TODAYS COLUMN IN THE OC REGISTER SURFBOARDS ON PARADE By Corky Carroll Ah yes, Spring in Surf City, A.K.A. Huntington Beach, and things are already starting to sizzle! The dolphins are singing, sea gulls are pooping on cars and life is good. You may have noticed some very cool new surfboards made into art at Dukes Restaurant and a few of the citys major hotels: The Waterfront Beach Resort, A.K.A. the Hilton, The Hyatt, and the Shorebreak. So whats it all about and whos behind it? The Rotary Club of Huntington Beach is hosting the inaugural nine month long fundraising event called Surfboards on Parade. This event pairs world renowned shapers like Tim Stamps, Endless Summers Robert August, Al Merrick and Tim Bessell with equally acknowledged artists like Wyland, John Van Hamersveld, and Andy Warhol to create 25 one-of-a-kind pieces of surf art that will be installed all over Huntington Beach. These puppies will no doubt, take on a life of their own. And this is no small undertaking. There is already a three dimensional piece ridden by Kelly Slater at pipeline that he signed and Dave Hobrecht made into a charcoal representation of the reigning king of surf. The back even has Slaters wax left on the board! Some of the boards are coming from as far away as Brazil and Australia. With shapers and manufacturers such as Ben Aipa, Duke Aipa, Chuck Dent Surfboards, Bill Stewart, Bob The Greek Bolen, Rich Harbour and Rick Rockin Fig Fignetti combined the art skills of Rick Rietveld, Ithaka, Roy Gonzales, Craig Stecyk, Colleen Wilcox and Wade Koniaskowsky this is going to be one heck of a visual ride for surf and art enthusiasts. Why, you ask? Other than the fact that it is just a very cool thing to do. To help fight skin cancer. Turns out that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with more than 3.5 million new cases each year. This is more than all other cancer cases combined! So, the primary beneficiary is the Hoag Family Cancer Institute to educate about skin cancer prevention through their Project Sun Safe and research. This hits home for me big time as I have been dealing with my own little war on all these little beasts that keep trying to eat different parts of my body. When I was a kid and getting fried everyday while surfing we had no clue as to the long term consequences. Today we know, and anybody who does not pay attention is risking their lives. The Rotary Club of Huntington Beach hopes to use its portion of the proceeds to remodel a Huntington Beach park to make it handicapped accessible with surf themed equipment. And last but not least, the Huntington Beach Art Center is the third major beneficiary. Not only are they going to be hosting all the boards as part of the exhibit, The Art and Soul of Surfing in August, but the Art Center is about to become the epicenter of Surfboards on Parade on May 1st. That is the night known as the Kickoff that will host a VIP reception affording the opportunity to mingle with the artists and shapers and celebrities both from the art world and surf industry, and see some board art too. Dukes is donating the food and drinks will be available. Valet parking is complimentary. This whole deal promises to put the fun in fundraising. There will be interactive exhibits, a short film by Surf City Highlights Matt Liffreing showing the behind the scenes of how the boards were made and there will be plenty of photo ops. You can get your tickets online at surfboardsonparade.org for $25 a piece. Trust me, this will be THE place to be in Orange County on May 1st at 6:00PM. Be there or be square. After you enjoy the festivities at the Art Center on May 1st, you can take a stroll around town to see all 25 boards at various places of business for a good portion of the summer. Their ultimate destiny is to be sold at auction at the event called “Night of a Million Waves” at the Waterfront Beach Resort. So what can I say, other than this is not something you want to even consider missing if you are a surf fan, an art fan or anywhere near Orange County. Did I mention that this all coincides with the celebration of the 100 years of surfing of the pier?! So, get your tickets for the limited space Kickoff May 1st at the Huntington Beach Art Center and get a peak at whats going to be one the hottest things in Surf City, USA this summer along with the U.S. Open. For more information on how to be a part of Surfboards on Parade, please contact Jodi McKay at 714-337-9176.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 21:58:28 +0000
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