OXNARD : Harbor Hits 30-Year Mark With a Splash

Oxnard City Clerk Daniel Martinez had been in the hot seat before, but never quite like this.

Sitting on the cold white seat of the dunking booth at the Channel Islands Harbor’s 30th Anniversary Celebration, Martinez said he felt more vulnerable than ever.

“You find out who your real friends are,” Martinez joked after Oxnard Fire Battalion Chief Henry Lenhart slapped a metal lever with his hand, knocking Martinez back into the water.

The celebration, which lasts throughout the weekend, includes food, music, arts and crafts, children’s theater, nautical displays, scuba-diving demonstrations, bingo and a fashion show.

Ray Lewandowski was one of several hot-rod owners who decided to show off their wheels Saturday. Sitting next to his mint-condition 1971 Chevy Malibu SS, Lewandowski, who has a 34-foot sloop nearby, talked about how much he likes Channel Islands Harbor--especially compared to Ventura Harbor.

“We need more attention here,” said Lewandowski, a Ventura resident. “It’s a way better harbor than Ventura from a sailor’s point of view.”

The dreary weather Saturday apparently kept many people from visiting the celebration. But those in attendance said they were enjoying themselves.

“We thought it would be sunny,” said Alex Gutierrez of Ventura, visiting the harbor with his wife, Wendy. “But it’s still OK.”

The Oxnard Aquatic Foundation, a group of parents and swimming aficionados who want to raise $2 million for an Olympic-sized swimming pool at the new Oxnard High School, set up a booth at the celebration Saturday, selling T-shirts and chocolate bars to fund their cause.

“There’s going to be no pool built at this point,” said Lynn Mikelatos, who has two sons at Oxnard High. “We formed this committee to get a pool built right away.”

The U.S. Water Ski Team, supporters of the drive, will take part in a water ski-a-thon from Channel Islands Harbor to Santa Barbara today to raise money for a pool.

Foggy skies and cool temperatures kept Memorial Day visitors away from the surf Saturday, and visitors can expect more of the same today, with low clouds, patchy fog and highs in the mid- to high 60s.

Although Emma Wood and McGrath state beaches were packed with weekend campers Saturday, lifeguard Nadine Hudson said the sea was too cold for swimming.

“The campgrounds are full up, but no one is in the water,” she said of the chilly 56-degree ocean.

Memorial Day traffic snarled the Ventura Freeway on Saturday afternoon, prompting California Highway Patrol officials to issue a heavy traffic alert. A series of minor accidents on the Conejo Grade backed up traffic to Oxnard for several hours, a highway patrol spokeswoman said.