Thursday isn’t a down day in Surf City. If you’re looking for live entertainment this week, head over to the HB Pier for the National Scholastic Surfing Association’s West Coast Championship (Southwest Conference) which goes through the weekend. Great surfing is a sure bet if the waves cooperate.  As nightfall comes, downtown HB isn’t the only game in town, though you’ll find out that it offers the liveliest concentration of food, music and dancing in the city. Thanks to HuntingtonBeachEvents.com calendar, for info posted here!

DOWNTOWN EVENTS MAY 17, 2012:

• Live Jam Sessions – at Perqs Nite Club. 21+, 117 Main Street, Huntington Beach. 714-960-9996.
• Comedy & Acustic – at Gallagher’s Pub, 300 Pacific Coast Highway #113, Downtown Huntington Beach, CA. Time: 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. Call: (714) 536-2422
• Surfing Competition – NSSA West Coast Championships Southwest Conference May 17-20. Great surfing you won’t want to miss. Nice way to start the summer surfing competition season as a warm up to the big US Open of Surfing in July. Location: Huntington Beach Pier, Pacific Coast Highway at Main, Huntington Beach, CA. Call: 714-378-0899 nssa.org

AROUND TOWN EVENTS:

• Barry Rillera, band – at Tumbleweeds Saloon. 21094 S. Beach Blvd. Huntington Beach, CA. (714) 960-2776
• American Music – at Don the Beachcomber. Americana Music includes Country, Western, Blues, Rockabilly, Cowboy, Hillbilly-Line Dancing!! Time: 6:30 – 11 p.m. Location: 16278 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA. Phone (562) 592-1321
• Acoustic Reggea – at Harvey’s Steakhouse, 6060 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 842-5111

According to a letter written by City Manager Fred Wilson, “staff is disputing the State’s contention that any items listed on the ROPS (Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule) are not enforceable obligations and we will be providing additional documentation to the State in support of our position with the assistance of outside Counsel. However, in order to obtain approval for the remaining items on the ROPS, the disputed items have been removed until further notice.”

Disputed items include loans and advances that were made by the City to the Redevelopment Agency. They have a remaining outstanding balance of $71.8 million. An annual transfer from the former Redevelopment Agency to the City’s General Fund of between $4.9 million and $6 million was for repayment of that debt.

Items removed included:
1) Yorktown-Lake Redevelopment
2) Talbert-Beach Redevelopment
3) Main-Pier Redevelopment
4) Oakview Redevelopment
5) Huntington Center Commercial District Redevelopment Project
6) Land purchased for commercial development of the Hilton, the Hyatt, Town Square, the Main Street Parking Structure, California Resorts Projects and residential development
7) Deferred developer fees Park & Acquistion, deferred developer fees

Everyone in Huntington Beach knows about Duck-a-thon, the annual event where the rubber ducks are dumped off the pier to swim back to shore for prizes for the people who sponsor these ducks at around $10-20 a pop. But did you know that Duck-a-thon was invented by an HB local who’s been helping with the effort each year since it was conceived?

Donna and George Cross support the Duck-A-Thon wholeheartedly – in fact, it was Donna’s brainchild! The Duck-A-Thon benefits the Altamed Community Clinic, and has grown each year since its inception…a fact that makes both Donna and George very proud. You’ll find the HB couple working (volunteering) right now before the event.

“Heartbroken.” That’s the way people are describing the loss of ther favorite Sunset Beach, Calif. restaurant, Harpoon Harry’s, known for its clam chowder, affordable seafood, cocktail bar with live music, and casual, beach atmosphere. An establishment and icon on Pacific Coast Highway in the once unincorporated Sunset Beach has shuttered its doors, the phone is disconnected and a sign on the door states that the seafood restaurant and local pub shut down on may 8, 2012.

Meanwhile the marquee in front for all too see announced Mother’s Day Brunch with a phone number to call for details– the phone#  is out of order.

The building owner said it is for lease with three interested parties, including a company that operates a trendy restaurant in Newport Beach.

Liquor licenses on file with California ABC are listed as good through 2013 , as this:

HARPOON HARRYS
SHORE HOUSE CAFE INC
Company Information
Officer: BROWN, CARRI ANNE (DIRECTOR/GENERAL MANAGER)
Officer: BONADONNA, DIANA LYNN (PRESIDENT/SECRETARY)
Stock Holder: BONADONNA, DIANA LYNN

It’s the same question every year–where are you going to take mom to eat on Mother’s Day? There are some expensive brunches at the finest hotel restaurants overlooking the ocean for around $75-100/person. They’re nice but not for every budget. Dukes Huntington Beach is quite a bit cheaper–and it’s on the ocean. The waiting list will be long so you may want to call ahead.

Along the coast there’s a fabulous Polynesian option, Don the Beachcomber, with entertainment and a festive atmosphere. Though it’s on Pacific Coast Highway, there are no views of the beach. It’s all indoors tiki-themed fun.

