"Best Restaurants" of Hermosa Beach
"Best Retailers" of Hermosa Beach
"Best Sports" and "Best Kids" of Hermosa Beach
"Best Bar & Entertainment" and "Writers Best Of" Hermosa Beach
The Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Association
City of HB Info HBNA Photo Gallery HB Crime Info HB Weblinks
"Best Restaurants" of Hermosa Beach
"Best Retailers" of Hermosa Beach
"Best Sports" and "Best Kids" of Hermosa Beach
"Best Bar & Entertainment" and "Writers Best Of" Hermosa Beach
"Best Bar & Entertainment"
and "Writers Best Of"
The Easy Reader – March 3, 2005
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Best
Neighborhood Bar
Suzy’s -
Dustin Hoffman said Suzy’s makes the best burger he has ever
tasted and customers of this hangout where locals rule agree, as do our readers.
Live music, great food, satellite TV and a friendly staff
make Suzy’s a bar any neighborhood would be proud to call its own. --DL
Suzy’s: 1141 Aviation Blvd., Hermosa Beach 379-0082
Runner-up: Northend, 2626 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach 379-5379
Best Pool
Tables
Best Sport’s Bar
Sharks Cove -
When two brothers from the east coast – one a former All
American running back, the other a boxer – drove out to the South Bay with a
$1,000 between them, owning a sports bar must have seemed like fantasy. It still
does. Walk into Scott and Shane McColgan’s Shark’s Cove in Hermosa, especially
when the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing, and you’d think you’re in a cathedral
where the faithful worship beneath flat screen TV’s instead of stained glass
windows.
Judging from the Steelers’ season, the 53 screens do not have a direct link to
God. But they do have a link to DirecTV. “If you’re going to be a true sports
bar you need to bring in all the sporting events, not just the prime time
events,” said Shane McColgan. Pool tables and the recent addition of dart
boards give patrons the opportunity to exorcize their demons, and the full bar
and a menu that includes steaks and ribs, as well as tacos and burgers satisfy
the corporal needs.
The decade old Hermosa Shark’s Cove’s swelling congregation prompted the
McColgan brothers to open an even more opulent Shark’s Cove II Restaurant and
Sports bar in Manhattan last year. – KC
Shark’s Cove, 1220 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach 798-3932; 309 Manhattan Bch.
Blvd., Manhattan, 545-2683
Runner-up: Sharkeez, MB, 3801 Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach 546-2251
Best
Pick-up Bar
Baja Sharkeez -
It’s the place to see and be seen with the best Happy Hour in
the South Bay, fun group drinks, wide menu, satellite TV, DJ and dance floor,
Sharkeez combines restaurant, sports bar, local hangout and dance club drawing
as varied a crowd. --DL
Baja Sharkeez, 3801 Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach 546-2251
Runner-up: Dragon, 22 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach 372-4462
Best
Local Band
Andy & Renee Hard Rain -
If persistence and dedication to their craft count for
anything, Andy and Renee (who also perform under the moniker Hard Rain) have
certainly earned the respect and recognition of their peers and fans.
The duo has made appearances throughout the South Bay for
well over a decade and has released several albums, either together or as solo
artists. --BW
www.Andyandrenee.com/
Runner-up: Ska Shank Redemption
Best
Bartender
Joe Del Riego-Sidedoor -
With experience galore under his belt including a stint in
the fire academy and the Navy, Joe Del Riego says after 15 years of bartending,
he still likes this profession best. “It’s like throwing a party at my house
four to five times a week.
I choose the music, set the tone, pour the drinks and treat
customers with respect, as long as they treat me and my crew that way.” This is
the second win for Joe in three years and he says he owes a lot to partners
Chris and Kimbra Pike who have given him every break in the world, and his
faithful crew who share this award with him. --DL
Sidedoor, 900 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach 372-1684
Runner-up: Greg-Harry O’s, 3600
Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach 545-4444
Best Brew
Pub
Manhattan Beach Brewing -
A place can serve great beer
brewed on the premises and not be a great brewpub. The atmosphere, food, and
service have to be at the same level of excellence, and Manhattan Beach Brewing
succeeds on all levels.
