The G.G.T.P.C. awarded a total of $125,000 to five, local, non-profit organizations with $25,000 sponsorships each. The organizations were: Boys and Girls Clubs of Garden Grove; Garden Grove Community Foundation; Helping Others Prepare for Eternity (H.O.P.E.); Orange County Food Bank; and Orange County United Way.

At the event, Garden Grove Mayor Steve Jones said, “The five organizations being honored tonight are known widely in the city and county as non-profits who dedicate their time and effort to improving the lives of our youth, families, and individuals in need.”

The presentation was held at the Anaheim Marriott Suites, in the Grove District-Anaheim Resort. In attendance were local and state representatives, board members from each recognized organization, city officials, and G.G.T.P.C. members.

Jim Durslag, G.G.T.P.C. president, said, “As a valued partner to the City, the Garden Grove Tourism and Promotion Corporation looks for every opportunity to give back to the community. Through sponsorships to local non-profit organizations, G.G.T.P.C. can effectively make an impact in Garden Grove.”

The G.G.T.P.C., a California non-profit mutual benefit corporation, promotes Garden Grove’s tourism district, the Grove District-Anaheim Resort. In addition, G.G.T.P.C. constructs and maintains the business conditions of hotels, visitor accommodation facilities, and other services, activities, and programs that promote and encourages tourism within Garden Grove.

To learn more about the Garden Grove Tourism and Promotion Corporation, contact G.G.T.P.C. president, Jim Durslag, at 714-539-3300.

It was also the annual kick-off day of Garden Grove’s Buy in Garden Grove “BiGG” program.

From now until Friday, Dec. 20, for every $50 spent at any Garden Grove business, shoppers have an opportunity to win. Participants must be at least 18 years of age and make purchases in Garden Grove, including restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores.

Eligible receipts must be dated from Friday, Nov. 29 through Friday, Dec. 20. Then, take the receipts to the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce office, 12866 Main St., Ste. 102, on Historic Main Street near Acacia Parkway before 5 p.m. on Dec. 20.

Regular chamber hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.. The office is closed Monday through Friday from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch and does close early for chamber events within the community.

For every $50 in total register receipts, participants receive one opportunity-drawing ticket and if purchases are made from a BiGG business or a Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce business member, shoppers receive an additional ticket.

There is no limit on the number of raffle tickets shoppers may receive for their qualifying purchases. All opportunity-drawing tickets are only given out at the chamber’s office, not at any of the local businesses.

By shopping at Garden Grove businesses who are participating in the BiGG program, then saving and turning in receipts from those  local businesses, some lucky winner will win $500 in cash or a one-night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge Southern California, located in Garden Grove.

To locate participating Garden Grove businesses and Chamber of Commerce member businesses who are  participating in the BiGG program, visit the chamber’s website at staff@gardengrovechamber.com or call 714-638-7950.

Black Friday on Historic Main Street in Garden Grove was a hub of activity not just for shopping but for friends to gather at restaurants and enjoy beverages and food, while enjoying laughter and sharing memories.

Four young ladies said they had coffee together at the Phin Smith Cafe, 12921 Main St., then decided to try sitting for a photo on the turquoise Vespa out front of the cafe. The cafe uses a traditional Phin-dripped method (a real Vietnamese coffee) that they say is the authentic Caphe Sua Da made with imported real Robusta and Arabica beans, along with Charcoal Lattes and their take on a traditional Americano coffee/

It’s interior design is a type of museum of  rustic Saigon, which draws all ages to sit and enjoy one-another’s company while dining at small tables surrounded with plenty of seating.

And, to add to the hustle and bustle of Historic Main Street, was the weekly Friday-night Vintage Car Show, that has been in place for 25-years. All cars had to be moved off Main Street by 3:30 p.m. for the 4 p.m. start time of the Car Show.

Dianne Bain, who is in charge of the Car Show, said she had time to do “Black Friday” shopping before the Car Show began at 4 p.m., especially to get prizes for the Car Show at both Target and Best Buy.

”That’s all the time I had,” she said. “Bring your ride — all makes, models and years of cars and cycles and imports too.”

For Car Show participants, each owner receives a red ticket for a drawing for 10-percent off their food bill at Azteca Mexican Restaurant, Kay’s Kitchen and Louies’ on Main Street.

KIA of Garden Grove has moved from Garden Grove Boulevard to 13731 Harbor Blvd. in Garden Grove.

Although KIA has been open at its new location for a few months, the Garden Grove Chamber of Commerce felt it would be a nice honor to orchestrate a ribbon-cutting ceremony for them, which took place Oct. 24, where city officials and KIA representatives were in attendance.

“It has been an exciting experience for me to witness the progress of our Garden Grove KIA dealership since 2010, and really, the KIA brand in general,” said Mayor Steve Jones. “It was a good decision for KIA to set up shop within the Korean Business District nearly 10-years ago and the move to Harbor Boulevard is great as well.”

