2016 Ocean Festival Event Guide

Inside:

Timeline Shows Evolution of Ocean Festival Charlie Ware to Step Down as Announcer After 40 Years Two Mermaids to Headline Ocean Festival This Year PLUS: Event Schedule & Map

ea� e t val ear� o �

plor�

AT THE OCEAN FESTIVAL

1976

First Ocean Festival. The first Ocean Festival takes place at San Clemente Pier.

1979

Sand Sculpting Competitions Begin. The annual sand art event was started by Gary Casella, and now features teams of up to ten people making sculptures in a variety of categories.

h� reate

Sho

o� S r

Celebrating 40 Years on July 16 and 17

BY PEGGY VANCE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SAN CLEMENTE OCEAN FESTIVAL

As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, and our amazing San Clemente lifeguards celebrate their 85th anniversary, we are reminded of how the San Clemente Ocean Festival came to life and reflect on what continues to make it “The Greatest Show on Surf”!

Prior to 1976, the Orange County Lifeguard Games was solely dedicated to lifeguard competitions. San Clemente’s Marine Safety Captain wanted to increase the involvement of the games to include the general public and provide activities that included family-oriented fun, on the beach and in the water.

The theme of this event—families and lifeguards engaged together in fun activities on the beach—has been the basis of the success of the Ocean Festival, and has kept it unique and beyond imitation. The San Clemente Ocean Festival is run by a volunteer board of directors and their executive, athletic and surf directors who pool their talents to continue to deliver “The Greatest Show on Surf” with the hundreds of community volunteers who provide manpower during the two-day event.

The slogan “the Greatest Show on Surf” was first created in 1978. In 1981, the Ocean Festival’s logo was certified as a trademark, and the following year the San Clemente Ocean Festival became a 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation.

Come join us for this two-day event and see for yourself what sets us apart from all others! Saturday hosts the action and excitement of the National Doryman Association’s twoman lifeguard boat races that start and end on the beach with courses that take them through pounding surf, while trying to avoid the other teams as they race to the finish line. Saturday includes a Stand-Up Paddleboard contest sponsored by Hobie Surf Shop, and join us Sunday for the “Groms Rule” Surf Contest (girls 12 and younger, and boys 14 and younger). Love to run? Join us for the 5K Beach Run on Sunday, or if you prefer swimming, we have a one-mile ocean swim, and many other competitions in and out of the water where you can test your athletic abilities.

Car enthusiasts can check out the Woodie Car Exhibit on the Pier (15 different cars each day), where you can see lovingly salvaged and restored wood-sided wagons, each with their own style and character. Into fishing? There will be a

fishing derby and clinic for all ages on Saturday, sponsored by Dana Wharf Sportfishing. Don’t forget to stop by the Ocean Art Show that stretches along Parque Del Mar, both north and south of the beach entrance—you’ll surely find your own treasure to take home with you as a remembrance of the great time you had at the event.

Coming with the family? Head south of the Pier to the Youth Pavilion that will be packed with crafts, games, and face painting as well as demonstrations and performances for all ages to enjoy. Saturday there will be a Dolphin Dash kid’s beach run for ages 12 and younger, sponsored by Clif Kid, and all participants will receive an Ocean Festival medallion. And, if you’re not sure about riding the waves yourself, stop by the Body Surfing clinics just south of the Youth Pavilion and learn how to body surf. On Sunday you can register to compete in the Sand Sculpting competitions, or walk by and check out the entries around noon.

Entrance is free! Food will be available for purchase starting with a pancake breakfast—hot off the griddle—north of the Pier. This is a major fundraiser for our San Clemente Lifeguards. The Fisherman’s Restaurant will also have their food booths on the beach. On Friday and Saturday evenings, enjoy our free concerts, featuring The Eliminators on Friday and Gary Roach’s Stones Review on Saturday, sponsored by The Sheckler Foundation, as the sun sets on the horizon for the perfect ending to the day. Our grand finale for the weekend is the ever-popular Great Rubber Duck Race on Sunday. Net proceeds from the event’s activities and T-shirt sales enable us to support many local organizations and programs, benefitting families in San Clemente, fieldtrips to the Ocean Institute, Summer Beach Concerts, San Clemente Lifeguard programs, scholarships for local students and more.

