What is a Sea Festival Without Boats?

"What Is A Sea Festival Without Boats?" is the fifth in a series of articles about having fun in the sun in Long Beach, California.

A first time visitor to Long Beach California that lives a rather sedentary couch-potato lifestyle might be a little intimidated, especially around the beach. It seems everyone is in excellent shape. You see people running, jogging, walking, skating and biking everyday. Sections of the beach along Ocean Boulevard are set about 20 feet below street levels. Those stairs are a killer for people whose daily exercise is walking to the car and back. You will see people running up and down those stairs Rocky style. I hold my breath whenever I see an inline skater bound up the steps without touching the railing.

Long Beach residents love to walk. We are always walking for one cause or another. We walk to raise money for Breast Cancer research, for AIDS awareness, for Muscular Dystrophy and to fund NCCJ. The National Conference for Community and Justice's mission is to fight bias, bigotry and racism by promoting understanding and respect for all people. Sometimes dogs are allowed on the concrete bike path that runs along the entire stretch of beach for these various walks. Of course many of these athletic people are preparing for a competition.

If watching sports is more to your liking than participating in them, do come to Long Beach for some fun in the sun. Fans add excitement to competitions. There is something heartwarming about hearing the crowd cheer loudly when the last person crosses the finish line. That person might be a 78 year old man, a grossly overweight person or person with physical disabilities. They may have finished last in a race, but they finish first in our hearts. They inspire us to do more, try more and never give up.

The Long Beach Sea Festival has a full schedule of events lined up for the summer months. The USTA National Boys & Girls Tennis Championships is scheduled for June 30, 2007, finishing up on July 4th. Tennis clinics will be held at El Dorado park, which will be the site of the Junior Open Tennis Tournament in August. Volleyball tournaments are held on the beach in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach. But what is a Sea Festival without boats? Glad you asked!

Here is a quick line-up of July boating events:

July 2nd to July 6th: Youth Sailing on American Pride
July 7th: Noah Kalama Outrigger Sprint Regatta
July 7th & 8th: Classic Boat and Yacht Festival
July 20th: Catalina Ski Club "Special Children's Day"
July 21st: Kahakai Sprints and the 59th Annual Long Beach/Catalina Ski Race
July 22nd: 76th Offshore Powerboat Race
July 27th and 28th: Dragon Boat Festival

The Ski's in question are the kind hooked up to the back of speed boats. Catalina Island is located 23 miles offshore from Long Beach. The different races launch from Long Beach, racing to Catalina Island and back again. It's fun just to watch all the news helicopters hovering over the ocean and taking off in hot pursuit to film the racing boaters. There is, of course, more boat sports scheduled for August. There will be a Sailboat Regatta, Youth Sailing, the Ficker Cup, Sailing 420 National Championship and Oar and Paddle boat Regatta. A "Land Meets Sea Sports Camp" will be held from August 6th until August 10th. And there is more!

There is a Model Sail Boat Regatta at El Dorado Park. There is a Model Glider Festival at Bluff Park. Bluff Park is located on Ocean Boulevard in the area where all those steps leading to the beach are. It is a popular spot to fly glider's year round or to watch them being flown. A Novice Swim Meet will be held at Belmont Plaza pool and a Novice Dive will be held at MLK JR Park's junior pool. In addition to all those ways to have fun in the sun, the Long Beach Sea Festival includes Moonlight Movies. Small screens are set up, usually at a park. As with the Free Summer Concerts, people bring blankets, beach chairs, dinner or snacks to watch classic movies outdoors. Kind of like a drive-in without the cars.

Having fun in the sun Long Beach California style, means getting together with a diverse group of friendly people. Long Beach city government is serious about providing residents and visitors with an array of activities to enjoy as evidenced by the summer long Sea Festival.

More Information:
Sea Festival
Long Beach's ⦡mp;#128;Å"Guide for Visitors⦡mp;#128; including lodging information.