Riviera Village Summer Festival This Weekend
Blog, Community News, South Redondo Beach News | Dunham Stewart
Start your summer fun with the all time popular Riviera Village Summer Festival, begining Saturday June 25 and runs through Sunday, June 26, 2011 at the corner of Catalina and Avenue I in Redondo Beach. The festival is sponsored by the Riviera Village Association and is celebrating its 35th year. The festival features beer gardens with live bands, carnival rides with free kidz zone, arts and crafts, international food and more than 250 vendors.The festival is a family affair with entertainment for all ages and admission is FREE. The event runs from 10 am to 7 pm Saturday & Sunday. This year ride your bike to a “No-cost Bike Corral” valet service on Catalina & Ave I run by the Beach Cities Cycling Club. Parking and free shuttles will be available at the West High parking lot on Victor Street. For more information check out the event website www.rvsummerfestival.com
June is time to celebrate National Zoo and Aquarium month with your kids for summer fun—and learning—under the sea. Summer is the best time of year to catch a glimpse of sea horses and sharks up close and personal—and you don’t have to leave the South Bay or even get wet to see them. You can learn about wildlife and sea creatures close to your home—and many times for free or for a small donation. You can celebrate by checking out the sharks, eels and other sea creatures and more at these aquariums
The 7th Annual Redondo Fireworks Show returns to the Seaside Lagoon this 4th of July with its most dramatic pyrotechnic display in the location’s history. The goal is to create a focal point and setting where locals can celebrate the 4th of July and their community with family, friends and neighbors. The Fireworks show will feature stirring patriotic music and a wide variety of fireworks perfectly matched and timed to the music – a true pyromusical production launched only 300 yards away. Through the pyrotechnic mastery of Fireworks America, this year’s show will firmly establish the Redondo Beach 4th of July show as one of the premiere fireworks displays in Southern California.The Redondo Beach Fourth of July fireworks show is the finale to a full day of fun at the Seaside Lagoon. Residents of the South Bay can make a full day of their Fourth of July celebration by reserving a table. Guests can enjoy the day swimming in the warm, lifeguard-protected lagoon, building sand castles on the beach, and stand-up paddling in the lagoon. For the kids there will be an inflatable obstacle course, arts and crafts and the popular Freedom Kid’s Parade. If the South Bay Drum Circle doesn’t get everyone up and out of their seats dancing, the live music of Moondog Wolf and Shari Puoto Band definitely will. Everyone will have a spectacular view of the fireworks accompanied by stirring, patriotic music. Tables always sell out early so don’t delay. Visit 
A final workshop is planned Thursday night on the planned revitalization of the Redondo Beach waterfront. The Waterfront is primed for a once-in-a-generation revitalization opportunity, expecting as much as $200 million in public and private investment. Many Waterfront business owners have committed to significant renovations over the next three years. The City is also investing in public facilities in the area. The forum is set from 6-8 p.m. at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center at Aviation and Manhattan Beach boulevards. Project developer CenterCal will show its latest vision for the waterfront and take public comments. The mission of the project is to create one of California’s most dynamic and historic waterfront experiences and that’s going to bring the greater Redondo community back. For more information on the revitalization, go to 
You’ve heard of days on market for a listing? How about a year on market for buyers? A new survey found that one out of three buyers has been looking for a home for more than a year and now they are ready to grovel. The survey found that one third of buyers currently searching for a home have been on the hunt for more than a year, and that the vast majority of them are willing to negotiate with sellers and make compromises to find their next home. With prices rising every week, lenders as strict as ever, interest rates rising, inventories at decade-low levels and competition for homes breaking their hearts, more and more buyers are reaching their frustration limits. In particular, prospective homebuyers are willing to compromise on popular amenities and their home’s location. Listed inventory in April was approximately 14 percent below one year earlier and 32 percent below the level of April 2011 , which has made it difficult for buyers to find homes. With an increase of buyers coming into the market, the lack of available homes for sale has presented challenges for first-time and move-up homebuyers. The recovery has transformed the mindset of many buyers and sellers who grew accustomed to the buyers’ market we saw for years. The current market trends indicate buyer confidence is building back up and demand is strong. As our survey indicates, sellers are now in a more favorable position. For the last few years, homeowners have been hesitant to list their homes due to unfavorable economic conditions. Today, the recovery in housing continues to gain momentum, and with so many buyers in the market who are competing for so few available homes, it is a great time for sellers to speak with a real estate professional about the advantages of listing their home.
