Free 2010 summer fun  in Palos Verdes Peninsula is not just for owners of Palos Verdes real estate, but is open to all. Here are some of the events to chose from this summer:

The Lunada Bay Homeowners Association will be hosting “Summer Concerts in the Park” at Lunada Bay Park, Palos Verdes Estates.   It is recommended that you bring low beach chairs or blankets and a picnic dinner and enjoy the music for the three concerts this summer on the following Thursdays, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  They are:

     .  07/15 – Marti Harris & Friends (jazz, blues & funk)

     .  7/22 – Mike Stocksdale Band (folk, rock alternative country music)

     .  8/12 – Prima Divas – (broadway, classical & cabaret)

The Malaga Cove Business & Professional Association in cooperation the The Palos Verdes Police Officer’s Association presents “Summer Concerts in the Park” at Farnham Martin’s Park next to the Malaga Cove Library in Palos Verdes Estates on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. in July and August. You may bring your blankets at 3:00 p.m to save a spot. Here are the performers that will be showcasing this summer:

     .   7/07 – Pat Chartrand & Friends  (jazz/big band standards)

     .   7/14 – Marc Massey Trio (jazz/pop)

     .   7/21 – Bad Haggis

     .   7/28 – Brice Martin (flute) & Natalie Dalschaert (piano)

     .   8/4 – Brenda Lynn – (vocalist)

     .  8/11 – Sarkis (classical & flamenco)

     .  8/18 – Jim Sutterly & the Heart Surgeons

     .  8/25 – The Cody Bryant Band (real cowboy)

Beginning Sunday, July 18^th, the South Coast Botanic Gardens will present their first concert; the PV Symphonic Band “Pops Concert” at 6:00 p.m. (outdoors on the lawn).  On August 22^nd they will have “Razzle Bam Boom” at 4:30 p.m. produced by Bubble Rock Productions. September 6^th the PV Symphonic Band will be  presenting a “Labor Day Concert” at 5:00 p.m. (outdoors on the lawn). Pack your picnics and bring your beach chairs & blankets…Free parking

 Shakespeare by the Sea presents..”Julius Caesar” on Wednesday, July 7th at 7 p.m. at the Terranea Resort.  Bring your beach chairs and blankets. $5 Parking..No outside food..Cash bar & Picnic Cuisine available for purchase. “Twelfth Night” – Sunday, July 18th at 7 p.m. at Fred Hesse Jr. Community Park.  Bring your picnic and beach chairs & blankets.  Plenty of parking.

For more information regarding summer fun go to: http://palosverdeschamber.com/Site/ThingstoSeeandDo.aspx.  Also you can visit http://palosverdeschamber.com/Site/PlacestoVisit.aspx to revisit local points of interest here on the Peninsula.

Photo courtesy of LBHOA

 

Fourth of July on the Palos Verdes Peninsula will be celebrated at two special public events. There will also be several local firework displays in the evening.

In 2010, Palos Verdes Estates will be holding their 48th Annual Independence Day Celebration at Malaga Cove School, 300 Paseo del Mar. The festivities are free to the public and will begin at 9:45 a.m. with entries into the Apple Pie Contest followed by the Children’s Decorated Bike/Scooter Parade at 10:00 a.m. There will be music and family games for all ages. Everyone is welcome to bring picnics to enjoy on the lawn. This year’s guest speaker is Tommy Lasorda.

Rancho Palos Verdes will be hosting their 34th Annual Independence Day Celebration at Point Vicente Park/Civic Center at 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There will be Rides & Games, Arts & Crafts Booths, Music, Pie Eating Contest & Hula Hoop Contest, Petting Zoo and Helicopter Rides. Admission is free, on-site parking is $4 per vehicle and free shuttle service is provided along Hawthorne Blvd.

Fireworks can be seen in the evening at the Redondo Beach Pier/Seaside Lagoon at 9:30 p.m., at Torrance’s Charles Wilson Park at 9:00 p.m., the Barge off the Coast of Torrance Beach at 9:00 p.m., and at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro at 9:00 p.m.

The 23rd Annual Palos Verdes Street Fair and Music Festival will take place Saturday, June 12 (10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and Sunday, June 13 (10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.).   Teen Fun Night will be held Friday evening, June 11 from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. with the opening of the carnival rides.

The Palos Verdes Street Fair will feature 2 days of events ands live music, approximately 200 Quality Arts and Crafts Booths (click here for a list of vendors), continuous live entertainment, a free children’s petting zoo and pony rides, an International Food Court, Green Street – a showcase of environmental friendly products and energy conservation education, Rides and Attractions for adults and children, a “Top Dog” dog show and more.   Every year, I find something new at the Fair.   It promises to be a good time for all. 

The Palos Verdes Street Fair attracts about 30,000 fair goers.  The Fair is located on Crossfield Drive in Rolling Hills Estates between The Promenade on the Peninsula and Peninsula Center Shopping Center.  There is free parking at the Promenade parking structure (enter on Indian Peak Road) and at Peninsula High School.  (Click here for a map and parking information)  I suggest arriving at the Fair between 10:00 and 11:00 because the parking is easier and it’s a bit cooler before the mid-day sun.

Photo courtesy of pvstreetfair.com

The 44th Annual Palos Verdes Marathonwill be held Saturday, May 14, 2010, at 7:00 a.m.  It will begin and end at Point Fermin Park (807 Paseo del Mar, San Pedro).  According to the official website, the Palos Verdes Marathon is the second longest continuously running Marathon in the United States, second only to the Boston Marathon.  Palos Verdes Marathon is actually a qualify marathon for the Boston Marathon.  Pretty cool, don’t you think?

