What’s good in the LBC: Mother's Day, Sip, Shop & Stroll, a pottery repair class and more

It’s Mother’s Day weekend, which is the perfect excuse to bring you and your mom to our Lucky Strike! fundraiser Friday at Rosemallows from 6 to 10 p.m. We’ll have an opportunity drawing, food by Smoked and Salted, drink specials and a DJ line up. Suggested donation is $10 at the door.

Here’s what else is good in Long Beach this weekend:

Some Mother’s Day menus (Sunday)

In case you haven’t gotten your mom a present yet, here are some restaurants around town doing something special to celebrate the occasion:

• Bar Becky at LBX is offering a special family-sized Lasagna Sunday Suppa from 2 to 6 p.m. It includes three courses and is $75 per person. Reservations can be made here.
• Ammatoli is introducing a special Mother’s Day dessert — mafroukeh bel-festuk, a pistachio and semolina cake filled with house-made ashta (clotted cream flavored with orange blossom). It is only be available on Mother’s Day. Make reservations here.
• Michael’s on Naples is featuring a four-course prix-fixe menu available from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday for $55 per person. Menu options include chilled octopus salad, grilled ribeye, squash blossom stuffed with ricotta cheese, hazelnut gelato and more. Reservations can be made here.
• Fuego at Hotel Maya is hosting a Mother’s Day brunch available Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with live Latin jazz performances. Plus, moms will receive a long-stemmed rose for the occasion. Click here for reservations.
• Union, inside the Compound art exhibit, will have a special Mother’s Day dinner menu running from Friday, May 10, through the weekend. A special brunch menu will also be available Saturday and Sunday. Brunch items include ube pancakes, smoked salmon toast and more. Reservations can be made here.

Long Beach Watchdog is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Kanpai + Kintsugi (Friday)

Start the weekend early at Sake Secret where you can learn the art of kintsugi (mending broken pottery with gold) and have a guided sake tasting. The event will run from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and tickets are $60 before fees. More information and tickets can be found here.

Open mic night (Friday)

The LGBTQ Center of Long Beach and Swing Set are collaborating to host an open mic night Friday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Information on how to share your work and event details can be found here. This event is free.

Sip, Shop & Stroll (Saturday)

The Downtown Long Beach Alliance is hosting a Sip, Shop & Stroll event this Saturday in the East Village from noon to 4 p.m. Retailers in the East Village will be paired with food and beverage businesses so you can eat and drink while shopping. One ticket will get you an all-access wristband and souvenir cup to taste all the offerings. Tickets are $50 for those over 21 and $30 for people ages 11 to 20 (or those not drinking alcohol). The event is free for kids 10 and under. Tickets and more information can be found here.

The Long Beach Cantarito & Food Fest (Saturday and Sunday)

The popular 908 Night Market is hosting a Long Beach food festival this weekend from 2 to 10 p.m. at Long Beach City College. Admission to the event is free, and parking is $20. There will be a variety of food vendors, shopping and vintage clothing for purchase as well as live music and a kids zone. Tickets can be reserved here.

Health & Wellness Festival (Saturday)

This one is a little outside of Long Beach, but just a short trek away at Rush Park in Rossmoor is the free annual Health & Wellness Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year's event is specifically honoring mothers and will have live entertainment, yoga, Zumba, a local business fair and healthy food options. Details can be found here.

El Ranchito Spring Fair (Saturday)

The El Ranchito Spring Fair is a free event where families can enjoy food, arts and crafts, carnival games and other activities. The event will be hosted at the El Ranchito Day Camp from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information can be found here.

Incase you missed it:

Here are the latest headlines.

COLUMN: The LA Sparks will play 2 games at CSULB's Walter Pyramid

Jackie Rae • May 9, 2024

Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Sparks announced that their first five games would be played at the Walter Pyramid on the Cal State Long Beach campus. This included the high-ticket game featuring rooki…

Read full story →

COLUMN: Inclusionary zoning doesn’t work. Removing red tape does

Jake Gotta • May 9, 2024

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson recently asked the City Council to consider an expansion of the city’s inclusionary housing policy that covers a portion of Downtown and a corridor through Midtown along the Met…

Read full story →

Scratch This: Adoption do's and don’ts

Kate Karp • May 9, 2024

I was enjoying myself a couple of days ago at Long Beach Animal Care Services watching someone bonding with this great dog and waxing enthusiastic over the phone about the animal. Love at first glance at a shelter or a rescue — how could anything be better?

Read full story →