Measured just as a restaurant, the place would be popular for the wide selection
of burgers, pastas, and fresh fish. When you add in the picturesque bar area,
interesting décor with hand-painted mirrors, and friendly staff, you have a
winner. Oh, did we mention that they also serve great, freshly brewed beer?
Manhattan Beach Brewing Co., 124 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan 798-2744
Runner-up: Redondo Beach Brewing Co., 1814 S. Catalina, Redondo 316-8477
Best
Comedy Club
Comedy & Magic Club -
Chris Rock’s Oscar night monologue about President Bush as a
Gap clerk who starts a war with the Banana Republic to divert attention from the
$72 billion missing from the cash drawer was an old joke to many South Bay
residents.
That’s because they heard the joke last week at the Comedy and Magic Club, where Rock road tested his Oscar material. Rosanne Barr has also been dropping in unannounced at Comedy and Magic to work out her new material.
Jerry Seinfield worked out the kinks in his stand-up routine
at Comedy and Magic after quitting TV, and Jay Leno runs through his Tonight
Show jokes every Sunday night at Comedy and Magic. Old time South Bayans like
to recall the Golden Age of Jazz when they listened to Miles Davis, Bud Shank,
Bob Cooper, Laurinda Almeida, and the Modern Jazz Quartet at Hermosa’s
Lighthouse.
Twenty years from today, old timers will be talking about seeing the Golden Age
of Comedy’s greats at the Comedy and Magic Club. One story that’s certain to
become part of the folklore is the night (last Friday) when Craig “the Love
Master” Shoemaker blew Chris Rock out of the water with his suggestions for
Rock’s Oscar night monologue. “Rock should have listened to The Love Master, or
better yet, let the Love Master emcee the Academy Awards,” old timers will tell
their kids. -- KC
Comedy & Magic, 1018 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach 376-6914
Runner-up: Suzy’s, 1141 Aviation Blvd., Hermosa Beach 379-0082
Best
Dance Club
Sangria -
Ten years in and it’s still not uncommon to see celebs like
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Eagles receiver Terrell Owens, Baltimore QB Kyle
Boller and others popping in at Sangria. They're there for the two DJs, two
dance floors, two bars and an outdoor patio, fantastic food, Flamenco dancers on
Tuesdays and jazz on Wednesdays, when both rooms are pumpin’.
Mark Cuban says he travels all over the world and there
aren’t a lot of places that have all that music, (House, Brazilian house,
hip-hop, British dance hall), or that European al fresco atmosphere. Plus you
can still find the owner/manager waiting at the back door for neighbors and
friends. --DL
Sangria, 68 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach 376-4412
Runner-up: Dragon, 22 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach 372-4462
Best
Happy Hour
Baja Sharkeez -
Two-for-one drinks. Weekdays 3:30-6 p.m. If you don’t know
about this you must be living under a rock because from the looks of the crowd,
people alter their work schedules to take advantage of the best Happy Hour in
the South Bay. With 19 TVs, a satellite receiver to catch all sporting events
and high-energy music pumping, Sharkeez is the place to party, or at least to
get the party started. --DL
Baja Sharkeez, 3801 Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach 546-2251
Runner-up: Patrick Molloy’s, 50 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach 798-9762
The Easy Reader – March 3, 2005
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Best
Margarita
Pancho’s -
Margaritas come in many different styles, from sweet
and mild to over-the-top turbo firewater. All are available at Pancho’s.
Recently voted by the on-line survey site “City Search” as one of the top ten
Margaritas in the Los Angeles Metro area, Pancho’s boasts over 100 types of
tequila including one at $50 per shot and one at $1,500 for the bottle.