The San Clemente Ocean Festival has grown into a tradition for many within our community, the Inland Empire, and as far reaching as the East Coast, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand. We thank San Clemente’s incredibly dedicated lifeguards, watching over all of us as we enjoy the weekend’s events.

To our sponsors and volunteers, thank you for all your hard work and support! To those who will be joining us for the first time, or have made the Ocean Festival an annual event, we welcome you to join us for the 40th annual San Clemente Ocean Festival on July 16 and 17. To avoid parking hassles, there will be free parking and shuttle service from the Outlets at San Clemente, 101 W. Avenida Vista Hermosa. We hope you will agree that it truly is “The Greatest Show on Surf”! For more information and complete event schedules, please visit our website at www.oceanfestival.org.

Mid-1990s

Fishing Derby Reeled In. Started by Don and Shirley Stanley, the contest now awards winners in “game fish” and shark and ray categories. Paul Jessup has been running it since 2010, and the Dana Wharf Sportfishing staff has co-hosted the event since 2013.

1993

Duck Race Lands at Ocean Festival: The Great Rubber Duck Race was started by lifeguards, who then handed it over to San Clemente Ocean Festival as part of their fundraising for the event.

1993

Woodie Car Exhibit Rolls In: The iconic woodie car got an exhibition at the Festival. The original committee included Board Member Char Bailey, Volunteer Gary Button and Woody Car enthusiast Dave Doherty. Jim Nielsen took it over in 2015.

1995

Local Art Gets Showcase. First coordinated by Steve Breyer; Jim and Sue Krogle from 2000 to 2012; Sharyn Evert 2013 to 2014; and Rachelle Liberty 2015 to present.

2001

Bodysurfing Clinics in Session. The San Clemente Body Surfing Club ran clinics from 2001 to 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 to present. They take place this year on Saturday.

2004

Groms Take the Waves. The Kids Klassic Surf Kontest, later changed to “Grom’s Rule” Surf Contest in 2007, gives young surfers a chance to compete.

2008

Stand Up and Paddleboard. The stand-up paddleboard competitions begin. The championships are back again for 2016, with judges declaring winners based on style.

2009

Running like a… Dolphin? The fourth annual Dolphin Dash kid’s run welcomes all young runners in half-mile, three-quarter-mile, and one-mile races.

2016

Lending a Hand. Hosted by Slyde Handboards, the handboarding clinic teaches people how to use these small surfboards that fit on boarders’ hands to ride waves.

Sport� AT THE OCEAN FESTIVAL

Dory boat racers must use the waves to their advantage in competition. Photo: Eric Heinz

Battl� o� th� Wave� The doryman’s race is a unique and exciting competition

BY MATT CORTINA

It started out as a necessity for lifeguarding, but dory boat racing has now turned into a unique sporting competition—and one that returns to Ocean Festival this year as a crowd favorite.

The dory boat is a small vessel with high walls and a flat bottom. In competitions, it is manned by two people, a bowman and a sternman. The bowman is the strategic driver of the boat, while the sternman is more of the muscle and also typically gets out to run ashore, as is customary in competition.

Dick DeBoer has competed in dory boat race competitions since he started lifeguarding at Huntington State Beach in 1983. He views the Ocean Festival doryman’s race as the jewel of the sport’s triple crown—Catalina and the National Championships are the only other races that rival Ocean Fest’s prestige.

“Ocean Fest is always the best crowd, even better than Nationals because you just have the whole atmosphere, you have the Pier. The Pier is packed, and it’s such a long tradition with dorys and the Ocean Fest,” DeBoer said.

The crowd also recognizes the difficulty associated with dory boat racing, DeBoer said.

