Halloween in Long Beach!!

Around town there are plenty of things you can do for Halloween, a couple of highlights:

Starting off Friday night, it is not too late to get in on the fun at the Annual Halloween BOO! thrown by yours truly. It is held down at Berth 55 - the old Queens Wharf Restaurant. It is 250+ people. 21+ please, and of course everyone will be in costume. Live band & DJ, food, tarot cards, etc. If your name is on the list at the door, it will still be $20 (otherwise $25 at door). If you'd like to come, email me your name. If you'd like to pay in advance, the link for that plus the address of the event and all other details can be found at: www.TheLocalCoast.com. See some of you there.

On Saturday night is the 4th Sstreet Zombie Walk III. Get bloodied up and join the undead for a fun walk presented by MondoCelluloid.com and sponsored by GLOBAL Long Beach Arts Month and 4th Street Long Beach! 4th Street will be alive and kicking with zombie festivities all day - businesses from Junipero to Cherry are giving their monthly Last Saturdays event the Undead treatment with live performances, zombie-themed food and drinks, zombie make-up stations, and more. Then meet up with your fellow undead at 8pm at Portfolio Coffee House, 2300 E. 4th Street. At 8:30pm, head down 4th Street! Slow zombies, fast zombies - all are welcome! Finally, watch Edgar Wright's 2004 classic SHAUN OF THE DEAD on a great 35mm print at the historic Art Theatre of Long Beach! Screening is at 9:30pm, giving zombies plenty of time to march down 4th and sneak a few glasses of wine at Art du Vin, or some shots at The Pike!

Finally on Sunday night at Pine & Broadway is Halloween on Pine. A Frightening FREE Halloween Festival from 8 to midnight. Fabulous food and drink specials from your favorite local eateries. Visit participating businesses and dig up ghostly $5 food, drink and merchandise specials all night long. Haunting sights and sounds by DJ Groovy Lu. Diabolical dancing by moonlight. Hair-raising comedy showcase by the Laugh Factory. COSTUME CONTEST! Over $1,000 in prizes: Best Superhero - Best Villain - Best Female Overall - Best Male Overall - Most Outrageous.

Hope everyone has a scary good Halloween weekend.

Halloween Party in Long Beach

Do you like throwing on that costume and having a frightful good time? On Friday the 29th of this month, yours truly will hold my Annual Halloween BOO in Long Beach, so if you feel like coming to a great party, all the info can be found at www.TheLocalCoast.com . it runs 8pm -2am. It is $20 and that includes food and all the fun you can handle (no host bar). There will be both a DJ in one area and live band in another for dancing. Tarot card reading and more. About 300 folks show up for this shin-dig. It is my 22nd year throwing this party so why not venture out and join the fun!

Bixby Knolls Strollers in Long Beach

Have you ever heard about the Bixby Knolls Strollers? The Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association has been doing a lot to get the word out about their section of Long Beach and just how cool they are. The Strollers are one way they are doing that. The Bixby Knolls Strollers is a neighborhood walking club that meets every Saturday morning at 7:30am at It's A Grind Coffeehouse (4245 Atlantic Ave). It's a great way to get fit, check out the businesses, explore the neighborhoods, and meet your neighbors. (Friendly) dogs are welcome, too. LaunderPet will provide bags to dog owners. The walks last for about an hour. Route changes each week.

Ever look for a unique way to get your name out there? You've seen the lighted banner on those blimps at night? What about the same concept on a helicopter? Well, Skylight California offers a new and unique way to control and position your advertising over the exact target market that you need to reach with the use of the lighted banner mounted on their helicopter. Imagine the advertising impact when an 8 foot by 36 foot lighted bill board flies overhead and then hovers for up to 5 minutes over crowds of on lookers reading your compelling message in the night sky. See the banner in action at www.skylightcalifonria.com or call Tom at 714-225-6476 (or email tom@skylightcaliforia.com) to ask him questions. It's a pretty cool concept!

Update on the Construction of the 7th Street Bridge

(thanks to the LB Post for the info)
Construction on local freeways that will lead to the closure of the heavily-used 7th Street Bridge in Long Beach will likely begin around October, say representatives from the Orange County Transportation Authority.

When construction on that bridge—to ease congestion by creating a new lane—begins, the closure will take northbound 405 Freeway drivers on a detour to exit either at Seal Beach Boulevard (before the bridge) or at Palo Verde (after the bridge). An LBPOST.com article earlier this week incorrectly stated that the main detours would be Seal Beach Boulevard and Woodruff Ave. That article has been corrected.

The bridge construction is part of the larger West County Connectors project that will ease congestion and improve road conditions on the 22, 405 and 605 Freeways and provide more than 5,000 jobs over the next four years, according to the project web site.

Construction on the east segment of the project is expected to begin in late July or August. The west segment—including the 7th Street bridge—will be bid out to contractors in Juy and awarded in August, with construction beginning sometime this fall around October. Dates for bridge closure have not yet been announced, but parts of the 7th Street Bridge will be closed for one year during construction.

(From LB Post)
This past month Gameworks; one of the primary anchors of downtown Long Beach’s Pike entertainment center, closed. According to the Gazette article, the forty-thousand square foot arcade and bowling alley vacated at the end of March as part of corporate strategy; closing half their locations. The closure of this entertainment venue leaves a large gap in the activities provided by the waterfront district. This comes at the same time as the closure of the Long Beach Clothing Company; one of the few retail establishments within the Pike. The unfortunate news comes on the heel of a series of positive developments over the past year; the opening of the swanky Avia Hotel, with a second hotel on the way, the addition of multiple restaurants including Kavika and Hooters and the long awaited opening of the Laugh Factory comedy club in 2008. Read rest of article HERE.

Long Beach Scavenger Hunt - it is happening now!

Did you know Long Beach has a business scavenger hunt going on in the Naples/Belmont Shore area?? Yes, it's true. It just started yesterday. I've participated in these before and they are so fun. All the info and the forms to participate can be found at www.LocalLongBeachOnline.com . You will see the huge link for Scavenger Hunt right on the home page. You visit participating businesses, figure out the clue that matches the business, get a stamp from that business on their corresponding "spot" on the form... visit as many as you can and by the end of the month you turn it in and have a chance to win some wonderful prizes! You get to discover businesses you might never have know were there and local businesses get some new faces in their doors. it is a win win for all. Help support your local businesses and give it a go.

Have you ever wanted whiter teeth but want it done simple and easy? I know a business you need to check out: Smile Brighter is a mobile teeth whitening business - yes they can come to you. But if you wish, you can visit them on Sundays in Naples (9am-5pm). They are located at 5346 E. 2nd St. You can get great and safe results leaving your teeth brighter and whiter in only 15 minutes!! Who doesn't have 15 minutes to get a better smile. And the price is so reasonable. Learn more about them at www.smilebrighter.net or call them at 562-506-7671