Inside:Timeline Shows Evolution of Ocean Festival

Charlie Ware to Step Down as Announcer After 40 YearsTwo Mermaids to Headline Ocean Festival This Year

PLUS: Event Schedule & Map

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 refl ect 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 activi-ties 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 fi rst created in 1978. In 1981, the Ocean Festival’s logo was certifi ed as a trademark, and the following year the San Clemente Ocean Festival became a 501(c)(4) nonprofi t 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 two-man 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 fi nish line. Satur-day 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 lov-ingly salvaged and restored wood-sided wagons, each with their own style and character. Into fi shing? There will be a

1976First Ocean Festival. The fi rst Ocean Festival takes place at San Clemente Pier.

1979Sand 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.

Mid-1990sFishing Derby Reeled In. Started by Don and Shirley Stanley, the contest now awards winners in “game fi sh” and shark and ray categories. Paul Jes-sup has been running it since 2010, and the Dana Wharf Sportfi shing staff has co-hosted the event since 2013.

1993Duck Race Lands at Ocean Festival: The Great Rubber Duck Race was started by lifeguards, who then handed it over to San Clemente Ocean Festi-val as part of their fundraising for the event.

1993Woodie 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.

1995Local 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.

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

2004Groms Take the Waves. The Kids Klassic Surf Kon-test, later changed to “Grom’s Rule” Surf Contest in 2007, gives young surfers a chance to compete.

2008Stand Up and Paddleboard. The stand-up paddle- board competitions begin. The championships are back again for 2016, with judges declaring winners based on style.

2009Running like a… Dolphin? The fourth annual Dol-phin Dash kid’s run welcomes all young runners in half-mile, three-quarter-mile, and one-mile races.

2016Lending a Hand. Hosted by Slyde Handboards, the handboarding clinic teaches people how to use these small surfboards that fi t on boarders’ hands to ride waves.

fi shing derby and clinic for all ages on Saturday, sponsored by Dana Wharf Sportfi shing. 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 fi nd 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 Surfi ng 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 Life-guards. 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 fi nale 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, benefi t-ting families in San Clemente, fi eldtrips 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 Zea-land. 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 fi rst 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.

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BY MATT CORTINAIt started out as a necessity for lifeguard-

ing, 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 fl at bottom. In competitions, it is manned by two people, a bowman and a sternman. The bowman is the strategic driv-er 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 lifeguard-ing at Huntington State Beach in 1983. He views the Ocean Festival doryman’s race as the jewel of the sport’s triple crown—Cata-lina 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.

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

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

“The experience is like no other in life-guard 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 competi-tion is a benefi t, 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 fi eld, 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.

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The doryman’s race is a unique and exciting

competition

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 competi-tors 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 pro-gressive 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 fi nish in the top six spots in their re-spective 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 fi nal awards ceremo-ny will be conducted at 4 p.m.

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

Sixth annual paddleboard contest is a welcoming event

FRIENDLYCOMPETITION

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

Kelley Green, 16. Photo: Courtesy

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.

BY AMANDA GIANNELLIWith 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 sopho-more 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 fi rst year in which King Triton will not be in attendance. Instead Gar-rett 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.

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EXTRA CONCERT ADDED TO OCEAN FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

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

Mermaids Become “A Part Of Our World”

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 wood-paneled 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 fi nd 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 surfi ng, 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 com-bined with the design falling out of favor after the ’60s, it also made the car a pricey collect-ible—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.”

