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The Grunion recently featured an article sharing the 2019 Long Beach Movies in the Park schedule. SHP was highlighted in the article for sponsoring this summer series in coordination with Partners of Park. After 14 consecutive years of sponsorship, SHP continues to be committed to investing in the communities where we operate and are proud to partner with local programs that directly benefit local residents and businesses. Continue reading at the link below for more details.
The Grunion, Entertainment
By Jenny Gov, Posted May 26, 2019
SHP has sponsored Movies in the Park series for the last 14 years.
The Grunion featured an article about summer activities in the Long Beach area. SHP was hilighted in the article for being the sponsor for Long Beach Movies in the Park. Continue reading below for more details.
The Grunion, Entertainment
By Harry Saltzgaver, Posted 5/25/2018
SHP has sponsored the Movies in the Park series for the last 13 years.
Like every other beach city in the world, summer is a huge season for Long Beach.
For many years, the city put together something called the International Sea Festival. It never was a festival in the regular sense —it was more of a name to put other events and festivals under.
Call it a marketing ploy before there were marketing ploys. It was designed to let the world know about all the on, in and near water reasons to come to Long Beach in the summer. That included everything from speed boat races to building sand castles.
The Sea Festival survived wars, changing administrations, changing tastes and more. But it couldn’t survive, at least as a city-organized effort, the Great Recession.
Beginning in 2009, city budgets in all departments shrank precipitously. Priorities put promotion of summer festivals and the like at the bottom of the list.
For a couple of years, a nonprofit created by Grand Prix of Long Beach founder Chris Pook took on the task. The Sea Festival Association had some successes, but as the Great Recession dragged on, city officials started demanding full cost recovery — no discounts on permit fees.
Those discounts were about the only thing Pook and his partners had to sell. By 2012, the Sea Festival Association had closed its doors. The Sea Festival remained in name only.
But there still were many things going on in Long Beach during the summer, and not all of them were by the water. Given the still-tight economic times, it made sense to promote the free or almost free recreation available to Long Beach residents.
“We got together with the CVB (Convention & Visitors Bureau) and came up with our own program,” said Steve Scott, interim director of the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department. “We called it 100 Days of Summer. There are so many free and low-cost things to do. You don’t have to leave the city to enjoy summer.”
Those things include a Movies in the Park series sponsored by Signal Hill Petroleum that takes blow-up big screens to parks to show almost-new movies along with free popcorn, bounce houses and more for the children. It is an expansion of the very successful Movies on the Beach started by the late Fred Khammar.
A new movie series this year is part of the city’s Be SAFE program offering extended youth programming at some parks. The Port of Long Beach will sponsor 11 movies through the summer there.
Long Beach residents love their music al fresco, with multiple concert series around town as well as the Long Beach Community Band playing at parks, sometimes before movies. An expanded community concert budget this summer will mean more music, Scott said.
“Starting this fiscal year, the (City) Council set aside money for one community concert in each district,” Scott said. “That’s nine more concert dates.”
Then there are the big festivals and contests — the Jazz Festival, the Cajun Festival, the Tiki Festival, Dragon Boat Races, Beach Soccer, etc. While most of those parties require an admission fee, the certainly qualify as summer recreation, and they’ve made it onto the 100 Days of Summer list.
City staff members still were at work this week to get the 100 Days calendar up on the website, but it is expected to be functional by Memorial Day. The calendar is at www.100daysofsummer.org.
Neena Strichart, Publisher for the Signal Tribune Newspaper, wrote a heartfelt article relating the current Movies in the Park series to her childhood memories. Thank you Neena for covering an event that is near and dear to our company. Read the entire article below.
“I have fond childhood memories of hot summer days being spent at movie theaters. My friend Becky and I didn’t just enjoy the films. We were also glad to be staying cool in the totally dark, air-conditioned, kid-filled sanctuary.
Back then, during those miserably hot school breaks, our moms would tell us to “go out and play.” When we did, we were overheated, sweaty, dirty, sunburned and darned thirsty. Do any of you folks remember childhood summers when staying hydrated meant drinking from hoses or sucking the water from sprinklers? Nowadays, kids have sports drinks, juice boxes, bottled water and Sunny D to quench their thirsts. I don’t think a little sprinkler head dirt would hurt any of them– we lived through it.
For those of us who want to keep ourselves, family members and friends cool and entertained during these upcoming warm summer nights, starting next Monday, June 19, we can all enjoy free movies in the park– sponsored for 12 years in a row by Signal Hill Petroleum (SHP). The 30 free movie showings will take place throughout Long Beach and Signal Hill at 29 different local parks.
According to a press release sent to us by SHP, they can’t wait for opening night, which will be held just three days from now at Signal Hill Park. That first night of movies will feature the showing of Star Wars: Rogue One.
I encourage attendees to get there early, because the people at SHP will be continuing a tradition that started last year– an opening-night raffle. Before the start of the movie, park staff members will be handing out free raffle tickets to the kids in the community for a chance to win one of three free raffle prizes. The first prize includes a movie basket complete with lots of candy, popcorn, and a Fandango gift card. Also to be won will be a summer-themed basket filled with essentials such as a beach towel, flip flops and a s’mores kit. Lastly, one lucky winner will walk away with the grand prize– a new bike!
In years past, two movies have been shown in Signal Hill each year. However, this year, the people from SHP tell us that they increased their donation budget to make sure that a third movie will be shown in Signal Hill this summer. The classic film ET has been added to the movie schedule and will be shown on Saturday, July 15 at Reservoir Park.
For the complete schedule of the Movies in the Park, please visit longbeach.gov/park/recreation-programs/programs-and-classes/summer-family-entertainment/movies-in-the-park.”
SHP presents check to Partners of Parks at Long Beach City Council Meeting.
For the 12th consecutive year Signal Hill Petroleum is sponsoring the Movies in the Park program, which provides a series of free movies throughout Signal Hill and Long Beach. At the Long Beach City Council meeting earlier this month, we presented a $38,000 check to Partners of Parks for our donation to this program. We are committed to investing in communities where we operate and are proud to partner with local programs that directly benefit residents and businesses.
This year we increased the number to 30 movie showings throughout the summer time at 29 different parks sites. Popcorn, face paint, and moon bounces are some of the exciting activities that we will have to offer. Traditionally, two movies have been shown in Signal Hill each year. But this year SHP is excited to announce that we increased our donation amount to make sure that a 3rd additional movie will be brought to Signal Hill this summer. The classic film, E.T. has been added to the movie schedule and will be shown on Saturday, July 15th at Reservoir Park. We look forward to an exciting summer filled with popcorn, great movies, and time spent together with family.
Signal Hill Petroleum was honored today, Thursday, April 27th, to receive the Corporate Citizen of the Year Award from the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. David L. Slater, Exec VP and COO of SHP, accepted the award on behalf SHP. While accepting the award David stated,
“We see ourselves as not just an oil company, but more so as a provider of sustainable and environmentally sound energy and jobs for California. We believe that sustainability includes meaningful investments of not just money, but also our time in the communities in which we do business. A key factor in our success in doing this is the character and the quality of people who work at, lead and believe in our company. Some think that the value of an oil company is their oil reserves in the ground, but we know that our prime asset is our people.”
Below is the article written by the Chamber explaining the many reasons why SHP was chosen for this award. Thank you to all who have helped us earn this award. We are proud to be a contributing partner in our communities.