“The experience is like no other in lifeguard competition because you’re out of the water and you’re rowing a boat backward, a 300-pound dory, in and out of the surf with other boats going opposite directions at times,” DeBoer said.

Being a longtime veteran of the competition is a benefit, DeBoer said, because it is only with experience that a racer picks up how to ride waves, transition the boat and when to take it easy in the exhausting competition.

“I think what a regular bystander wouldn’t realize is just we make it look easy and that comes from years of training and years of knowledge and being in the boat,” DeBoer said. “The average person, to be able to get in a boat and row it straight, that would be something that would be hard in itself.”

DeBoer says he trains with his partners about three or four times a week ahead of competitions. He’s changed partners over the years, and this year will be working with Jose Bolivar, a two-time National champion.

Picking the right partner, and getting on the same page with him or her, is a challenge in itself, DeBoer said.

“The most important thing is knowing who your partner is, and you’re kind of working in a symbiotic relationship. There’s communication but very little, because once you have a good partner, you know what to do, you don’t have to say much,” he said.

If you want to check out DeBoer and others take on the field, head down to the Pier at 11:15 a.m. and then at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and get a good seat—it’ll be a great show.

The stand-up paddle paddleboard competition is a fan favorite and open to people of all ages and abilities. Photo: Eric Heinz

FRIENDLY COMPETITION

Sixth annual paddleboard contest is a welcoming event

BY MATT CORTINA

The stand-up paddleboard competition seems like an event that is so obvious for the Ocean Festival. It’s an inclusive sport that welcomes beginners and experts, and gets people of all ages out on the water in a fun environment. That is, it’s much like the festival itself. The paddleboard competition is now its sixth year, and features dozens of competitors of all abilities and age levels. The only requirement is that participants have a board, a paddle and a leash. Boarders will hit the waves north of the Pier for an all-day battle.

It’s a judged competition, and boarders’ scores are based off of how they handle progressive and classic maneuvers and styles. Use of the paddle on the wave is also part of the judging criteria. Competition groups are divided into older mens’ (40 and older), younger men’s (39 and younger) and open women’s.

Awards will be given out to competitors who finish in the top six spots in their respective divisions. Competitions run all day on Saturday, with day-of signups available at 6 a.m. (pending availability). The contests start at 7 a.m., and a final awards ceremony will be conducted at 4 p.m.

�

AT THE OCEAN FESTIVAL

The Eliminators, (above), and Gary Roach’s Stones Revue (below) are scheduled to perform Friday and Saturday, respectively, at the San Clemente Pier for the Ocean Festival. Photos: Courtesy

Kelly Garrett, 15, is one of this year’s mermaids at the Ocean Festival. Photo: Amanda Giannelli

Mermaids Become “A Part Of Our World”

BY AMANDA GIANNELLI

With King Triton taking a rest this year, mermaids are taking over the Ocean Festival.

Kelly Garrett, 15, and Kelley Green, 16, will be making a splash as the stars of the Mermaid Parade on Sunday, July 17, at 9 a.m.

Garrett is returning for her second year as a part of the Mermaid Parade. As a sophomore at the Orange County School of the Arts, Garrett intends to continue her studies in theater arts, hoping to one day become a Disney Princess at the Disneyland Resort.

This will be the first year in which King Triton will not be in attendance. Instead Garrett will be joined by a new mermaid, Kelley Green. Green is a junior at San Juan Hills High School, and intends to pursue acting and modeling in college.

Green was recognized by the city of San Clemente by winning the Junior Dorothy Fuller Award at age 12. “I was so honored when I received the award, and my mom, Lisa Green, received the award two years later making us a mother-daughter duo in receiving the same prestigious award.”

With there being two mermaids instead of one, “I think it is going to be more playful since we are both around the same age, and we can both go off each other,” Garrett said.

As an experienced mermaid, Garrett said the best tip she could give to girls playing this role would be to “let the kids guide you.

Know that no one else is judging you for dressing up like a mermaid and having fun.

