Event Not Just a Stroll on the Shore : Ventura: Ah, the sand, the surf, the sky-diving Elvis. In its 10th year, the California Beach Party is expected to draw 25,000 each day.

Ventura’s annual California Beach Party has come a long way in its 10 years.

Just ask its creator, Ventura’s special events coordinator Faye Campbell. “That first year I just threw a bunch of stuff in the back of my pickup and drove down to the beach,” she said Friday afternoon as scores of volunteers and workers scurried in and out of her office with supplies, logistic questions and a host of other stress inducers.

“Now I have supplies stacked to my office ceiling,” she said.

That first beach party in 1985 was a low-key affair that maybe attracted 1,000 people, she said.

This weekend, Campbell expects 25,000 people to crowd the city’s beachfront each day. Last year, about 20,000 people attended the two-day event.

Rock bands, art exhibits and food booths, along with classic automobiles, will line the mile-long promenade from Surfers Point to the newly reopened Ventura Pier. Beach apparel, surfing accessories and jet ski equipment will also be hawked along the promenade.

The pier, closed for three months after taking a costly pounding from high surf this winter, opened April 1 after $450,000 worth of repairs to the 122-year-old structure.

A volleyball tournament and a long-board surfing competition are also scheduled for this weekend.

“I don’t expect anything really gigantic,” said lifeguard C. L. Price. “But the waves will be fine for the long boards.” About 200 surfers will compete for trophies in several age groups.

The National Weather Service is calling for cloudy skies and a windy weekend with temperatures between the mid-50s and high 60s along the coast.

“It will certainly be cooler than last weekend,” meteorologist Greg Martin said.

But Campbell is undeterred.

“Last year the weather was terrible,” she said. “But everybody bundled up and toughed it out.”

Moreover, Campbell has a guaranteed crowd magnet: “Elvis will be everywhere.”

An Elvis Presley impersonator will tumble out of an airplane and sky-dive, another will surf, and a few will even sing, including an 11-year-old impersonator.

“He’s the young Elvis,” Campbell quipped. The Elvis Presley impersonators are in keeping with the event’s 1950s-era theme. Three rock ‘n’ roll bands performing songs from that era are scheduled to appear on three stages throughout the weekend.

In addition, Looney Tune characters supplied by the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park will wander the Children’s Area.

The party opens at 10 a.m. each day and closes at 6 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5.50 for adults and $3.50 for seniors and children under 12 are admitted free. Parking will be available for $3 in the state beach parking lot and the Surfers Point parking lot.

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California Beach Party The California Beach Party will be held today and Sunday along a mile-long stretch of the coastline from Surfers Point to the newly reopened Ventura Pier. Admission is $5.50 for adults and $3.50 for seniors. Children under 12 are admitted free. Here is a schedule of today’s events:

6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Long Board Surfing Championships

9 a.m.: Volleyball tournament

9 a.m.: Junior Sports Challenge

10 a.m. Instant Replay, surf and classic rock ‘n’ roll, Capt. Morgan Stage

10 a.m. Convertibles, classic 1960s music, Bud Pier Stage

10 a.m. Sapadilla, Trinidad music, Bud Surfers Point Stage

10:45 a.m. Bodybuilding preliminaries, Bud Pier Stage

10:30 a.m. Seaview Cloggers, Sandbox Stage

10:45 a.m. Bodybuilding Championships (finals at 4 p.m.)

11 a.m. Hot Rod Lincolns, Classic Car Show Stage

11:30 a.m. Convertibles, Bud Pier Stage

11:30 a.m. Young Elvis, Sandbox Stage

11:45 a.m. Heartthrob the Clown, Sandbox Stage.

Noon Jet-skiing Elvis

Noon Young Elvis, Sandbox Stage

Noon Swimwear Fashion Show, Bud Surfers Point Stage

12:15 p.m. Minikin Puppets, Sandbox Stage

12:45 p.m. Sapadilla, Bud Pier Stage

12:45 p.m. Young Elvis, Sandbox Stage

1 p.m. Ventura County Swing Dancers, jitterbug demonstration, Bud Pier Stage

1 p.m. A Celebration of Elvis’ Music, KHAY Country Band, KHAY Sand Stage

1 p.m. Heartthrob the Clown, Sandbox Stage

1:30 p.m. Chantays, surf music, Bud Pier Stage

1:30 p.m. Total Woman, step aerobics team, Bud Surfers Point Stage

1:30 p.m. Young Elvis, Sandbox Stage

2 p.m. Elvis--A Tribute, Raymond Michaels, Capt. Morgan Stage

2 p.m. Satin Soul II, popular dance music, Bud Surfers Point Stage

2 p.m. Minikin Puppets, Sandbox Stage

2:30 p.m. Koei-Kan Karate Do, Sandbox Stage

3 p.m. Russ & Dorothy, karaoke show, Classic Car Show Stage

3:30 p.m. Elvis--A Tribute, Raymond Michaels, Capt. Morgan Stage

3:30 p.m. Minikin Puppets, Sandbox Stage

4 p.m. Bodybuilding finals, Bud Pier Stage

4 p.m. Canine Frisbee, Sandbox Stage

4:30 p.m. Heartthrob the Clown, Sandbox Stage

4:45 p.m. Elvis Sound Alike Contest, Bud Pier Stage

4:45 p.m. Canine Frisbee, Sandbox Stage