Surf Culture
SHF hosts heaps of events in April
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 9 April, 2009 : - - Please join us on Friday, April 24, for part 1 of a 3 part series, as Chris Cote, Editor-in-Chief and Aaron Checkwood, Photo Editor at Transworld Surf will be showcasing a selection of work from their senior photographers: Brian Bielmann, Damea Dorsey, Jack English, Tim Jones, Dave Nelson, Seth Stafford, Chris Straley, and Zak Noyle, who as Aaron says, 'Continue to come up with fresh images that never stop amazing us.'
Aaron spoke about their "Table of Light" presentation with a lot of excitement, "We're going to have a lot of fun with this presentation, our hope is that the audience will have a good time, the same way our readers do every month."
As a photo editor, Aaron spoke about his role as a "messenger," here's how he described it, "A presentation like this should be a celebration of beautiful moments that our seniors were able to capture. My job is to relay those moments as best I can, which essentially makes me the messenger. A photo editor's job is to take a puzzle and make a larger picture from it, and that's what I try my best to do every month." That is exactly what we all can look forward to, an array of beautiful moments pieced together, in a fun and creative way that paint a picture and tell the story of what is going on every month at Transworld Surf.
We have called these presentations the "Light Table Sessions" for a special reason. We asked Aaron what the light table means to him, "Becoming and being a photographer before the digital revolution in photography was about learning the art through apprenticeship. It was about using that art to create unique moments through the knowledge and tricks of the trade you had acquired. Slides were taken and sent to the magazines, adding a certain uniqueness to any publication.
Photography was an art based upon the manipulation of both camera and film. 'The Light Table' symbolized that. Digital cameras and the information age changed everything, and the extinction of the light table for the monitor meant not only drastic changes in the supply and demand for photos, but the slow demise of one art form for another more accessible one. Today, anyone can just become a 'photographer,' but shooting film and leaning over a light table makes me feel like an artist."
Each evening promises to be a unique experience you'll not want to miss, and the Transworld Surf presentation promises to be a fun and meaningful beginning to our Table of Light series! More details will be posted on our website as they become available.
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Pre-release 30% online discount expires mid-April
SPECIAL GUESTS ROB MACHADO, DONAVON FRANKENREITER, OCCY and A.I.!
Friday · April 10th · Seven-Degrees
891 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA
General Seating $35 · Doors Open 6:30 pm
VIP Reception $75 · 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Includes:
Dinner · Drinks · Silent & Live Auction (including an autographed Andy Irons board, and one of Sunny Garcia's) · Preferred Seating
To benefit:
Surfing Heritage Foundation
SurfAid International
San Onofre Foundation
Rell Sunn Foundation
The San Onofre Hawaiian Surf Club
If you missed Jake when he played at SHF, this is your chance to catch him in the unique setting of Laguna's Seven-Degrees. If you were one of the lucky ones to see him when he played for us, you'll be sure to want to see him again! And just added, Rob Machado, Donavon Frankenreiter, and Mark "Occy" Occhilupo will be joining Jake on stage for part of the evening's entertainment! Andy Irons will be on hand as well. Tickets are going fast, this concert is sure to sell out! Order yours today before it's too late.
Oral History - Talking Story About Boards and Breaks
As word about the Surfing Heritage Foundation's oral history project spreads on the coconut wireless, some surprising and amazing subjects have been coming forward to offer their tales of surfing "back in the day." A case in point occurred in mid-March when 97-year-old Richard "Dick" Huffman came by the Foundation, brought in by his son, to see the old boards on display and reminisce about surfing at Corona Del Mar in the mid- to late 1920s!
Now Dick Huffman was never a famous surfer, didn't belong to the surf club formed there in 1928, and didn't compete in the Pacific Coast Surfriding Championships, the first of which was won by Tom Blake and later became dominated by Pete Peterson. But Huffman remembered meeting Duke Kahanamoku at his local surf spot, and he was clearly moved by seeing some of the old redwood planks in the SHF collection.
So much so, in fact, that he started chortling and giggling while running his hands over some of the boards that were "just like the ones we used to ride." Asked where he got his surfboards back in those pioneering days, Huffman was deadpan and matter-of-fact: "Well, we just got the redwood and made 'em ourselves, with drawknives, right there on the beach."
Huffman's stories were fascinating, of course, but when asked about some of the now famous pioneers who used to surf at Corona Del Mar-one of the first surf enclaves on the West Coast-he was nonplussed. "I didn't know any of those guys," he said. "I lived there; they were all out-of-towners or inlanders who came down from Fullerton. They came down, rode some waves, had their little beach party or whatever, and then they left. I didn't mix with them." See, even back in the 1920s, locals ruled!
Seriously, though, this was a special oral history interview precisely because Dick Huffman, just by being a surfer in the 1920s, was a pioneer in his own right, but just never knew it. It is his story, and others like them, that allows the oral history mission to add depth, nuance, and texture to the rich tapestry of surfing's colorful past.
On another note: the Oral History Committee's cassette tape deck recently broke and we desperately need another to continue our work of converting old analog interview tapes to digital files for the archive. Anyone who has upgraded their sound system to CDs or iPods may have a cassette deck not being used but still in working order. Might we suggest donating it to our cause? It sure would be a great assistance to our work.
Dana Point Town Hall Meeting
On March 25, approximately 150 people attended our Town Hall meeting in Dana Point to learn about our proposed move. Better attended and with many more new faces in attendance, Mayor Lisa Bartlett introduced City Manager Doug Chotkevys, who spoke of our request and the process that lead up to the selection of Sea Terrace Park. City staff members explained the park's history and passive and cultural use elements previously approved and adopted back in 2005. There was also a view analysis presented, along with site plans and other information including the reasoning behind the size and site selection.
Thirty people spoke passionately, 19 were against and 11 in favor. Those who spoke against the location were the same residents who had previously expressed their opinion at other Town Hall meetings. But, it was refreshing to witness the new people who came out in favor of the proposal. And, there were many positive letters of support received by the city as well. We are encouraged, but it's obvious that much more needs to be done and more Dana Point residents must come out in support if we are to prevail.
At this point the Task Force will likely meet again and discuss how to proceed. But, in the meantime, SHF has begun to receive other options. In early March we had meetings in Honolulu with a group lead by State Senator Fred Hemmings, who expressed interest in their own Surfing Heritage Museum and our support. And, we were recently approached by the Huntington Beach Visitor and Convention Bureau who presented their plan for a world-class museum facility, replacing their old city library. They expressed interest in our collections and the possibility of collaboration. While both alternatives are exciting developments and worthy of further exploration, our first choice remains Dana Point, and we intend to continue to pursue the opportunity.
Time will tell and in this "low tide" economy, time is definitely on our side.
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Tom Pezman
Culture - Surfersvillage
