On The WaterFront

The USS Elliot will steam to Hermosa Beach for a weekend invasion of the city's shores. A reception for the ship's crew will be held Friday at 7 p.m. at Pier Plaza. See story on page 8 for more details. For more details Photo US Navy

PEER TO THE FUTURE CONTEST: Local architect Grant Kirkpatrick's "Pier to Nowhere" design for the Hermosa pier wowed the judges in 1993. But the Hermosa's city council was underwhelmed with his idea to leave the end of the pier empty. Which is not to say that seven years later the council has come up with a better idea. To give the council some help readers are invited to submit their suggestions for what to put on the end of the pier. Three winners will be selected: 1. Best idea that will never happen. 2. Best idea that could happen. 3. Most imaginative idea. The winners will be printed in October, when the pier is scheduled to reopen. Illustrations are encouraged. Send your proposals to Peer to the Future, c/o Easy Reader, P.O. Box 427, Hermosa Beach, CA. 90254. Fax: (310) 318-6292. E-mail: easyreader@earthlink.net...

SHARK SCHOOL: "Sea World's Baja Reef had nothing on the Hermosa pier," said Los Angeles County Lifeguard Bill Harkness. For the past week, for reasons no one can explain, the water beneath the pier was swarming with leopard sharks, gray sharks and even a few hammerheads, as well as bat rays, halibut, corbina and lobster. "The lobster must of known they're out of season because they were taunting us by walking across the bottom in the middle of the day," Harkness said. Lifeguards loaned dive masks to local kids, who went back to school this week bragging about spending the final week of summer chasing sharks. The sharks were no larger than two feet and are considered harmless, according to Harkness, whose nickname is "Shark."

WHAT'S IN A NAME: In our wanderings we met up with longtime HB resident Barbara Dorr, whose name is pronounced exactly the same as Barbara Doerr, the former RB mayor. "It used to be really good for making reservations," said the non-political Dorr with a laugh. "I would get there and they would say, 'You're not Barbara Doerr.' And I'd say, 'Yes I am, I'm just not the Barbara Doerr.'" We think the 40-year resident, a mother of six, has earned a good table just the same...

COALS TO NEWCASTLE: The flap over future televising of the Beach Cities Health District board meetings seems to be resulting in still more money flowing into the district's coffers. Board member Vanessa Poster offered to pay for next month's broadcast herself, then local resident Jim Lissner offered to chip in with Poster. Now, the word is that one of HB's failed city council candidates has sent a check to cover next month's costs as well. Hmm. We heard it takes money to make money...

GET UP WHEN? Jo Ann Woodward, president of the Beach Cities Health District board, is not known for rising early, but she managed to get up in time to cut the ribbon on the district's new Center for Health & Healing at the gaudy hour of 5:30 a.m. last Tuesday. What a time for a media event! We hear one of our reporters is still on his way there...