Hey, neighbor!

Today, The Tide is six months old. 🌊

Yep, six months ago, I sent the first issue of this little newsletter into the world, hoping there were other people who wanted to know Torrance a little better, too.

Turns out, there are quite a few of you.

Since then, we've met neighbors doing wonderful things, discovered new places to love and filled a lot of Thursday mornings together. And somewhere along the way, The Tide started to feel like a real little community.

So today, I mostly want to say thank you. For reading along, sending tips, stopping to say hi around town and passing The Tide to your neighbors. I still get a little thrill every time someone tells me they discovered something here.

And because it's our half-birthday, I'd love to send you a little something.

Reply to this email with your mailing address, and I'll pop a six-month thank-you in the mail: a Torrance Appreciation Society sticker for you and a Pass the Tide postcard to share with a neighbor, while they last.

Thanks for being here while this thing is still young. I'm really glad we found each other.

Here's to the next six months.

And here's your weekly wave.

In this issue:
​🌊 A six-month birthday, a thank-you gift + the neighbors who've made it all worthwhile
🌊 West Nile concerns, new life for a Torrance landmark + your election checklist
🌊 Halloween train rides, a Downtown mystery + more weekend fun

🦟 West Nile virus cases surge in the South Bay
​L.A. County has reported 216 human infections this year, compared with 22 last year, with roughly a quarter of cases in the South Bay. Kaiser Permanente South Bay has treated 25 patients this year after reporting none in the previous two years, and an 88-year-old Torrance resident died from the virus in September. Health officials recommend using mosquito repellent, eliminating standing water and checking window screens.

🏥 New life for a Torrance landmark
​After sitting vacant for more than 20 years, the historic 1933 building at 2300 W. Carson St. is getting a $17.4 million makeover. Officials broke ground last week on the future Pathway Torrance Community Health & Wellness Center, which will house a health clinic operated by Venice Family Clinic, city housing and homelessness outreach offices, community meeting rooms and an outdoor plaza. Construction is expected to wrap up by July 2027.

🗳️ Your ballot is waiting
​Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and select L.A. County Vote Centers open this Saturday, Oct. 24. Still working through the candidates and propositions? The Daily Breeze​ voter guide has candidate questionnaires, and Vote.org can help you explore your ballot. Visit L.A. County's election website to find a ballot drop box or Vote Center near you. Already mailed yours? Track your ballot →​

🎄 A little more room for holiday treats
​Torrance City Council has approved changes to its cottage-food ordinance ahead of the popular Seaside Ranchos holiday lights display. During December, residents can sell food or collect donations outside their homes and serve multiple customers at once, provided sidewalks and neighboring properties remain accessible. The new rules also address trash disposal and penalties for violations, following debate over neighborhood food stands during the annual holiday tradition.

🛼 A fresh look for Wilson Park's roller rink
​The LA Kings and LA Galaxy teamed up with the City of Torrance to give Wilson Park's roller rink an upgrade, complete with a new scoreboard and refreshed signage. The teams celebrated the makeover Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting and youth hockey and soccer clinics. The improvements are part of a five-year sponsorship aimed at expanding local hockey programming.

🇯🇵 Want to spend next summer in Japan?
The Torrance Sister City Association is looking for an adult leader (age 26+) to accompany next summer's student delegation to Kashiwa, Japan, Torrance's sister city. Applicants must live or work in Torrance, and experience working with young people is preferred. All travel expenses are covered, and applications are due Oct. 31.

🐴 Alright, who brought their horse to Costco? Because apparently that's a thing that happened in Torrance this week?

Meet the neighbors who have made us look at Torrance a little differently.

Six months ago, we started Locals Only with a simple idea: every week, meet someone who makes Torrance more interesting.

Since then, we’ve met teachers and artists, musicians and coaches, volunteers and small-business owners. People preserving things. People starting things. People who noticed something missing and decided to do something about it.

Six months of these conversations have changed the way I see Torrance.

Take Coach Raymond Carter, who walks with his players from Torrance High to Zamperini Stadium every home game, stopping at a plaque that reads Victory must be earned. He wants them to win football games, of course. But what he really wants is for them to leave prepared for life.

Or Julie Randall, who remembers when Downtown Torrance felt like a “ghost town.” She’s spent nearly 30 years giving people reasons to come back, from the Antique Street Faire to Scaredown. “There’s just a core of us that care about the greater good for downtown,” she said.

There’s Neli Hanna, who was asked to paint an ordinary utility box and decided to fit Torrance onto its four sides: Cherry blossoms. The beach. The old Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge. And the refinery.

Yes, the refinery.

“I see it as a landmark,” Neli said. “It’s part of Torrance.”