You have to let yourself shine and have fun with it.”

Lucy Schwien was the mastermind behind Garrett’s costume.

“Lucy hand-stitched all of the pearls onto the costume herself. We collaborated with fabrics for the tail and she sewed all of them onto it perfectly,” Garrett said.

Green found her costume at one of the oldest costume shops in Orange County, called Gasoline Alley.

The best part about being a mermaid, Garrett said, is the size of the smiles on children’s faces from a simple wave. Green is excited for the same reason.

“I usually help send the children off and welcome them back to the Youth Pavilion Stage. This year will be special because I will actually be walking the Pier with them,” Green said.

Some of the children innocently try to stump the actresses, but Garrett’s talent allows her to be quick on her feet. The most asked question is pretty understandable: “How are you walking?” To which Garrett responds, “Ursula owed me a favor.”

“We all need a little magic in our lives,” Green said, “I am just one of King Triton’s daughters visiting San Clemente for the 40th anniversary of the Ocean Festival.

After it’s over, I will be returning to my kingdom in the sea. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!”

Both of these beautiful mermaids intend to be making San Clemente smile at many Ocean Fests in the years to come.

Kelley Green, 16. Photo: Courtesy

EXTRA CONCERT ADDED TO OCEAN FESTIVAL SCHEDULE An additional concert date has been added to the Ocean Festival schedule, from 6-8 p.m. Friday, July 15, featuring The Eliminators, a surf music band from San Clemente.

Another concert will take place 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, July 16, featuring Gary Roach’s Stones Revue, a tribute band to the Rolling Stones. The surf band The Eliminators will start the festivities of this year’s Ocean Festival. “This is our way of saying thank you to our community for the many years of support for ‘The Greatest Show on Surf,’” a press release from the Ocean Festival Foundation stated.

In addition to the concert, Fisherman’s Restaurant and Bar will be serving dinners on the beach, and people will be able to purchase collector merchandise and rubber ducks.

Woo e� AT THE OCEAN FESTIVAL

The woodie car design is a staple of Southern California. Photo: Eric Heinz

SoCal Staple

WOODIE CARS ARE ICONIC AND ON DISPLAY AT THE OCEAN FESTIVAL

BY MATT CORTINA

Somewhere along the way, the “woodie” became an icon of Southern California. It’s no wonder then that the car will be on full display for the 24th consecutive year at the Ocean Festival this year. Gary Clark, of the Southern California Woodie Club, said over a dozen of the club’s members will be making the trip to San Clemente to show off their woodpaneled cars. But the love affair that the region has with the style goes back decades.

“It started back in the ’60s,” Clark said. “For the surfers, this was the cheapest, best vehicle that we could find to take our surfboards to the beach. They were only $200, some of them.”

Soon, the woodie became an active part of the act of surfing, Clark said.

“We’d take the backseats out and throw those away and then sleep in there at the beach waiting for the sun to come up,” he said. “We’d sometimes get tot he beach at 4 or 5 (a.m.) and sleep until the morning.”

The woodie itself came to be way before it took off in California, though. In 1925, Henry Ford bought 760,000 acres of maple tree forest to use for the bodies of his cars, Clark said.

That special modeling has made the woodie design unique by modern standards. But combined with the design falling out of favor after the ’60s, it also made the car a pricey collectible—one sought after by baby boomers in the last few decades who want a piece of SoCal nostalgia.

“There was a resurgence in the desire for the cars, and of course they started going up in price. Pretty soon (a woodie) needing complete restoration was $10-15,000 (to start), and then by the time you were done, you had $100-150,000 and so the cars became quite pricey,” said Clark, who owns Woodies USA, a woodie retailer in Laguna Niguel.

But assuming you don’t want to fork over the dough to own one, you can check out the woodies at the Ocean Festival from 8:30 a.m.-2:45 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Pier.

Clark says the reaction from people who view his group’s shows is always the same.

