Point Loma-OB Happenings: 52 Boats, holiday decor, brewery, more
Members of the Point Loma Association’s Mean Green Team prepared Liberty Station’s 52 Boats Memorial for the annual wreath laying Dec. 4.
The volunteers worked to spruce up the landscaping around the memorial, polish the monuments, place flagpoles and ready the wreaths.
The monuments line the walkways of NTC Park to honor the crews of 52 U.S. submarines lost during World War II.
OB MainStreet Association helps bring holiday cheer
The Ocean Beach MainStreet Association, along with a team of volunteers, assembled and put up holiday garlands and bows around town in November to get the holiday spirit started.
“The OBMA is so grateful to the Sunset Cliffs Surfing Association, Newbreak Church and all the volunteers who came out to help spread holiday cheer,” said Kristen Keltner, event and program manager.
In addition, holiday banners are up along Newport Avenue and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.
The OB MainStreet Association manages the Ocean Beach Business Improvement District and the Newport Avenue Maintenance Assessment District.
California Wild Ales comes to Ocean Beach
California Wild Ales, a brewery of sour beer, recently took over a location at 4896 Newport Ave. formerly occupied by Helms and Two Roots, with plans to open a tasting room with 16 taps, according to California Wild Ales co-founder Bill DeWitt and the company’s website.
The brewery currently has a tasting room in Sorrento Valley.
“I started California Wild Ales five years ago, and we are San Diego’s only all barrel-aged sour brewery,” DeWitt said. “The idea of California Wild Ales was born in Ocean Beach. Both Zack Brager (my business partner) and I were living in Ocean Beach at the time and couldn’t find any barrel-aged sours or wild ales, so we set out to make our own.”
“I have lived in OB for the past 12 years; I currently live here with my wife and two young daughters,” DeWitt added. “We love this close-knit and vibrant community. Ocean Beach is a part of who we are. ... We are beyond excited to bring our funky brews to this fabulous neighborhood.”
Mission Fed ArtWalk adapts for a virtual arts showcase
The annual Mission Fed ArtWalk has gone virtual this year, running through Dec. 31 to showcase about 100 local, national and international artists.
Visitors to the online platform at missionfedartwalk.org can view and buy the art and watch videos of the artists discussing their creative process. There also are music and dance performances as well as an art activity for children led by ArtReach San Diego.
“COVID-19 has been devastating to the art festival world, threatening the livelihoods of many, and we aim to continue supporting artists and making art accessible to all, especially during this difficult time,” Sandi Cottrell, director of ArtWalk San Diego, said in a statement.
OB Elementary keeps connected with weekly Catch the Wave TV
When San Diego Unified School District students returned to distance learning this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ocean Beach Elementary School Principal Marco Drapeau partnered with the school’s Parent Teacher Association to launch a weekly broadcast called Catch the Wave TV to take the place of in-person morning assemblies.
The show, named for the school’s motto, is hosted by Drapeau, who intersperses live announcements with pre-recorded segments featuring stories on the Ocean Beach community and PTA activities, along with student-submitted videos of the Pledge of Allegiance, the school song and the joke of the week. Each episode is sponsored by a local business.
Catch the Wave TV streams live at 7:45 a.m. every Friday on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Periscope.
Point Loma Library manager honored for 20 years of service
Friends of the Point Loma/Hervey Library honored branch manager Christine Gonzalez on Nov. 23 by presenting her in person with the city of San Diego’s proclamation of Oct. 8 as Christine Gonzalez Day.
The day previously was marked in a Zoom meeting Oct. 8 featuring Friends of the Point Loma/Hervey Library, City Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell and Misty Jones, director of San Diego public libraries, to honor Gonzalez’s 20 years of service as branch manager for Point Loma.
— Compiled by Point Loma-OB Monthly staff