The 2012 Palos Verdes Street Fair & Music Festival will be available for all Palos Verdes homes owners to enjoy on June 9th and 10th.  The Fair will have its “Friday Teen Fun Night” opening the carnival on Friday, June 8, 2012, from 5:00 -10:00 p.m. Local  youth can purchase discount tickets through their middle school or high school for an evening of fun.  The Fair will have more than 200 arts and crafts booths, carnival rides for children of all ages, an International Food Court, a children’s petting zoo, free pony rides, train rides, and live entertainment on its two stages.  All day wristbands will be available to purchase for the carnival rides.  There will also be “Healthy Lifestyles” areas which is provided by Providence Little Company of Mary which will check blood pressure and give you healthy living tips.

Under the big tent and on the main stage will be continuous live entertainment.  There will be multiple bands showing off their talents in rock, country, jazz and pop, for example The MVP’s, Jay Edward Band, The Full Spectrum Band, 80′s After Party, Zydeco Party Band, Jimbo Ross and the Bodacious Blues Band, Ticket to Ride and many more.  On Saturday, the annual “Top Dog Show” will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. under the Big Tent.  Animal rescue and adoptions will take place on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m.– 6:00 p.m.  Grilled Cheese, Pie and Cupcake Competitions will be held on Saturday along with the Pie Eating Contest.  The Chili Cook-off will be held on Sunday.

For more information contact the Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce at (310) 377-8111, or visit them at www.pvstreetfair.com.  The Fair is located at Crossfield Road between Silver Spur Road and Indian Peak Road in Rolling Hills Estates 90274.  The Fair hours are Saturday, June 9, 10:00 – 10:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 10, 10:00 – 9:00 p.m.  Parking is available at the Promenade parking structure at Drybank Drive and Silver Spur Road.  There will be also parking at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School.

Photo courtesy of the Palos Verdes Street Fair

For forty-three years Palos Verdes homes owners have been able to participate in the Las Candalistas presentation of “Walk on the Wild Side,” a spring fundraiser which helps fund our local charities.  This year they have decided to change it into “A Day in the Garden,” bringing us “Entertaining and Gardening with Style”.

The event will take place on Friday, May 18, 2012, from 10:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the South Coast Botanic Garden.  The day will include favorites from the Walk, such as their specialty vendors which will include boutique and garden shopping, vintage collectibles and of course baked goods.  Following the educational tradition of the Walk, they will  have six different experts who will speak on edible landscapes, party planning, container gardening & unique landscaping, different types of flower arranging, and will show us some various art sculptures which will be made out of green items  that can be found in our own backyards.

Las Candalistas are known for their artistic talents, but their cooking traditions have brought people back to the Walk for years.  The menu this year was created by Chris Garasic from Mucho Ultima Mesicana, Manhattan Beach’s trendy culinary nirvana.  It will include a brioche sandwich with chicken and guacamole aioli, a salad with orange vinaigrette and topped with goat cheese, and for dessert a three layer chocolate flan served with ganache sauce.

A Day In the Garden will not only be a fun event, but it will also be an opportunity to enjoy the Botanic Garden during this floriferous spring season.

Tickets for the event are $60, and 25% of this will be donated back to South Coast Botanic Garden.  The Las Candalistas philanthropies include the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Pediatric Therapy Network and Sharefest Community Development, Inc.

For reservations for this event visit www.lascandalistas.org or call (310) 798-7499.  Tickets will not be sold at the site, so be sure to purchase them before attending.

The South Coast Botanic Garden is located at 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard, Palos Verdes Peninsula.

The 2012 Palos Verdes Half Marathon and 5K Run & Walk will be held on Saturday, May 19th.  It will starting and finishing at Pelican Cove which is adjacent to the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. This is the first time in 46 years of staging the marathon in Palos Verdes, that there will only be a half marathon offered.  This 46th annual event includes a beer garden, a giant expo and live music.

The course will be following our beautiful coastline through the communities of Rancho Palos Verdes and Palos Verdes Estates.  You will be running along Lunada Bay, Bluff Cove and Abalone Cove just to name a few locations.  With one of the most scenic vistas of rolling hills and coastline views, this run attracts thousand of runners and spectators from all over the world.

The half marathon and half marathon team challenge will be starting at 7:00 a.m (click here to view half marathon course map).  5K run & walk will start at 8:00 a.m. along with the 5K school challenge (click here to view 5K course map).  All of these starts will be at Pelican Cove (photo below) adjacent to Terranea Resort located at 6610 Palos Verdes Drive South, Rancho Palos Verdes.

