Posts by Kevin Cody
Ritter was old school, all in paddleboarder
by Kevin Cody During the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race pre race meeting last month, at Buffalo Park on Catalina Island, race director Buddy Bohn asked for a moment of silence in memory of Tim Ritter. Ritter competed in the 32-mile race from Catalina to Manhattan Beach nine times. But as Bohn and others have…
Read MoreCycling activist Katz remembered during bike path ride
by Kevin Cody South Bay cycling activist Julian Katz was remembered on Sunday during a memorial bike ride organized by the South Bay Bicycle Coalition, and led by State Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi. The ride started at Torrance Beach and followed the bike path to the Manhattan Beach pier. Approximately 50 bicyclists, riding in small groups…
Read MoreMemorial for ‘Merc’ McFarlane
by Kevin Cody John McFarlane spent 10 years in a lifeguard tower on Torrance Beach. “It was the fastest 10 years of my life and my best years as a lifeguard,” he said in 2014, when he was inducted into the Hermosa Beach Surfer Walk of Fame. Following his retirement in 1983 McFarlane was presented…
Read MoreJacobs 422 shop repurposed, surf heritage to be honored
by Kevin Cody Retired surfboard shaper Hap Jacob’s legendary 422 Pacific Coast Highway surf shop, in Hermosa Beach, is to become the new office of Paolucci, Salling & Martin Communication Arts, which was previously located in El Segundo. The 422 address entered surfing history in the mid-60s, when Jacobs named his high performance, narrow tailed…
Read MoreLast call at the (Poop) Deck, on Hermosa Beach Strand
[Editor’s note: Kathy and Jeff Bonafede bought the Poop Deck bar on The Strand in Hermosa Avenue seven years ago. They dropped the word Poop from the name, but otherwise the Bonafede, who also own the Uncorked wine shop, around the corner on Pier Avenue, were good to their promise to keep the legendary dive…
Read MoreKing Harbor Yacht Club raises sails as pandemic storm passes
Two popular King Harbor Yacht Club sailing events from the pre pandemic period were back on the water this month. Last weekend, the club hosted the 29th Annual Tom Collier Memorial Trophy pursuit race. Collier was a popular club member and expert sailor who passed away at age 31, from cancer. The race has raised…
Read MoreCOVID at the Hermosa Museum, quarantining recommended
by Kevin Cody Approximately 50, mostly older people who attended a book reading at the Hermosa Beach Historical Museum last Thursday received an email Monday evening advising them that an attendee has tested positive for COVID-19. The email from Historical Society president Greg McNaly advised recipients to follow recommended medical guidelines. Beach Cities Health District…
Read More6-man spirit rises from the pandemic
by Kevin Cody The International Surf Festival Charlie Saikley 6-Man Volleyball Tournament was resurrected from the pandemic tomb, appearing as glorious as in its early days, before social media, and before the suffocating restrictions imposed by the city in recent years. “It looked like a Robi Hutas photo,” said Chris Brown, referring to the California…
Read MoreISF R10, Velzy Stevens paddleboard races: Ocean gives and ocean takes away
The International Surf Festival’s two paddleboard races were held just a few miles apart, but conditions were as different as night and day. The R10 race course traditionally goes out to sea four miles, from Torrance Beach to the R10 b uoy, and back to the beach. But Saturday morning, the wind was up, and…
Read MoreUrban represented McMartin teacher
by Kevin Cody In early 1984, when seven McMartin Preschool teachers were charged with 207 counts of child molestation, all of the defendants claimed innocence, including longtime teacher Betty Raidor. Nonetheless, Raidor’s attorney, Manhattan Beach attorney Walter Urban, approached the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office about the prospect of a plea bargain. The other…
Read MoreAll local, all weekend long at Labor Day weekend Hermosa Fiesta Locale
by Kevin Cody Local musicians, local artists, local restaurants, local breweries and local retailers will be featured in a reimagined Hermosa Beach Labor Day Weekend Fiesta, aptly renamed Hermosa Fiesta Locale. The changes were announced Tuesday by Chamber CEO Jessica Accamando. The local emphasis was prompted by the need to comply with post pandemic safety…
Read MorePugh’s mural brings Hermosa’s past into the present
by Kevin Cody Hermosa Beach’s 10th, and final mural, commissioned by the Hermosa Mural Committee, is titled “You should have been here yesterday.” The mural depicts the Sand and Surf Club at 14th Street, overlooking the beach, during the height of the Roaring ‘20s. But artist John Pugh said at Monday evening’s unveiling, he would…
Read MoreStoic Swede Lars Jacobsson ran Club Jama like a family
by Kevin Cody During a visit to Hermosa Beach, a Santa Barbara resident left her car at Jama Auto House in Hermosa Beach for service, and walked downtown for lunch. Upon her return, she told Jama owner Lars Jacobsson, “You must sell a lot of cars. I counted seven Jama license plate holders on my…
Read MoreLetters to the Editor: 7-1-2021
Cooley deal Dear ER: Manhattan Beach Mayor Suzanne Hadley, Councilman Richard Montgomery and the rest of the city council did not do their homework when they voted to support the recall of Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, led by former D.A. Steve Cooley (“Former DA leads recall rally,” Easy Reader June 10, 2021). The…
Read MoreHermosa history gets cinematic treatment in new mural
by Kevin Cody Hermosa Beach’s two most notable historical buildings — the Sand and Surf Club (built in 1925 and subsequently known as the Biltmore Hotel), and the Metropolitan Movie Theater (built in 1923 and subsequently known as the Hermosa Theater) have been brought together in a mural that is appropriately cinematic, but bigger than…
Read MoreHermosa Beach Little League dedicates Logan Field
by Kevin Cody Preceding Friday night’s Hermosa Beach Double A Little League game, the visiting Dragons and home team Cypress Park Prowlers lined up along their respective first and third base baselines for an address by league president Jeff Miller. Miller stood on the newly installed Astroturf infield, facing a…
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