That has become one of my favorite things about these conversations—getting to borrow someone else’s version of Torrance for a few minutes.

​Jenna Christensen showed us the little park that exists because a neighborhood refused to forget. Joyce Chan took us behind the tables at the Farmers’ Market and into the relationships that make Tuesday and Saturday mornings at Wilson Park feel like their own little community. Kyle Richardson showed us that the school commute can involve a pack of kids on bikes.

And Nikki Chambers, who spent 20 years teaching biology at West High, introduced us to a whole other world hiding in plain sight at Madrona Marsh.

Nikki wants local kids to return to the marsh as they grow up, learning something different each time. Eventually, she hopes, it becomes “part of your growing up, it’s part of your place and it’s something that you value.”

I think that might be true of a city, too.

Now I pass a utility box at Torrance and Sartori and know why there’s a refinery painted on it. I can drive by Seaside Heroes Park and know the story behind its name. And Madrona Marsh is no longer simply that patch of green sitting unexpectedly between homes, businesses and Target.

The more stories you know, the harder it is for a place to remain anonymous.

Six months and 26 neighbors later, Torrance looks different to me.

There are stories all over the place now.

And we’re only getting started.

🍽️ Must Try Gravewave Coffee | Little Cup of Horrors Matcha | A goth-inspired coffee shop has opened on PCH just in time for spooky season. Think moody decor and drinks with names like Little Cup of Horrors matcha and Café de Olla cold brew. ​The Find →

🎶 On Repeat “Our House” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | For six months of getting to know our little corner of the world a bit better. And feeling more at home because of it. ​Hit Play →​

🏡 Eye Catching 23525 Leyte Dr. | A marble fireplace, checkerboard limestone-and-marble bathroom floor and a kitchen I’d happily move into tomorrow. Especially that six-burner range and separate beverage bar. ​Let's Go →

🕵️ A murder mystery in Downtown Torrance. A travel blogger has been found dead during a ghost tour, and you're on the case. This self-guided, phone-based mystery takes you through 12 local landmarks as you uncover clues, question suspects and try to catch the killer. Spooky datenight?
​

🍎 Caramel apples, minus the sticky mess. These little caramel apple cups might be my favorite fall party idea yet. Fill individual cups with chopped apples, drizzle with caramel and let everyone add their own toppings: mini M&Ms, crushed Oreos, chocolate chips, graham crackers, whatever sounds good. All the fun of a caramel apple without trying to bite into one.
​

🎨 Stories connect us. I took a little field trip this week to the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in L.A., and one of its taglines has stayed with me: “Stories connect us.” The museum is dedicated to the power of art to tell stories and shape how we see the world. As someone who spends her days telling stories, I loved seeing that idea celebrated on such a grand scale.

Found something delightfully Torrance this week? Hit reply and send it our way!

​Feature your event. | Suggest an event.​

There's something especially charming about the miniature trains at Wilson Park. And this weekend, they're getting a Halloween makeover.

The Southern California Live Steamers are bringing back their Halloween train rides Friday and Saturday evenings, with more than 60 kid-friendly displays along the route. Costumes encouraged!

Tickets are $10 per person, sold onsite only. Riders must be at least 32 inches tall and able to walk unassisted. Trains start at 4:45 p.m., with the line closing at 8:15 p.m.

Make a night of it Saturday: The city's free Halloween Movie in the Park is happening at Wilson Park, too, with activities starting at 4 p.m. and the movie at 6:30 p.m.

Friday + Saturday, starting at 4:45 p.m. | Wilson Park | $10 per person

Friday, October 23
​Walteria Library – Craftopia: BOO-tiful Ghosts at 4 p.m. A little Halloween crafting for the grown-ups. Make your own glowing ghost decoration using air-dry clay, Mod Podge and a battery-operated tea light.

Chado Tea Room – Haunted Tea Room Experience at 5 p.m. Afternoon tea takes a spooky turn in Old Torrance, with Halloween-themed treats, eerie decorations and a few surprises lurking around the corner. Costumes encouraged!

Torrance + South High Schools – Friday Night Football at 7 p.m. It's Senior Night at both schools as Torrance hosts Culver City and South takes on Hawthorne. Head to the stands to cheer on the graduating players as the season winds down.

Torrance Marriot 21 Square Bar + Kitchen – Halloween Movie Night at 7 p.m. Bring a blanket or beach chair for a free outdoor screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas on the Torrance Marriott's Village Green. Complimentary popcorn and Halloween-themed treats are on the menu, with free parking available with a qualifying food or drink purchase.

