“The Greatest Show on Surf”
BY PEGGY VANCE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OCEAN FESTIVAL, AND BARRETT TESTER, RACE DIRECTOR
It’s time for thrills and spills, splashing and dashing, as the 42nd annual San Clemente Ocean Festival takes place on Saturday, July 21, and Sunday, July 22, at the San Clemente Pier. Athletes, friends and families are invited to join us on the beach and the Pier to enjoy time together with fun and exciting athletic competitions, great food, outdoor activities and entertainment.
There is limited parking, but don’t fret, you can take the train right to the Pier and avoid tra fic altogether, or ta e ad antage o the ree covered parking and shuttles from the Outlets at San Clemente, located at 101 W. Avenida Vista Hermosa. Entry into the event is free, and you can start out both days with a delicious pancake breakfast on the beach prepared by our San Clemente Lifeguards. All proceeds go to the San Clemente Surf Lifesaving Association.
PEGGY VANCE
The theme of Ocean Festival is to bring families and lifeguards together for fun activities on the beach, and that mantra has been the basis of the success of the Ocean Festival. This merit has kept it unique and beyond imitation. The event is run by a volunteer board of directors and its 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.
Saturday events include the Lifeguard om etitions, rfing ham ionshi s, and check out the Grom’s Rule Surf Contest (7 & under “Push-in” category).
One of the premiere events is the One-Mile
cean wim, which is now o ficially sanctioned by the Global Swim Series (GSS). New this year, there will be a team championship trophy for highest scoring club in the One-Mile Ocean Swim.
For the young ones in your family, the Youth Pavilion, south of the Pier, will be packed with crafts and games, 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 under, sponsored by Clif Kid—all participants will receive an Ocean Festival medallion! to by the ree bodys rfing clinics j st so th o the Youth Pavilion on Saturday and learn about rip currents and how to catch a wave.
Sponsor booths will have information, activities and goodies to share with everyone.
The Fisherman’s Restaurant & Bar will have a food court at the base of the Pier with a variety of treats to tickle your taste buds. Saturday evening, pull up your beach chair, towel or blanket and enjoy the free concert featuring MoonShine, sponsored by Sheckler Foundation, as you watch the sun set behind Dana Point. Sand sculpting will start the day on Sunday, and join us for the ever-popular Great Rubber Duck Race in the afternoon!
The San Clemente Ocean Festival has grown into a tradition for many within our community as well as the Inland Empire and as far-reaching as the East Coast, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand. We thank San Clemente’s incredibly dedicated lifeguards who watch over all of us as we enjoy the weekend’s events.
Net proceeds from the event activities and perennial T-shirt sales enable us to support many local organizations and programs, benefitting amilies in an lemente with rograms s ch as Ado t-A- lass field tri s to the cean Institute, Summer Beach Concerts, San Clemente Lifeguard programs, scholarships for local students and more.
To our sponsors and volunteers, thank you for all your hard work and support! To those who will be joining s or the first time or ha e made the Ocean Festival an annual event, we hope you will agree that it truly is “The Greatest Show On Surf”! For more information and complete event schedules, visit our website www. oceanfestival.org. Mark your calendars: Next year’s dates are July 20 and 21!
Drinking in the MoonShine
BY ERIC HEINZ
TLAGUNA BEACH MODERN ROCKABILLY, BLUES BAND TO PERFORM AT OCEAN FESTIVAL
he reverb the guitar makes in surf music will be heard thro gho t an lemente’s main beach d ring cean esti al’s at rday oncert.
The band performing is MoonShine, which is comprised of Celena Marie Delpizzo-Howell, vocalist; her brother, Dylan Del Pizzo-Howell, guitar; stand-up bass player Elijah Meisse; harmonica player Travis Muniz; and drummer Nick Crays. They are based out of Laguna Beach.
“We actually got contacted by an Ocean Festival (representative) who saw us at Hobie in Laguna Beach, and she contacted me and said there’s this awesome e ent in an lemente and tho ght we’d be great or it,” elena said. “ he band wanted to change it for a different surf vibe and bluesy. We like to say that our original music brings back vintage rock with a blues twist.”
MoonShine performs cover songs as well as their original songs. Celena said the band tries to combine iconic genres with a modern marinade.
“My brother and I started as a duo in 2012, and about a year in we started adding eo le, and we’ e been growing and now we’re a fi e- iece,” elena said. “ really j st eed o o an awesome audience and setting, for sure, so seeing people in their element j st enjoying o r m sic fills my so l. And j st er orming with my brother is robably the best gi t ’ e recei ed in my li e. We ha e a great relationshi , and we eed o each other. t’s been a great experience with our longtime friends.”
