Elvis, Young and Old, Sighted in Ventura : Recreation: Look-alikes are among 17,000 who turned out at California Beach Party.

Even though Ventura’s California Beach Party has been around for 10 years, Barbara Monteith had no clue of its existence until word trickled in through her Elvis connection.

Wearing black canvas tennies with Elvis painted in silver glitter on each foot and heart-shaped earrings bearing the King’s name, the 60-year-old Newbury Park resident said a friend in an Elvis club told her of the Elvis-themed beach party.

“I actually met Elvis and got his autograph,” Monteith said Saturday as she watched the swimsuit modeling and waited for Elvis impersonator Raymond Michael.

“Of course, there’s nothing like the real thing, but Raymond Michael is one of the best I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen about 50.”

Michael was joined by a younger wannabe, Dean Zeligman, 11, of Lancaster, who gyrated and sneered just like the swivel-hipped Great One himself. And the two-day beach celebration also offered bodybuilding and longboard surfing competitions and a classic car show. About 17,000 people sauntered on the mile-long Beachfront Promenade from the Ventura Pier to Surfers Point throughout the day.

“I’m running into a lot of good people,” said John Hauser, 35, of Camarillo, who placed fifth in a longboard surfing competition. “They’re all in good spirits, they’re having a good time.”

Those who arrived before 1 p.m. had the best weather, which was decidedly dreary last year, too. By 2 p.m., the end of the Ventura Pier was shrouded in fog and the crowd was donning sweat shirts.

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A meteorologist with the National Weather Service said party-goers can expect more of the same today: mostly cloudy skies, temperatures in the mid-60s along the coast and afternoon winds to about 15 m.p.h.

“I’d wear some shorts, a T-shirt, but I’d bring along maybe a light coat,” Robert Baruffaldi said.