by Kevin Cody
If anyone at the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce Awards, Monday night, harbored reservations about abandoning the six-decade-old tradition of Man and Woman of the Year, in favor of the gender-neutral Person of the Year, those reservations were vanquished when Annie Seawright-Newton was called to the Lighthouse Cafe stage to accept Hermosa’s highest honor.
Seawright-Newton is a third generation Hemosan with two daughters, one husband and a hyphenated last name.
As a perennial top finisher in the Hermosa Beach Ironman (run a mile, paddle a mile, drink a six pack of beer), Seawright-Newton can not only outrun, and out paddle, but also out drink just about anyone, of any gender, in Hermosa Beach.
Seawright-Newton has also distinguished herself in more traditional ways by serving for two decades as a Historical Society board member, founding the Valley School running club, helping coach this year’s Mira Costa Cross Country state champions, and serving as a keeper of the flame of Hermosa’s unofficial sport, beach volleyball. Seawright is director of the Seawright Volleyball Tournament, founded in 1968 by her grandparents Roy and Bunny Seawright.
Seawright-Newton echoed the sentiment of many of the evening’s other honorees by crediting family, friends, and neighbors for being honored .
Another break with tradition was the new First Responder of the Year Award. Hermosa Police Chief Paul LeBaron credited honoree Sgt. Jon Sibbald with creating the department’s Police Ground Control Techniques program The chief described PGCT as “weaponless defense,” and the reason Hermosa has no police misuse of force problems. Sibbald is a former professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter, and Redondo High graduate. As the department’s field training officer, he asks new recruits, “How would you want officers to handle a call where your mother lives?”
Other honorees at Monday night’s awards were:
Best of Hermosa: Uncorked. “It’s not about the wine. It’s about the community,” Uncorked co-owner Jeff Bonafede said.
Making a Difference: Hermosa Cyclery. Owners Ken Lieboewitz, Larry Burke, Mark McNeil and Steve Collins worked at the bike shop as kids, and were willed it when owner Harold Shumaker passed away in 2002. Ever since, the four owners have shared their good fortune by donating bikes to Hermosa charities, including the annual Beach Cities Toy Drive.
Chamber Member of the Year, and D.I.G. (Dignity, Inclusiveness, Gender-Equal): Cultured Slide Cheese Shop. “It’s not work, it’s fun,” said owner Solange Comers, who is adding to her fun with a new sandwich shop on Pier Avenue.
Made in Hermosa: Spyder Surf. Owners Dennis Jarvis and Dickie O’Reilly estimate they have sold over 80,000 surfboards, of which 25,000 were shaped by Jarvis.
New Business: The Stanton. “Globally inspired, locally sourced” is how owners Jason and Stacy Cortes describe their food. Stanton is soccer slang for clubhouse. Jason is a former professional soccer player. He acknowledged it was a gamble to open during COVID, but opening in the town he and wife Stacy have lived in for 25 years has proven to be the right decision, he said
In another break with tradition, the final award presented had not been announced or voted on, but was approved, upon introduction, by acclamation.
Blue-haired Chamber president Jessie Accamando was presented with the All You’ve Done Award for bringing new energy to a chamber battered by the pandemic. Since being appointed in Feb. 2021, Accamando has brought in 152 new members, reinvented Fiesta Hermosa, resurrected the St. Patrick’s Day Parade (March 12) and organized over 50 chamber events. ER
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