“It’s very seldom you’ll see a frown associated with someone meeting a woodie wagon,” he said. “People are giving us the thumbs up and the shaka sign. Everybody loves these cars, and everybody has a story.”

San Clem

ve

JULY 16–17, 2016

eat re Booth� 1. Body Surfing Clinic (Sat), Slyde Handboard demos (Sun) 2. Storage/Changing Rooms 3. Youth Pavilion Stage 4. Youth Pavilion Shade area 5. Crafts 5a. Dolphin Dash Registration (Sat) 6. Photo Booth 7. Ocean Institute 8. Face Painting: Sponsored by Gratitude Garden Pre-School

e or� 9. Game Booth 10. Game Booth 11. Game Booth 12. Youth Pavilion Ticket Sales 13. Clif Kid 14. Sand Sculpting Registration (Sun) 15. Saddleback College 16. Swift Health Chiropractic 17. Kaleo Marketing 18. OptumCare Medical Group 19. Crunch San Clemente 20. SCOF Tee Sales

o eve

photo v

For more information, v

mente Ocean Festival

a

SAN CLEMENTE PIER

eat re Booth� 21. KWVE 22. L.C.A.C display 23. Tuff Turtle Turf 24. OC Oil Recycling (Sat.) 24. OC Fire Authority (Sun) 25. Free Speech Area 26. Fisherman’s Food Court 27. Duck Sales 28. The Toll Roads – Paleo Exhibit 29. Volunteer/Information 30. Lifeguard & Beach event Registration / (Results)

a le e tet e o

visit oceanfestival.org

e or� 31. Results Board 32. Athletic Refreshments / Purps 33. Hobie Surf Shop 34. San Clemente Times 35. Clif Bar 36. Main Stage & Awards 37. SUP (Sat) & Groms Rule (Sun) Registration 38. KABC/KLOS van 39. Pancake Breakfast (and tickets) + Pier Pride 12-4 p.m. on Sunday 40a&b. Ocean Art Show

r

AT THE OCEAN FESTIVAL

The Art Show at the Ocean Festival has grown to include 40 local artists who specialize in various media.

Photos: Courtesy of Ocean Festival

ART

Attack

Local artists and artisans share their wares at Parque Del Mar

BY MATT CORTINA

With all of the recreational activities that Ocean Festival has to offer, folks might not realize that the celebration also includes an exceptional local arts gallery. And it makes sense to marry art with the festival—since time immemorial, the two have complemented each other in celebrations. In fact, early versions of the Olympic Games featured as many exhibitions in art and culture as there were in sports and recreation.

This year, the Art Show has grown to feature 40 local artists—all from California, and most from Orange County. Each artist has a booth in which to discuss, display and sell their work. The media of art includes jewelry, paintings, sculpture, installations, photography, rugs, soaps and more.

“It’s such an eclectic show with so many different things,” said Rachelle Liberty, the Art Show organizer for the past several years. “Everything has an ocean theme. And it’s just a really intimate vendor, because most art shows have hundreds of artists and ours has at the most 40.”

Liberty is not only organizing the show, but will also display her work with succulents and driftwood.

With nearly double the number of the artists participating, this year’s art show will also bring in talent and pieces that attendees of past Ocean Festival’s have yet to see. Liberty says this balance of local favorites and newcomers will be attractive to folks passing through the show.

The Art Show grounds will be on the

grassy area next to the Pier, and each artist will have a 10-by-10-foot booth.

This year, Liberty says the layout of the art area will flow better than before, and encourage passersby to see a whole lot of local art in a casual setting.

And as an artist herself, Liberty says the Ocean Festival is a unique opportunity to chat with patrons and get a lot of attention on artists’ work.

“It’s just amazing to be one of 40 vendors with such a huge crowd of people coming through, because usually you sit and wait for people to come through,” she said.

