RETAIL AND RESTAURANTS : O.C. Hopes Celebration of Surfing Will Swell the Number of Tourists
Surf’s up in Orange County.
On Saturday, the nation’s first surfing walk of fame will be dedicated on the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach.
On June 3, “The Endless Summer II,” a long-awaited sequel to the classic surf film that made its debut in 1963, will open on screens around the country.
The next day, the Surf Industry Manufacturers Assn. will hold its fifth-annual Waterman’s Ball, a fund-raiser designed to support three ocean-related organizations.
And, the Huntington Beach-based Assn. of Surfing Professionals has signed an agreement with San Clemente-based DynoComm Sports to produce television specials in conjunction with the Coke/ASP World Championship Tour.
Finally, Surfing magazine recently released the second of three issues designed to celebrate its 30th year of publication.
What does all of that have to do with the retail industry?
For starters, in addition to honoring surfers, the walk of fame is designed to bring more tourists and surfers to town--no mean feat when much of Southern California is suffering from a dearth of tourists.
The walk will be dedicated at 11 a.m. Saturday in front of Jack’s Surfboards. Nominees are being selected from four categories: surf pioneers, surfing champions, surf culture figures and local heroes.
The surf industry views the June 4 SIMA event as proof that apparel and equipment manufacturers will be around for a long time to come--and that they’re doing their part to ensure that the oceans also will survive.
The Waterman’s Ball is expected to generate more than $100,000 in donations that will be split among three organizations--American Oceans Campaign, Orange County Marine Institute and Surfrider Foundation. The 1993 event raised more than $75,000 for ocean-preservation projects.
The Surfing magazine anniversary and the television pact are likely to help increase surfing’s visibility and, in turn, help equipment manufacturers and clothing companies generate additional sales.
As for “Endless Summer II,” surf industry executives hope the film--along with several other beach and surf flicks now being considered by Hollywood studios--will spark additional interest in equipment and clothing for surfing, volleyball and other beach-lifestyle sports.