Part two of a good Margarita is the flavor and
Pancho’s doesn’t scrimp on that either, using real fruit and fruit liquors
instead of mix to make strawberry, mango, raspberry, banana, peach and more bite
just right. The most popular, the “Naughtie Maggie,” is Pancho’s version of a
Cadillac Margarita with Cuervo Gold, Grand Marnier and some secret ingredients
printable with a consequence of death. Owner Abb Lawrence says, “It’s probably
best enjoyed with a designated driver.” --DL
Pancho’s, 3615 Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach 546-6670
Runner-up: Cantina Real, 19 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach 372-3454
Best
Martini
Michi’s -
If there is a term of art in
the culinary world that has changed meaning, it’s “martini.” Once it was a
precisely calibrated mixture of either vodka or gin with vermouth.
Purists not only argued over whether an olive should be added, they argued about
what kind of olive. Now a martini might contain exotic booze such as fine sake,
it might be sweet sour, or pungently pickled, and might have a stalk of celery
or borage where the olive used to be. You can sample an amazing variety of
martinis at Michi, and enjoy the one thing that hasn’t changed – watching a
master make a martini is still a good show.
Michi’s, 903 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach 376-0613
Runner-up: Sidedoor, 900 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach 372-1684
Best
Movie Theater
Pacific Beach Cities All Stadium 16 –
This is where the commercial
blockbusters like to congregate. Besides, the auditoriums are spacious, with
lots of legroom, and the seats are as comfortable as your old armchair at home.
Okay, roll it! --BW
Pacific Theatres, 831 Nash St. (at Rosecrans) 607-0007
Runner-up: AMC- SB Galleria, Hawthorne at Artesia, Redondo Beach 289-4AMC
Best Live
Theater
Civic Light Opera, South Bay Cities -
Whoo, it was neck-and-neck this
year. Hey — just kidding — the CLOSBC is still (nearly) everyone’s choice for
local musical theater, with the indefatigable James Blackman and company
continuing to deliver the goods at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.
They recently wiped “Grease” from their hands and are about to head “Into the
Woods.” --BW
CLOSBC, 1935 Manhattan Bch. Blvd., Redondo Beach 372-4477
www.civiclightopera.com
Runner-up: Hermosa Beach Playhouse, 710 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach 372-4477
Best
Piano Bar
Tony’s On The Pier -
Tony’s on the Pier and New
Tony’s, (which is also on the Redondo Pier), are among the few places one can
listen to live music and still carry on a quiet conversation. The musicians at
Tony’s piano bars don’t actually play the piano. They play guitar. But the music
still leans toward familiar standards and original compositions broken up by
exchanges with listeners that are civil and personal.
Harold Payne and Jo Ann Kurman are two of Tony’s regular performers. Payne’s
songs have been recorded by musicians as varied as Rod Stewart, Leon Russell and
the Temptations. Kurman grew up in the South Bay and co-founded the old Burbage
Theater in Hermosa (which city fathers closed down shortly after it opened in
1968 because of its production of the anti war play “Viet Rock”). Kurman’s music
career started when she was 15 at the House of Sun in Redondo, where one night
she was followed by a young, blind musician who lit up the club with “Flight of
the Bumble Bee.” The musician was Jose Feliciano.
The former Miss LA County and Miss California runner-up mines her wide ranging
experiences with original songs such as Wind in My Sails -- I’m gonna keep an
even keel/With this ol’ heart behind the wheel/ and the wind in my sails. –KC
Tony’s on the Pier, 210 Fisherman’s Wharf, Redondo Beach 374-1442
Runner-up: Mermaid, 11 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach 374-9344
Best Live
Music
The
Lighthouse Café -
An institution, as they say,
one of the most revered musical venues in all of L.A. County, that used to book
the finest jazz musicians imaginable. Sometimes it still does. But today The
Lighthouse features all kinds of music, although jazz is still where its heart
is. --BW
The Lighthouse Café, 30 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach 372-6911
Runner-up: Café Boogaloo, 1238 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach, 318-2324
Best Live
Variety Entertainment
Suzy’s Bar & Grill -
A friendly, casual
establishment that also books a diversity of performers with an eclectic range
of styles. That the venue often hosts a veritable showcase of the South Bay’s
more creative acts, solo artists and groups hasn’t been lost on local
club-goers. --BW
Suzy’s, 1141 Aviation Blvd., Hermosa Beach 379-0082
Runner-up: The Comedy & Magic Club, 1018 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach 376-6914
Best
Cabbie
Bruce Burt -
In 1982 Bruce Burt graduated
from the University of Southern California with a degree in aerospace
engineering and went into the Air Force. When he got out of the military the
economy was depressed, but he still had a family to support. He saw an ad in the
newspaper for cab drivers. “You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to be a
good cab driver, but it helps,” he said. Burt has worked with South Bay Yellow
Cab, the largest company in the area, for 13 years. He works seven days a week
and 12 hours a night. Burt said his cell phone is the secret to developing a
strong customer base. He gets 70 percent of his customers over his phone. “I
have 400 [regular] customers,” he said.
