Warship Open House June 19th and 20th
The public will have a unique opportunity to visit an advanced U.S. Navy warship and meet her crew at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station June 19 and 20th.
The guided missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101) will be open for weekend public visitation, with Saturday tours given from 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m., and Sunday tours provided from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm. Hands-on displays of other Navy and Marine Corps equipment will also be available, including Marine Corps and SEAL vehicles, as well as high-tech motion ride chair simulators with vision goggles. Music will be provided by members of Navy Band Southwest.
The tour is free of charge and no reservations are required. Cameras are permitted, and walking shoes are highly recommended. No backpacks or handbags will be allowed onboard the ship, and the vessel is not accessible to the handicapped. Public entry will only be available via the station’s Wharf Gate, located on Seal Beach Boulevard, 200 yards south of the Pacific Coast Highway intersection. No access will be available from the station’s Main Gate.
The Gridley is a sister ship to the USS Dewey, which was commissioned here in March, and many people were unable to get tickets to that event. However, this is a chance to see the same type of ship and the last time there was an “open house” on guided missle destroyer in Seal Beach there were over 10,000 visitors. The lines moved quickly and the crew were worthy ambassadors for their ship. The firepower on just one of these destroyers is equal to some of the naval battle forces of World War II.
Commencing operations in 1944 as a U.S. Naval Ammunition and Net Depot, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach is the Pacific Fleet’s premier ordnance loading and storage installation. The base provides munitions for a majority of the fleet’s surface ships, and services approximately 50 U. S. Navy vessels annually. More information on USS Gridley can be found online at http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=900&ct=4 and http://www.gridley.navy.mil.
For more information or to arrange media access for this event please contact the station Public Affairs Office at (562) 626-7215.
For “whatsupinsealbeach” coverage of the last open house on the USS Benfold go to https://www.whatsupinsealbeach.com/index.php?s=benfold
Local Swim Stars Ranked #4 in World
Local men who won the Water Polo Silver Medal in the 2008 Olympics are ranked fourth in the world going into summer competition.
Adam Wright, Clayton Snyder, Scott Davidson, Tim Hutten of SEAL BEACH and Matt Sagehorn, Ryan Bailey and Tony Azevedo of LONG BEACH are among the 31 Californians who will be competing in the FINA World League Super Final and the FINA World Cup competitions.
Huntington Beach, CA – June 7 – The USA Men’s Senior National Team and Head Coach Terry Schroeder have announced a training roster of 31 athletes that will make up the rosters for the major competitions in the summer of 2010. Nine Olympians including team captain Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/NYAC) lead the team into the summer competitions that include an exhibition series with Montenegro, the FINA World League Super Final and the FINA World Cup.
The three game exhibition series with Montenegro will take place in three different locations in Southern California starting June 26 at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA. From there the teams will meet at Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, CA on July 2 and at the USA Water Polo National Training Center in Los Alamitos, CA on July 4. From there the team will head to Serbia for the FINA World League Super Final July 13-18 and then the FINA World Cup in Oradea, Romania running July 25-31. To purchase tickets for any of the Montenegro matches, click here <https://webpoint.usawaterpolo.com/wp/events/listevents.asp?evt_TypeID=10> .
The Men’s Senior National Team won a Silver Medal at the 2008 Olympic Games and enter the summer of 2010 ranked fourth overall in the world.
