While Matt is taking care of business abroad, CraSH and I held down the free ice cream fort at our Long Beach headquarters during last weekends heat wave. Residents of the city came together in Livingston Park on Saturday to embrace the sun and free fun that was available at The Long Beach Neighborhood BBQ. The people at We Love Long Beach corralled big name donors like VitaminWater and Hansen’s to offer complimentary beverages to the local folks. With the the LBPD donating the BBQed goods and accoutrements. Our crew was recruited to keep things cooler than cool on the homefront, contributing to the objective of “spreading the love” by dispersing goodwill via free Froz-Fruit bars. The few that had not seen our recent feature in The District were astounded that someone could give away such delicious treats. However, the entire We Love Long Beach BBQ was testament that free could be done and bring together people from all walks of life.
The hot afternoon served up live music from local bands, mural art hosted by The Bro Futurists, and games to garnish the events free food. Such acts as Deep Sea Diver, The Original Colonies, The Fling, and Tijuana Panthers provided the tunes for bean bag tossing, badminton, volleyball, raffles, and a water balloon toss competition.
While CraSH and I acted as the ambassadors of refreshment, other volunteers and staff were cheerful catalysts for crowd interaction, equip with “We <3 LB" shirts and positive attitudes. What remarkably surpassed the BBQ's highlight of gratis pricing was the community that surfaced to celebrate their city pride. The friendly crowd paired with the unifying goal of enjoying the neighborhood illustrated exactly why we love Long Beach so much.