Jones said that the KIA Dealership is yet another example of the strong partnerships that Garden Grove builds with its businesses, and the success that’s achieved from mutual collaboration.

“This is also an example of the potential that lies on Harbor Boulevard, south of the 22 Freeway, as this location offers a number of advantages, which includes close freeway-access, walkability, and public transportation on one of our city’s most traveled thoroughfares,” said Jones. “My hope is that in the near future, that our Grove District Anaheim Resort, just north up the road, will continue growing in this direction, south of the 22 Freeway.”

Jones also mentioned that, recently, Garden Grove broke ground for a Home2 Suites by Hilton, up the street on Harbor Boulevard, “Which represents the city’s first hotel to be built south of the Garden Grove Freeway.

“Both the brand-new hotel, and the beautiful new KIA dealership are terrific additions to our city’s District 6, represented by Councilwoman Kim Nguyen, so kudos to my colleagues on the wonderful new projects,” Jones added. “Also, it’s my understanding that in the last few months, the new KIA location has shown positive results, which is great for KIA, and of course, for Garden Grove — and of course it’s my hope the successful trend will continue in our city,  now, and far into the future. Congratulations to Garden Grove KIA President Jared Hardin and the entire KIA family, as well as to Assistant City Manager/Community and Economic Development Director Lisa Kim and her staff, and everyone who has made today possible. Thank you.”

Lisa Kim served as emcee for the ribbon cutting.

“We wanted to celebrate KIA’s successful move to its new location,” said Kim. “Garden Grove has had the privilege of working with the Hardin ownership for the KIA brand since its arrival in 2010. The original KIA dealership, which was on Garden Grove Boulevard, took over the location from their counterpart, Garden Grove Hyundai, when Hyundai moved to Trask Avenue and for nearly a decade, KIA has proven to be a great producer and valued partner for Garden Grove.”

Kim thanked the Garden Grove City Council and City Manager Scott Stiles for their support and also thanked members of the Economic Development team for their work in making the move possible, specifically.

Additional guest speakers included Garden Grove KIA President Jared Hardin and KIA Motors of America Vice President of Sales Bill Peffer.

Jennifer Stewart made a living as a sculptor before her return, five-years-ago, to the restaurant business as new owner of Azteca, a beloved fixture on Historic Main Street.

Azteca, located in downtown Garden Grove, features wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling Elvis memorabilia for Elvis fans to enjoy during lunch, dinner and weekend Karaoke nights.

But while all the décor inside the restaurant itself is dedicated to the memory of “The King,” the bar area inside Azteca has always featured a wide variety of other classic-music references and memorabilia. It’s there you’ll find where Stewart’s love of art and her obsession for classic-rock-music intersect within the ongoing installation of her “Iconic Album Covers” series.

The original wall-relief sculptures are back-lit with color-morphing LEDs and celebrate a variety of music icons. The collection of sculptures includes The Beatles’ “Abbey Road”;  Madonna’s “True Blue”; and the latest, a tribute to the heavy metal band “Metallica.”

So, what’s next?

As a way of giving back to the city, Stewart is creating a bronze police K-9 monument. The bronze statue will feature stalwart four-legged officers and their handler officers who serve so diligently. The monument will feature a life-sized, detailed study of human and canine officers spotlighting the necessary trust and special bond of the K-9 team.

Behind the lifelike figures, on the large anchoring wall, will be a rendering of the city’s clock tower and a close-up rendering of the various police badges throughout the years.

The flat, vertical wall on the back of the sculpture will memorialize K-9 officer teams from the past, present and future with small placards. More names will be added over the coming years as the K-9 officers serve and are retired.

In 2020, Garden Grove will celebrate the 50-year anniversary of adding K-9 police officers to the police force. After decades of service, Garden Grove’s policing is being contracted out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Stewart’s sculpture will be displayed at the department, at a place to be determined.

Stewart said her sculpture is a way to honor and thank Garden Grove police officers for their tireless and continued service to the community, a community that so many long-time residents have called home since the city was formed.

The final touches are being put on the $32 million Village Center development at Beach Boulevard and Garden Grove  Boulevard.

The development features an In-N-Out burger, Panda Express, Planet Fitness, Chase Bank and much more.

In-N-Out and Planet Fitness, among others, are open. Developers expect everything to be up and running by February 2020.

“I think this is going to bring a breath of fresh air to the area,” said Stanton Mayor David Shawver. “I think our community deserves what we’re getting there.”

Shawver added that the center could bring in “several million dollars” to city coffers on a yearly basis.

The project has been a long time coming.

For years, the area has been vacant. Now, businesses will benefit from approximately 100,000 cars a day passing by.

