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Events in 2009
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Date: Sunday, December 13, 2009
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Cost: Free - donations accepted
Questions: Call (310) 328-5392
Children of all ages and adults who are young at heart, are invited to the
Torrance Historical Society & Museum for a reading of the holiday classic,
'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Former Torrance City Councilman, Paul Nowatka, will cozy down in an antique
wingback chair and delight listeners with this magical tale.
There will be a surprise visit by Santa.
Each guest will leave with a treat, compliments of COSTCO, and one lucky
winner will go home with a copy of the book - "Twas the Night before
Christmas"!
This event is free, open to the public, and requires no reservations, so bring
a friend -- or two!
The Torrance Historical Society & Providence Little Company of Mary Medical
Center Torrance
Rock Around the Block
in Celebration of the All-America City Award
Thursday, July 16, 2009
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM IN-N-OUT Burger wagon available.
Burger wagon will close earlier if food is sold out.
See the Rock Around the Blocker Flyer for details.
This is a free event - donations accepted.
Nominal fee for food and beverages.
The Torrance Historical Society and Providence Little
Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance are hosting the fifth annual
1950s-style family summer event in celebration of Torrance's All-America City
Award -- one of America's original and most prestigious community recognition
awards. The City received this award for "Growth without strain" back in the
1956 when Albert Isen was Mayor of Torrance.
This free event is open to the public and will be held in front of the Museum
(1345 Post Avenue). Post Avenue will be blocked off from Cravens to Sartori,
so guests can . . .
- View vintage cars on display along Post Avenue, courtesy of Cruisin' 50s Car
Club, local car owners - special appearance by the Oscar Mayer
Weinermobile
- Bop to 50s music
- Munch on burgers from the IN-N-OUT burger wagon (burgers served from 5:30 PM
- 7:00 PM, nominal fee for food & beverages)
-
See special exhibits featuring the original congratulatory telegram from
President Eisenhower, along with the All-America City button & logo
-
Slurp milk shakes made with vintage machines by real "soda jerks"
-
Check-out high school yearbooks -- the Torrance Historical Society has the
largest collection
-
Enter the hula hoop, bubble gum blowin', cake walk and pie eating contests -
there are prizes!
The Bartlett Senior (over 50) Center will also be hosting an Open House this
same night -- you can dine on their patio and listen to The South Bay
Strummers (ukulele group)! The Torrance Woman's Club will also have their
1950s Club scrapbook available for viewing. Also, the Torrelles -- a group
of City employees who sing 50s and 60s songs in a cappella, will entertain
guests.
This event is hosted in cooperation with the City of Torrance, the Torrance
Historical Society, Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center
Torrance, Torrance CitiCABLE 3, Costco, Torrance Bakery and the Old Torrance
Neighborhood Association.
The Torrance Historical Society & Museum is located at 1345 Post Avenue, and
is open free to the public Tuesday - Thursday & Sunday, from 1:00 PM - 4:00
PM. Special hours can be arranged for private tours or research. The Society
has an ever growing collection of photos, documents, books, artifacts and
other material relevant to the City's past. If you have any questions or
would like additional information, please call the Museum at (310) 328-5392
or visit www.TorranceHistoricalSociety.org.
Annual Meeting & History of the Torrance Airport at Zamperini Field
When: Sunday, May 31st
Where: The Western Museum of Flight - 3315 Airport Drive, Torrance
Time: 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Cost: $15 for Torrance Historical Society Members / $30 non-members -
includes lunch & tour of Western Museum of Flight
Guest Speaker: Chuck Lobb, author of
Torrance Airport
RSVP: (310) 328-5392
Works in Progress Presents "Whose Story Now"
Once WWII ended, Japanese Americans began telling their stories for the first
time. Works in Progress follows their evolving story from that moment to the
present, which beg the questions ....
Whose Story
Now?
For its sixth consecutive year, Works in Progress presents dramas of
compelling contemporary events in the intimate Nakano Theatre at Torrance
Cultural Arts Center. Q & A and reception will follow each event.
Monday, Feb 16th
"Rabbit in the Moon"
One family's challenge to break the silence of the past and search for the
truth.
Wednesday, Feb 25th
"Heroes, My Friend Ted"
Stories of two brothers in the 100th / 142nd and of Torrance's own hero, Ted
Tanouye.
Wednesday, March 25th
"Yellow Pearl"
Music and stories of the 1970's emerging American Asian movement.
Wednesday, April 29th
"Big Head"
Stories of Japanese Americans during WWII that also explores the treatment as
those perceived as the enemy after 9/11.
