Every year Buddy Hatchett throws an incredible celebration of Beach living & surfing in the form…read morethe Beach Short film festival at the Hermosa Beach Historical Society. The Beach Short film festival allows anyone to enter a short movie either about surfing and/or beach living. Before the films start everyone is in the lobby checking out all the stands/tables of local surfboard shapers, local skateboard shapers & local artists showcasing their work. Everyone every year is walking around the lobby fixated on a BEAUTIFUL SURFBOARD that is up for raffle. Everyone is buying sets of raffle tickets in hopes to be taking home the GRAND PRIZE of a hand shaped Adam Davenport Surfboard. Where else are you going to be able to purchase 40 raffle tickets for $20 with the chances of winning a $1,000+ Surfboard? When the films start it brings out all Beach lovers who have a great time hooting & hollering at the films, everyone laughs and it is a great time not to mention the films entered are incredible. Last year I won the GRAND PRIZE SURFBOARD, so this year when I walked in I was in awe myself at how beautiful the new board up for raffle was. When the film festival started Barry announced that someone would be driving home with the surfboard in the lobby on the roof of their car. I brought my surfboard rack because I knew I was going to buy raffle tickets and I stood a good of chance as anyone there at winning the board again for a 2nd year. I even told my friend who I went with before we even drove to the event that I was going to win the board again, WELL I DID, two years in a row I won the Grand Prize Surfboard. In the pictures attached the board with the 'Red' nose was the 1st year and the 'Green' board was this year. When they read off my raffle number I stood up and said bingo, my roommate who was also attending screamed out in the back of the audience. The host 'Barry' said you again, he even said I was more speechless this year than last year, he announced to the crowd that not only was I the winner this year but last year as well. I had a serious case of the wobble legs; I was in complete shock even though I knew I was going to win. So long story short when you enter something see yourself winning before it even starts because positive thinking really pays off. I wonder how many people actually brought a surfboard rack with them last night because I did. I will be back again next year and look forward to bringing home my 3rd surfboard in 3 years.

A small charity festival held within the confines of the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools (most…read more$$$ school in the nation). Loved the cheap shopping here... 2 long rows of vendors from various organizations selling clothes, accessories, foods, shoes and the like for really cheap prices. I got a cute sweater and a unique dress for $1 total. Yah!!! Fancy gowns were $5! They're like the ones you get a Windsor. =) All items were donated to this event so that's why everything was so cheap. So, great job as a charity event! Lots of stuff sold! I liked the line of food trucks...helped to attract attention. There were some games for kids but not a whole lot. I also liked the line up of artists, even though I only got to hear one. =) All in all, a neat event for a good cause. =)

LA Weekly presents Food & Wine Festival at the California Market Center (CMC). Food porn…read moreextravaganza....oh heaven help me!! So many representing LA eats that the line to get in was weaving out the door. It was well worth it as 40 of the hottest restaurants presented an amuse bouche of their signature bites & alcoholic beverage samples. Mingling with chefs, meeting new people and talking about food was a nice way to end the weekend. Great venue at the California Market Center offering spectacular panoramic views of the city. It was large enough that I didn't feel claustrophobic with the volume of people attending and enough tables and chairs to pace yourself. Surprisingly it wasn't too bad getting out of the parking building either and thought it was well facilitated. LA knows how to do it and LA Weekly had a very successful event. Salud #theessentials till next year!

I signed up for this event assuming it would be like all other food and wine festivals. That is,…read morean overpriced, overcrowded mess of booths and people unsuccessfully intermingling in the hot sun or hot indoor space. Thankfully I can report The Essentials 2015 mostly chipped away at my negative stereotypes. The food we sampled was all quite good, the beer and wine quite drinkable, and the hard booze creatively mixed. Our group appreciated that none of the tables made a point to stamp the ridiculous "drink card" everyone was issued. Make no mistake, the event was PACKED, but once inside the crowds were only an issue for certain restaurants. Thankfully it didn't impact the temperature, as we were fully comfortable start to finish. Some vendors went above and beyond with their food, while others proffered more pedestrian bites. Though I don't remember too many specifics, a few establishments were just really, really good. A big "thank you!" to Connie & Ted's, L&E, and Providence for providing exquisitely fresh oysters on the half shell. Sounds like at least a 4-star review at this point, right? Yup, but I have to voice what I feel are a few legitimate qualms. First, the signs for each vendor were SO small they were often invisible behind the chefs and people in line. Second, a better laid-out map would have worked wonders, as the one provided was essentially useless. The third and fourth issues require their own paragraph. We arrived prior to the 2:00 p.m. opening time for general admission. However, the organizers let us in late, and the throngs of people waiting outside further delayed the process. Long story short, we finally got into the event at 3:00...not cool. To boot, most of the "prestigious" vendors (e.g., Melisse, Hungry Cat) completely ran out of food as early as 3:30. Either they received bad information about the number of tickets sold, or they simply brought whatever quantities they wanted. Regardless of the reason, this was completely unfair to those of us who paid to try their food. I couldn't help feeling a little ripped off. This was definitely an improvement over other foodie festivals. We had a GREAT time. However, there are certainly some kinks that need to be ironed out. I can't wait to go again next time and hopefully leave a 5-star review!