Residents of Hermosa, Redondo, and Manhattan Beach keep calling because they
like knowing who is driving them around, Burt said. There is a greater feeling
of safety and they know they are getting a fair deal. The rate is a $2 for the
initial fee and $2 per mile. Burt warned that there are some cabs in the area
that have meters that run hot because the drivers have disabled the calibration
lockouts.
Burt always travels the shortest route at the right price. People know when they
are being taken advantage of, he said. “It is a small business,” Burt said. “We
are all independent contractors leasing a cab. It’s up to me to make it
successful.”
Burt also prides himself on giving customers a very accurate estimated time of
arrival. Dispatch will always give 5-15 minutes, but Burt can estimate down to
the minute. He always tries to give the customers a pleasant ride. “Some cab
drivers won’t talk to customers,” he said. “I like talking to customers…it’s a
very social job.”
Although Burt never intended on becoming a cab driver he likes the area, the
people, and the freedom to set his own hours and build his own client base.
“Well, this is the longest temporary job I’ve had,” he said. “People don’t come
into it thinking it’ll be a long term career, but it’s really satisfying to work
for yourself.” --CD
Runner-up: Alphonso
The Easy Reader – March 3, 2005
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Best
programs
Fans
attending Mira Costa High School athletic events
have the opportunity to purchase the finest athletic programs in the South Bay.
With bright, four-color covers on glossy stock, Mira Costa’s programs are much
more than rosters and schedules. Chock-full of information, eye-catching
graphics and photography, these publications include individual photos of
varsity members, team photos for all levels, biographies of the coaching staff,
and the sport’s history at the school.
While each individual sport is responsible for the production and printing of
its own program, the numerous advertisements purchased by community businesses,
parents and team boosters is evident, making Mustang programs of the highest
quality and ones to keep handy all season long. --RA
Best
snack bar
Just a few feet from the third base dugout, with smoke wafting skyward and the
savory aroma of barbecue permeating the air, the
Hermosa Beach Little League snack bar at Clark
Field provides refreshments for hundreds of hungry players and fans
each season.
With an easy to read menu that includes baseball staples of hot dogs, hamburgers
and popcorn, the snack bar offers taco boats, pizza, fresh donuts for weekend
games, and a wide selection of beverages.
Shelby Arico, who manages the snack bar, claims to have the largest selection of
candy around. “We take great pride in our cleanliness and our parent involvement
is tremendous,” she added. --RA
Best way
to laugh off an injury
Even though many of her patients’ surgical incisions have healed,
Laura Frantz, MPT continues to keep them in
stitches. Frantz, who has a Master’s Degree in physical therapy from
Mt. Saint Mary’s College, treats rehabilitating youth and adults at South Bay
Sports Medicine Physical Therapy in Torrance, doubling as a stand-up comedienne
in her free time.
Performing at such venues as the Ice House, Comedy Store, the Friars Club in
Beverly Hills, and The Improv, Frantz, who uses the stage name Laura Hayden,
uses the gift of mirth to help both her patient and herself get through a
session in which it is necessary for her to inflict pain. “A lot of treatments
I have to give are quite painful,” Frantz said. “But levity helps a lot of
things… pain, anxiety, depression. Humor acts as a great distraction.” If a
visit to see Laura Frantz the physical therapist is not on the agenda, Laura
Hayden the comic can be seen by visiting
www.laurahayden.com/ --RA
Best new
young runner
Becky Hext, 9, of Redondo Beach won her age
division for the fourth consecutive year in the Sand and Strand
Muchkins Run on Sunday. She made it look easy, the way the naturals always do.