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

SoCal StapleWOODIE CARS ARE

ICONIC AND ON DISPLAY AT THE OCEAN FESTIVAL

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San Clemente Ocean Festival

ve aJULY 16–17, 2016

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1. Body Surfi ng Clinic (Sat), Slyde Handboard demos (Sun)2. Storage/Changing Rooms3. Youth Pavilion Stage4. Youth Pavilion Shade area5. Crafts5a. Dolphin Dash Registration (Sat)6. Photo Booth7. Ocean Institute8. Face Painting: Sponsored by Gratitude Garden Pre-School

9. Game Booth10. Game Booth11. Game Booth12. Youth Pavilion Ticket Sales13. Clif Kid14. Sand Sculpting Registration (Sun)15. Saddleback College16. Swift Health Chiropractic17. Kaleo Marketing18. OptumCare Medical Group19. Crunch San Clemente20. SCOF Tee Sales

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For more information, visit oceanfestival.org

San Clemente Ocean Festival

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eat re Booth� e or�21. KWVE22. L.C.A.C display23. Tuff Turtle Turf24. OC Oil Recycling (Sat.)24. OC Fire Authority (Sun)25. Free Speech Area26. Fisherman’s Food Court27. Duck Sales28. The Toll Roads – Paleo Exhibit29. Volunteer/Information30. Lifeguard & Beach event Registration / (Results)

31. Results Board32. Athletic Refreshments / Purps33. Hobie Surf Shop34. San Clemente Times35. Clif Bar36. Main Stage & Awards37. SUP (Sat) & Groms Rule (Sun) Registration38. KABC/KLOS van39. Pancake Breakfast (and tickets) + Pier Pride 12-4 p.m. on Sunday40a&b. Ocean Art Show

For more information, visit oceanfestival.org

BY MATT CORTINAWith 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, installa-tions, photography, rugs, soaps and more.

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

ARTLocal artists and

artisans share their wares at

Parque Del Mar

Attack

“It’s such an eclectic show with so many different things,” said Rachelle Lib-erty, 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 suc-culents and driftwood.

With nearly double the number of the artists participating, this year’s art show will also bring in talent and pieces that at-tendees of past Ocean Festival’s have yet to see. Liberty says this balance of local favorites and newcomers will be attrac-tive 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 fl ow 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 opportu-nity 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.

6TH ANNUAL STAND-UP PADDLEBOARD SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Event Sponsor: Hobie Surf Shops • Rash Guard Sponsor: Coolies

6 a.m. Registration/Check-in at SURF Registration booth, North of Pier7 a.m.–3 p.m. Competitions

CHILDREN’S FISHING CLINIC & ‘ALL AGES’ FISHING DERBY

Event Sponsor: Dana Wharf Sportfi shing

6:30 a.m. Registration, clinic & derby 12:30 p.m. Judging & Prizes Awarded

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

CITY LIFEGUARD PANCAKE BREAKFAST

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. Registration/Check-In at Children’s Pavilion, South of Pier9 a.m. ½ mile run for ages 4-69:20 a.m. ¾ mile run for ages 7-99:40 a.m. 1-mile run for ages 10-12

24TH ANNUAL WOODIE CAR EXHIBIT

8:30 a.m.–2:45 p.m. Displayed on San Clemente Pier

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LIFEGUARD COMPETITIONS

Main competition area is the northside of San Clemente Pier

9 a.m. Event 1: Surf Race – Men9:15 a.m. Surf Race – Women10:15 a.m. Event 2: Rescue Relay (2 person, rescue can & fi ns) – Open – Heat 110:30 a.m. Rescue Relay (2 person, rescue can & fi ns) – Open – Heat 210:45 a.m. Event 3: Surf Ski Race (Lifeguard spec) – Women11 a.m. Surf Ski Race (Lifeguard spec) – Men11:15 a.m. Event 4: National Doryman’s Association – NDA Race No. 1 12:15 p.m. Event 5: International Ironman (swim, ski, paddle) – Women12:30 p.m. International Ironman (swim, ski, paddle) – Men1 p.m. Event 6: Paddleboard Rescue Relay (2 person, 10’6”) – HEAT 11:15 p.m. Paddleboard Rescue Relay (two-person, 10’6”) – HEAT 21:30 p.m. Event 7: National Doryman’s Association – NDA Race No. 22:30 p.m. Event 8: 10’6” Paddleboard Sprint - Women2:45 p.m. 10’6” Paddleboard Sprint - Men3:30 p.m. Event 9: American Ironman (run, swim, paddle) – Women3:45 p.m. American Ironman (dory, swim, paddle) – Men4 p.m. San Clemente Body Surfi ng Club Demonstration

