San Clemente : 50,000 People Expected to Attend Ocean Festival

Lifeguards from up and down the California coast will descend on San Clemente this weekend for the city’s ninth annual Ocean Festival, which kicks off today at the San Clemente Pier.

Festival organizers expect more than 50,000 people, including about 900 participants, to attend the three-day event. A Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman said Thursday that hotels and motels in San Clemente were “getting pretty crowded.”

Billed as “the greatest show on surf,” the fest gets under way today at 9 a.m. with the National Junior Lifeguard championships, an all-day test of prowess, pitting youngsters as young as 10 against each other in swimming, running and relay competitions. Between 600 and 700 San Clemente youngsters are expected to compete.

On Saturday, the Western United States Lifesaving Assn.’s regional lifeguard championships will feature beach runs, swim competitions, land-line rescues and dory races. Mary Anderson of the festival organizers said that 200 to 250 lifeguards will participate in Saturday’s events, which begin at 9 a.m.

Spectators who get tired of watching other people have all the fun will be able to get into the swim themselves Sunday during the “Surf ‘n Sand Family Olympics” between 8 a.m and 4 p.m.

Beach runs, swim races, relays and other events will be open for fees ranging from $2 to $20, depending on the event. Other attractions such as Neptune Junior and Mermaid contests for youngsters, as well as various lifeguard demonstrations, will be free. For information, call (714) 498-3666 or (714) 492-7751.

After a day at the beach, visitors may attend the 10th annual Pageant of La Cristianita, which continues through Aug. 4.

Nightly at 8:30, except for Monday and Tuesday, the two-hour pageant, “The Cross and the Arrow,” re-creates the arrival of Spanish missionaries in Southern California.

All seats are $10.