History and Culture of Long Beach Studied at Conference

After much planning and preparation, Long Beach City College and the Historical Society of Long Beach will host the Long Beach Community Studies Conference this Saturday, September 11 from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm at the Historical Society at 4260 Atlantic. Students from LBCC and other local experts with present their research on aspects of Long Beach history that still impact the city today on topics as diverse as the Ku Klux Klan and the Port of Long Beach. Many of these reports will eventually be posted on LBCC's website. Tickets are $30 and lunch is available for $10.

Great Low Cost Business Seminars at LBCC

Long Beach City College Center for Training and Professional Development has an ongoing schedule of 2 to 3 hour sessions of interest to entrepreneurs and other small business owners. For $50 to $100, you can learn how to build a website or start an import-export business with attention to Southern California. The instructors can even customize training programs for your business

Plants! Get 'em while they're hot!

Long Beach City College is holding its annual 4-day plant sale to support it horticulture certification program. Experts will be on hand to give gardening advice and explain plant displays as well as conduct the new feature, drought tolerant gardening for dummies. The varieties available for sale include ornamental, vegetable and herb, and succulents.

The sale runs from Wednesday, March 31, to Saturday, April 3, from 9 am to 6 pm on the LBCC Pacific Coast Highway campus. Parking is available in student lots at Orange and PCH.

Small Business Development Center Gets Books

The Small Business Development Center at Long Beach City College received a donation of 800 books from Sarah and Paul Edwards, experts on entrepreneurship and working from home. The SBDC has training and counseling for local small business owners. It's open from 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays and is located in Building O-2 at 4900 E. Conant Street.

More Senior Moments

Long Beach City College also has lots to offer those of a certain age. The LBCC Senior Center has announced its excursion schedule for the spring semester. Each tour costs $20 for the chartered bus plus any admission charge to the landmark. Reservations are accepted by phone from 8 to 10 am at 938-3048. I'm particularly interested in Norton Simon Museum on January 21, The Adamson House and Malibu Lagoon Museum on February 16, and a comprehensive Long Beach tour on February 18.

Pull up your marketing skills by the boot straps

The Small Business Development Center of Northern California is presenting an Online Marketing Boot Camp Tuesday July 28 from 1 to 5:30 pm. E-mail, marketing, Web site desing, and keyword advertising will be covered with real-time demonstrations of the concepts. At only $45, this looks like a bargain for small businesses looking to optimize their presence on the Web.

At the Beach, Life's a Garden

Attention, plant lovers! The Horticultural Club at Long Beach City College is holding its 37th Annual Open House and Plant Sale from April 8 to 11, from 9 am to 6 pm. Great prices and a large selection of plants bring people from all over the region to the Horticultural Garden on the Pacific Coast Campus (at the corner of PCH and Orange Avenue).

I already bought all the tomatoes I can handle, but I plan to stock up on herbs and a few bedding plants if it suits my fancy. Fruit trees, roses, and shrubs are also for sale. Hand-crafted garden accessories like waterfalls, planters, and wrought iron furniture will also be for sale there. Proceeds from sales go to scholarships and student activities and there’s even free parking, so hurry on down