On Sunday, September 10th, Vino-Palooza was hosted at The Marina Del Rey Hotel from 1pm-5pm…read more This wine festival was a celebration of wine & music and is produced by recording artist, Ryan Cabrera. Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belding from Saved By The Bell) was the MC of the event and presented each musical act. The festival was outdoors in a beautiful sunny relaxed environment that overlooked the Marina. Although, the lack of shade made for at times a uncomfortable experience. Each attendee was given unlimited tasting experience from more than 20 wines, craft cocktails and spirits. The event also included a line-up of musical acts. The website also listed "small bites" as part of the event, but I guess this meant the small bags of brittle and brownie bites. I wish I had known there wouldn't be any type of appetizers or I would have come better prepared. I saw a lot of people hovering by the one winery that had a tray of doughnut holes at their demo table. Those kept disappearing fast. Musical Acts: Son of Stan Like Wade Edgar Family Band Johnny Gates Rand Ryan Cabrera Raffle: Adopt the Arts hosted a raffle throughout the event. You had two options; $5 raffle tickets or the higher-end items at $20 a ticket. Some of the $5 raffle items included wine and spirits from different vendors, a ZZ Top autographed book, headphones and much more. The $20 raffle tickets had various items that included autographs by Guns n' Roses, Metallica and a autographed guitar from Maroon 5. See Pics below.

Everything was good! A tradition every year that I take my mom . I like when my city puts things…read moretogether for the whole town

Well 2020 is almost over but what an unforgettable and tragic year it's been for the world. If we…read moresit quietly and think about things that happened, I hope there were at least some happy and triumphant moments that stand out. Maybe this virtual 40 foot sequoia tree lighting will be one of the happy moments we can look forward to this year to bring some semblance of community and festive holiday celebration to everyone. I would always just miss this event every year and drive by as the fast cleaning crew were almost done. 2019 was different as I was there in person for the first time for the countdown, hot chocolate, tree lighting and the entertainment. It was freezing cccold... This year is another first as it will be live streamed on their website and YT channel. Mark your calendars. Wed. Dec. 2nd at 7:30 pm. youtube.com/cityofparamount or check it out later on the northeast corner of Jackson and Paramount aka the Paramount Pond.

Playing at Pasadena Playhouse until April 14, 2013…read morehttp://improtheatre.com/ FIrst time watching improv theatre and it was great! My date brought me here for a romantic comedic evening. For any fan of Jane Austin, Romantic Era novels, improv theatre, or comedy, I highly recommend this show. I was laughing the whole time. The theatre is quaint and has a rustic intimate feeling to it. The improv is so great to see live. I was highly impressed. I honestly want to go again! It is improv so every show is different and unscripted. There is free street parking in front after 8pm. The Pasadena Playhouse is historic so expect it to not be super modern when you get here. Think of a vintage feeling theatre.

This event was awesome. Great to meet my neighbors, plenty of amazing food from some of the best…read morelocal restaurants, enough booze to go around, and even some dessert. Also, how awesome would it be if downtown had a streetcar again? Less traffic, easier to get around, faster and safer than walked at night. If you're registered to vote in LA, vote to bring a streetcar to downtown! Oh, and not that it matters now, but the event got moved to The Cooper Building at 860 S. Los Angeles Street, so the address Yelp has is wrong.

Do you like living green? How about rewarding local business and organizations for being green?…read moreThat's what this is all about! It's all day festival held in a Long Beach park featuring musical entrainment, speakers, food trucks, the Aquarium of the Pacific portable aquarium, and lots of booths and green space. Booths provided crafts for kids, seeds for planting, solar panel info, artist's creations, plants and lots of info and help for living a green life. There was even a tiny house there! Looking forward to next year's event! Free parking Bicycle valet- ride a bike, go green!