At eight minutes ’til closing time, there were still people everywhere.
9:00am | If you’re on city council mailing lists, every now and then you see the invitation in your inbox: Night at The Aquarium of the Pacific with [councilmember’s name here].
Last night it was the 9th District’s Steven Neal. The first time he hosted, between 500 and 600 people turned out, says Rex Richardson, Neal’s chief of staff.
This time more than 2,000 walked through the doors during the two-hour event, two hours when anyone who felt like it could walk through the doors and take in the slosh of the water tanks, the glow of the jellies, the gliding of the sharks. For free.
“For a lot of people in the north[ern portion of Long Beach], a lot of working families, it may be a challenge if you have four or five kids to come to the Aquarium at $25 a pop,” Neal said. “These kind of events … gives folks that otherwise may not have the opportunity a chance to bring their entire family out.”
Neal said that he’ll always take advantage of having an opportunity to give residents —particularly those who don’t live nearby — free access to “one of the city’s greatest assets.”
Ironically, all of the attendees with whom Long Beach Post spoke resided no farther away than 21st Street and Cherry Avenue, and all had visited the Aquarium multiple times prior to Thursday.
Nonetheless, all were appreciative of the chance to come for free, particularly considering that the children in our sampling outnumbered the adults.
Stephanie Vanegas had four kids in her group. “It’s a really nice opportunity for the family to go in and have a nice outing,” she said.
Booker Robinson said his clan comes “whenever we get a chance, or when it’s cheap.” This was the second free night they had attended.
“It’s cool, because we get the kids out,” he said. “My daughter, she loves the fish and the sharks. So when I picked her up from school and I [saw] the flier, I was like, ‘Oh yes, we get to go tonight!’ … I grabbed my neighbors and I said, ‘Let’s go!”
Robinson moved to Long Beach two years ago and loves the civic trappings here —the Passport buses free zone, the large number and variety of events, how much there is within walking distance of his 4th/Cedar home. “It don’t get no better than this,” he said.
Neal said that for this iteration of his Aquarium Night his office had a greater number of “community co-sponsors” on hand — ranging from Autism in Long Beach to the Long Beach Time Exchange — so that residents had exposure to more than marine life. “We’re doing a little bit different than how it’s been done before,” Neal said. “We want the Long Beach residents, [as well as] our friends who are coming in from other areas, to know about all the services here in Long Beach.”
The crowd did not begin to thin out until the Aquarium announced it was about to close. Neal remained near the entrance, where he had stationed himself for most of the night, chatting with any passersby, receiving their thanks.
“It’s been a great day,” he said.
Neal near the Aquarium entrance