The Art Show will run from 9-6 p.m. on Saturday, and 9-5 p.m. on Sunday. The location is Parque Del Mar, south of the beach tunnel, and which overlooks the festival.

ve t�

AT THE OCEAN FESTIVAL

Schedule Of Events

SATURDAY, JULY 16 6TH ANNUAL STAND-UP PADDLEBOARD SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS Event Sponsor: Hobie Surf Shops • Rash Guard Sponsor: Coolies

6 a.m.

7 a.m.–3 p.m.

Registration/Check-in at SURF Registration booth, North of Pier Competitions

LIFEGUARD COMPETITIONS Main competition area is the northside of San Clemente Pier

Hosted by San Clemente Body Surfing Club

9 a.m.

9:15 a.m.

10:15 a.m.

9 a.m.–3 p.m.

10:30 a.m.

CHILDREN’S FISHING CLINIC & ‘ALL AGES’ FISHING DERBY Event Sponsor: Dana Wharf Sportfishing

6:30 a.m.

12:30 p.m.

Registration, clinic & derby Judging & Prizes Awarded

Located at the end of the Pier *Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult

CITY LIFEGUARD PANCAKE BREAKFAST

10:45 a.m.

11 a.m.

11:15 a.m.

12:15 p.m.

12:30 p.m.

1 p.m.

Don’t miss San Clemente’s lifeguards on the griddle!

7–11 a.m.

North of Pier, near Marine Safety

8TH ANNUAL “DOLPHIN DASH” KID’S BEACH RUN Event Sponsor: Clif Kid

7:30–8:45a.m.

9 a.m.

9:20 a.m.

9:40 a.m.

Registration/Check-In at Children’s Pavilion, South of Pier ½ mile run for ages 4-6 ¾ mile run for ages 7-9 1-mile run for ages 10-12

1:15 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

2:45 p.m.

3:30 p.m.

3:45 p.m.

4 p.m.

24TH ANNUAL WOODIE CAR EXHIBIT 8:30 a.m.–2:45 p.m.

Displayed on San Clemente Pier

FREE BODYSURFING CLINICS

Event 1: Surf Race – Men Surf Race – Women Event 2: Rescue Relay (2 person, rescue can & fins) – Open – Heat 1 Rescue Relay (2 person, rescue can & fins) – Open – Heat 2 Event 3: Surf Ski Race (Lifeguard spec) – Women Surf Ski Race (Lifeguard spec) – Men Event 4: National Doryman’s Association – NDA Race No. 1 Event 5: International Ironman (swim, ski, paddle) – Women International Ironman (swim, ski, paddle) – Men Event 6: Paddleboard Rescue Relay (2 person, 10’6”) – HEAT 1 Paddleboard Rescue Relay (two-person, 10’6”) – HEAT 2 Event 7: National Doryman’s Association – NDA Race No. 2 Event 8: 10’6” Paddleboard Sprint Women 10’6” Paddleboard Sprint - Men Event 9: American Ironman (run, swim, paddle) – Women American Ironman (dory, swim, paddle) – Men San Clemente Body Surfing Club Demonstration

OCEAN ART SHOW 9 a.m.– 6 p.m.

Parque Del Mar, overlooking event and south of beach tunnel

South of the Pier, next to Children’s Pavilion

YOUTH PAVILION All day events: Arts, crafts and games hosted by City of San Clemente Recreation Division, face painting sponsored by Gratitude Garden Preschool, and DJ entertainment provided by Blas Maldonado. Plus, Ocean Institute & Clif Kid booths.

8 a.m.

8 a.m.–3 p.m.

10–11 a.m.

11 a.m.–Noon Noon–1 p.m.

1– 3 p.m.

Ticket sales begin for crafts, games and face painting Arts & Crafts, Game Booths (hosted

by San Clemente Beaches, Parks & Recreation Department) and Face Painting Mariachi Hermoso Lucero performance Guillobel Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu demonstration Hula Connection performance School of Rock “House Band” music and entertainment

* Special presentations throughout the day

BEACH PARTY & FREE CONCERT Sponsored by The Sheckler Foundation

5–7 p.m.

