Taste of Old Torrance - November

What: OTNA's Annual Taste of Old Torrance - sample sumptuous sensations from many local within-walking-distance eateries
When: TBA, Check-in 6:45 PM. Food sampling begins at 7:00 PM. Food is first come first served; not guaranteed to last until 9:00pm.
Procedure: In addition to an early check-in time, attendees will be given a number when they arrive. This number is for their place in line when the tasting begins. Those first to arrive will be first to be served.
Location: Bartlett Senior Center - 1318 Cravens, (2nd floor). The Bartlett Senior Center is just behind the Torrance Historical Society Museum. There is an elevator inside the Bartlett Center just beyond the front desk. There are also outside and inside stairs.
Open: To all who live, work, and play in Torrance
Cost / Bring: Adult admission per adult is $5.00 AND one (or more) nonperishable food item, (such as a canned good). Children, 12 years and younger are $3.00 per child AND one (or more) nonperishable food item. All items and admission collected will support our local food bank - "Food for Kids." Cash is preferred and exact change is appreciated. Personal checks also accepted (for exact amount only). Credit, debit cards and Paypal are not accepted. Please, no large bills.

Please do not include items that have expired dates, nor any items that are open or dented.

The November Flyer is available.

About Food for Kids: The Volunteer Center's new "Food For Kids" program was created to provide food to Title One elementary schoolchildren for the weekends. Title One schoolchildren are given meals at school only during the school week. For the Food For Kids program, backpacks are filled with nonperishable food items that the children take home on Fridays. This provides food for the family for the weekend. Then they return the empty backpacks on Mondays to be refilled. Food donations are provided by private and corporate sectors of the community. The goal is to expand the program to help many more families. For more information, call The Center or email volopps@volctr-sobay.org. Also see Food For Kids.

Opportunity Tickets: available for purchase at Taste of Torrance for $1.00 each, or 6 for $5.00. Prizes include gift certificates for participating restaurants, and more!

Special Bonus for current and New OTNA members only:

Anyone who joins or renews their OTNA annual membership prior to, or at the Taste of Old Torrance will receive three Opportunity Tickets in addition to all the usual perks of OTNA membership. Annual memberships are $10.00 per household. Memberships are renewable in January.

Restaurant establishments are all within walking distance of the event.

Here's a partial list of participating restaurants:

• Torrance Bakery
• Red Car Brewery & Restaurant
• Tortilla Cantina
• Chado Tea Room
• Keegan's Sports Lounge & Grill
• La Capilla
• Snap Tin Eatery
• Fox Drug Of Torrance (yes, they have treats, too)
• Eat at Rudy's
• Old Torrance Coffee & Tea
• Angara Indian Restaurant

OTNA Meeting, Wednesday, September 18th, 7-9 PM

What: Meeting & Presentation
Fire Chief Martin Serna, and Team, will highlight recent department activity, provide an update on their community-driven strategic plan, and share short term and long term goals.
Location: Bartlett Center - 1318 Cravens (2nd floor)
When: Wednesday, September 18th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
7:00 PM - Refreshments and meet your neighbors
7:30 PM - Meeting & Presentation
Sponsor:
This meeting is sponsored by Bluestem Hotel a unique boutique with roots in Torrance. This is our City's first boutique hotel, a coastal sanctuary in the South Bay, and they are sticking to their theme of keeping it local starting with the name that stems from the blue grass found in the South Bay.

BlueStem Hotel
2448 Sepulveda Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501
Phone: 310.539.9888
Bluestem Hotel

The Torrance Historical Society Rocks Around the Block
in Celebration of the All-America City Award

When: Thursday, July 18, 2019 5:00PM - 8:00PM
Location: Torrance Historical Society & Museum, 1345 Post Avenue
Cost: Free and open to the public - donations accepted. Nominal fee for food and beverage.
Cheeseburger, chips & soda - $10.00 (no credit nor debit cards, no Paypal).
Info: If you have any questions or would like additional information, please visit or call the Museum at (310) 328-5392.

This is a fund raiser for the Torrance Historical Society & Museum.

The Torrance Historical Society and our sponsors will host this 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:

• Bop to 50s music - by DJ Ozzie
• Munch on burgers from the IN-N-OUT burger wagon (burgers served from 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM, for food & beverages; see below for cost).
• See special exhibits featuring the original congratulatory telegram from President Eisenhower, along with the All-America City button & logo
• 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!
• View vintage cars on display along Post Avenue, courtesy of Cruisin' 50s Car Club, Touring A's and local car owners
• Play retro games like Dime Toss or paint a pet rock.
• Enter the Wham-O hula hoop, bubble gum blowin', Torrance Bakery cake walk and pie eating contests - there are prizes!

If you would like to show your car, see this flyer.

Tickets for the IN-N-OUT burger wagon can be purchased at the "burger desk" on the Museum lawn during the event. Cash or personal check, made payable to the Torrance Historical Society will be accepted. Personal check must be for amount of purchase only. Sorry no credit/debit cards nor paypal are accepted. Exact change is appreciated and please, no large bills.

Burgers or grilled cheese, chips and a fountain drink will be available for $10.00 until 7:30 p.m. or until sold out. Please arrive early due limited availability.

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.

The Sounds of Honda Choir, decked in their black, white and pink period outfits, will treat listeners to a trio of 50s tunes.

Alex Hattori, world-renowned yo-yo champ, will also be on stage amazing the crowd with his award winning tricks and will do a live demo for those who want to learn the skill of yo-yo-ing.

Guests will also have the opportunity to learn hands-on CPR from the Torrance Fire Dept. to the Bee Gee's tune "Stayin' Alive."

