Fans attending the 2012 San Diego Bayfair Air National Guard hydroplane boat races at Mission Bay witness the crowning of a rookie champion — and one spectacular crash, left. The driver of Pure Nasty miraculously escaped serious injuries. PAGE 3
www.BeachandBayPress.com | Thursday, September 27, 2012
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BEACHFEST 2012 ON TAP
Lifeguards have seen a shift in the level of beach activity in North Pacific Beach, prompting them to select the site above for a new lifeguard station at the foot of Law Street for quicker response. Photo by Mariko Lamb I Beach & Bay Press
L O C AT I O N , L O C AT I O N , L O C AT I O N
Wrangling continues over site of new Law Street lifeguard station BY MARIKO LAMB BEACH & BAY PRESS
Crowds pack the streets of Pacific Beach during a previous PB BeachFest event. This year’s jam-packed installment runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Photo by Paul Hansen I Beach & Bay Press Saturday, Oct. 6 along the boardwalk between Diamond and Thomas streets.
16th annual event poised to attract more than 50,000 BY BART MENDOZA | BEACH & BAY PRESS
W
hile summer has officially ended, many San Diegans know the real end of summer is marked by the annual Pacific BeachFest, taking place this year on Saturday, Oct. 6. Now in its 16th year, more than 50,000 people are expected to attend the free, family-friendly event, taking place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the boardwalk between Diamond and Thomas streets. San Diego boasts many great openair events, but few match the sheer diversity of options that Pacific
BeachFest offer. It’s an action-packed eight hours of fun and entertainment. The day features some of the same attractions as similar street fairs, with plenty of food, merchandise and information booths, a kids’ area and entertainment on three stages. The main stage will include nine performers, with an eclectic mix of combos like reggae rockers Split Finger, funky trio Boom Snap and the New Orleans-inspired Euphoria Brass Band, along with singer-songwriters like Ryan Hiller, A performer belts out a tune during a previous BeachFest. This Hev Rock and Brent Curtis. year, musicians will fill three stages, providing everything from SEE BEACHFEST, Page 7
reggae to rock to New Orleans-inspired offerings. Photo by Paul Hansen Beach & Bay Press
Proponents of a new North Pacific Beach lifeguard station requested site approval from a local planning subgroup on Sept. 13 for the estimated 3,000-square-foot station to be built at the end of Law Street. The request was made during a meeting of the Pacific Beach Planning Group’s (PBPG) Development Subcommittee meeting. This was the third time the project’s planners have met with the subcommittee, and the third time the applicants have been sent back to the drawing board to seek out alternatives. In 2003, the same planning subgroup approved a site location for the station at the foot of Diamond Street. Since then, however, the demand for lifeguard services has shifted north, said lifeguard representative Lt. Nick Lerma. “Really, what changed our view on that location was the
level of activity that we’ve seen to the north,” he said, referring to the onslaught of surfers at Tourmaline in the wintertime and swimmers and beachgoers at Law Street during the summer. “We quickly realized that our position to the south at Diamond Street was nearly a mile away, and for a lifeguard whose primary duty is to observe the water, it’s difficult to request of our employees that they’re a mile from where things happen.” The Law Street site was chosen so lifeguards have a centrally located, commanding view of the area from Crystal Pier to the point near Tourmaline, said Lerma. “The primary reason is just water observation,” he said. “It’s right in the middle of our swimming area. That’s where most people want their lifeguards to be.” An added benefit of the lifeguards’ preferred site location SEE STATION, Page 6
Organizers ramp up fundraising drive for PB Holiday Parade BY MARIKO LAMB | BEACH & BAY PRESS
Fundraising efforts have begun in earnest to ensure there will be a Pacific Beach Holiday Parade down Garnet Avenue this year.
Autumn has only just begun, but it’s never too early to start planning for the holidays, according to Discover Pacific Beach officials, particularly when that planning involves a massive communitywide fundraising effort for the continuation of one of Pacific Beach’s longstanding holiday traditions. As a result of recent economic woes, the annual Pacific Beach Holiday Parade — which got its start 34 years ago — has only intermittently received sufficient funding over the
last few years to ensure its survival. The parade was canceled in 2009 because of a lack of funding, brought back in 2010, only to be canceled again last year. “The parade is completely dependent on sponsorships, unlike something like a festival that has many revenue sources,” said Discover Pacific Beach executive director Sara Berns. “Businesses and organizations usually contribute to this event because it’s a community experience to celebrate the holidays, and they SEE PARADE, Page 6
Pacific Beach Planning Group member Paul Ross presented an alternative site for the lifeguard station at the gully adjacent to the Law Street access ramp, which he calls an “unsightly mess” that could be transPhoto by Mariko Lamb I Beach & Bay Press formed into something useful and beautiful.