6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Dinners available through Fisherman’s Restaurant on the beach FREE beach concert featuring: “Gary Roach’s Stones Review”

*Schedule subject to change

ve t�

BEACH EVENTS Main competition area is the northside of San Clemente Pier

AT THE OCEAN FESTIVAL

8 a.m.

9 a.m.

10 a.m.

Noon.

1:45 p.m.

1:55 p.m.

2:05 p.m.

2:15 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

2:45 p.m.

3 p.m.

Schedule Of Events

SUNDAY, JULY 17

YOUTH PAVILION All day events: Arts, crafts and games hosted by City of San Clemente Recreation Division, face painting sponsored by Gratitude Garden Preschool, and DJ entertainment provided by Angel Barrientos. Plus, Ocean Institute & Clif Kid booths.

8 a.m.

“GROMS RULE” SURF CONTEST Rash Guard Sponsor: Farmers & Merchants Bank

6 a.m.

7 a.m.–3 p.m.

Registration/Check-In at SURF Registration booth, North of Pier North of Pier

Boys 14 and under, Girls 12 and under

SAND SCULPTURE TEAM COMPETITION 6:30 a.m.

1–1:30 p.m.

2 p.m.

Registration and Sculpting, South of Pier Judging/Viewing (depending on the tides) Awards immediately following judging

CITY LIFEGUARD PANCAKE BREAKFAST 7-11 a.m.

8 a.m.–3 p.m.

North of Pier, near Marine Safety

24TH ANNUAL WOODY CAR EXHIBIT 8:30 a.m.–2:45 p.m. Displayed on the Pier

9–10 a.m.

10–11 a.m.

OCEAN ART SHOW 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Parque Del Mar, overlooking event & south of beach tunnel

FREE BODYSURFING & HANDBOARDING CLINICS Hosted by Slyde Handboards

9 a.m.–3 p.m.

South of the Pier, next to Children’s Pavilion

Event 10: 5K Beach Run/Walk Event 11: Biathlon (1K swim and 5K run) Event 12: 10K Ocean Paddle Race (SUP, Paddleboard, Ski) Event 14: One-Mile Ocean Swim Event 15: Kid’s SUP Sprint Race (9-11, 12-14, boys and girls) Junior SUP Sprint Race (15-18, boys and girls) Women’s SUP Sprint Race (19 – 39; 40 – 49; 50+) Men’s SUP Sprint Race (19 – 39; 40 – 49; 50+) Event 16: Run – Swim – Run (200m Run, 300m Swim, 200m Run) S.C. Marine Safety Water Rescue Demonstration Event 17: Splash & Dash Relay (one runner and one swimmer)

11 a.m.–Noon 12:30–1 p.m.

Ticket sales begin for crafts, games and face painting Arts & Crafts, Game Booths (hosted

by San Clemente Beaches, Parks & Recreation Department) and Face Painting Mermaid Parade with King Triton’s Daughters South Coast Conservatory performance Guillobel Brazillian JiuJitsu demonstration School of Rock “House Band” music and entertainment

24TH ANNUAL GREAT RUBBER DUCK RACE 4 p.m.

Sponsor ducks are $5 each with prizes

*Schedule subject to change

It Started With a

oo l�

a e�

AT THE OCEAN FESTIVAL

Bob Harlow has designed Ocean Festival T-shirts for 25 years

Charlie Ware has been the announcer at Ocean Festival for more than 40 years. This year will be his last as he passes the torch to someone else.

Photo: Eric Heinz

FOUR DECADES

as the Voice of Ocean Festival

Charlie Ware, founding father of San Clemente event, to retire as announcer

BY ERIC HEINZ

Sound waves from Charlie Ware’s voice rolling over the massive crowds has been a natural part of Ocean Festival since its beginning.

After 40 years of being the announcer, Ware said he’s ready to pass the torch. This will be his final year.

Ware was part of the original group that put together Ocean Festival.

