What’s Up in Huntington Beach ?

Huntington Beach’s Weekly Report For week of June 7, 2010.

Well let’s start out with the good stuff and work our way down to the not so good stuff.

60th Annual Pier Swim

The Community Services Dept. will hold its 60th Annual Huntington Beach Open “Rough Water” Pier Swim on Saturday, June 12.  The first race is for ages 16-31 and will start at 8:45 a.m.  The second race is for Masters through Ultra Masters and starts at approximately 9:30 followed by the Junior Men and Junior Women, 12-15 years of age at 10:15 a.m.  Trophies will be awarded, first through third places, in each of the eleven divisions with the Gene Belshe Memorial Perpetual Trophy going to the winning team and a trophy to the first Huntington Beach boy and girl.

This is one of the first regular ocean swims of the season. Almost 400 contestants participated last year.  The public is invited to participate or come and watch the competition.  Registration will be taken at the beach on June 12 between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. – $20 without a shirt.  A limited number of shirts will be available for purchase.  For further information, please call 714-536-5486.

Yoga on Saturdays for Beginners – NEW!

Learn to create balance with proper breathing techniques, body alignment/posture & restore flexibility in a specially designed yoga class — A traditional small class giving individual attention to each student.  This Saturday class is held at the City Gym and Pool beginning June 26 at 10:30 a.m.  For more information, contact the City Gym and Pool at 714-960-8884 or sign up at www.hbsands.org today!

H B Seniors give $2 million in  Services

Senior Services Volunteers – in 2009, over 400 Senior Services Volunteers contributed 51,492 hours of service which calculates to an amazing $2 Million dollars in value to senior services!  Because of this dedicated team of volunteers, Huntington Beach has a thriving senior center and outreach center with a wide range of services, activities and classes.

Several volunteers became members of 500 Hours Club including kitchen volunteers, Beulah Asbra, Doris Byrd and Fanny Hunter; Handy Crafters, Mary Kanaske, Verdelle Web, and Inge Weinfeld; Travel Coordinator Betty Hickey; Meals to the Home Volunteer Ida Dollinger; Computer Teacher Lewis Russakov; and Driver John McGrew.  Also in the 500 club were the Huntington Beach Council on Aging President & Vice President, Don MacAllister and Judy Ann Morris.  Volunteers are essential to the success of the programs of Senior Services and there is always a place for new volunteers.  Currently summer substitutes are being sought for the Meals to the Home program and Transportation program.  Experienced golfers are needed for the On Course Golf Tournament and Office Support volunteers are needed for the busy Outreach Center.  For more information on available volunteer opportunities, contact Diane Swarts, Volunteer Coordinator at 714-374-1544 or dswarts@surfcity-hb.org.

Annual Art Benefit Auction & Art Experience Dinner – June 11, 2010

From now thru June 11, the public is invited to view the 10th Annual Art Benefit Auction works in the main galleries.  These pieces have been donated by a myriad of contemporary artists in a range of media.  The work will be auctioned off to the highest bidder on June 11.  Proxy bidding is available.  Contact the Art Center on 714-374-1650 to register your details. The Art Experience Dinner precedes the Auction event.  Cucina Alessá, our community partner, will be providing the fine dining experience. Only a limited amount of tickets are still available at $75 per person. Call the Art Center on 714-374-1650 to reserve your tickets today.

Children’s Summer Art Camp – Art at the Beach

The Summer Art Camp Program is bursting with a range of fun–filled art activities taught by our knowledgeable and professional artists.  The camp dates are June 21 – August 13. Children between the ages of 6 – 12 can choose from full and half day sessions.  You can register at the Huntington Beach Art Center or reserve your place online at www.hbsands.org.  For more information, call 714-374-1650.

Now to the not so good stories… someone’s house got smoked!