This FREE 1950s-style family event is sponsored by Sares Regis Group and hosted in partnership with the City of Torrance, Old Torrance Neighborhood Association, CitiCABLE 3, and Torrance Bakery. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please call the Museum at (310) 328-5392 or visit www.TorranceHistoricalSociety.org.

OTNA Meeting, Wednesday, May 15th, 7-9 PM

Native Tile & Ceramics Founder and Master Artist, Diana Mausser, believes every piece of tile tells a story. The company, renowned for its restoration-quality handcrafted decorative tiles in the California Mission, Spanish and Craftsman styles, is located right in our backyard and her tiles speak the language of our eclectic mix of historic houses. Come see the handmade decorative tiles, which have been crafted using the same techniques as historic tile makers in Southern California, and sites where they have been installed. Is your house next in line?

What: Meeting & Presentation by Native Tile & Ceramics Founder and Master Artist, Diana Mausser
Native Tile & Ceramics
2317 Border Ave
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 533-8684
http://nativetile.com

Location: Bartlett Center - 1318 Cravens (2nd floor)
When: Wednesday, May 22nd, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
7:00 PM - Refreshments and meet your neighbors
7:30 PM - Meeting & Presentation
Win: Opportunity to win gift certificates
Cost: This event is free of charge and open to the public
Sponsor: Torrance Bakery - 1341 El Prado Ave., Old Torrance 310.320.2722

Family-owned Torrance Bakery since 1984 graciously provides Continental breakfast for OTNA's Neighborhood Clean-up crews.

From the Torrance Bakery Website: "We set out to serve the people of South Bay the freshest, most delicious cakes and pastries in town. The people of South Bay took quite a shine to us, for over time the bakery became a city favorite and kept growing in order to give its customers the best products and service. Today, Torrance Bakery serves the South Bay from two locations with a total of 14,000 square feet, 78 employees, a separate Wedding Cake Showroom and a Sandwich Shop. Our true commitment and passion lies with the people and community of the South Bay. We participate in charities such as the Torrance Memorial's Holiday Festival, Providence Little Company of Mary's For Our Children Event, and we regularly donate to local schools and churches. We also provide jobs and learning opportunities to the people of South Bay by partnering with El Camino Community College and The YMCA, where we teach aspiring chefs, bakers and decorators our tricks of the trade. These are our ways of giving back to the community that has given so much to us."

The May Meeting Flyer is available.

The Wednesday March 20th OTNA Meeting - Cancelled / Postponed to Tuesday, April 2nd Due to the Bartlett Senior Center Construction

If Walls Could Talk Tuesday, April 2nd - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

OTNA's every-other-month-third-Wednesday meeting has jumped to the first Tuesday in April due to the Bartlett Senior Center's construction. OTNA, in partnership with the Torrance Historical Society has invited Michael George, Historian and Reference Librarian for the Katy Geissert Civic Center Libray and former THS Board Member to give a presentation entitled, "If Walls Could Talk - Researching the History of Your Home." Notes from a previous presentation are available.

The Meeting Flyer is available.

What: Meeting & Presentation by Michael George, Historian, and Reference Librarian at the Katy Geissert Civic Library and former Torrance Historical Society Board Member. Michael George presents "If Walls Could Talk - Researching the History of your Home"

• Search for deed & title information
• Access information from the Los Angeles County Asessor's (what year your house was built, how much was paid and more)
• Research information on homes that were built prior to 1921 (county records, Sanborne Maps)
• Learn about homes built after 1921 (City Planning Department)
• Use the Herald and other newspapers to find old real estate ads showing your house & how much your house sold for

Location: Note: Onetime Different Location - Torrance Historical Society & Museum, 1345 Post Ave at Cravens. This is across the street from the Flower Shop and Rudy's, on the corner of Cravens and Post, in front of the Bartlett Senior Center
When: Tuesday, April 2nd 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
7:00 PM - Refreshments - cookies by Torrance Bakery and meet your neighbors
7:30 PM - Meeting & Presentation
Win: Opportunity to win gift certificates to local restaurants
Cost: This event is free of charge and open to the public
Sponsor: Torrance Antique Street Faire - in downtown Torrance
When: Fourth Sunday of each month
Time: 8:00 - 3:00pm
Cost: Free. Open to the public

Food vendors are on site. Antique appraisals from 9:00am - 2:00pm.

Wednesday, January 16th, 7-9 PM
Presentation on the Torrance Strategic Plan

What: Meeting & Presentation on the Torrance Strategic Plan
Location: Bartlett Center - 1318 Cravens (2nd floor)
When: Wednesday, January 16th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
7:00 PM - Refreshments by Torrance Bakery and meet your neighbors
7:30 PM - Meeting & Presentation
Sponsor: Tortuga Wealth Management

We will be electing new officers for 2019 during the business portion of the meeting. If you want to serve or have a nomination, please submit suggestions or nominations on our website via the Contact Us page or call (310) 320-6054.

The City is updating the Strategic Plan and is looking for feedback - yours would be much appreciated! The City of Torrance's Strategic Plan is a proactive statement of where we as a community want to be in the future, how we will get there and who will be responsible for taking us there.

The City of Torrance will host a Strategic Plan Focus Group activity with the OTNA Members. You'll be asked to share your ideas about what you like about Torrance, what could be improved and where we should be in ten years.

Those who attend will have an opportunity to win a $25 gift certificate from Restoration Kitchen & Wine.

Sponsor

This meeting is sponsored by Tortuga Wealth Management, an independent private wealth planning and asset management firm located right here in Old Torrance (1957 W. Carson St.). This team of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professionals with more than 25+ years of combined experience in the industry - 310.906.0676 or www.tortugawealth.com