10/14 & 10/15/2017 - Long Beach Open Studio Tour

Currently, the art hanging at the Black Bird Cafe is a small representation of the 2017 LB Open Studio Tour. The LBOST is an annual event, sponsored by the Arts Council for Long Beach and is part of Long Beach's celebration of "October is Arts Month."

This is a free event to the public and an opportunity to meet local artists in their working environments. This year, the tour will be on Saturday and Sunday, October 14th & 15th, from noon to 5 p.m. Please visit the website, www.LBopenstudiotour.com for a full artist list, samples of artists' work, live music schedule, and tour map.

Artists participating in the Blackbird LBOST show are:

Lisa Wibroe, Studio #1
Tina Burnight, Studio #1
David Early, Studio #3
Tani Taylor, Studio #5
Nora Chen, Studio #7
Jaime Sabatte, Studio #10
Jamie Sandberg, Studio #12
Susan Erikson Hawkins, Studio #13
Akinsanya Kambon, Studio #14
Dustin Gimbel, Studio #15
Barbara Hass & Matt Evans, Studio #15
Robyn Feeley, Studio #18
Mary Grace, Studio #19
Nita Ward, Studio #20
Kathryn Heaton, Studio #20
Aia White-Podue, Studio #21
Marka Burns, Studio #22
Dennis Simmons, Studio #23
Dorte Christjansen, Studio #24
Moira Hahn, Studio #24
Jennifer Warren, Studio #25
Kirsten Anderson, Studio #27
John White, Studio #29
Steve Marr, Studio #31
Ron Yeo, Studio #31
Ramon Rodriguez, Studio #32
Debbie Rodriguez, Studio #32
Cody Lusby, Studio #34
Annie Clavell, Studio #36
Maureen Vastardis, Studio #36
Vivian Wenhuey Chen, Studio #37

With Springtime already upon us, here at Blackbird we’d like to take a moment to encourage all of our friends to focus their attention on wellness and community. There are plenty of important local groups that concentrate on getting/staying active, whether you’re walking, running, our even going on a scavenger hunt.

  • Bixby Knolls Strollers bring Long Beach locals together to “explore every nook and cranny of the greater Bixby Knolls area.”
  • Bixby Knolls Runners are a newer run club, typically running no more than 5 miles at a time.
  • The Cal Heights Pavement Pounders, who take 3 mile walks around the parameter of Cal Heights, will have their first walk on April 6th at 6:30 AM meeting at Roxanne’s on Wardlow.
  • Bixby Knolls Scavenger HuntRecreation Fitness is “bringing a family-friendly scavenger hunt to the Bixby Knolls community on April 3rd”. A race that will test both your physical and mental capabilities; open to teams of 2-6 (great for couples, friends, and families). We’ve cited links below for the aforementioned groups, as well as, the event page for the scavenger hunt this Sunday.Summer is just around the corner - let’s get fit!

Bixby Knolls Strollers
Bixby Knolls Runners
The Cal Heights Pavement Pounders
Bixby Knolls Scavenger Hunt

Quick shout out to Vintage Emporium, Orange Salvage, The Barber Shop, Holé Molé, Steelhead Coffee, Eddie’s Liquor, Paul Marc Fine Jewelry and all our neighbors on the corner of Wardlow and Orange. All of us here at Blackbird Cafe are thankful to be located in such a unique and cultured area of Long Beach. Local businesses make the world go ‘round, so we decided to take a moment to share our thoughts on the importance of going local.

Did you know that supporting small local businesses means supporting the environment? Local businesses generally exist in populated cities, as opposed to geographic borderlines, resulting in more local purchases, which require less transportation; this means a much smaller contribution to urban sprawl, habitat loss, and smog than larger corporations tend to offer. Did you know that small local businesses not only boast the highest national employment rate, but also give an average 250% more support to non-profit organizations than large corporations? Spend your money in a way that will strengthen your community’s economic base. Studies show that locally owned businesses, as opposed to federally owned corporations, will invest your money into other local businesses. Here at Blackbird Cafe, we purchase our meats, fruits, and vegetables from Ingardia Brothers Produce in Santa Ana, a local business formed in 1973; they establish lasting, economically conscientious relationships with independent restaurants, schools, hospitals, and Mom & Pop shops.

It is our hope that you continue to support local prosperity; in return, we pledge to remain diligent in sustaining a healthy and happy community. We are proud to be a local business, and we are proud of the local businesses around us. Thank you for choosing to be part of the family.