Wednesday, May 27th
"It's Great 2B an American"
Multi-media performance about the ironies of having an American passport and
an Asian face.
The
Torrance Historical Society & Museum
is once again working in association with Works in Progress, a program of the
Cultural Services Division
of the Torrance Community Services Department.
This series is presented in association with
Japanese American Citizens League,
Japanese American Cultural and Community
Center,
Japanese American Historical Society of Southern California,
JA Living Legacy,
Japanese American National Museum,
Nikkei for Civil Rights
and Redress,
Ted Tanouye Memorial Foundation,
The Henry Fukuhara Workshop,
Torrance CitiCABLE,
Torrance Public Library
and Visual Communications.
Meet the Author & Book Signing
Where the V.I.P.'s R.I.P.
What do Frank Zappa and Toto have in common? They're both in unmarked graves.
Author Steve Goldstein, a South Bay resident, has written
LA's Graveside
Companion: Where the V.I.P.'s R.I.P.--- a guide to a dozen Los Angeles
cemeteries which are now home to 400 of the "most interesting" gravesites in
Southern California. From Rudolph Valentino, to Marilyn Monroe, to Busy
Siegel, to Frank Zappa to Toto . . . Goldstein will highlight the biographies
of some of the rich, famous and infamous who now reside six feet under Los
Angeles. He'll tell where the bodies are buried -- not all are in
cemeteries.
This Meet the Author & Book Signing event will be hosted by the Torrance
Historical Society at the Torrance Historical Society & Museum (1345 Post
Avenue, Old Torrance) on Sunday, May 3rd, at 2:00 PM.
LA's Graveside Companion: Where the V.I.P.'s R.I.P. will be available for
purchase and signing on this day. Light refreshments will be served. No
reservations are required. This presentation is free, and open to the public,
but seating is limited, so arrive early.
Author's Bio: Steve Goldstein has been a cemetery historian for over 20 years,
frequently appearing in newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and other
media as an expert on the subject. He often contributes to the online
reference site, FindAGrave.com, and is a sought after tour guide. Although
this is his first book, his work has been published in such books as Weird
California and Last Laugh: A Book of Graveyard Humour. He lives with his
very understanding wife, Jennifer, in the South Bay. For more information,
visit Goldstein's website at www.BeneathLosAngeles.com.
Meet the Author & Book Signing
Sawtelle: West Los Angeles' Japantown
Where: Torrance Historical Society & Museum - 1345 Post Avenue, Old Torrance
When: Saturday, March 28th, 2:00 PM
Cost: Free. Donations appreciated. Book is available for purchase.
Who: Author, Jack Fujimoto
What: Book signing & presentation -- Sawtelle: West Los Angeles' Japantown
Info: (310) 328-5392 or
www.TorranceHistoricalSociety.org
In partnership with the 2009 Works in Progress "Whose Story Now?" series, the
Torrance Historical Society and the Torrance Public Library will take you back
to the early 20th Century when Japantown (bisected by Sawtelle Blvd. in Los
Angeles) flourished through a close-knit network of Japanese immigrants who
were denied citizenship until 1952, and were excluded by law from owning land.
It was only through their Nisei children (second-generation American-born
children) that they could buy property.
Author, Jack Fujimoto, a 50-year resident of Sawtelle, will tell the story --
through vintage images collected from local families, businesses and
organizations -- of the Japanese immigrant experience in Los Angeles.
Sawtelle: West Los Angeles' Japantown will be available for purchase and
signing on this day. Light refreshments will be served. No reservations are
required. This presentation is free and open to the public, but seating is
limited. Please arrive early.
Author's Bio: Author Jack Fujimoto, Ph.D., is a 50-year resident of Sawtelle.
He has been president of the Japanese Institute of Sawtelle and its Japanese
language school for more than a decade. He has also served as president of the
West L.A. Buddhist Temple, the Japanese American Historical Society of
Southern California, and several community colleges. He was the first Nisei to
head a mainland U.S. college when he became president of Sacramento City
College in 1977.
Book Signing & Presentation, March 8th, 2009
The Torrance Historical Society & Torrance Public Library presents...
Who: Dale Sato, Community Historian
What: Book signing & presentation -- Japanese Americans of the South Bay, CA
Note: There will be live music to introduce each decade of the book.
When: Sunday, March 8th, 2009
Where: Torrance Historical Society & Museum - 1345 Post Avenue, Old
Torrance
Time: 2:00 PM
Cost: Free
Info: (310) 328-5392 or www.TorranceHistoricalSociety.org
Light refreshments will be served. No reservations are required. This
presentation is free, and open to the public, but seating is limited,
so arrive early.
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