CAL-PALS BEACH DAYS 2004
at HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA
| July, 26,27,28 was the date for the seventh annual Huntington Beach Play Days. It takes a great deal of time and hard work to get this done every year. With out the people like Michelle DeBoer the superintendent of Huntington Beach State Park, Tom Bernardo from the Off Highway Recreation Division, and Jay Walsh from Ruth Coleman's office at State Parks Headquarters. Ron Exley the Pals Director was unable to be there this year so his partner Gregg Wilson was there working his tail off. |
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| This year we had over 700 pals children. To be in this program the children have to keep a C grade average in school and stay out of trouble. July 26 was the set up day for the five ATV courses. Hay bales were to be they're at noon but due to a truck break down they did not show till 2:30. We had to work extra hard to get the courses done before dinner. The Air National Guard set up tents to accommodate the 700 boys and girls. If you help set up, Cal Pals has a great dinner at a local Mexican Restaurant in Huntington Beach and it is great and that alone is worth the entire |
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| Everyone start arriving around 9am to get ready for the days activity's and make sure the wind or something else does not wreak havoc with what we set up the day before. Volunteers start arriving around 9:30 & 10am to sign in on the volunteer sheet so they will get their shirts. Everything gets under way after Domino's Pizza brings lunch for 700 plus all the volunteers. They were seven different actives for the children to take part in. The number 1 event on the card was the Off-Road Adventure, 2 was Beach Flags, 3 Body boarding, 4 Volleyball, 5 L.A. Kings Hockey and the Rock Wall. The 6th event was new for this year, Gale Webb Riders. It was ramp-to-ramp skateboarding, inline skating, and bicycles. She had a great message for the kids stay in school, follow your dreams and you can be anything you want to be. The 7th event was Project Wipeout and the Slip Slide. Each station they visit they are there for 45 minutes then to the next station until 5:30 p.m. at which time the day is over. At that time we put everything back the way it was before we started. In-n-Out Burger brings their big kitchen on wheels and cooks burgers and dogs for everyone. After dinner it's music and dancing till 10p.m, then lights out. One more day left and I think the best. We have to feed all of the 700 participants scrambled eggs, sausage, and tortillas with all the trimmings. This is all done in Huntington Beach parking lot. We start arriving around 5am setting up the tables and stoves and start cooking at 6:30am. By 7:15 the kids start the long line for food. At 7:30 we start serving, and by 9am they are all fed and happy. Next is clean up leave no trace by 10am we finish. Load up go home and start getting pump up for next year. |
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| I want to thank Nancy Denner from ORBA for again hooking me up with Jack Mitman who is the owner of Nirvana Produce. Jack donates his refrigerator van for the event. That is a very special thing to do THANK YOU Jack. With out all of the volunteer's beach days would not happen. Thanks to Michelle Cassella for all she does to get the volunteers from the L.A. area; Dave and Jack from the Hilltoppers M.C. who always show up with the club e-z ups to give the other volunteers shade; Fran DelSanto for helping with the 20 gallons of eggs--so many to thank. |
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· The Air National Guard I hope to see everyone next year. Thanks to all who volunteered and made it work. |
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