October is ushered in by monster-filled movie screenings and various festivals highlighting Long Beach and Signal Hill’s diverse communities.
Families can enjoy a screening of “E.T.” together at The Signal Hill Public Library Friday afternoon, or coloring and movie time while watching “Casper” at the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library Tuesday evening. Celebrate fall with Filipino food at Saturday’s Ube Fest at Grey LB or enjoy Mexican and Salvadorian traditional dishes at Sunday’s Swap Meet grand opening at Long Beach City College.
Residents can lounge and enjoy live music at Sunday’s Sunset Concert at Lincoln Park or reminisce at Wednesday’s Silver Hour for seniors at Bixby Park. For those wanting to explore different faiths, pagan followers will gather at Rainbow Lagoon Park Sunday morning, while pets and their humans will gather at Granada Beach Sunday night to receive interfaith blessings.
Friday 9/30
Toddler Storytime: 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Caregivers and parents are invited to bring toddlers ages 1 to 3 to enjoy story time, songs, bubbles and more at Bach Neighborhood Library (4055 N. Bellflower Blvd.). Free.
Classic Films at the Library: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The public is invited to this screening of “E.T.” at the Signal Hill Public Library (1800 E. Hill St.) Registration is required to attend. To register, call (562) 989-7323. Free.
Saturday 10/1
Fall Harvest: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This community celebration at the Firehouse Community Farm (6509 Gundry Ave.) will include activity booths for children, crafts, games, story time, pumpkin derby races and more. Free.
Family Health Festival: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This community event will feature health screenings and demonstrations from health providers at the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (5870 Atlantic Ave.) There will also be healthy food vendors and music. Free.
Book Drive: Noon to 2 p.m. The Signal Hill Public Library (1800 E Hill St.) is asking the public to donate gently used books. Books can be dropped off curbside.
Robot Demonstration: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Polytechnic High School Robotics Club will present a lesson on how robots are built and programmed at the Los Altos Neighborhood Library (5614 Britton Dr.). Participants will have the opportunity to control robots. Free.
Ube Fest: 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. A festival at Grey LB (237 Long Beach Blvd.) celebrating and showcasing different foods that contain ube, a purple yam from the Philippines. Over 20 different vendors will be selling their ube products. Admission costs $10 at the door.
Sunday 10/2
Swap Meet Grand Opening: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The public is invited to the grand opening of the Pacific Coast Swap Meet at Long Beach City College Parking Lot 1 (1305 E Pacific Coast Hwy.) There will be vendors selling merchandise and food including aguas frescas, pupusas and esquite, corn in a cup. Free.
Pagan Pride Day: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Followers of various pagan belief systems will gather at Rainbow Lagoon (400 E Shoreline Dr.) to sell merchandise, listen to workshops and participate in family friendly activities. Free.
Sunset Concert: 4 p.m. The public is invited to this free outdoor concert by Kurt McGurt, Alyssandra Nighswonger and more at Lincoln Park (at the intersection of Pacific Avenue & W Broadway). Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets to sit on. Free.
Interfaith Blessing of the Animals: 5:45 p.m. Pets and their humans are invited to this interfaith blessing of animals at Granada Beach (1 Granada Ave.). Free.
Monday 10/3
Flu Vaccine Clinic: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services will be offering free flu vaccines at El Dorado Park (2800 N. Studebaker Rd.) for people without health insurance or whose health insurance doesn’t cover flu vaccines. Free.
Research for Starting, Managing, and Growing Your Business: 11 a.m. to noon. Entrepreneurs and business owners are invited to learn how to use Reference Solutions, a free program available at the library, to help them start, manage and grow a business. Registration is required for this event. Email lbpl_comments@lbpl.org to register or for more information. Free.
Meatless Monday: 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Six vendors will be selling vegan meals at Trademark Brewing (233 E Anaheim St.) This event is family and dog-friendly. Entry is free.
Tuesday 10/4
Reading Buddies: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Parents and caregivers can bring children to the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (5870 Atlantic Ave.) where a teen volunteer will give them up to 30 minutes of one-on-one reading practice. Free.
Coloring Cinema: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Families of school-age children are invited to participate in this afterschool program, where participants will color while watching “Casper” at Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (5870 Atlantic Ave.)
Wednesday 10/5
The Silver Hour: 3 p.m. This weekly musical event at Bixby Park (130 Cherry Ave.) will feature live music, sing-a-longs and oldies for seniors. Free.
Teen D&D: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Teens are invited to play the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons together at the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (5870 Atlantic Ave.) All experience levels are welcome. Free.
Thursday 10/6
BabyTime: 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Parents and caregivers are invited to bring babies between the ages of 6 months to 18 months to enjoy fingerplays, books and interactive songs at Los Altos Neighborhood Library (5614 Britton Dr.) Free.
ArtLAB: 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. An art exploration program for children ages 7 to 12 at the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (5870 Atlantic Ave.). Free.
