Hermosa Beach News Briefs, Nov. 23, 2011
Holiday kickoff
The Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce will host the annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1 at the foot of the Hermosa Beach Pier.
A fire truck from the Hermosa Beach Fire Department is scheduled to serve as the sleigh for Santa, who, along with Mrs. Claus, will be available for photos in his chair, and will field holiday requests from kids.
The event also will feature holiday carolers from Mira Costa High School, a ukulele band from Hermosa View School and hot cocoa for sale from the Hermosa Beach Woman’s Club. Also scheduled to perform are singers from Puttin On Production’s “White Christmas,” the Irving Berlin musical, which is set to open Dec. 9 at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse.
Also on Dec. 1, more than 25 downtown area businesses will hold open houses as part of the monthly First Thursdays, which will coincide with the tree lighting festivities.
The Gum Tree café and boutique on upper Pier Avenuewill have a Hermosa “wishing tree” up at the sidewalk festival, for the sidewalk festival, and everyone is invited to add a wish.
Tree lighting attendees are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to the holiday tree, for donation to charities supported by the 19th Annual Beach Cities Toy Drive.
The Chamber of Commerce will give updates for the tree lighting event on Facebook. For more see www.HBchamber.net.
Another popular event, the second annual Snow Fest, will be Saturday, Dec. 10. In the first Snow Fest, Spyder Surfboards made 50 tons of snow to turn upper Pier Avenue into a boarding haven.
Rotary birthday
Hermosa Rotary kicks off the holiday season and celebrates its 80th birthday with a buffet dinner and desert event 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4 at the clubhouse, 2521 Valley Drive at the south end of Hermosa Valley Park
Entrance is $35; the event features a no-host bar and a “one-of-a-kind auction” to benefit organizations such as youth basketball and Friends of the Park.
RSVP by Dec. 1 to Jennifer Floto 310-405-9969 or floto@usc.edu.
Photo Claus
Santa Claus will visit the Gum Tree café and boutique, 238 Pier Ave., 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4 to take pictures with the kids, in exchange for donations to the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation to support the city schools.
A 5-by-7 print will be $5 and a print with the digital file will be $20, with all proceeds going to the schools. There will be cocoa too.
Last year Santa’s Gum Tree visit raised $3,600 for the Education Foundation, and the elves hope to double that amount this year.
For more see www.facebook.com/gumtreela.