The cost for runners will is $20 for 5K school challenge, Palos Verdes Half Marathon – Team Challenge $80, Palos Verdes Half Marathon individual runners $85, and community 5K run/walk is $35.  Click here for a link to register.  Late registration will take place at the Village Runner in Redondo Beach, CA on May 12th and 18th. Race day registrations are available as well, but shirt distribution will depend on existing supplies.

It is suggested that you park at The Promenade at the Peninsula, 550 Deep Valley Dr., Rolling Hills Estates.  There is a 15 minute bus ride to the start so you must be early to catch the shuttle bus. Overflow lots, at Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall and Salvation Army College at 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard, will be available early with shuttle buses to the event.  Runners can also be dropped off and picked up at the driveway to the Terranea Resort, but no parking is available at that location.

To read the full story by Nick Green, Daily Breeze, of the history of the Palos Verdes Marathon and the reasons why it was changed to a Half Marathon, please click here.

Photos courtesy of the Palos Verdes Marathon

Palos Verdes homes owners have an opportunity to learn more about interesting topics at the May 2012 lectures sponsored by the Peninsula Seniors.  It’s also a good time to meet and socialize with other local residents.  These lectures take place at Hesse Park, located at 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, in the Fireside Room on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

May 2nd speaker will be Mr. Harrison “Scotty” Scott who will be describing the famous GRAPEVINE PASS and going into its history, from recalling water bags along the roadside, to the current Ridge Route as it is called today.

May 9th lecture will be featuring a former B-17 Bombardier who is now a published Author, Charles “Norm” Stevens.  Mr. Stevens has a new book out regarding his WWII experiences, and will be discussing his appearance this month at the Zamparini Field in Torrance.

May 16th lecture will be an interesting topic – as Bob Visser, VP of the Peninsula Seniors’ Board of Directors, will discuss an offshore pipeline replacement project that will use new technology to run these pipelines and connect to two offshore platforms.

May 23rd speaker will be Rolling Hills Estates resident Akrevoe Emmanouilides who will speak on “Being Present at the Birth of the Information Age”.  She will discuss her time working on the ENIAC, the first computer built at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering.  This machine was called the “The Machine That Changed The World” and Mrs. Emmanouilides will have books on it as well as a subsequent von Neumann computer.

May 30 lecture will be an exceptional presentation by Aida Director of Elder Education, Carol Hahn, who is a registered nurse and will be talking about High Blood Pressure. It is often called the ”Silent Killer” many  do not understand what to look for until it is too late.  Come find out what you can do to make lifestyle choices that may help you decrease these numbers.

Photo courtesy of Palos Verdes Peninsula Seniors

Palos Verdes Estates annual Special Refuse Collection (bulky trash) is scheduled for Saturday, May 5th, 2012.  This is the one time a year that you are allowed to place your items on curbside for pick up.  The City’s waste hauler will pick up furniture, appliances, water heaters, refrigerators (compressors removed) stoves, sinks, lawn furniture and more.  They will not however, pick up construction waste or electronic waste. Items to be picked up should be placed at curbside by no later than 6:00 a.m., otherwise they may not be picked up.   This is in the City of Palos Verdes Estates only.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula’s Annual Household Hazardous Waste Disposal will be held on Saturday, May 5, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall located at 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard.  This is a great time to get rid of those old printers, telephones, televisions, microwaves, paint and many other e-waste products.  Also the City of Palos Verdes Estates accepts electronic waste on Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon at the City Yard adjacent to the Police Department.  This is only for electronic waste.

This is the perfect time for Palos Verdes homes owners to clean out our garages and get rid of all the excess “stuff” we seem to collect throughout the year.

Palos Verdes homes owners have an opportunity to dispose of unwanted medication.  The Drug Enforcement Administration has scheduled another National Prescription drug Take Back Day.  Last year close to 400,000 pounds of unwanted or expired medications were safely and properly disposed of.

If you have any unwanted, over the counter or prescription medications, you can drop them off at the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department on April 28th, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  If you are unable to make this date, contact your local pharmacy to see if they can dispose of them for you.   Every year there are tons of medications and other type of poisons that enter our local oceans which have devastating effects on the environment.  Let’s all do our part in keeping our water clean.