On the afternoon of June 1, 2010, the Fire Department responded to a fire on Skylark Drive. When the first unit arrived, there was smoke and fire showing from a one-story single family home. Twenty-one firefighters, including mutual aid from the Orange County Fire Authority, brought the fire under control in ten minutes. The fire started in a rear bedroom and extended into the hallway. The occupants were not at home at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire is being investigated. The estimate for property loss is $40,000 due to fire and smoke damage.

….and last but not least !

There was a Hit and Run Traffic Accident on June 6, 2010, at about 4:45pm, Huntington Beach police officers responded to the H & R at Pacific Coast Highway and Magnolia Avenue.  The victim, a 21 year old male was crossing the roadway in the crosswalk when he was stuck by a Ford Taurus that went through a red light heading southbound on PCH.  The pedestrian victim received serious injuries and was treated by the Huntington Beach paramedics and then transported to UCI Medical Center.

H B officers were able to locate the suspect driving his vehicle near his home in Newport Beach.  Our officers arrested the driver, Richard Elwood Swanson, a 59 year old resident of Newport Beach.  He was booked in the Huntington Beach city jail for felony charges of Driving Under the Influence and Hit and Run.

ANd that’s the news from Huntington for this week.

Wow…look at these Long Beach kids!

Long Beach Unified School District announced today that this year’s scholarships and other monetary awards earned by graduating Long Beach seniors exceeded $51 million – surpassing last year’s record of $40 million. The new record also represents a significant increase from the $18 million earned by local high school graduates just three years ago.

Students at the California Academy of Mathematics and Science earned $14.42 million. (With a senior class of only 142 students, CAMS graduates earned an average of $101,600 each in scholarships this year.) CAMS  is run by LBUSD and this year’s students admission Amherst, Brown, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Florida Tech, Georgetown, Harvard, Harvey Mudd, Johns Hopkins, Howard, MIT, NYU, Olin, Pomona College, Princeton, Stanford, Syracuse, all of the University of California campuses, the University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, USC, Vanderbilt, Washington University in St. Louis, Williams and Yale.

Poly High School students earned $10.72 million
Wilson High School students earned $9.13 million
Millikan High School students earned $8.07 million. A member of the girls’ track and   field team, Ashley Smith, earned more than $1.2 million in athletic scholarships (she has committed to attending UC Berkeley.

Lakewood High School students earned $3.37 million

Jordan High School students earned $2.61 million
Cabrillo High School students earned $1.97 million

Renaissance High School for the Arts students earned $737,766

Hundreds of students won non-monetary honors, including awards for Service Learning (logging hundreds of community service hours), K-12 perfect attendance, and recognition by Kiwanis, Rotary and many other local youth service organizations.

LBUSD has 5,957 graduates this year.

For the complete story please go to:http://www.lbpost.com/ryan/9912

Free 2nd glass of wine or beer at Brix

Sounds too good to be true but we received an email saying that BRIX….one of Seal Beach’s newest gathering spots ….. is offering a free SECOND glass of wine or beer. For full details please go to: http://coupons.ocweekly.com/publishers/78/offers?category_id=6

BRIX is located at 16635 Pacific Coast Highway and their number is 562-592-3167 and their website is    http://www.brix4wine.com/

FREE SUMMER CONCERTS. . . Start July 7!

Seal Beach Chamber Presents the Annual Concert Series

From classic rock to blues and folk tunes – and of course, a few “Regular Guys” – FREE summer concerts by the pier are once again on the way to Seal Beach starting June 7.

The Seal Beach Chamber Summer Concert Series will kick off Wednesday July 7 with the fabulous Irish Sounds of Sligo Rags. All concerts are at Eisenhower Park at the foot of the Seal Beach Pier from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays through Sept. 1.  The Sligo Rags opener will feature a sidewalk sale up and down Main Street from 3 to 8 p.m..  The final concert of 2010 will be on Saturday Oct 9 at 4 p.m.

