Dean Torrence

Send DATEBOOK items to the Huntington Beach Independent, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626; fax to (714) 965-7174; call (714) 965-7176 or e-mail hbindependent@latimes.com . Submissions must be received two weeks before publication. TODAY Famed surfing champ Peter "PT" Townend will host Ultimate Sessions, an anthology of the surfing film and surfing itself at Pierside Surf City 6 Cinemas, located at Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach.

Another nostalgic fan of the Golden Bear is spearheading a new effort to bring back the fabled music venue. Retired teacher Doug Turner, who visited the club as a young man, is petitioning City Council to bring back the Golden Bear. He comes prepared with 500 signatures he collected himself. "I know it can be done. It's done every day. If people want to do it, they'll do it," Turner said, who plans to speak before the City Council on April 17. What Turner's petition lacks is specifics ?

It's not too late to find the perfect Huntington Beach-themed gift -- and you don't even have to brave the mall.Wait too long to pick up those last Christmas gifts? Want to get something special that reflects the spirit of Surf City? Well, look no further, the Independent has compiled a list of last-minute gifts you can find downtown that show the warm spirit of Huntington Beach during the coldest part of the year. Enjoy. The Huntington Beach Pier Christmas ornament -- $22.50 This is one of the hottest items at the new HB Store on Main Street, said co-owner Joe Shaw, who hawks popular doormats, clothing and decorations all adorned with a privately designed "HB" logo.

These are hard times I tell you, hard times, especially for the government. Be thankful you're not in office. What with the war in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, gas prices, et al, the halls of power in Sacramento and Washington can be cold and lonely. But even at a time like this, it's reassuring to watch government do what it does best -- the weird stuff. Let me ask you something. Where is Surf City? Did anyone not say Huntington Beach? I didn't think so. But Santa Cruz, way up north, does not agree.

Dave Brooks Eight miles of beach, a thundering tide and throngs of bikinis immortalize Huntington Beach as Surf City. Dean Torrence just gives it a little more credibility. Every town has its own celebrity, and Huntington Beach is no exception, home to the second half of surf-music icons Jan and Dean, who put this city on the map with the 1963 hit "Surf City." A key figure in Huntington Beach's turf battle with beachside Santa Cruz over which city is the true Surf City, Torrence is directing his energies back to the creative side with a 6 p.m. show Saturday of re-released vintage surf images at the Gallery HB, located at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa. The focus of the opening will be the unveiling of his latest piece, a print of a Woody surf car popular in the 1950s and '60s for moving bodies and boards down to the ocean.