Yay! Weekend!

Saturday, May 9th - Open house at many local fire houses -- little kids get plastic fire helmets; bigger kids get to crawl around on the equipment and the adults get to talk to the fire fighters. This gala runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Interestingly enough, the Manhattan Beach FD is NOT participating due to 'high costs" -- some $15,000, mainly for overtime for the fire fighters who host it (while the regular crew works.) Since MB is kind of our Beverly Hills, I was amazed.

This is not the day to do it, but fire stations welcome 'thank you' gifts -- See's candy, home-made cakes or cookies or pies from Marie Calendar. The best gift you can give a paramedic is to let the station know the outcome of their transport of your loved one to a hospital. Paramedics are most often left hanging and since they care, this bothers them. Understandably so.

Saturday, May 9th - the almost-annual K9 Trials (budgetary concerns in past years) will take place on the Redondo Union High School football field. The agility trials are a particular treat -- the love and trust beween officer and dog will bring a tear to even the stoniest of eyes. Bonus points for the hot dogs they serve - it's a package deal for a hot dog, small sack of chips and a soft drink. Proceeds benefit the K9 program.

Sunday, May 10th - Despite the fact that it will be Mothers' Day, the South Bay New Orleans Jazz Club will take place as usual. The visiting band this time is a group of students, many of whom are on scholarship, playing big band sounds. The music starts 1 p.m. (snacks available) and runs till 4 or 4:30 p.m. I've covered this repeatedly in the past, so apologies...