Celena also said the band does have an “Americana” style, kind of like the folk-rock bands that have come to prominence in the last decade.
“ i e o r harmonica layer, he’ll bring that classic style o m sic and sometimes lays a banjo,” elena said. “ t’s more than just rockabilly, and they really connect with the blues in the m sic. ’m in l enced by strong emale ocalists li e illie
Marine Raider Boat Challenge makes debut at Ocean Festival
BY ERIC HEINZ
Units of Special Forces will put their skills to the test in the inaugural Marine Raider Boat Challenge on Sunday, July 22, at Ocean Festival.
Amphibious crafts will be used in the races similar to the Dory boats and other competitions. The boats are inflated rafts and competitors will have to paddle—no motors are involved.
The event was created by Prime Hall, a former Marine Raider who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hall put on the Marine Raider Challenge in February and is the founder of the Underwater Torpedo League.
“ first reached o t to arrett ester, cean esti al’s oficial re eree and e ent analyst, abo t a year and a hal ago, and he was super stoked when I came back with my draft permit, but I needed someone to run my beach operations, and he stepped up to do it,” Hall said. “They really wanted us to build out a military-themed event because there had never been one at Ocean Festival.”
There will be three Marine Raider races on Sunday at 11:40
Holiday and classic American sounds. And my brother as a guitar player, his influences are very blues-driven, like the music from Johnny Cash.”
he el i o- owells’ ather grew in an lemente and had frequented Ocean Festival throughout the years. This will be elena’s first time er orming at the an lemente ier.
a.m., 2 and 2:20 p.m. near the San Clemente Pier.
The boats are typically used to transport special operations orces. he first major sage o the essels was in World War when the Marine Raiders, USMC Special Forces, inserted them by s bmarines to each island-ho ing cam aign in the acific Theater.
“These dudes come out, inflate the boats and put the deck lates in and throw their gear in, and it’s ic ,” all said.
“ ’ e been hearing abo t this e ent or a long time, and the act that get to er orm at it, is ama ing and ’ e heard what an amazing experience it is,” Celena said.
MoonShine will perform from 6-8 p.m. at the Ocean Festival main stage at the Pier my parents are huge supporters and they’re ery e cited.
According to the National Museum of the Marine Corps, using amphibious crafts proved vital toward the end of World War II.
“(President Theodore) Roosevelt wanted the Corps to form commando nits,” according to an insert rom the m se m’s website. “The Joint Chiefs of Staff ended the debate by committing the or s to the acific as am hibio s assa lt troo s. The Marines welcomed the mission but worried about attaining the means to accomplish it.”
Eight teams of six competitors comprised of active and former Marine Raiders, Navy SEALS, Army Special Forces and reconnaissance teams will compete. The route goes straight out about half the length of the Pier and then around a series of b oys be ore ret rning to land at the finish line. he twist is once the boats are behind the buoys, the teams must flip the raft over and then reestablish it be ore mo ing on toward the finish.
Only two boats will compete against one another in each race in a head-to-head competition. Each team will get three races, and the top two teams will battle it out and the bottom teams will race as well.
Each team will raise money for their special operations charities of their choice. To see the various charities to donate to, visit www.facebook.com/marineraiderchallenge/.
One such charity is the World War II Marine Raider reunion, which takes place the same weekend as Ocean Festival.
