Historic Bixby Park Bandshell Reopens

By Kurt Helin
Editor

For the first time since 2005, music will be heard out of the Bixby Park Bandshell this Saturday, May 10.

A grand reopening ceremony for the historic bandshell has been set for that day. Music, vintage cars, entertainment, food and the first public push from the new Broadway Improvement Association business group are on the agenda.

The Bandshell has been in Bixby Park since 1927, when it was primarily a stand for public speakers.

“It was a place where Long Beach residents came together to discuss the big issues of their day,” said Second District Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal.

The most famous of those speakers was Herbert Hoover, who spoke from the podium in 1928 while campaigning for president.

Over the years, the bandshell evolved into a place where music was the more common usage — various Long Beach bands (from classical to rock) have played on its stage, and it has been at the center of many events. In the ’70s, a back room was added to the bandshell to house a ceramics class.

In February 2005, a storm with high winds knocked a large ficus tree over onto the bandshell, seriously damaging the structure. The ceramics room — along with the north wing — were destroyed by the tree, and parts of the historic bandshell were crushed.

It took some time to get the structure rebuilt, in part because the city was looking for financial help from the federal government.

“We were looking for FEMA relief because it was due to a natural disaster,” Lowenthal said.

Delays getting that money and meeting reconstruction requirements due to the historic designation slowed the rebuilding process. Now, however, that is done and a grand welcome back party is scheduled.

The event is open to the public and will feature live music performed in the bandshell, some official speeches, plus family entertainment and free food.

One of the groups participating will be the Broadway Improvement Association (BIA), the new business association trying to promote the more than 300 shops and restaurants along the street.

“A lot of the Broadway businesses will have tables out to show off their goods,” said Sidney Cramer, BIA president and owner of Spa Sidney. “I didn’t know how many fantastic shops there were on Broadway until I walked the street.”

While there have been other Broadway business associations, none have stuck long term, Lowenthal said.

“It’s really been a year in the making, but I think they are strong enough now to show themselves as a good organization,” Lowenthal said.

While bringing together a wide range of shops over a long distance has been a challenge, Cramer said that what Broadway has to offer is what Long Beach residents want.

“We’re kind of two miles with pockets of individual shops,” Cramer said. “These are local shops, not big-box but mom-and-pops. It’s very reflective of Long Beach.”

The BIA will be passing out its new map of the street, which discusses both historic architecture and the businesses that are opening, Cramer said.

The grand reopening party starts at 11 a.m. May 10 at the bandshell in Bixby Park (near the corner of Cherry Avenue and First Street.