“These summer concerts are fun, and we encourage the public to attend” said Seal Beach Mayor David Sloan. Because of the very positive response from the community, the chamber expanded the band lineup this year, bringing a total of TEN concerts to Seal Beach, promising rockin’ entertainment each week all the way up to Labor Day and then a huge finale on October 9 with the Sin Twins. The 10th concert will coincide with Seal Beach’s Founder Day, which is a celebration of Seal Beach’s 95th birthday.  The concerts will also feature a “Vendor Village” from 2:00 to 8:00 on each of the concert dates.  Each week will be a great and fun environment for attendees of all ages.

“These summer outdoor concerts give us a great opportunity to get together as a community while celebrating summer and the outdoor lifestyle we enjoy in Seal Beach and the surrounding communities,” said George Banker.   “The concerts were incredibly popular the last 2 years – I saw people putting out beach blankets and lawn chairs early in the morning to save a seat for family and friends.”

The concerts are offered FREE to the community, thanks to the support of the major concert sponsors Jim Klisanin of Baytown Realty and Alan Brawer of Verizon FIOS.

“As a local business owner, I think the summer concert series is a great way for local businesses to give back to the community and also have the community come together for a great summer celebration each Wednesday night,” said Eric Lenahan, “As a local resident, my family and I look forward to these summer concerts and look forward to seeing all the families in town enjoying the great bands that will be playing.”

Fast becoming a favorite summer tradition, the concert series draws everyone from groups of friends and neighbors to families with young children, all who gather up beach blankets to enjoy some sweet tunes and a picnic dinner under blue summer skies.

“We have surfed, swam and enjoyed Seal Beach since the early 1960’s and feel a special kinship with the town and its people” said longtime Seal Beach resident Roger Douglas of the Elm Street Band.  “The Summer Concert Series is a continuation of our relationship with Seal Beach.  A good time will be had by all.”

“I really look forward to our Seal Beach Summer Concerts each year as a way to celebrate the beginning of summer. There are beautiful sunsets by the pier and a great time to see family and friends,” proclaimed January Eilers. “There is wonderful food and great shopping readily accessible on Main Street. I am so excited for 10 concerts in 2010!  See you at the beach.” With an eclectic mix of many musical styles, the Chamber Concert Series offers something for everyone:

July 7 – Sligo Rags A popular mix of contemporary and traditional Irish and folk themed music.

July 14 – Hollywood U2: non-stop energy and an endless stream of hits from “With Or Without You” to “Vertigo” pay the ultimate tribute to the greatest Rock and Roll band of its generation.

July 21 – Robby Armstrong: Enjoy original music along with amazing guitar and a great band that will knock your flip-flops off.

July 28 – Nobody Cares: 9 piece reggae/ska style band with a rockin’ rhythm section performing a blend of covers and original music.

August 4 – The Kelly Fitzgerald Group: songwriter and powerful vocalist Kelly Fitzgerald leads this group with music steeped in rock, country and blues.

August 11 – Emperors: Southern California’s premier classic rock band.

August 18 – Eddie Montana: An All Star Cast of performers from three decades of performances featuring Inspirational Gospel, Country and Rock.

August 25 – The Regular Guys: Enjoy this distinctive brand of funk-blues, with great covers and many original tunes.

September 1 – The Elm Street Band: Long-standing classic rock band, playing favorite tunes from the ‘60s to the ‘90s.

October 9 (SAT)  – Sin Twins Rhythm & Blues Revue: An R & B grand performance, complete with a horn section, offering tunes for singing and dancing.

Parking for the Seal Beach Chamber Summer Concert Series is available at the pier and costs $6 per vehicle.


FOR MOREINFORMATION: Seal Beach Chamber at 562.799.0179; e-mail at director@sealbeachchamber.org <mailto:director@sealbeachchamber.org> or visit  www.sealbeachchamber.org <http://www.sealbeachchamber.org/>

George Banker -Seal Beach Chamber-562-842-6690-gbanker3@gmail.com

Old Seal Beach Warrior Remembers 1945

Gordon Logan was bitterly cold that January night 65 years ago.