Most
condiments on the table
This wasn’t a voted-on category this year, so our count may not be accurate.
That said, Eat at Joe’s took the prize
for most condiments on the table with at least 16 items. Among the
offerings are: regular maple syrup, lo-sugar syrup, Tabasco-red, Tabasco-green,
Tapatio, home-made salsa, cream (including flavored, non-dairy creamers), jams
and jellies, honey, vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, soy, A-1 steak, and
Worcestershire sauces. –BB
Eat at Joe’s, 400 N. Pac. Cst. Hwy., Redondo Beach, 376-9570
Best hang
gliding instructor
Paul Thornbury - For the past 20
years, Paul Thornbury has taught people to strap wings to their backs and fly
like a bird. His favorite place to break in first time solo pilots is at
Dockweiller State Beach.
Thornbury and his crew of newcomers took to a wind swell last week. The spot,
just north of Rosecrans Avenue, is the only designated hang gliding area along
the ocean within the Los Angeles area. “It’s an ideal spot to teach takeoffs
and landings,” Thornbury said.
The sand dune just off the beach offers an easy zone to practice the
fundamentals. For the instructor, it offers a playful relief from bare-knuckle
flights along massive thermals. “You don’t need a parachute around here,”
Thornbury said. “And it’s so easy. I don’t need a driver to drive my truck back
down the hill.” --DR
The Easy Reader – March 3, 2005
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Best
gadfly
Viet Ngo -
For his unyielding dedication
to civic activism, Easy Reader gives its award for Best Gadfly to Viet Ngo of
Manhattan Beach. Gadfly means “a provocative stimulus,” according to the second
definition in the American Heritage dictionary. The first is “any of various
flies that bite or annoy livestock.”
The Vietnamese native proudly identifies himself to the Manhattan city council
as “Viet Ngo, United State citizen.” What follows is usually more difficult to
understand. He derides the council for criminal violations, rattling off the
section codes with precision, often including the RICO-statute designed to bring
down mob bosses. He addresses the council three or four times in a single
meeting
A few weeks ago, during the time for public comments, he said he observed a
crime at 1:37 that afternoon. A car ran a stop sign on Highland Ave. In the
driver’s seat, Ngo proclaimed, was City Attorney Robert Wadden.
Years back, the council asked Police Chief Ernie Klevesahl to escort Ngo out of
the building. Last November, the council discussed changing the guidelines for
speakers. Several residents snapped at the council for trying to limit the
public discussion, but really they just wanted to limit Ngo. In the end, none of
the rules were changed, but Mayor Linda Wilson did warn him she would begin
cutting him off. Ngo continues proudly and undaunted to address the council
whenever the impulse strikes him, which is at every council meeting. --DR
Best old
school pipe organist
Bill Field, Old Town Music Hall -
Honors for Best Old School Pipe
Organist go to the unrivaled Bill Field, who for 38 years, has taken people back
to the days when silent movies were accompanied by a live organist. Field plays
a giant, 1925 Wurlitzer Pipe Organ in the Old Town Music Hall on Richmond
Street. Grainy lyrics on the screen beckon a sing along before the start of each
film, like movie houses used to do back in the day. “Most young people have
never seen anything like it,” Field said. “Theatre-going those days was more fun
than it is now. In those days you participated.”
The
organ sits right in front of the screen, but during the movie you forget about
Field being there altogether. “That’s what you’re supposed to do,” he said
afterward. Field plays without sheet music, improvising throughout the movie.
“It’s hokey but I like it,” said Bob Green, who with his wife Teresa attends the
theatre nearly every week.
Back stage, are three rooms filled by 2,500 pipes with bellows to amplify the
sound. In a related category, Charles Westrem earned the Best Old School
Projectionist award. For the past five years, Westrem has fed film into a 1950’s
era projector for the shows at the Old Town Music Hall.