MoonShine of Laguna Beach will perform from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, July 21 at the main stage by the Pier for Ocean Festival. Photo: Courtesy
Photo: Courtesy of the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Clemente Ocean Festival
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SAN CLEMENTE OCEAN FESTIVAL
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
SATURDAY, JULY 21 SUNDAY, JULY 22
Stand-Up Paddleboard
Surfing Championships
6 a.m. Registration/check-in at surf registration booth, north of the Pier
6:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Competitions
12th Annual “Groms Rule” Surf Contest (Boys and girls age 7 and under)
9 a.m. Registration/check-in at surf registration booth, north of the Pier
11:45 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. Heats north of Pier
3:45 p.m. SUP and Groms Rule Awards Ceremony (Main Stage)
STAND-UP PADDLEBOARD EVENTS
Children’s Fishing Clinic and All Ages Fishing Derby
At the end of the Pier. *PLEASE NOTE: Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult
6:30 a.m. – noon Registration, clinic and derby 12:30 p.m. Judging and prizes awarded
City Lifeguard Pancake Breakfast
7 – 11 a.m. North of the Pier, near marine safety HQ
10th Annual “Dolphin Dash”
Kid’s Beach Run (ages 12 and under)
7:30 – 8:45 a.m. Registration/check-in at the Youth Pavilion, south of the Pier
9 a.m. ½ mile run for ages 4-6
9 a.m. ¾ mile run for ages 7-9
9 a.m. 1 mile run for ages 10-12
26th Annual Woodie CLASSIC Car Exhibit
8:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Displayed on the San Clemente Pier
Lifeguard Competitions
Main competition area-north of San Clemente Pier - featuring:
9 a.m. Event 1: Surf Race – Women
9 a.m. Surf Race – Men
10:15 a.m. Event 2: Rescue Relay (2 person, resc e can and fins en eat
10:30 a.m. Rescue Relay (2 person, rescue can and fins en eat
10:45 a.m. Event 3: Surf Ski Race (Lifeguard spec) – Women
11 a.m. Surf Ski Race (Lifeguard spec) – Men
11:15 a.m. Event 4: National Doryman’s Association – NDA Race 1
12:15 p.m. Event 5: International Ironman (swim, ski, paddle) – Women
12:30 p.m. International Ironman (swim, ski, paddle) – Men
1 p.m. Event 6: Paddleboard Rescue Relay (2 person, 10’6”) – Heat 1
1:15 p.m. Paddleboard Rescue Relay (2 person, 10’6”) – Heat 2
1:30 p.m. Event 7: National Doryman’s Association – NDA Race 2
2:30 p.m. Event 8: 10’6” Paddleboard SprintWomen
2:45 p.m. 10’6” Paddleboard Sprint - Men
3:30 p.m. Event 9: American Ironman (swim, paddle, dory)
4 p.m. American Iron Woman (run, swim, paddle)
4:15 p.m. an lemente ody rfing l b
Demonstration
5 p.m. Lifeguard events awards ceremony (Main Stage)
Ocean Art Show
9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Parque Del Mar, overlooking event & south of beach tunnel
Free Bodysurfing Clinics
9 a.m. – 3 p.m. South of the Pier, next to the Youth Pavilion osted by an lemente ody rfing l b
Youth Pavilion
All-day events: Arts, crafts and games hosted by the City of San Clemente Recreation Division. Plus, DJ entertainment, Ocean Institute, Clif Kid and Hero Nutritionals booths.
8 a.m. Ticket sales begin for crafts, games and face painting
8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Arts and crafts, game booths, and face painting
10–11 a.m. Guillobel Brazilian Jiu-Jitsudemonstration
11– 11:45 a.m. Hula Connection - performance
Noon – 1 p.m. Hard Core Fitness Kidsdemonstration
1– 2:15 p.m. Stink, Inc. – performance
2:15 – 3 p.m. DJ - entertainment
* Special presentations throughout the day
Beach Party and Free Concert
5– 7 p.m. Dinners available through Fisherman’s Restaurant & Bar on the beach
6– 8 p.m. Free beach concert featuring: MoonShine
12th Annual “Groms Rule” Surf Contest (Boys and girls age 14 and under)
6 a.m. Registration/check-in at the surf registration booth, north of the Pier
6:30 a.m.–3 p.m. North of Pier
3 p.m. Awards ceremony (main stage)
Sand Sculpture Team Competition
6:30 a.m. Registration and sculpting, south of the Pier
1-1:30 p.m. Judging/viewing (depending on the tides)
2 p.m. (apx) Awards – Immediately following judging
City Lifeguard Pancake Breakfast
7-11 a.m. North of the Pier, near marine safety
26th Annual Woodie CLASSIC Car Exhibit
8:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Displayed on the Pier
Ocean Art Show
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Parque Del Mar, overlooking event and south of beach tunnel
Beach Events
Main competition area-north of the San Clemente Pier - featuring:
8 a.m. Event 10: 5K Beach Run/Walk
9 a.m. Event 11: Biathlon (1K swim and 5K beach run)
9:45 a.m. Event 12: Open Ocean Paddle Race (SUP, prone, ski – apx 5.5 miles)
11:40 a.m. Event 13: Marine Raider Boat Challenge – Race 1
Noon Event 14: One-Mile Ocean Swim –Race 1: Women
1:10 p.m. One-Mile Ocean Swim – Race 2: Men
2 p.m. Marine Raider Boat Challenge – Race 2
2:20 p.m. Marine Raider Boat Challenge –Race 3
2:40 p.m. Event 15: Run – Swim – Run (200m run, 300m swim, 200m run)
3:15 p.m. Event 16: SUP Sprint – Men and women
3:30 p.m. Event 17: Splash and Dash Relay (runner 100m and swimmer 300m)
3:45 p.m. Marine Raider Boat Challenge - Final 4:30 p.m. final awards ceremony (main stage)
Youth Pavilion
All-day events: Arts, crafts and games hosted by City of San Clemente Recreation Division. Plus, Ocean Institute, Clif Kid and Hero Nutritionals booths.
