Leisure

Frugal FunWRITTEN BY DAWN MORIDon’t let the recession dampen your summer fun!Thanks to an award-winning Parks & Recreation Department, apopular summer music series, world-class tourist destinations,and an ocean at our doorstep, the perfect summer vacation is justa hop, zip, and a jump away.100 DAYS OF SUMMERThere are also listings of activities where families can spendtime together, from the Long Beach Sea Festival and Target FreeSundays at MoLAA, to ongoing programs at the El Dorado NatureCenter, including Family Nightlife Walks and evening campfires.Best of all, the website gives you the perfect excuse to discoversomething new.It’s a sign of the times when an entire summer can be scheduledfrom your phone. 100daysofsummer.org is the city’s newest website,listing more than a thousand free or low-cost activities throughLabor Day.Smart, efficient, and a whole lot of fun, the program is an ingenioustag-team effort from the Long Beach Parks & Recreation Departmentand the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. The sheernumber of activities showcase the city’s diversity and is a dazzlingreminder of why the city is so special.“100 Days of Summer is the best way to get information directly toresidents, as there are so many vacation opportunities right hereat home,” said JC Squires, Business Operations Bureau Managerfor the City of Long Beach Parks, Recreation & Marine Office. “Thecity has 27 community centers, 156 parks, two Rancheros, and anature center — and most programs are low-cost or free. Peoplecan go to the nature center, to the beach, rent a kayak. All theyhave to do is put together an itinerary.”Looking for children’s activities? Check out the recreationalswimming programs or the Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival.Teen centers around the city offer sports, games, movies and crafts.For seniors, there are gardening classes, bingo, social dances andtours of Rancho Los Cerritos.Adults can enjoy kayaking through the canals or Seafood for theFuture — evenings of eating and conversation with the city’s bestchefs — complete with wine pairings and the added ambience oflive music and the fountains at Terrace Plaza.“There is so much you can do in the city, be it in the park, in theneighborhoods you’ve never been to, or exploring another partof the city,” said Jeff Forney, Vice President of Marketing of theConvention and Visitors Bureau. “Rent a bike, go to a movie on abeach or to the Rancheros. If you find yourself with nothing to doon a day, you can definitely find something here!”SUMMER OF MUSICIf that something for you is music, the Downtown Long BeachAssociation’s Summer And Music series gears up for anotherhomegrown, environmentally-sustainable concert series.Affectionately known as SAM and free to the public, this year’smusic series will feature more mid-to-large sized shows, with totalattendance predicted to reach 34,000 people. Future Legends kicksoff the ten concert series on Saturday, June 12, in the East VillageArts District. Performances also will be held on the waterfront andPine Avenue, with genres ranging from rock and rockabilly to jazz,soul, and blues. The largest event of last year’s series, the FunkFestival, returns on August 7 to Pine Avenue.“SAM is winding up for an even bigger, greener turnout this year,”said Steve Sheldon, DLBA Marketing and Special Events Manager.Running from June through August, the 2010 SAM features morethan 60 acts, all on solar-powered stages.Sheldon points to a partnership between the DLBA, the Long BeachRedevelopment Agency, and local businesses for making the seriessuccessful. Formerly the Downtown Music Series, last year thelongbeachmagazine.com 39