About Palos Verdes Peninsula's Peninsula Center

The Palos Verdes Peninsula has many wonderful venues which provide the residents of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the cities of Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates with the opportunity to enjoy culture and the arts. One of the most important of these venues is the Norris Center for the Performin Arts. The Norris provides an active program of concerts, plays and musicals

The Palos Verdes Art Center also provides many interesting art programs to the community. They also sponsor the Arts at Your Fingertips program for the local public schools in the Palos Verdes Unified School District. This program provides art instruction for some wonderful hands on projects to school children of all ages. This is increasingly important with the lack of art instruction in the public schools because of budget constraints.

The following is a directory of other Palos Verdes Peninsula Arts and Culture Venues:

Dance Peninsula --- 310-375-1398
Norris Theatre for the Performing Arts --- 310-541-8417
Palos Verdes Art Center --- 310-541-2479
Palos Verdes Ballet Assoc. --- 310-377-6663
P. V. Players --- 310-326-2287
Peninsula Symphony --- 310-544-0320
Curtains Up! Community Theatre --- 310-544-9598
Peninsula Civic Junior Ballet --- 310-378-7776
Friends of School Music, Inc. --- 310-541-2025
Great Books Discussion Group --- 310-373-7993
P. V. Audubon Society --- 310-545-3184
P. V. Symphonic Band --- 818-583-1090
Young Artists Peninsula Music Festival --- 310-377-8891
Peninsula School of Performing Arts- 310-375-1398

2011 Palos Verdes Street Fair This weekend

The Annual Palos Verdes Street Fair and Music Festival, presented by Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance, takes place this weekend . Located at Crossfield Drive and Silver Spur Road in the Rolling Hills Estates business district, the Fair is the biggest event on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and one of the most popular in the South Bay. With more than 200 arts and crafts booths, carnival rides for all ages, continuous FREE live entertainment on two stages, an International Food Court and Beer Garden, a children's petting zoo and free kid-friendly activities, the Fair promises to be loads of fun for everyone.

2011 PV Street Fair & Music Festival Entertainment Zydeco Party Band (Cajun) Every day is Mardi Gras with the hot & spicy zydeco, cajun, blues & "Chuck Berry style" rock 'n roll this group serves up. Saturday, June 11, 2011 2:30pm-4:30pm The Main Stage Creedence Relived (Creedence Clearwater Revival Tribute) Also known as Timmy and the Po' Boys, they will recreate a 1970s-era Creedence concert right here in PV. Saturday, June 11, 2011 5pm-7pm The Main Stage The MVPs (Variety Show Band) The band draws from a highly danceable repertoire of classic and current hits, from Sinatra and Etta James, to Justin Timberlake and The Black Eyed Peas. Saturday, June 11, 2011 7:30pm-10pm The Main Stage Ticket to Ride (Beatles Tribute) Always a PV Street Fair favorite, Ticket to Ride stays true to the sight and sound of the incomparable Beatles! Armed with authentic instruments and costumes, they perform selections from every Beatle album! Sunday, June 12, 2011 7pm-9pm The Main Stage Pretzel Logic - A Steely Dan Revue (Steely Dan Tribute) Los Angeles based "Pretzel Logic - A Steely Dan Revue" has been playing the festival scene, as well as the club circuit in Southern California since 2001. The group's dedicated members play with a passion the music of Steely Dan, whose legendary hits include: "Reelin' in the Years", "Josie", and "Peg". Bodhisattva - Countdown To Ecstasy Sunday, June 12, 2011 4:30pm-6:30pm The Main Stage Boomer McLennan & the Rhythm Rangers (Country) Boomer can stretch the boundary of traditional country music, and then bring you back in with an emotionally intense ballad. All in all, it's the heart and soul of the music that matters. When BOOMER McLENNAN pours out his soul in song, people listen. Saturday, June 1, 2011 12pm-2pm The Main Stage Susie Hansen (Latin Jazz) Electric violinist Susie Hansen plays fiery Latin Jazz and Salsa, creating music that brings audiences to their feet, dancing in the aisles. Listen to MP3 sound clip of "Representante de la Salsa" Sunday, June 12, 2011 2pm-4pm The Main Stage Donna Butler & the Mark Fitchett Band (Blues/Rock) Jazz Singer Donna Butler with Mark Fitchett's Rockin' Blues, exemplifies the best of jazz, rock and blues. Sunday, June 12, 2011 11:30am-1:30pm The Main Stage Pet Expo / Adoptions (Under the BIG TENT Saturday, 12-6pm) Saturday, June 11, 2011 12pm-6pm The Big Tent Top Dogs Dog Show (Saturday, 10-12am; Registration 9am) Saturday, June 11, 2011 10am-12pm The Big Tent

If you enjoy viewing neighborhood Christmas lights and decorations displays, the best in the South Bay is in the "Sleepy Hollow" area of Torrance. The best area is near Sharynne Lane and Doris Way, and some people believe that Reese Road is the best of the best. You can also enter the area off of Pacific Coast Highway near Calle Mayor or Robert Road.

For an article on the Sleepy Hollow tradition of Christmas light display and a photo gallery see the Daily Breeze article at http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_16731297

The 23rd Annual Palos Verdes Street Fair and Music Festival will be presented by the Palos Verdes Chamber of Commerce on June 12 and 13 . The fair is held between the Promenade on the Peninsula and the Peninsula Shopping Center on Cross Field Drive in Rolling Hills Estates. The fair is open from 10 to 10 on Saturday and 10 to 9 on Sunday. Admission and entertainment is free.

Food vendors, carnival rides, a dog show from 10 to noon on Saturday, and many other events are planned. More information can be obtained at http://www.pvstreetfair.com/aboutus.html

The following are excerpts from an article published in the South Bay Daily Breeze on March 23rd indicating that the median home prices for homes sold on the Palos Verdes Peninsula increased approx. 32% compared to a year ago:

"Home prices in the South Bay, excluding Carson and the Palos Verdes Peninsula, slipped 6 percent in February compared to a year ago, according to a report released Tuesday. The median price of a home in this area was $479,500 last month, a relatively modest drop that could reinforce the notion that the housing market is stabilizing after about three years of losses.

The median price is the middle figure where half of homes sold for more and half for less.

Tuesday's report by the California Association of Realtors also said the Palos Verdes Peninsula saw a 31.9 percent annual increase in median price, to $990,000.However, such large price shifts on The Hill and along the coast could be the result of fluctuations in the type of homes sold last month in those areas. "

If more larger and expensive homes were sold in one month , then the median price can move up significantly on a month to month basis. This is reflected in the following graph which shows the average price per sq. ft. paid for properties sold on the Palos Verdes Peninsula which has been relatively steady over the last year.

The next graph shows the average price of homes sold on the Palos Verdes Peninsula compared to the average list price of homes listed for sale. Note that many more less expensive homes are being sold compared to the higher priced homes above $2 million.