8 a.m. Ticket sales begin for crafts, games and face painting
8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Arts and crafts, game booths (hosted by SC Parks and Recreation Division), and face painting
9 a.m. – 10 a.m. Mermaid Parade with King Neptune
10 – 11 a.m. Issac Sotelo – performance
11 a.m. – noon Corey Angeli / The Unknownperformance Noon – 1 p.m. WhipLashX - performance
1– 3 p.m. School of Rock “House Band” –music and entertainment
26th Annual Great Rubber Duck Race
3 p.m. (approximate time) Sponsor ducks are $5 each
*Announcement of winners following athletic awards and final arine aider hallenge.
*SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ROCK THE YOUTH
NEW ROCK BANDS HIGHLIGHT THE YOUTH PAVILION STAGE
BY ZACH CAVANAGH
Ahandful of newcomer rock bands as well as a healthy amount of returning favorites will highlight the Youth Pavilion at this year’s San Clemente Ocean Festival.
he first new roc o ering will ta e lace - .m. on at rday, ly with tin , nc. he an lemente band made o a gro o s ateboarding riends, ages to , describes itsel as “ n roc or de iant children” on its nstagram age. he o r-member gro will t together a string o n -roc hits that o en the m sical er ormances at the o th Pavilion.
ssac otelo ma es his cean esti al deb t on nday, ly at a.m., and then the stage on the so th side o the ier really gets to roc ing with a air o omm nity treach Alliance A er ormances.
orey Angeli begins with a short o roc acoustic set at 11 a.m. before grabbing his electric g itar. Angeli will team with dr mmer ohn essin to orm the band he n nown to m o t some strong alternati e rock.
tic aro nd at a.m. beca se i n or alternati e isn’t yo r style, Whi ash will hit yo with some classic-roc jams. ordanne amilton on ocals, yle ichardson on lead g itar, ristan hil ers on eyboards, synth and rhythm g itar and handler hil ers on bass, rhythm g itar and eyboards join with a
second round of Tessin on drums to bang out the songs we all know.
oth he n nown and Whi ash ormed out of the COA’s music outreach initiative hel ing the organi ation’s mission to sto teen dr g and addiction roblems and oster healthy activities.
he o th a ilion esti ities o en with energetic acti ities resented by ret rning a orites. illobel ra ilian i - its Academy starts off Saturday with a demonstration of the martial art at a.m. he an lemente academy’s head master, ensei a lo illobel, is a world-cham ion blac belt. he academy o ers classes starting with 3-year-olds.
ollowing at a.m. is la onnection with a showcase of Polynesian dancing and c lt re. ow in its th year o o eration in an lemente, la onnection dis lays the awaiian, aori, amoan and ahitian c lt res. Hula Connection offers classes beginning with 2-year-olds.
a e orest’s ard ore itness will ha e a kids’ event at noon on Saturday. nday o ens with the ermaid arade as ing e t ne and the mermaids isit the o th a ilion rom - a.m.
Sunday’s entertainment closes after the A er ormances with a two-ho r show rom the chool o oc ho se band rom - .m. stin’s chool o oc ts together the ho se band with children -and- nder to er orm in the local communities.
Preserving Positivity
BY ERIC HEINZ
YKELLY FINNEY RECEIVES ANNUAL OCEAN FESTIVAL DOROTHY FULLER AWARD
ou can see her on the beach, roads, fields and other terrain wearing her trademar re eree ni orm at many an lemente e ents.
hro gh her dedication to ol nteerism and s nshine attit de, elly inney was named the reci ient o the orothy ller Award, which is gi en to someone who shows e ce tional initiati e to the reser ation o cean esti al. “ or once, thin might be s eechless,” inney said on ly at asa omantica, a ter her name was called at the s onsors dinner, which honors organi ations that donate to cean esti al as well as the award reci ient. “ am lattered. am honored. eel li e there are so many eo le that are better deser ing o this,” inney contin ed. “ lo e the cean esti al. don’t thin ’ll e er orget the hamber o ommerce mi er where eggy ance, the e ec ti e director o cean esti al cornered me and as ed me to ol nteer. And ne er le t, b t how co ld yo lea e this amily t’s a great amily to be a art o , and j st lo e being art o it.”
od ryant, the o erseer o the amo s bber c aces, ga e the reasons they chose inney or the award.