In addition to the temperature the 19 year old was also more than a little apprehensive the there were no clouds beneath the plane.  This would certainly make them a better target for the ‘88s’ …. the ack-ack (Anti-Aircraft) guns of the German Army.

His RCAF Halifax bomber was carrying 16 five hundred pound bombs that they successfully dropped on Ludwigshaven, Germany that night. The German Army had just suffered a tremendous defeat at the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes forest of Belgium.  Hitler’s Army may have been reeling but his air defenses were still formidable.

Logan looked back on that evening in a conversation with me last week.  “It was a ‘good bombing’ by that I mean  ‘successful.’  No bombing is really good when civilians are killed but that raid was one I will never forget.  There were hundreds of searchlights and we felt like every German gunner was looking just at our plane.  Flak was everywhere. Hundreds of pieces of burning metal going all over the sky.   On that mission our Halifax had some holes in the skin.  Many of our missions were ‘fair dinkem ‘ but not Ludwigshaven”  he said. (Note “fair dinkem” loosely translates into “piece of cake”)

Logan, a resident of Seal Beach (College Park – East) for 40 years, was 18 years old when he went to the recruitment office in Chicago to enlist.  After a brief conversation the recruiting sergeant told him he couldn’t enlist without a lot more paperwork because he wasn’t an American.
Gordon didn’t know he wasn’t an American.  His family had moved to Chicago from Canada when he was a youngster. Rather than go through the rigmarole of collecting all the required paperwork he decided to go to Canada with a friend and enlist there. One problem was the $5 bus fare. He was a little short.  His Dad asked how much more he needed.  “Four dollars” was his answer.  Pop  reached in his pocket loaned him the four dollars which was promptly paid when Gordie returned to Chicago in 1946. (Gordie didn’t know he was an “illegal alien.”)

In Canada he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and went to Gunnery School and  then shipped out to England.  His crew was together for the entire duration of the war.  28 missions. Hanover, Hanau, Sarrbrucken, Stuttgart, Mainz, Essen, Berlin.

Logan flew on Lancasters, Halifaxs and Mosquito bombers.   His favorite was the wooden Mosquito,  a wooden plane that was one of the fastest bombers of the war. Normally the Mosquito’s went to the target early, in a sort of “pathfinder” group that dropped incendiary bombs to light the target.  (To view video of Mosquito click here.)

On one Mosquito mission, April 9, 1945, 300 of the planes went to Kiel Bay, Germany to bomb the sub-pens. An added prize was the pocket battleship the Admiral Scheer. (Similar to the  “Bismarck) The Scheer was by far the most successful German capital ship of the war and it fell to the RAF and the RCAF that day.

When I asked why he preferred the Mosquito…..I could tell by his glance I’d asked a really dumb question. “Because we got back to base a few hours earlier and that gave us more time at the Pubs!”

Gordie told me that he really didn’t mind the de-briefings that many of the flight crews complained about.  “As soon as we were debriefed we were given our ration of rum, about two ounces.  I was a youngster and two ounces was enough to quickly make me mellow.  We’d leave the  de-briefings, jump on our bicycles and ride of to the pub. “I was a pretty fair athlete in those days and could play the pub-games pretty well.  I usually won enough to pay for my pints.  I can tell you that the next mornings we’d look at those bikes and there was many a front wheel that was no longer round.”

On May 8, 1945 his notes say “Cessation of Hostilities.” His next three missions May, 8, 9 and 10, were his best of the war.  Each flight returned 24 released prisoners of war and they were rushed to hospitals in England.  In all Gordon had 456 hours in the air.

Gordon said that everyman in their crew believed that Captain Moffat, their pilot, was the best commander any crew could have had.  His only question, not really a complaint, was that Captain Moffat got the Distinguished Flying Cross and since all the members of the crew went to the same places and faced the same dangers he always wondered why the whole crew didn’t get a DFC?