The
first few moments spent getting the film started are “nervous moments,” Westrem
confides. After a quick check of the focus, he can relax. “Southern California
is famous for one industry: Entertainment,” he said. “This is an important part
of our history.” -- DR
The Old Town Music Hall, 140 Richmond Street, El Segundo, (310) 322-2592 or
www.otmh.org/
Best
charity auction, getaway weekend
Sleepover with the lifeguards -
“Penthouse on the water with your own, personal lifeguard”
might be the description for a weekend in the overnight quarters of the new
lifeguard headquarters, now under construction at the Hermosa pier. Unlike
fantasy vacations in the South Pacific, bidders on a weekend at the lifeguard
headquarters wouldn’t have to worry about extravagant airline expenses and the
even more costly time off work required of far away trips. Lifeguards could help
raise money for local charities and bidders would get a firsthand look at an
even more enduring fantasy – life as a beach lifeguard. -- KC
Best
postman
Larry Robinson -
Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood
really does exist. U.S. Postal Service route # 5404 in north Hermosa Beach along
The Strand is the domain of Larry Robinson, letter carrier extraordinaire.
Robinson, who took over the route five years ago after serving the infamous
“Billy Goat” route among the hills of Prospect Avenue for 13 years, has actually
gotten to know the majority of the people at his 500 stops – he knows the cars
they drive, when they’re on vacation, their pets, their passions, and, of
course, their preferred reading materials. Robinson walks his route every day
with a Zen-like serenity, never rushed, always cheerful and ready with a deep
baritone chuckle and “How are you doing today?”
Robinson applied for this route 23 years ago at the beginning of his USPS career after falling in love with Hermosa Beach back in the jazz heyday of the Lighthouse Cafe. He saw such greats as Herbie Hancock, Freddy Hubbard, Horace “Tap” Scott, and Art Blakey, and has fond memories of former-owner Howard Rumsey, who would open up the Dutch doors and let people stand outside and catch the music for free. “That was a real jazz club,” Robinson said. “I’m just grateful now to be able to give back to the community that gave so much to me when I was young.” He says this route is his last stop. “The water, the beautiful sand, the bikinis, all the great people.... If I’m going to deliver mail, this is it.” – MM
The Easy Reader – March 3, 2005
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Best
nanny
Pearl Hicks -
Laura Abrahamson remembers the
day in April of 1968 when her family’s newly arrived English nanny caught her
attention. Pearl Hicks had been in the country less than two weeks, and with her
striking good looks and cheery personality, the family thought they had their
own Mary Poppins. On the day of her little brother Joe’s christening party,
however, Laura and her sister Lisa, ages four and two, refused to eat at the
kids’ table that had been set up. Pearl was having none of it. She sternly
ordered the girls to sit down and eat, and then slammed her hand down on the
table – which happened to have a glass top. The table shattered beneath them as
the girls looked up at their new nanny with awe. “I never argued with her
again,” Laura says. “I just did what she said.”
Almost 37 years later, Pearl has become a Hermosa Beach legend, commemorated
with the ultimate local honor – the surf break off 26th Street is known as
“Pearl’s Point.” Pearl helped raise Laura and her two siblings – the children of
Judy and Lebby Hudson – and is now helping raise a second generation, Laura and
her husband Alan Abrahamson’s three children. Laura calls Pearl “a second
mother” and credits her with allowing her to pursue a career in law. “I couldn’t
do what I do if we didn’t have the complete security Pearl gives us,” she says.
“The kids are left with essentially a grandparent.”
“Pearl,” says Alan, an LA Times reporter, “is the greatest.” Pearl had a
hardscrabble childhood growing up in Kettering, Northampshire in the midst of
WWII. She remembers a bomb going off right across the street, literally popping
the tarts her mother had just taken out of the oven. Even so, she admits wanting
to leave bucolic Hermosa Beach almost immediately after arriving in 1968. “I
just hung in there and kept on going,” she says. “And I stayed and lived happily
ever after with my children.” --MM
Best
surfing preacher
Pastor Chris Cannon -
Back in 1980, Chris Cannon was
a young surfer who made an unlikely decision based on equal parts courage,
passion, and audacity. He was 19-years-old and, emboldened by Bob Dylan’s
Christian masterpiece “Slow Train Comin’” to embrace his beliefs, he combined
his two greatest passions and founded a group called “Surfers for Christ.”