Then there’s a host of casual California style restaurants ranging from No Ka Oi in downtown Huntington Beach to Fred’s Mexican Cafe on Main & PCH. Or you can go inland to Beach Blvd. for Lazy Dog Cafe, and chains over at Bella Terra Mall- California Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake Factory and Buca di Beppo.

Special venue dining includes a brunch offered at Meadowlark (public) Golf Course, or a wonderful brunch at Old World Village German Restaurant.

Whatever you choose, you’re bound to have a fantastic time. There’s no rain predicted on this “sunshine day”, Sunday, May 13, 2012. Since you live at the beach, be sure to take your mother to your favorite beach spot, be it Bolsa Chica, HB Pier, Sunset Beach or Bolsa Chica wetlands. There’s no bad choice when it comes to beaches in Huntington!

A special event held annually to raise money for a special program is being hosted at the Equestrian Center in Central Park, Huntington Beach. The Derby Day event on Sat., May 5, 2012, is a fund-raiser for the Therapeutic Riding Center. Kids activities included face painting, stick pony races and lots of interaction opportunities with horses and ponies. Therapeutic Riding Center is a non-profit organization that invites kids with special needs to ride gentle horses with trained guides, thus building self-esteem and providing many positive benefits. See details in the calendar of events.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. — Calling all boys or girls between the ages of 5-14! Any youth fitting this bill is invited to attend Stewardship Days at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. Become a Jr. Steward by attending four or more Bolsa Chica Land Trust Stewardship Days in the year. Hosting over 100 people at Stewardship Days through the year, last year there were 10 new “Juniors”.

Jr Stewards plant native plants and learn more about our local native ecosystems at the Bolsa Chica wetlands. If you have questions about the Jr. Stewards Program you can contact Mark Hay, BCLT Jr. Stewards Coordinator (714) 307-9481 or email: mnhay2000@yahoo.com

April 21, 2012 marks the beginning of Beach Tennis (beachtennisusa.net) season in Huntington Beach, California with the annual Huntington Beach Open hosted by NLA Sports.The event will be sanctioned by Beach Tennis USA and the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

“With the summer season quickly approaching,” Marc Altheim, Founder and CEO of Beach Tennis U.S.A starts, “we are excited to get started on the West Coast with this inaugural event.”

The event takes place just weeks after the 2012 Miami Beach Tennis Open, which brought over 250 professional and semi professional players from 8 countries. The three-day event drew over 2,000 spectators and fans to the beach of Sunny Isles, Florida.

“With groups who play year round now in Long Beach, Hermosa Beach, Venice Beach, San Diego, and now in Huntington Beach, Beach Tennis SoCal, along with NLA Sports and BT USA Los Angeles, are proud to bring you the first ever ITF Southern California Tour! Each year, the sport continues to grow here on the West Coast as more athletes make their way to the sand and learn how to play!

Event Details – Huntington Open – Huntington Beach Pier North
Date: April 21 – April 22, 2012
Location: 100 6th Street, Huntington Beach, California 92648
Registration for the event will be accepted at http://www.ocssc.com/tennis.php

Huntington Beach Sports Complex is the new location for the annual Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by HB Kiwanis each year in Central Park. Attendance has exceeded 5,000 in recent annual events and the new location offers more parking and larger fields for hosting a variety of activities throughout the day. Kiwanis have expanded the egg hunt and visit from the Easter Bunny to include Family Fun Day from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Location: 7111 Talbert Ave., Huntington Beach, CA. All events are free. Kids, bring your own basket. See events calendar for more this year’s schedule.

2012 SurfCityUSA Paintball Challenge welcomes the Hooter Girls serving up Hot Wings in the VIP areas. HOT!

There was a time when many Huntington Beach, California residents weren’t receptive to hosting a paintball tournament on their city beach. That was about 10 years ago. Now a national paintball tournament is so beloved by eonomic intererests and tourism entities that it has been re-branded the Surf City USA Paintball Challenge. How times have changed!

Concerns early on involved the fact that you can’t charge for entertainment on public beaches in California, and the paintball itself is a mess! But since Huntington Beach hosts a much bigger event that impacts the city’s infrastructure, beaches and facilities a whole lot more (US Open of Surfing), HB officials say “bring it on” to paintball on the beach. Event organizers pay for extensive cleanup to return the beach to its previous condition.

From the get-go, hoteliers in this seaside, ever-so-cool town of nearly 200,000 full time occupants said paintball was good for their business. At a time when hotels rooms and beds were empty, paintball was the miracle cure that filled them up. Early on some problems existed, not unlike any other sporting event. Hotels were finding paintball in some of the rooms and it was costing money to clean it up.  They’ve mostly worked out the kinks over the past decade and have run the numbers, figuring out that paintball is REALLY good for businesses in Huntington Beach. The restaurants love it just as much!

During the week before Easter, Surf Citians may see a lot of young to middle aged people wandering around with team gear not unlike hockey or baseball. They’ll notice that the restaurants are busy and tables are hard to come by. It will feel like summer in terms of crowds. If hotel rooms are sold out at the beach –and many are– be sure to check Newport Beach and Sunset Beach accommodations.

The paintball challenge is held March 29-April 1, 2012. See: nppl.com