusive opportunity to purchase genuine, original art from local and renowned artists while also supporting the arts in Redondo Schools. Early bird discounted tickets are on sale now through October 11th. All proceeds will benefit the Redondo Beach Educational Foundation to provide inspiring arts experiences for Redondo Beach students. RBEF plans to send every 2nd & 3rd grader in the Redondo Beach Unified School District – approximately 1,400 children – to LACMA with the event proceeds. Tickets are on sale now at http://art90266.org and the early-bird price has just been extended.

The Third Annual Rat Beach Bike Tour will be held on Saturday, September 22, 2012.  There are three great rides to choose from, a Metric Century (62 miles), Metric Half Century (31 Miles) and a Metric Quarter Century (15.5 miles), starting from our new location at Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach. Yes, you read it right; The Rat Beach Bike Tour is moving it start/finish location due to its popularity and increasing ridership.  This year the RAT RIDE is partnering with the Redondo Beach Lobster Fest.  This means the START/FINISH will be moved to the same location as the Lobster Fest. The new Start/Finish is at the Seaside Lagoon next to King Harbor, just north of the Redondo Beach Pier, 200 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach, CA – 90277 (At the corner of Harbor Drive and Beryl Street).   The biggest change to the Rat Ride is all of our riders will be admitted into the Lobster Fest for lunch and a huge PARTY at the end of our ride. More Information visit the event website www.ratbeachbiketour.com/

One of the top events of the year in Redondo Beach is the Lobster Festival, sponsored by the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce. It is three days of eating, dancing and drinking in the Seaside Lagoon Park at ocean-side, which will be taking place next weekend, September  23-25, 2011. There will be fresh Maine lobster dinners, or Certified Angus Beef New York Strip Steak and Main Lobster Tail dinners, plus other international food booths, serving cobblers, corn, BBQ, Chinese and just about anything else. You won’t go hungry if you bring your money. The entertainment is as good as the food with live music from some of the best Tribute Bands in Southern California. There is a dance floor, children’s area, beer garden, super shark slide and arcade-style games with prizes. And my favorite, the free mechanical bull ride will be bucking all weekend. In addition to fresh, steamed lobster, visitors to the festival can visit a variety of arts and crafts booths selling cool beach items. An admission fee allows you to enter the festival without purchasing lobster meals so you can enjoy the live music, shows, entertainment, vendors, and seaside location overlooking the Redondo Beach Harbor. For all the details, tickets and entertainment schedule visit the website www.LobsterFestival.com

Redondo Beach is on CNN Money’s list of the “best places for the rich and single. Slightly more than one-third of Redondo Beach residents are unmarried, according to the website, and the city’s median family income is $118,525. The report begins in the Hollywood Riviera, once the playground for Hollywoods elite. Then goes on to say the city maintains the feel of a seaside resort. where you can catch a few rays on the beach, then head to the King Harbor Marina and the Pier to price out a yacht or fish for millionaires. Redondo Beach is ranked No. 5 on the list, which includes 25 cities from across the country and nine from California. Redondo Beach was the No. 1 California city. Other Southern California cities that made this year’s list were Santa Monica and Irvine.

Since April, a massive clamshell dredge floating off the marina has collected sand and loaded it onto barges bound for the port of Long Beach, which needs the material for a harbor redevelopment project. The sediment clogging the entrance to Marina del Rey’s main channel soon will be scooped up, shipped south and piped onto Redondo Beach. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ multimillion-dollar dredging operation will shift gears. Sediment unearthed by the 2,095-ton Paula Lee dredger will be dropped off the coast of Redondo Beach. The project, which will last about 40 days, calls first for depositing roughly 85,000 cubic yards of marina sediment into water depths of 30-50 feet near the Topaz Street jetty.

Former President Bill Clinton – uncle to a senior at Redondo Union High School – will be in town next week to help raise money for the Redondo Beach Education Foundation, and might even attend Friday’s commencement ceremony.The Redondo Beach Educational Foundation will be hosting a fundraising opportunity to meet Clinton at Parras Middle school at an undisclosed time. The cost of the event is $750 per ticket and will include a meet-and-greet as well as a photo opportunity. Students at Redondo Union High School report that Clinton will give the commencement address later than night. District officials would not confirm this report. Roger Clinton, the former president’s brother, formerly lived in Redondo Beach and his son is graduating from RUHS, according to students. Four years ago, Clinton attended Tyler’s eighth-grade ceremony from Riviera Hall Lutheran School in Torrance.