The rest is history.  Gordon returned to Chicago and married his high school sweetheart Shirley in 1946. They moved to California and Logan retired from Metropolitan Life. This year the Logans celebrate their 63rd anniversary and 40 of those years were in Seal Beach, with there two sons and two daughters and their grandchildren. They  are truly a wonderful family.

Seal Beach can be happy that the flak over Ludwigshaven missed  our friend and neighbor, Gordon Logan. We’d have never heard about his gambling successes in the English pubs.
(IF YOU KNOW OF A LOCAL VETERAN WITH A STORY TO TELL – – WE WANT TO PRINT IT HERE!)

We should also remember other local veterans.  Here are a few:

Alex Gates Sr., 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, Gerry Halpin, Don Olson, Dick Sargent, Jason Rayburn, Bill Halpin

…….and thousands more.

Bless ’em all!

Another Coyote Attack Saturday A.M.

The following note from City Mgr Dave Carmany’s office.

“The beautiful College Park West neighborhood in Seal Beach has been having ongoing conflicts with coyotes, especially in the rear yards of homes that back up to Edison Park.  This morning, May 22nd, a resident reported yet another incident and saved his dog from a coyote in his backyard.

“The city recognizes that this is a serious problem, and is taking steps to address it.  A neighborhood meeting was held on May 1st; approximately 40 residents attended to express their concerns.  Since that meeting, City volunteers have distributed educational flyers to all 322 homes in the neighborhood and also posted warning signs on every street light pole.  The city put up a banner at the entrance to the tract (see attached picture) to alert residents.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, by making life for coyotes in your neighborhood more difficult, you will increase the likelihood that they will go somewhere else.  Any Seal Beach resident observing a coyote in the neighborhood is encouraged to phone the Animal Services Department at (562) 570-7387 to report the sighting or encounter.

For further information:

John Keisler, Animal Control Department
Office phone: (562) 570-3051

What say you about the old power-plant land?

The Bay City Partners, owners of the 10 acres near Ocean and First, have submitted a “new plan” for development.

To “What’s Up In Seal Beach” …. it looks pretty much the same as the old one.  Still a 70%-30% split…not the 75%-25% that was cast in stone several years ago by the city.  Still taking much of the land along the river for homesites.  Still offering to drop their litigation against the city if the new plan is accepted.

To many of the residents of Old Town the new plan is not new at all. They see their years of struggle to protect that land from over-development and to protect as much public access as possible for our citizens and visitors in jeopardy.

Several of our city councils over the years have adjusted the building restrictions on the 10 acre parcel in an effort to be fair to any potential developers and still protect the neighborhood.  When the present owners bought the land they were well aware of the last, and hopefully final, use restrictions.  Nothing was hidden in the purchase that we know of…and if it was perhaps they should talk to the seller.

To come and plead for additional waterfront exposure for their development many years after the fact hopefully will fall on deaf ears.  A “few more homes” translates into  “many more dollars” and also “a life time of lost access.”

The only reason the land is not a complete bluff park is that the city couldn’t afford to buy it.  To many it is a heartache that anything will be built on that beautiful piece of land.

If we take a look at our neighbor to the south, Huntington Beach, and see what they were promised by the developer of the Bolsa Chica Mesa and what they got we can understand why so many Seal Beach residents are against any change in the existing planned land use of that parcel.

We urge you all to call and/or write to our council and Mayor and tell them  exactly how you feel ..and be sure to tell them where you live!