Mom Said Yes – Brent George Live at 8:30 p.m. South Bay musician Brent George takes the stage for a Friday night of live rock music. Grab some pizza and settle in for the show.

Saturday, October 24
​Wilson Park – Torrance Farmers’ Market at 8 a.m. Along with your usual farmers’ market finds, try your luck at the Tiny Little Pumpkins Contest! Stop by the info booth to guess how many miniature pumpkins are packed into a giant box for a chance to win farmers’ market coupons. Winner announced Oct. 31.

Madrona Marsh – Bird Walk + Native Plant Sale starting at 9 a.m. Start your morning spotting birds with guides from the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society (9–11 a.m.), then stop by the Nature Center's native plant sale (10 a.m.–2 p.m.) for California plants that attract butterflies, birds and bees. Beginners welcome on the walk, with binoculars available to borrow.

Wildflower Fabric – Mushroom Collage Quilting Class at 10 a.m. Turn scraps of patterned fabric into a charming mushroom design in this hands-on class with Marianne. Make it into a wall hanging, pillow or appliqué project.

Henderson Library – Jack-o’-Lantern Embroidery Hoop at 11 a.m. Give old book pages a Halloween makeover using paint and an embroidery hoop to create a jack-o'-lantern decoration.

The Enclave – Pumpkin Painting at 11 a.m. Skip the carving mess and paint your own pumpkin instead.

Absolution Brewing – Halloween Costume Party at 12 p.m. Costumes earn you $7 beers at this Halloween taproom party, with spooky seltzers, games and a best-costume contest. Kids and dogs welcome, too!

Walteria Library – Scent Lab: Wax Melt Workshop at 3 p.m. Mix your favorite fragrances and pour them into festive molds to create your own scented wax melts.

Wilson Park – Halloween Movie in the Park starting at 4 p.m. Come in costume for an afternoon of Halloween activities, including a costume parade, lawn games, music and voting for your favorite decorated pumpkin. Then spread out your blankets for an outdoor screening of Toy Story 5 at 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 25
​Downtown Torrance – Antique Street Faire 28th Anniversary at 8 a.m. Browse more than 200 booths of vintage furniture, retro clothing, jewelry and collectibles along Sartori Avenue. This month's anniversary celebration adds a Howl-O-Ween pet parade, live music and a soccer history exhibit at the Torrance Historical Society Museum.

Torrance Historical Museum – Historic Old Torrance Walking Tour at 10:30 a.m. Last chance this year to discover a few secrets hiding in plain sight around Downtown Torrance! This free, docent-led walking tour covers eight blocks of local history, including the explosion that put Torrance on the map, why the city has no cemetery and which Buffy the Vampire Slayer character turned into a werewolf here. Meet at the museum on Post Avenue.

Torrance-South Bay YMCA – Trunk-or-Treat at 4 p.m. Put those costumes to work a little early! Kids can collect candy from decorated trunks, play games and make Halloween crafts.

All Weekend
​Epicenter – Dracula: The Midnight Blood Ball Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Step inside Dracula's shadowy manor for an immersive Halloween performance blending live theater and dance. Expect royal secrets, betrayal and plenty of gothic drama.

St. James School – Annual Harvest Festival Friday through Sunday. Carnival rides and games take over the school grounds for three days, along with food vendors, live bands, bingo, a vintage shop and a beer garden for the grown-ups.

Torrance Theatre Company – A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder through Saturday. Last chance to catch this Tony-winning musical comedy about a penniless heir who discovers eight relatives stand between him and a fortune. The catch? One actor plays the entire eccentric family. Final performance Oct. 24.

Nearby: South Coast Botanic Garden – Dogtoberfest Saturday and Sunday. Your dog's Oktoberfest plans might be better than yours. The Garden welcomes pups for live German music, Bavarian food, stein-holding contests and races for dogs under 30 pounds. Weekends through Nov. 1.

Torrance Art Museum – Baker's Dozen + B-LA-M Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Three exhibitions, one museum visit. See work by 13 Southern California artists in Baker's Dozen, explore an LA-Berlin artist exchange in B-LA-M, and walk through Darel Carey's optical installation in the hallway.

Weather Forecast? How’s that for a 20-degree drop?
☀️ Fri 59°/72° Mostly Sunny
☀️ Sat 61°/76° Sunny
⛅️ Sun 62°/79° Partly Cloudy

P.S. COME SAY HI! 👋 I'll be at the Torrance Area Chamber's Game Day Tailgate Business Expo tonight, with a little Tide table of my own. If you're nearby, stop by and say hello! I'd love to meet some of the neighbors who've been reading along these past six months. Tonight, 4–7 p.m. | Toyota Meeting Hall | Free admission

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