Christians and surfers alike were dumbfounded. “Either you were a surfer or you
were a Christian, but you couldn’t be both,” Cannon recalls. “It was like an
oxymoron.” He didn’t know it at the time, but in many ways it was the beginning
of his ministry.
He attended Westmont College with the idea of going into counseling, but when he returned to the South Bay his work as a volunteer with Hope Chapel youth ministry eventually led him to take over the nearly defunct King’s Harbor Church in Redondo Beach. When he became pastor in 1997, the church had 12 members, all but one was retired.
Today, the church is one of the most vibrant in the area, with over half of its more than 1,000 members under the age of 30. It isn’t so much that surfing is central to the church’s success as it is a more relaxed, “real life” Christianity that has attracted people to Cannon and his church – the church has an office above a coffee shop in Riviera Village, its members are active volunteers with Habitat for Humanity as well as local charity projects, and Cannon himself has served as a planning commissioner and chairman of the city’s Citizen Corps Council. But surfing is indeed close to the heart and soul of Cannon and his work.
On
Sundays, he looks out from his pulpit and sees a sea of Hawaiian shirts, and
from June through September he conducts a church service on the beach below
Avenue I. He and members of his congregation also give surfing lessons in the
summer. “Surfing is a celebration of God’s creation,” he says. “If you are going
to enjoy God’s creation, you are going to enjoy who made it.” -- MM
King’s Harbor Church offices are at 1617 S. Pacific Coast Highway, above the
Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. 540-2217
Best art
house movies
Film Night at the Historic Library -
Sure, it’s only twice a month, but Film Night at the Historic Library makes up
for a lack of quantity with an abundance of quality – plus, it’s free.
Barbara Blum started this amazing community event two years ago at the beautiful
old library in Redondo’s Veteran’s Park and she has an uncanny ability at
picking out true movie gems. In the last year, film night has screened such
small classics as “Truly, Madly, Deeply” and “Welcome to Colinwood” (anything
with William Macy, we begin to realize, is worth seeing), neglected classics
such as “Murder By Death” (Peter Falk, Peter Sellers, Alec Guinness, and Maggie
Smith all in one movie!) and Clint Eastwood’s jazzy “‘Round Midnight,” and great
documentaries such as “Buena Vista Social Club” and “Standing in the Shadows of
Motown” (which featured a special treat, a live performance by “the last
Supreme” Susaye Green).
Blum also hunts out small, as-yet-to-be-distributed films from time to time, and
anyone who was lucky enough to see last month’s screening of “Ocean Front
Property” (with director Joe Scott on hand for the event) saw first-hand that
some of the very best work being done in movies today is happening far from the
Hollywood machinery (in this case, on the Texas coast, oddly enough).
A
big thumb’s up for free film night, which happens every second and fourth
Thursday at 7 p.m. And as if Blum hasn’t worked enough miracles already, this
year she has wrangled free parking for moviegoers. --MM
309 Esplanade, Redondo Beach. 540-0901
Best
one-of-a-kind clothing
Poor Pitiful Pearl -
A woman and her sewing machine
— Poor Pitiful Pearl is the creation of Shauna McCoy. She uses everything from
towels to handkerchiefs to old slips when she designs. She also travels to
vintage flea markets to get her material. “I take rags and make them into
riches,” she said.
After going to school for fashion design McCoy moved to New York City. However
she said she felt creatively handicapped by the structured environment. She
wanted to be able to see the beach. She wanted simplicity. In Poor Pitiful
Pearl the door is always wide open, the incense is always burning and McCoy’s
needle never ceases to produce another fashion anomaly. She describes her
clothes as ‘young, whimsical, and sexy’. “Especially for you,” she said,
“actually, one-of-a-kind.” -- CD
Poor Pitiful Pearl, 901 Hermosa Ave. #J, Hermosa Beach 437-9430
The Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Association
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