2010 Training Roster
Adam Wright (Seal Beach, CA/NYAC)
Andy Stevens (Villa Park, CA/NYAC)
Ben Hohl (Atherton, CA/Stanford)
Brian Alexander (Santa Ana, CA/Olympic Club)
Clayton Snyder (Seal Beach, CA/Olympic Club)
Cole Bitter (Fresno, CA/Newport WPF)
Colin Mello (Sanger, CA/Newport WPF)
Jacob Murphy (Corona del Mar, CA/Bruin)
Jeff Powers (San Luis Obispo, CA/Newport WPF)
Jeff Tyrell (Granite Bay, CA/NYAC)
Jesse Smith (Coronado, CA/NYAC)
Jimmie Sandman (Los Altos Hills, CA/Stanford)
John Mann (Newport Beach, CA/NYAC)
John Sibley (Lafayette, CA/Lamorinda)
Jordan Thompson (La Canada, CA/Trojan)
JP MacDonell (Redwood City, CA/Sharks)
Justin Johnson (Trabuco Canyon, CA/LA Water Polo)
JW Krumpholz (Santa Ana, CA/NYAC)
Matt Sagehorn (Long Beach, CA/NYAC)
Merrill Moses (Palos Verdes, CA/NYAC)
Mike Sharf (Orinda, CA/Olympic Club)
Peter Varellas (Moraga, CA/NYAC)
Ryan Bailey (Long Beach, CA/Newport WPF)
Scott Davidson (Seal Beach, CA/NYAC)
Shea Buckner (Villa Park, CA/NYAC)
Steve MacKenzie (Walnut Creek, CA/NYAC)
Thomas Hopkins (Coronado, CA/Olympic Club)
Tim Hutten (Seal Beach, CA/Newport WPF)
Tommy Corcoran (Coronado, CA/Olympic Club)
Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/NYAC)
Zac Monsees (San Jose, CA/Olympic Club)
Mens’ National Team <http://www.usawaterpolo.org/singlenews.aspx?NewsCatID=c6934b84-8e9e-4508-97f0-d6d30d1d14e7>
Who Gives American’s Their Freedom?
In preparation for this Memorial Day we’d like to especially honor all the men and women who have given their lives so that those of us can live as we do.
We don’t know who the author was of the following ode…..but we honor that person as well.
From Nathan Hale – – – to the last soldier who will die in Afghanistan; we dedicate our Nation’s sacred honor to these gallant men and women.
It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN, not the politician, Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the VETERAN who salutes the Flag,
It is the VETERAN who serves under the Flag,
ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.
Please pass these thoughts on to every veteran you know.
We should also remember other local veterans. Here are a few:
Mike Bianco
Paul Knight
Jack Greenly
Joe Stok
Joe Rubio
Gil Hadad
Alan Mutke
Joe Boray
John Flude
Ken Able
Tom Spotskey
Don Bowen
Bob Conway
Joe Conway
Lou Faubert
Del Smith
John Child
John Clarke
D. “Willie” Williams
Bob Hamilton
Clark Mears
Sandy Hay
Ken McKenna
Jack Halpin
Don Olson
Dick Sargent
Bill Halpin
,,,,and thousands more.
Let each one know how very proud you are of their service FOR you and “yours.”
BLESS THEM ALL !
“Best Restored Beach” Award to S.B. for 2010
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A press conference will be held today, May 24th, at 2 p.m. in Eisenhower Park adjacent to the pier. Seal Beach is one of only 4 cities nation-wide to receive this award by the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association.
The Seal Beach project involved nourishing a popular but eroding beach east of its pier using 74,000 cubic yards of offshore dredged material and was funded by the City of Seal Beach at a total cost of $1,182,000. This beach provides a resource to millions of people in a high-density population area on the border of Orange and Los Angeles counties. Such investment in their coastal resource allows the city the flexibility to better manage the sand within their compartmentalized shoreline over time. The widened beach offers improved storm wave protection to shorefront residences and has increased the recreational beachfront.
“When we first started this process, we knew we wanted to be good stewards of the beach, and we identified several objectives of our efforts. Some key partners helped make this project a big success” said Seal Beach Mayor Pro Tem Michael Levitt, speaking for the City Council. “We feel we have laid the groundwork for future actions to protect one of our most precious assets, the beach. We’re humbled to have these efforts recognized by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association”.
“This is a clear case of many hands make light work. We greatly appreciate the efforts of our fine City Manager and his staff, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and especially the efforts of Mr. Kim Sterrett of the State of California Department of Boating and Waterways.” said City Council member Charles Antos.
Seal Beach City Manager David Carmany added, “Seal Beach is one of the nicest beaches in California, so restoring and keeping the beach in good order is a big part of the job description for our Public Works Department. And it’s obvious that this was a truly a labor of love for our consultant engineer Moffatt and Nichol. There’s no better firm in this arena.” The effort played a significant role in mitigating flood damage as a result of the recent El Nino pattern which saw high tide and wave run up at East Seal Beach.
Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce is working to bring more special events to the City’s beaches and its President, Seth Eaker, feels strongly about the beach project: “Our beach represents one of the strongest draws for our Main Street business corridor. It brings families, special events and visitors from not only our region, but all over the world to our city. It is one of the best kept secrets in coastal California, and the re-nourishment of the beach benefits all of us through improved access, a better visitor experience and a desire to revisit and spend in our community.”