The Palos Verdes Estates Police Department is located at 340 Palos Verdes Drive West, Palos Verdes Estates.

On Saturday, April 21, 2012, the Palos Verdes Ride for Habitat will hold its inaugural ride to help raise money for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles.  Participating Habitat advanced riders will begin this 34 mile ride through Rancho Palos Verdes,  Palos Verdes Estates and Rolling Hills Estates, at 7:30 a.m. Intermediate riders will begin their 17 mile non-hilly ride at 8:30 a.m.

The rides will all start and finish at the five star Terranea Resort.  Registration is a must and is limited to 200 riders who are encouraged to get additional pledges from friends/family.  Members of the public may also register to support a rider.  Go to www.regonline.com/rideforhabitat for registration and pledges.  The conclusion for this event will offer live jazz music, personal massages, a buffet and door prizes.

The event proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles which helps hardworking, low income families and individuals obtain simple, sustainable and affordable housing.

For additional information, contact pvride4habitat@gmail.com.  Terranea Resort is located at 100 Terranea Way, Rancho Palos Verdes.

Photo courtesy of Terranea Resort

Although Earth Day is actually on Sunday, April 22, 2012, Palos Verdes homes owners will have the opportunity to celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 21st.  We have been celebrating Earth Day in this country since 1970.  According to the City of Palos Verdes Estates April Newsletter, “The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Act.”

The Promenade on the Peninsula will be hosting a celebration April 21st from noon to 4:00 p.m. with exhibits, food and entertainment.  The Promenade is located at 550 Deep Valley Drive, Rolling Hills Estates 90274.

The White Point Nature Preserve will also be celebrating Earth Day on Saturday April 21, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. to noon beginning with volunteer work in the area, and then educational and art activities for the whole family.  White Point Nature Preserve is located at 1600 W. Paseo del Mar, San Pedro 90731.

Take a moment to enjoy nature on Earth Day and be grateful for the beauty that surrounds us.

Photo courtesy of the Promenade on the Peninsula

The 2012 Homes Tour Extraordinaire is a fun outing which also benefits local philanthropies.  The tour this year will feature three Portuguese Bend homes which are in a private enclave that is unique to the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  This rural community of artists, animal lovers and creative individuals, is in a world of breathtaking views and perfect climate.

Mark your calendar for Friday, April 13, and Saturday, April 14, and join the tour from 10 a.m to 4 p.m.  This is a  great opportunity to access this private gated community.  The tour will include a delicious lunch, local boutiques and the Circle’s Classy Collectibles – all located at the Promenade on the Peninsula.  The 2012 Homes Tour Extraordinaire is produced by The Circle, a fundraising organization of the Palos Verdes Art Center/Beverly G. Alpay Center for Arts Education.  The proceeds from this annual event benefit visual arts exhibits, education and community outreach.

Pre-sale tickets are $40 member/$45 non-members of the Art Center.  Tickets sold on the days of the tour are $50 each.  Tickets can be purchased at the Art Center, Promenade on the Peninsula, 550 Deep Valley Drive, Suite 261, Rolling Hills Estates, or by calling (310) 541-2479.

Photo courtesy of the Palos Verdes Art Center

The Palos Verdes Library District is offering a new service to Palos Verdes homes owners.  On April 2, 2012, the 1940 U.S. Federal Census will be released and data will be available through the library district website.  Here is how it is described in the Palos Verdes Library District Newsletter:

“The release of the 1940 Census on April 2, 2012 will be an important event for genealogists. It is a primary source of information about families affected by the Great Depression and World War II. Initially un-indexed, it will be a bit challenging to use. Come and learn how to access facts you may have been waiting 72 years to see!”  Palos Verdes Library District is offering a class, “The 1940 Census: a New Tool for Family Historians” on April 27, 2012, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Peninsula Center Library, 701 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates.  For more information, contact Marjeanne Blinn at 310-377-9584 ext 213.

Palos Verdes Peninsula News also had an article about this new service with instructions how to access the census data through the Library – “Go to the library’s homepage, www.pvld.org, click on the Online Resources tab, then under Genealogy & Local History, click on either Ancestry Library (this database can be used in the library only) or Heritage Quest Online (this database can be used from your home) and input your PVLD library card number.  You can search for ancestors in the complete set of U.S. Federal Census images from 1790 to 1930 available through these two resources.”

What a great opportunity for us to take a peek into our past!

Photo courtesy of Palos Verdes Library District