Long Live the King of Lake Wobegon

Garrison Keillor will speak at the Carpenter Center on campus at CSULB on September 22 at 8 pm. The host of the Prairie Home Companion radio show will share anecdotes of the quirks and hilarity of small-town life. Tickets are $65.

Arianna, Dahling

Arianna Huffington, blog maven of the Huffington Post, will be speaking at the CSULB Distinguished Speaker Series in the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on Thursday, October 21. Her topic will be "politics and the new media." The program begins at 7:30 pm and tickets cost $45.

Long Weekend and All that Jazz

Kjazz is sponsoring a Blues Bash in September 4. From noon to 6 pm, there's a free street fest in front of the Carpenter Center where there'll be live performances plus food, vendors, and a beer garden. A concert headlined by the Keb Mo Band begins as 7 pm in the auditorium. Tickets cost $55.

Blues Moves

This year, KKJZ will host a Blues Blast instead of the legendary Blues Festival that has drawn music lovers to Long Beach for thirty years. On Saturday, September 4, on the CSULB campus, there will be a free afternoon fair with performances by local musicians followed by a ticketed concert at 7 pm in the Carpenter Center featuring Keb Mo, Guitar Shorty, and Jon Cleary.

Pow Wow 40 Point 0

The annual two-day Pow Wow, a celebration of native American dance, music and crafts, will be held for the 40th time on the CSULB central quad on March 13 and 14. Admission is free and parking costs $4. The events run from 11 am to 10 pm on Saturday and from 11 am to 6 pm on Sunday. The costumes are stunning and the dancers, ranging in age from toddlers to super seniors, are graceful and assured, but always ask before taking photos. Some native Americans have strong beliefs about having their image captured.

Art for Sale

The Holiday Art Sale at CSULB begins this Sunday. Over 3,000 items are for sale, ranging in price from $5 to $500. It's not just drawings and paintings. There's photography, jewelry, ceramics and many, many more one-of-a-kind pieces by students and faculty of the Art Department. Hours run from 4 to 7 pm on Sunday and from 10 am to 5 pm from Monday to Thursday. The sale goes on Art Department galleries and courtyard. Directional signs will be set up in the south quad.

An afternoon with Lugwig

The second of four presentations by Long Beach Symphony Orchestra about Beethoven will take place at the Daniel Recital Hall at CSULB tomorrow at 2 pm. Leonne Lewis will speak about Beethoven and his piano. Tickets cost $25 and reservations are required.

Forget the chickens, count those bikes!

The Transportation Department at California State University Long Beach is holding its annual bike and pedestrian count on Thursday, October 22 (7-9 am or 4-6 pm) and Sunday, October 25 (12 noon-2 pm).
You have to attend a half-hour training session on Wednesday, October ; three sessions are available--at 2 pm, 4 pm, and 6 pm.

By accurately documenting the number of people biking and walking as well as where the most bikers and walkers are, CSULB and the city of Long Beach can create better routes and better qualify for grants and other funding. After submitting a completed count form, volunteers will receive a "thank you" gift card.

Stop the presses

Tom Hennessey will be speaking on the CSULB campus next Tuesday, July 28, at 10 am in Room 101 of the Health Science and Design Building. The event is free and there is also free parking in the Palo Verde parking deck. Sponsored by Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Mr. Hennessey will talk about his career writing for the Press-Telegram and Long Beach history

Virtually Beachified in this Second Life

CSULB has a new virtual location at the Second Life website, a shared 3D conglomeration of fantasy worlds based on real geographic locations, locales in books and movies, and mostly the far reaches of people's imaginations. Designed by professors in the Marketing Department, Beach World is an island with palm trees, aquamarine pools and of course the Pyramid. The CSULB website has a short animated intro to this cool new way to take classes or just hang out. To virtually metriculate, you need to go to Second Life and create your own avatar.

Come to the Garden!

June makes me think of gardens, and gardens make me think of that hidden treasure of the CSULB campus – the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden. In less than a square block, the park combines a koi pond, a tea house and a zen garden with restful, graceful simplicity. A couple of June events there caught my eye. On June 7, Arts Day runs from 10 am to 4 pm with Japanese dance and music plus art projects like paper marbling and flower painting. Admission is $7, and there is free parking in Lot 16.

Then, on June 26, there’ll be a fundraiser for the garden. Concert pianist Sonya Kumiko Lee will perform classical favorites under the stars. Tickets go for $60 with hors d’oeuvres at 6:30 pm and the concert at 7 pm.