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INSIDE INSIDE
FRIDAY, 16, 2019 FRIDAY,AUGUST DEC. 6, 2019
EMOTIONAL MEMORIAL
THE STAR OF
THE HOLIDAYS
Garrison Street Movement Christmas lights forgoes cleaner show dark
OB streets By Dave Schwab | The Beacon
AR
OB Holiday setprep Point LomaParade Pointers forfor Saturday, 7 season Dec. opener
SEE SPECIAL INSIDE SEESECTION PAGE 11
Southbay Mike’smom-preneur Blackwater Ocean Beach Tattoo Parlor opens in OB leads Sexy Mama Movement SEESEE PAGE 10 13 PAGE
BY DAVE SCHWAB | THE BEACON Peninsula neighborhood tradition of holiday lights esidents being started nearly are 40 years asked to sign a petiago by one family on Garrison tion on Ocean Street has gone dark. Neighborhood “ItBeach’s is the end of an era,”Watch said Facebook page take action Nazare Freitas Judd,todaughter of “help to keep Freitas, our sidewalks Johntoand Carolyn who clean ensuring a lights healthier began Garrison Street 39 environment for everyone.” years ago. “One complaint is often Peaking at about that 10 homes heard about the downtown participating some five years ago, area has of Ocean Beach is how the event gradually dwindled dirty, stained, and smelly the down to where it started — the sidewalks are,” the online petiFreitas home. tion reads. Street Christmas The Garrison “The OB Clean & Safe light display began humbly, withProjust gram, a project of the Ocean a small nativity scene. In subsequent Beach MainStreet Association, years, a Santa was added, then anis looking to change that by gels and Mickey Mouse characters applying for funding to provide appeared in windows. Eventually, bi-monthly cleanings of Newthe event transformed into someport Avenue sidewalks, in thing more like Disneyland. addition to installing addition“It became something bigMelinda White (left) embraces an emotional Eva King during the memorial at Sunset Cliffs for Mike White, a well-known angler and surfboard al trash bins along the street. ger than life,” said Freitas Judd. shaper who grew up on Ladera Street. Melinda, Mike’s sister, helped organize the memorial and paddle out where dozens of friends and fambecame an ily, including King, who was a life-long friend and former girlfriend, came out to celebrate Mike’s life on Sunday, Aug. 11. ‘Sunset Cliffs was“Garrison Street lights SEE CLEAN, Page 7 THOMAS MELVILLE / PENINSULA BEACONannual event for families to come his world and his playground,’ said Melinda. ‘He loved it here.’ See page 10 for the story. to, not only to celebrate Christmas but the holiday spirit itself.” The event went along smoothly for many years until recently when, according to Freitas Judd, “things started to slowly change. pulled the BY DAVE SCHWAB | THE BEACON It extinguisher, slowly downsized, andplug, thenhit the fire — and it exploded. It just people began getting older or sick, B surfboard maker blew up in my face, like little shotdying or moving away.” Albert “Ace” Elliott lost gun shells going off.” Added Freitas Judd: “My family much of what he’s “Itputting was a up nightmare,” added is still lights. But they acquired, including 50-year-old Elliott of his loss. “It was my are pretty much the only ones little on irreplaceable memorabilia, when go-back-in-time sanctuary. It’s not the street this year.” his shaping shed on Froude Street a“It’s dollar thing.” really sad to see this end … near Saratoga Avenue caught fire the OBhearts, fire station and Fortunately, it breaks all of our but on Aug. 6. just around the cornersaid and it’swas kind of changing times,” Elliott’s workspace was full of they came Freitas Judd. and put it out sparing old boards and photos of friends damage mainlights residence. Putting to upthe holiday was a he’d made custom boards for. “[The fire] took noted all myFreitas boards major undertaking, “I saw my bike was on fire in my and tools, got my truck and Judd. Onlookers gather take photos the star is placed on top of the OB Christmas tree. The locally-sourced 40-foot tall tree backyard and to I tried to put as it out,” camper,” noted Elliott. arrived the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 3 and was placed in the sand. For more on OB’s annual tree tradition, see page 11. said Elliott, who’s been riding eSEE LIGHTS, Page 3 THOMAS MELVILLE / PENINSULA BEACON The charred remains of Albert ‘Ace’ Elliott’s shaping shed in OB. SCOTT HOPKINS / PENINSULA BEACON bikes for years. “I picked up a fire SEE FIRE, Page 5
Longtime Ocean Beach surfboard shaper trying to rebuild after fire
O
Bali Hai 65 years Bestcelebrates local restaurants of good times and great for sunset diningviews SEE PAGE 9 SEE PAGE 6