Historically, Stanton has been known as the gateway to vacationland. Beach is dotted with 1960s and 70s hotels and motels that gave vacationers close proximity to Disneyland and the beach.

In-N-Out is probably the most talked-about locale in the center.

“In California, you haven’t made it as a city until you get an In-N-Out burger,” Shawver joked.

The center will also feature a dental service and an AT & T store, among others.

And it won’t just be a boon to Stanton.

The area serves as a gateway to Garden Grove. A vacant lot often occupied by vagrants hasn’t served as a favorable first impression for commuters making turning onto Garden Grove Boulevard or heading for Westminster. That’s changed.

The motorcoach company was started on July 1, 1989 by two men, Tom Giddens of Los Alamitos and Val Fleming (formerly of Garden Grove). The company started out in 1989 with four MCI motorcoaches, a name and two proud owners. When Giddens and Fleming took ownership of the buses, they had nowhere to park, so they moved them from a church parking lot in Cypress to behind a department store, to several parking lots in Orange County, until finally they rented space from another bus company in Anaheim.

After a few months in Anaheim, they rented four parking places from a construction company off Cerritos and Bloomfield in Los Alamitos. For almost two years, phones were answered in the home offices of Tom and Val.   Finally, in 1995, Pacific Coachways moved to its current location in Garden Grove on Markon Drive. In 2000, Val Fleming left the business to pursue other occupations and now the company is run by Tom Giddens and his son Michael.

Pacific Coachways in 2019 has 18 coaches, one mini-coach and six school buses ready to serve the surrounding community with qualified transportation.  The business employs 45 people, including of course highly-trained motorcoach operators, a knowledgeable sales department, dispatch operations, safety personnel, mechanic/technical engineers, bus washers and administration personnel.

Every employee is viewed as an asset to the company and essential in making the company the success it is today. Pacific Coachways is known for providing excellent transportation to many local schools, churches, universities and colleges, travel companies as well as individuals wanting to take 25-56 of their closest friends out for a night of fun!

Pacific Coachways is considered a family business and employs Tom’s wife Connie Giddens in the accounting department and Michael’s wife Jennifer Giddens as one of the awesome sales representatives. Michael and Jennifer’s 4-year-old daughter, Hannah, loves her Daddy and Grandpa’s buses.  Who knows, maybe she’ll be the CEO someday…

A party to celebrate the 30-year anniversary was held at the facility on July 10, 2019.

The Giddens Family were very happy with how much support was shown by everyone who attended the party. They also know that without excellent employees and loyal customers, the success of the company would not be what it is today.

Driving on Garden Grove Boulevard between Beach and Brookhurst, the city suddenly changes for the next two miles.

Right in the middle of Garden Grove is a hidden cultural jewel .

Welcome to Koreatown.

According to Ho-El Park, president of the Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County (KACCOC), businesses have established themselves and have thrived in Koreatown of Garden Grove for the past four decades.

Koreatown features a plethora of Korean restaurants, beauty-related shops, beauty schools, financial service firms, Korean markets, law offices, Real Estate offices, accounting firms and automotive services.

Park noted that people of all ethnicities patronize the Korean shops.

“A lot of Vietnamese patrons eat in our restaurants and shop in our area, too,” Park said.

Garden Grove is home to what is widely considered Orange County’s original Koreatown, dating to the 1970s. Back then, Garden Grove was considered a hipster place when it came to Korean barbecue. Nowadays, you can find splendid Korean restaurants all over Orange County.

But if you want the best stuff, you might want to check out the Korean Plaza and other areas of Koreatown featuring some of the best Korean restaurants in the country, including Mo Ran Gak, New Seoul BBQ and Jang Mo Gip.

Care for brisket, pork belly, cold noodles, rice cakes?

Koreatown is a must-see.

This is Park’s second year serving as the Chamber president.

“In early 2000, two monument-signs were erected in the center-divider along

Garden Grove Boulevard,” he said. “The name of the area was changed by City Council this year to officially be Koreatown.”

Park said that membership in the chamber is composed mostly of Koreans but is open to anyone.

“Anyone can join; currently we have 35-board members overseeing KACCOC and the membership,” he said.

The 35th Korean Festival, aka “Arirang Festival,” which is in its early-planning stages, is set to be held this year from Oct. 3 through Oct. 6.

The Arirang Festival began about two decades ago; however, it’s now run independently by the Korean Festival Committee of Orange County.

The Festival is a weekend to celebrate and share the Korean culture with the

community, which includes Korean music and performances, along with an open-air market that features many booths, a talent show, singing and contests.

It has been suggested that the way to learn about a country and its people is through their food, and Korea has an amazing barbecue, fresh off the grill. You can also enjoy Korean soul food: spicy rice cakes and dumplings.

Food and music can connect different peoples of the world; Korean skincare productsmand services are also booming and are widely recognized.