“I was a Laguna Beach lifeguard between the mid-’60s and the early ’70s, and they started getting into lifeguard competitions along the coast: stand-up paddleboarding, dorey racing, swimming,” Ware said. “The San Clemente lifeguards were just starting to get into that too. Sheraton Birely, who was the chief lifeguard, contacted our lifeguard captain for a friendly competition.”

The competition started to gather interest with barbecues and refreshments at Old Man’s at San Onofre State Beach.

Ware said they would rush down there after everyone got off work. The next year, they decided to move their competitions to the San Clemente Pier.

“We invited more lifeguards, and they called it the Orange

County Lifeguard Games,” Ware said. “Sheraton was trying to get everyone organized because the sun was going down, and none of the guys were really paying attention.

So, he had a bull horn and I just happened to be standing next to him.

“He says, ‘Here, see if you can get them organized.’ So I grabbed the bull horn and got everyone going. I just stood there with the bull horn in between the events I would do.”

Although he’s not sure what grabbed everyone’s attention, Ware unintentionally became Ocean Festival’s first announcer. The next year it became organized as a nonprofit event. Dorothy Fuller, another founding member of the event, told Ware they wanted to open the events up to the community.

“And Ocean Fest was born from 1976 and that point on,” Ware said. “It’s been wonderful ever since.”

Ware set up a PA system on the Pier, setting up in the corner of The Fisherman’s Restaurant. He said he would announce results and upcoming events all at the restaurant.

“It got really crowded, and it got voiceful, and it got rowdy,” Ware said. “So finally we set up on the beach and really expanded it.”

Over the past 40 years, Ware said Ocean Festival has been the epitome of “real beach fun.”

“Coming down here every year, all that beach activity and the culture that exists here, Ocean Fest embodies that,” he said. “If I could keep coming down here and continue to be a small part of it in anyway, that’s what made summer for me. It didn’t feel like summer until I was at the Ocean Festival.”

Ware is leaving his position on a round number.

“I thought 40 is a good year,” Ware said. “It’s one of those things where I thought there was a need for some young infusion. My style has always been to be more informative, to provide that steady announcement. It’s a style, but there’s also a need for a bit of color and excitement and comedy. I think it’s time for someone like that to take over.”

Ware said he will still continue to come to Ocean Festival.

“If it weren’t for the great volunteers and Peggy Vance and her crew and her team to make it so easy on us and make it run smooth, it just makes it so fun to be here,” he said. “The next announcer has to meet the expectations and make sure that everything is running, and they also have to enjoy themselves while they’re here.”

BY ERIC HEINZ

In 1992, Dianna Botello, then-executive director of the Ocean Festival Foundation, was looking for a new design for the event’s T-shirts.

Artist Bob Harlow drew her a sketch on a napkin of something that encompassed Ocean Festival’s unique qualities, and it earned him a permanent position as the designer for the festival’s merchandise.

“I’ve always done art, but in the ’70s I was the representative for Ocean Pacific,” Harlow said. “In the ’80s, I was a store manager for Hobie Surf Shop. But I started doing artwork for the stores, and then Quicksilver and Billabong contacted me.”

Harlow does designs for the navy blue and white Tshirts for the events. A trademark of his shirts is the beachgoing dolphin, which can be seen in each design. This year he dedicated the design of the white shirts to the 85th anniversary of San Clemente Lifeguards, but the dolphin can be seen in the background.

“I come up with a couple concepts and show it to the executive director, but it’s basically up to me,” Harlow said.

“I sometimes call them in for ideas, try to make it a little different, but it’s really a delicate dance.”

In addition to the T-shirts, Harlow also does the designs for the visors, ball caps and other memorabilia, and he runs the social media and designs advertisements for the festival.

Between 6,000 and 12,000 merchandise items are made for the festival each year, depending on the sponsorship opportunities. Harlow said before he took over designs, only a few dozen shirts were manufactured.

Bob Harlow has designed the T-shirts for the San Clemente Ocean Festival for the last 25 years. Photo: Eric Heinz