The Manhattan Beach Pier 1st Annual Roundhouse World Oceans Day Fundraiser. Registration is now open for a 5K beach fun run that will be held at 9:30 on June 8, World Oceans Day at the Manhattan Beach Pier to benefit the Roundhouse Aquarium. The run/walk is being held to raise money for the Aquarium’s educational programs and will begin at the Manhattan Beach pier and proceed north on the sand to the end of Manhattan Beach and back. Help us continue our ocean education programs by participating in the fundraiser. It will aid the aquarium’s three primary programs: holding classes for over 15,000 pre-k through 12th grade students each year; operating a volunteer program that has grown to over 150 volunteers, mostly local high school students; and allowing over 125,000 members of the public to visit the aquarium free of charge seven days a week in order to interact with marine life through touch tanks, displays, and other entertaining and educational materials. For $35 entrants will receive a T-shirt, water, refreshments, and the chance to win some great prizes. Stop by the Roundhouse after the race to learn more about our oceans. To sign up, go to 
This FREE family friendly community event is open to the public and features over 60 local participating organizations. Now in its sixth year, the Sea Fair promotes safe boating practices and environmental awareness, while highlighting recreational opportunities in our harbor. Enjoy free Outrigger Canoe and Sail Boat rides, Coast Guard demonstrations, Baywatch and Harbor Patrol Boat Displays, savor ‘A Taste of Redondo’ provided by Local Restaurants, and listen to live music by the Big Torpedos, are just some of what you can expect to enjoy. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Halibut, home ported in Marina Del Rey, and crew will be featured at this year’s Sea Fair. The boat will be open for tours from noon to 5pm. The kids area features lots of fun crafts along with a rain gutter regatta. Face painting and balloon artists will be on hand to add to the festivities. New this year are the Aqua Smart Puppet show and a visit from Coastie. For you boating enthusiasts, bring your expired flares at 10am – North of the Harbor Patrol office for Flare Day to Moonstone Park, 280 Marina Way, Redondo Beach. Hands on training will be provided on how to properly use aerial and hand held marine distress flares as well as the correct use of fire extinguishers. Learn more visit the website 
Fiesta Hermosa attracts thousands to downtown Hermosa Beach during the 3-day Memorial Day weekend event. It is billed as “Largest Arts & Crafts Fair in Southern California” and has been taking place since 1972. The Fiesta takes place May 25th through 27th, Hermosa Beach residents have until May 17 to take advantage of some special Fiesta Hermosa offer. Residents can receive a discount on Fiesta Hermosa carnival ride tickets if purchased by May 17. Tickets, sold in books of 24, are available for $15, a 25 percent savings off the regular price. Discounted carnival ride tickets for residents (bring proof of your residency) are available at the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce office, 1007 Hermosa Ave., Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fiesta Hermosa, which features more than 400 artists and crafters, including painters, photographers, ceramicists, jewelers, sculptors, and handicrafters, is free to the public.
The Manhattan Beach police and fire departments will hold their Annual Police & Fire Open House on Saturday, May 11, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the outside parking lot of the city’s public safety facility at 420 15th St. A community favorite, the open house showcases the services, equipment and people who provide public safety and emergency response in Manhattan Beach. The open house serves as recognition for Fire Service Day and National Police Week, May 12th through 18th, also known as Blue Ribbon Week. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch demonstrations by firefighters and the crisis negotiation team’s robot demonstration and to see an extensive display of specialized equipment and public safety vehicles. On display will be the mobile command center, SWAT van, fire truck, beach patrol Rhino (all-terrain vehicle), beach quadrunner, patrol car, traffic motorcycle, T-3 (electric stand-up vehicle), animal control rescue truck and more, In addition, the 6th Annual Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony will take place beginning at 10 a.m. to remember three Manhattan Beach police officers who were killed in the line of duty:
The Ocean Friendly Garden project sponsored by West Basin is a demonstration garden showing how to have a waterwise landscape. The garden is located at The Strand and Manhattan Beach Blvd. near the pier. The waterwise, ocean friendly demonstration garden and an adjacent water-filling station to reduce water bottle littering on the beach have been constructed by the West Basin Municipal Water District and the City of Manhattan Beach. The project aims to empower residents with a live example conserving water, energy and habitat through native plants and climate adapted plants, spaced for mature growth The demonstration garden models a sustainable garden, showcasing the alternatives to standard turf and high-water-use landscaping. and projections are that the garden will save approximately 80 percent of water use.