For the Seal Beach project, a high level of cooperation between local, state and federal governments allowed an unconventional contracting process to succeed within a tight timeframe and budget. Dredging was conducted by Manson Construction as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Stage 12 Surfside/Sunset project which is a Federal and State funded project. The Department of Boating and Waterways was also instrumental in the project’s launch. The Department of Boating and Waterways provides safe and convenient public access to California’s waterways and leadership in promoting the public’s right to safe, enjoyable, and environmentally sound recreational boating. For more information about the Department, please visit http://www.dbw.ca.gov/
Permit procurement, final engineering and construction support services for the project were provided by Moffatt & Nichol, a local firm with a long association with the city of Seal Beach. In 1983, after a season of extremely heavy storms, the city contracted Moffatt & Nichol to conduct a sediment budget analysis that found the loss of beach material from East Beach to be between 4,200 and 7,800 cubic yards a year. For more information about the firm, please visit: www.moffattnichol.com .
The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) was founded in 1926, the ASBPA promotes the integration of science, policies and actions that maintain, protect and enhance the coasts of America. For more information on ASBPA, please visit http://www.asbpa.org/
For information contact:
David Carmany, City Manager
Gallery 212…something special!
Gallery 212 is relatively new in town and is next door to Wacky Sushi. Last week I was ordering sushi to go and had time for a brief venture in the gallery next door.
I was taken by a very unique plate that I thought my wife would like and owner Ruth Harrel took the time to introduce me (figuritvely) to the artist .
Ruth said that “Many of our artists are local from Seal Beach, Long Beach and Orange County. We also have an artist from Stockholm, Sweden, one from Pennsylvania and one from Colorado. The art and artist change each month.” Such a rapid turnover seems like a pretty good idea for young and beginning artists in addition to being an idea that will encourage constant visits by the community and tourists.
Ruth went on ” We specialize in edgy urban art and emerging artists. We also carry established artists that have a following. We have some Seal beach artists that we carry regularly: Joan Wussow, Garret Williams, and Ron Hust.”
I went to the 212 website…which was quite good… and there saw excellent examples from present artists that are being shown as well as previous displays. It’s much like visiting a small museum and very relaxing. I almost forgot to pick up my sushi order.
You can check out the gallery and the artists at http://www.gallery212.com
SUNSET becomes a city….without its beach?
SAVE OUR BEACH !
This Saturday join Kim Masoner, the founder of “Save Our Beach” and many other volunteers who do yeoman’s work for our community.
Contact her at kim@saveourbeach.org or go to the site at www.saveourbeach.org
These are wonderful folks to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude.
Give them an hour of your time and make your day at the same time.
Your guess…Were they DUI’s or just texting?
RED LIGHT CAMERAS IN SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.
This has got to scare the heck out of you. Pass it on…it may save a life somewhere….The fact that – – you have the green light – – won’t protect you from negligent drivers.
Stay Alert and assume the worst from the guy coming the other way!
We wonder how many of the drivers shown in this video were talking, texting, on a cell phone, DUI or simply on another planet. The semi-truck crash near the end of the video may have been the worst.
Should we install camera like this in Seal Beach?
Click on: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1418565565?bctid=70368898001
Weapon’s Station “Exercises” on Wednesday May 12
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Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station to Hold Exercises, Test “Giant Voice” Mass Notification System Wednesday
Seal Beach, Calif. On Wednesday, May 12 personnel at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station will be conducting emergency response exercises. Local residents may see increased security and fire department activity around the base throughout the day.
As a part of these operations, the station’s “Giant Voice” mass notification system will also be tested. This loudspeaker system includes both sirens and voice announcements, and may be heard by local residents at the south end of Old Town, inside the communities of Surfside Colony and Heron Pointe, around the Peter’s Landing center, and in Navy family housing.
System testing is scheduled to take place some time between 9:00-9:30 am. Anyone with questions or concerns may contact the station’s Public Affairs Officer at (562) 626-7215.
FREE Leis this Saturday on the pier
The 95th Seal Beach Founders Day group are having a “Birthday Shirt Sale.” Its a May Day Sale and it begins at 9 a.m. AT THE PIER and will run until 1 p.m. but get there early if you want to get a FREE Lei .
The first 10 people who purchase $40 or more of goods will receive a free fresh flower lei….and you’ll also get the thanks of volunteers for supporting Seal Beach Parks and Recreation.