OCEAN ART SHOW

9 a.m.– 6 p.m. Parque Del Mar, overlooking event and south of beach tunnel

FREE BODYSURFING CLINICS

Hosted by San Clemente Body Surfi ng Club

9 a.m.–3 p.m. 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. Ticket sales begin for crafts, games and face painting8 a.m.–3 p.m. Arts & Crafts, Game Booths (hosted by San Clemente Beaches, Parks & Recreation Department) and Face Painting10–11 a.m. Mariachi Hermoso Lucero performance11 a.m.–Noon Guillobel Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu demonstrationNoon–1 p.m. Hula Connection performance 1– 3 p.m. 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. Dinners available through Fisherman’s Restaurant on the beach6 p.m. – 8 p.m. FREE beach concert featuring: “Gary Roach’s Stones Review”*Schedule subject to change

Schedule Of EventsSATURDAY, JULY 16

“GROMS RULE” SURF CONTEST

Rash Guard Sponsor: Farmers & Merchants Bank

6 a.m. Registration/Check-In at SURF Registration booth, North of Pier7 a.m.–3 p.m. North of Pier

Boys 14 and under, Girls 12 and under

SAND SCULPTURE TEAM COMPETITION

6:30 a.m. Registration and Sculpting, South of Pier1–1:30 p.m. Judging/Viewing (depending on the tides)2 p.m. Awards immediately following judging

CITY LIFEGUARD PANCAKE BREAKFAST

7-11 a.m. North of Pier, near Marine Safety

24TH ANNUAL WOODY 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 & 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

BEACH EVENTS

Main competition area is the northside of San Clemente Pier

8 a.m. Event 10: 5K Beach Run/Walk9 a.m. Event 11: Biathlon (1K swim and 5K run)10 a.m. Event 12: 10K Ocean Paddle Race (SUP, Paddleboard, Ski)Noon. Event 14: One-Mile Ocean Swim1:45 p.m. Event 15: Kid’s SUP Sprint Race (9-11, 12-14, boys and girls)1:55 p.m. Junior SUP Sprint Race (15-18, boys and girls)2:05 p.m. Women’s SUP Sprint Race (19 – 39; 40 – 49; 50+)2:15 p.m. Men’s SUP Sprint Race (19 – 39; 40 – 49; 50+)2:30 p.m. Event 16: Run – Swim – Run (200m Run, 300m Swim, 200m Run)2:45 p.m. S.C. Marine Safety Water Rescue Demonstration3 p.m. Event 17: Splash & Dash Relay (one runner and one swimmer)

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. Ticket sales begin for crafts, games and face painting8 a.m.–3 p.m. Arts & Crafts, Game Booths (hosted by San Clemente Beaches, Parks & Recreation Department) and Face Painting9–10 a.m. Mermaid Parade with King Triton’s Daughters10–11 a.m. South Coast Conservatory performance11 a.m.–Noon Guillobel Brazillian JiuJitsu demonstration12:30–1 p.m. 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

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Schedule Of EventsSUNDAY, JULY 17

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 represen-tative for Ocean Pacifi c,” 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 T-shirts for the events. A trademark of his shirts is the beach-going 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 spon-sorship opportunities. Harlow said before he took over designs, only a few dozen shirts were manufactured.

as the Voice of Ocean Festival

BY ERIC HEINZSound 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 fi nal 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 com-petitions 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

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County Lifeguard Games,” Ware said. “Sheraton was try-ing 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 atten-tion, Ware unintentionally became Ocean Festival’s fi rst an-nouncer. The next year it became organized as a nonprofi t 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 an-nounce results and upcoming events all at the restaurant.

“It got really crowded, and it got voiceful, and it got rowdy,” Ware said. “So fi nally 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 infor-mative, 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.”

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

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

Charlie Ware, founding father of San Clemente event,

to retire as announcer

It Started With a

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

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FOURDECADES