Many Korean stores and shops have signs in both English and Koreanm (AKA “Hangul”).

For information about the Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County, contact info@KACCOC.com or call 714-638-1440.

The festival, the only event of its kind in California, brings together his music, impersonators, fan clubs, Cadillacs and all things Elvis for a daylong tribute to the King of Rock and Roll near the anniversary of his death (Aug. 16, 1977).

The event highlights include a full slate of Elvis tribute artists performing throughout the day including Kirk Wall of Anaheim, the festival’s ambassador since its inception as well as award winning entertainers Martin Anthony singing gospel hits, duets with Erika Boychenko as Ann Margret and Lisa Marie Presley and other favorites and James King on piano and guitar with a variety of the legend’s most beloved songs such as “Unchained Melody.”

Wall and his band Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies will present a set of Elvis songs bluegrass-style along with a special tribute to the Beatles. He will also serve as the officiant for the wedding vows of longtime Elvis fans, Sylvia Ronquillo and Jesse Nava of Yorba Linda held at 12:30 p.m. during the festival.

Returning for the third year to cap off the day is Scot Bruce and his band with The Early Years of the King of Rock and Roll.

Other tribute artists include Steven Williamson, Sean Martin, Anthony Alcala and Fernie Ramirez.

New this year is a set titled “The Inspiration of Elvis” featuring performances by non-Elvis looking vocalists singing Elvis songs ranging from ages 6 to 70 years. In addition, harpist Elizabeth Huston and accordionist Gee “Gigi” Rabe will perform instrumental versions of Elvis songs and will also accompany vocal numbers for Boychenko and Anthony.

In addition, the event highlights Presley’s love for cars, particularly Cadillacs, with a King of Cadillacs Car Show for passenger cars dating to 1977 and sponsored by the Shark Squad Motorcycle Attorneys. One of his other interests: motorcycles, will be featured in the Hound Dog Motorcycle Ride presented by Lifestyle Cycles.

Ken Sharp, a New York Times Best Selling writer who has authored or co-authored over 20 music books, will be at the festival signing and selling two of his limited-edition books he wrote about Elvis Presley: Elvis: Vegas ’69 and Elvis Presley: Writing for the King.

Other activities include Elvis Fan Clubs including the Jailhouse Rockers of California and Blue Suede Shoes of California, stilt walking Elvis and Priscilla, memorabilia and collectibles, Elvis Bingo, Abbit the Average Elvis, rockabilly caricature artist, Elvis-themed jewelry and accessories, a Dunka Dunka Burning Love Dunk Tank presented by the Assistance League of Garden Grove and TraumOne and a special appearance by Tanya Lemani, the belly dancer in the “Little  Egypt Guitar Man production number from Elvis’s 1968 “Comeback “TV special.

There will be special Elvis menu items from food trucks including Elvis cupcakes, Elvis themed ice cream flavors  along with the variety of restaurants and shops.  Among the restaurants is Azteca Restaurant known for its Elvis themed atmosphere with movie posters, photos and memorabilia donning the walls and the ceiling. Next door is Kaye’s Kitchen, which will feature a Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich, an Elvis favorite, on the menu during the festival.

Admission and parking are free. Limited reserved stage seating available at additional cost.

The festival on Historic Main Street is located between Garden Grove Boulevard and Acacia Parkway in Garden Grove. Use the address of 12911 Main St., Garden Grove, on GPS or other map/directions locators. Parking is available at adjacent lots of Concorde and Coastline College.

More information and complete schedule is available on Facebook by locating the 20th Annual Elvis Festival page, or by sending an email to elvisfestival@yahoo.com or calling 714-267-4657.

The festival is made possible in part by presenting sponsors Fairhaven Memorial Services of Mission Viejo, Fairhaven Memorial Park and Mortuary of Santa Ana and Dimond Shannon of Garden Grove and  the support of the Garden Grove Downtown Business Association and the Garden Grove Community Foundation.

Hiccups Restaurant and Teahouse and Churroholic (right next door, at Beach and Orangewood Avenue) opened this month.

Both held soft openings. Hiccups bills itself as an “Asian fusion restaurant,” which Churroholics specializes Spanish-inspired desserts.

Frontier, a real estate company, plans on moving ahead with the construction of Stanton Village, along with some housing.

“This will begin the second major commercial development by Frontier to our town this summer,” said Mayor Dave Shawver.

Officials have not detailed what businesses will be developed on the site.

The old Mimi’s Cafe at the northwest corner of Garden Grove Boulevard and Beach Boulevard in Stanton has been demolished.

Frontier, a real estate company, plans on moving ahead with the construction of Stanton Village, along with some housing.

“This will begin the second major commercial development by Frontier to our town this summer,” said Mayor Dave Shawver.

Officials have not detailed what businesses will be developed on the site.