“ r orothy ller Award reci ient has wor ed fiendishly on athletic registration, im lementing an electronic re-registration as ect to the li eg ard and beach e ents, stand-
addle board and roms le s r e ents and ol hin ash,” ryant said, adding to a la ndry list o accom lishments o inney’s. inney also ser ed as the cean esti al o ndation’s board treas rer or the ast three years and that she always “has a ositi e attit de and o ers her assistance at first chance,
which is the e itome o someone deser ing o this award,” ryant said.
At cean esti al’s orothy ller Award dinner, ance said the cean esti al has been ma ing healthy rofits so ar on its -shirt and other merchandise sales, abo t , so ar, and that n mber is e ected to rise. ost o the nding or cean esti al is garnered thro gh cor orate s onsorshi s, donations and ario s other ways to nd the some- , according to its orms it s ends to host the e ent. oney is also collected rom registration ees.
“ his is a record year or s,” ance said abo t the ndraising. “We ha e eo le o t there selling rod cts and we a reciate all the ol nteers.”
ance said there are s onsors this year or the cean esti al.
he award is named a ter orothy ller, nown as the mother o cean esti al, who organi ed e ents in an lemente in with the local li eg ards. he esti al had been sort o an no ficial gathering in the years be ore then. ller coined the hrase “ he reatest how on r .”
Kelley Finney (right) reacts to being selected as the 2018 Dorothy Fuller Award, which is given to someone who shows exemplary commitment to Ocean Festival and volunteer work. Photo: Eric Heinz
Local Families Part of Sand Sculpting Competition for 33 Years
BY ERIC HEINZ
For three families in San Clemente, the Ocean Festival sand sculpting competition is tradition.
“We started in 1983, and it was myself, Norman Eisenbeisz and his wife, Loraine. It was a combination of my dad’s family as well as the Gallaghers and Websters, and we’re all related in some way,” Shayne Gallagher said.
Norman died in 2017 at the age of 89, and the family placed a tribute banner in his name alongside their sculpture.
It was more than 33 years ago that the families started participating in the sand-sculpting competition.
“We were sitting on the curb on Del Mar during a parade that went down the street and saw something in the paper about Ocean Festival coming up with a new event, and we entered that first year.”
Albeit this was their first try, Shayne said it was not a great
castle, but they’ve been honing their skills for more than three decades. They’ve created different creatures of the sea and characters during that time.
This year, Shayne said the sculpture design could be decided by the family as late as a couple days before the event.
“We’re considering a hot-air balloon or maybe a jellyfish or sea otter,” Shayne said. “It’s a really great way to have your family bond, and over the years the most popular things that we’ve done were characters from movies.”
Sand sculpting takes place from 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sunday, July 22 near the Youth Pavilion on the south side of the Pier.
Walking on Water
KING NEPTUNE RETURNS WITH MERMAIDS FOR CHILDREN’S PARADE
BY ERIC HEINZ
That friendly face with the big white beard and holiday charm is returning to Ocean Festival this year after being absent last year attending a Santa Clause convention.
Between being king of the ocean, Ed Howie has been the ambassador of the festival for more than a decade and to young children who patron Ocean Festival. Howie was referred to the duty by a friend at the time of its inception.
“They said, ‘Well, you have the looks,’” Howie said, regarding the offer from the Ocean Festival board. “(Neptune) is the one who does the parade with the children on Sunday, which is quite popular. And he’s king of the sea, and this is a sea event.”
Howie said he loves seeing the joy on children’s faces when they see the prophetic sea king arrive on Sunday morning.
The mermaid accompanying King Neptune is Kelley Green, who participated in the position last year.
“With my dad as an avid surfer, it made sense to be a part of an organization and participate in an
event that is centered around the ocean and focuses on ocean conservation,” Green said.
“The Ocean Festival is a great event where the community can come together and enjoy what the ocean has to offer, celebrating the beautiful place in which we live.”
Look for King Neptune and Mermaid Kelley at Ocean Festival and at the Mermaid Parade at 9 a.m. on Sunday, July 22, at the Youth Pavilion.
Ed Howie returns as King Neptune at this year’s Ocean Festival. Photo: Eric Heinz. Kelley Green returns as a mermaid. Photo: Courtesy
The Eisenbeisz, Gallagher and Webster families join together in 2017 to celebrate Norman Eisenbeisz. Photo: Courtesy
