Summer time, Summer Time, Sum, Sum Summer time. Yup it’s time to hit the beach and the Pier and enjoy what we are famous for.
This past weekend was the Pedal on the Pier benefitting the Harold Robinson Foundation which sends children to camp. Companies like State of the Heart Fitness field teams to raise money and then pedal on a beautiful Sunday on the Pier. HRF and the Pedal on the Pier event raised over a million dollars this past weekend thanks to the efforts of hundreds of people helping those who have less than they do.
It is yet another example of our community coming together. This type of educational philanthropic event is what makes our city so wonderful to live in. We have many events coming up this summer and the next big one on the Pier is the Paddle Board Race and Ocean Festival.
Saturday June 10, starting at 8 a.m. there will be a host of fun activities for all members of the family to enjoy on the Pier and the beach. This year the festival is being sponsored by Clif bars and benefits the Surfrider Foundation and the Bay Foundation.
The PierPaddle.com event was co-founded by my friend Andrea “Andi” Curl with a mission of “celebrating and honoring the birthplace of Southern California's iconic beach culture through competition, awareness and entertainment.”
This multifaceted event starts with a one mile swim and progresses to standup paddle board races. There are both long and short races for the athletes who want to do a 5.5 mile race and those looking for a shorter experience of 2 miles. There are events planned for the kids to have a run/swim/run called the Splash and Dash for the adolescents. Children from 5 – 10 can enjoy the free beach games like beach flag, obstacle courses, hula hooping, and usually the beneficiaries of the events hold an arts and crafts section on the Pier for the children to engage in. Prizes will be awarded like free passes to Pacific Park.
While you’re on the Pier itself there will be a pop-up Museum of Beach Culture, which is about the history of paddle races, life guarding, skateboarding and of course surfing. The history of beach fun dates back to at least the early 1920s for events like these. The “museum” is put on by the Pier historian.
Local celebrities are expected to be in attendance and Bruce Brown of Endless Summer is anticipated. Throughout the day there will be events at the various vendors who will have samples of their wares like sunscreens, equipment and especially Clif Bars. No fundraiser would be complete without a raffle and this year up for winning is a bike donated by the Santa Monica Bike Shop’s (bikeshopsantamonica.com) Andrew Smith, a long-time community supporter. Jim “Red Dog” Muir has a Dogtown board that is being raffled off, as well as a GoPro and a Clif Paddleboard. Derek “Ghost” Burdette will be on hand to see who is the new owner of a Heartless skateboard deck. Pat Lennon will be on hand as well.
Shad Eischen from Pushing 4 Independence will be representing his non-profit to raise awareness of adaptive paddling for those with physical challenges, and how there are no limits when you are fearless.
Music on the Pier starts at 3 p.m. by Mattson 2 a jazz duo and HIRIE MUSIC will keeping the audience moving with their reggae songs. You can dance along with the hula hoop dancers who’ll be on the Pier.
For the adults who are a bit shy, there will be a beer and rum garden starting at 10 to get them loosened up enough to do their dancing and hula hooping.
There will also be an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) volleyball tournament with both boys and girls teams competing this year.
Come on out and enjoy the fun and festivities at this year’s Paddle Board Race and Ocean Festival – it’s sure to be a good time!
David Pisarra is a Los Angeles Divorce and Child Custody Lawyer specializing in Father’s and Men’s Rights with the Santa Monica firm of Pisarra & Grist. He welcomes your questions and comments. He can be reached at dpisarra@pisarra.com or 310/664-9969.You can follow him on Twitter @davidpisarra