To those on our email list we encourage you to pass this on to your friends

How to contact the City Council:

District 1 –  (Old Town & Surfside Colony) Charles Antos – 562- 431-2527 ext 1501 E-mail: mavjka2000@aol.com

District 2 – (Leisure World & College Park West) David Sloan (Mayor) 562- 431-2527 ext 1502 E-mail: sloandistrict2@dslextreme.com

District  3 –  (Hill, Coves, Bridgeport & Herron Pointe) Gordon Shanks – 562- 431-2527 ext 1503 e-mail to gorsha@aol.com

District 4 – (College Park East & Town Center) Gary Miller  562- 431-2527 ext 1504 – E-mail: miller.sb.district4@earthlink.net

District 5 –  (Leisure World) Michael Levitt – 562- 431-2527 ext 1505 E-mail: mglevitt@roadrunner.com

Re-paving of College Park Streets soon to end

The re-paving project for certain College Park East street which began on April 12 is nearing completion and should end by June 14.

The project covered the following street sections:

Street                                    From                        To

Fir Ave                                 Wisteria                   Rose

Tulip                                     Ironwood               Lampson

Goldenrod                           Elder                        Cul-de-sac

Fuchsia Circle                     Fir                             Cul-de-sac

Fuchsia  St.                         Birchwood                Elder

Candleberry                        Marigold                   Aster

Fir                                         Ironwood                  Goldenrod

Guava                                   Ironwood                  Cul-de-sac

Hazelnut                              Guava                         Heather

For additional information contact: David Spitz, City of Seal Beach -562- 431-2527 ext 1331 Or email to <dspitz@ci.seal-beach.ca.us>

McGaugh Pool to close for 4 to 6 weeks

Beginning on May 17, 2010, the McGaugh Pool at 1698 Bolsa Avenue, will be closed for maintenance and repairs.  The pool has been leaking a large quantity of water and is in need   of immediate repairs in order to expand its useful life.

On April 12, 2010, the City Council authorized a contract with Commercial Aquatics Services, Inc., to make immediate repairs to the pool to address the high rate of water leakage, as well as replace all main drain covers in the large pool and skimmer equalizer covers in the small pool to meet compliance requirements with the Virginia Graeme Baker Act.

The City is undergoing this repair project with the goal of re-opening the pool to the public for the summer aquatics programs beginning on Monday, June 21st.  The scope of work is estimated to take 4 to 6 weeks.

The general contractor for the project is Commercial Aquatics Services, Inc., a licensed California contractor with over 50 years of experience in the commercial pool industry.

“We thank our pool patrons in advance for your patience and apologize for any inconvenience during the time of closure, and look forward to the pool re-opening on Monday, June 21st.” said Mayor David Sloan.

The McGaugh Pool was built in 1964.  It is 25 yards in length and has six lanes for lap swimming. City residents also enjoy shallow and deep water aerobics.  A salt conversion system is used to sanitize the water.

The Seal Beach Recreation and Community Services Dept. makes a positive difference in our community by encouraging resident involvement and strengthening community resiliency.

For information:   Tim Kelsey, Supervisor Community Services (562) 431-2527, ext. 1341.
Pool office: (562) 430-9612 http://www.ci.seal-beach.ca.us/parksandrec/index.html –

A typical “Valley Gal” ….she ain’t!

Darlene Rudisill is on her way back to what will soon be her new home in Moose Pass, Alaska.

Darlene, a native of San Gariel Valley is on her way back to Alaska in what once was her Grandfather’s plane. The valleys she loves are to be found all over our biggest state and she says the beauty of Alaska is overwhelming.

Rudisill, a well-known flight instructor who lived in San Marino and instructed at El Monte airport is flying to Alaska in the 64-year-old airplane. She originally learned to fly in the 1946 Luscombe 35 years ago.

Darlene began the restoration of the plane in 1991, three years after her Grandfather’s death and it has been a labor of love.  The trip will not be an attempt at a speed record as the plane will be lucky to average 65 mph.

There are many emergency stops along the way, however.  They used to be called “The Al/Can Highway.”

Rudisill has flown and taught in everything from the Luscombe to Lear Jets says her good Seal Beach friends Jerry and Janet Rootlieb, where recently visited.  (Jerry flies a piper cub that is older than the Luscomb.)

For the complete story and photos go to: http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_15081983?nclick_check=1

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