Parking and free shuttle buses will be running from Cabrillo Marina (224 Whalers Walk, San Pedro) from 6:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

For residents, it means we probably want to stay clear of Palos VerdesDrive South and Palos Verdes Drive West and Paseo del Mar in Lunada Bay the morning of May 15th.  Click here to see this year’s route.

There is also a Half Marathon beginning at 7:30 a.m. and a 5-K Run and Community Fun Walk beginning at 8:00 a.m.  This ia a great run along our fabulous coast with its breathtaking views.

Photo courtesy of the PV Marathon

The day is finally here.  We have our own Palos Verdes Trader Joe’s!  It doesn’t take much to make us happy.  The store opened at 8:00 a.m. and when I arrived in the afternoon, the parking lot was full (but with cars coming and going, it was easy to find  spot).  The store was also full of smiling shoppers.

The Palos Verdes Trader Joe’s has murals painted on the walls to depict local points of interest and vistas of the ocean.  According to the Peninsula News, “Elaborately decorated signage tells shoppers about local attractions, such as the Point Vicente Interpretive Center and Lighthouse, and the South Coast Botanic Garden.”  I have to admit with all the shoppers today that I missed that but I am sure that I will see it the next time I am there.  I am a Trader Joe’s fan and look forward to weekly visits.

Many are wondering if the opening of the Palos Verdes Trader Joe’s will take some of the pressure off the Riviera Vilage Trader’s in Redondo Beach which is parking challenged.  The only little hint I can give new shoppers who go to our Palos Verdes Trader Joe’s in the afternoon is to take care not to get in to the Montessori School student pickup line if your are exiting onto Hawthorne Boulevard.

The Palos Verdes Trader Joe’s is located at 31176 Hawthorne Blvd, Rancho Palos Verdes 90275 (in the Golden Cove Center at the intersection of Hawthorne Blvd. and Palos Verdes Drive West) and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily.  Phone number is 310-54-1727

Palos Verdes homes owners have two upcoming special trash collections.

The first is Palos Verdes Estates Special Refuse Collection which takes place this Saturday, April 24, 2010.  Homeowners in Palos Verdes Estates actually look forward to this yearly event as it is an opportunity to clean out the garage and dispose of unwanted items without having to pay an extra fee for a “temporary debris box” also known as a dumpster.  Items must be out at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on Saturday – everything from furniture, appliances, sinks, mattresses, rugs, etc.  Unacceptable material includes construction waste, green waste, hazardous waste and electronic waste.  A more complete list can be found at www.AthensServices.com

The annual Peninsula Hazardous Waste Round-up will be held Saturday, May 8, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall on Hawthorne Blvd.  Some of the acceptable items include motor oil, paint, batteries, old televisions, computers, old prescriptions.  For a more complete list, click here and scroll down to page 8 of the city newsletter.

The City of Palos Verdes Estates accepts electronic waste Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at the City Yard found at the lower level of City Hall, adjacent to the Police Department on Palos Verdes Drive West.

Photo courtesy of City of Palos Verdes Estates Newsletter

Palos Verdes residents will be celebrating Earth Day on April 22nd.  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 17th from noon to 4:00 p.m. with exhibits, food and entertainment. 

The Palos Verdes Library District will host an Earth Day celebration on April 22nd from 4:00 to 5:00 in the Community Room at the main library at Peninsula Center on Silver Spur Road.

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

A week ago 80 endangered Palos Verdes blue butterflies were released into the wild near Friendship Park in San Pedro.  The butterflies were bred in captivity as part of an effort to restore them to their natural habitat after narrowly escaping extinction.  There were years of preparation to replant the area with Locoweed and Deerweed so that the butterfly larvae would be able to feast after hatching. 

There are two other areas where the Palos Verdes blue butterfly are being released to restored habitats – Chandler Preserve and a military fuel depot in San Pedro.

According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, “Still, biologists say it will take years to get enough Palos Verdes blues surviving on their own in the wild to have them removed from the federal list of endangered species.”  And I cannot wait to see one in my garden.

Photo courtesy of Gary Friedman, Los Angeles Times

Palos Verdes homes owners are in for a special treat as the Cherry Blossoms are blooming at the South Coast Botanic Garden.  This is the closest location for us to see the beauty and color of these trees.  This yearly event reminds us that Spring is just around the corner.

The South Coast Botanic Garden is one of Palos Verdes’ best kept secrets.  It is never crowded and one is free to roam for hours through 87 acres of beautiful settings.  There is plenty of parking in their large paved lot.

The Garden is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  and is located at 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard, Palos Verdes Peninsula 90274.  The cherry blossoms should continue for a couple of weeks.

                         Whale watching is a welcomed event in Palos Verdes and Saturday, March 6, 2010, is our official “Whale Of A Day” at Point Vicente Interpretive Center, 31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  In addition to whale watching from the bluff, there were be games, events and “inflatables”.  Admission to Whale Of A Day is free and parking/shuttle service will be available at the Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall on Hawthorne Blvd.

The Point Vicente Lighthouse will also be open for complimentary tours by the Coast Guard.

As of February 22, 2010, 361 whales have been spotted since the beginning of the whale watching season (December).  292 whales were traveling south and 69 were heading north, according to the Peninsula News.  Whale watching season runs through April.

Photo couresy of Tom Underhill Peninsula News 2008