Waterman Shop, New Owner for Belamar Hotel, Camp Expo, Taste of MB

1. Nikau Kai Waterman Shop has opened downtown on Highland Avenue in the commercial building that replaced Good Stuff. Owner Jason Shanks stand up paddleboards to get to work from his Hermosa Beach home and said, "A lot of folks ask about our name and where it came from… It's pretty simple really: it's the name of our boys, Nikau, 1.5, and Kai, 4." Nikau Kai specializes in Stand Up Paddleboarding, outrigger paddling, prone paddling, body surfing," according to Shanks. "You know, a shop to help folks who want to play in the water. We like to say we offer 'quality ocean gear and instruction for the waterman in all of us.'" The shop is at 1300 Highland Avenue, #103; 310-545-7007.

2.  Pacifica Hotels is the latest owner of , a boutique hotel near Rosecrans Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard. The Belamar joins Pacifica Hotel Company's portfolio of 24 hotel properties. Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants was the previous owner of The Belamar. According to an online website, the new owner "intends to invest approximately $500,000 over the next three years to upgrade and enhance the property."

Said Pacifica Hotels President Matt Marquis, “We look forward to providing visitors to The Belamar Hotel with the superior value and outstanding service that is the hallmark of all Pacifica hotels."

The Belamar Hotel, which includes Second Story restaurant, has 127 guest rooms and more than 5,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space. 

3. Parents, take your kids and head indoors if it rains this Saturday! The Summer Camp Expo, put on by the Meadows Elementary Parent Teacher Association, at in the multipurpose room on Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. will showcase the camps your kids can attend this summer. Admission is free, the event is indoors and food trucks will be on hand to sell you their really cool cuisine. The Food Truck Fest will be held in the lower parking lot; PTA will receive a percentage of sales from food truck sales.

4. Rain or shine, the 12th Annual Robinson Family Fun Run will be held on Saturday, March 17. The race begins at 8 a.m., with warm-up at 7:30 a.m. 

5. Tickets for the Taste of Manhattan Beach on Sunday, March 25 from 1 - 5 p.m. are available online. Food only tickets cost $15 per person or $25 for two people (children under 12 years old free, 1 child per adult); Food, beer, and wine tickets cost $25 per person or $45 for two people (includes 10 tastings of beer and/or wine, 21 and over only, and you must show ID at will call.