Early May 2023 News From Ocean Beach and Point Loma

Winners of OB Woman’s Club Hat Contest

Big-hatted Xan Robinson (left  in above photo) and Mary Ann Haskell (right) won the Most Out of This World and Most Luminous categories, respectively. A crowd of sartorial competitors threw their hats in the ring for the third Ocean Beach Woman’s Club Hat Contest on April 6 at Dirty Birds restaurant. The inspiration for the hat contest came from a book by Kathy Blavatt called “Ocean Beach: Where Land and Water Meet.” It contains a photo of Mae Clarke wearing a tall, elaborately decorated floral hat around 1960. This year’s contest, themed “Hat Encounters of the OB Kind,” rewarded winners in the categories Ode to Mae (an homage to the Woman’s Club’s garden tradition), Most OBcean, Most Original, Most Out of This World and Most Luminous. PtLoma-OB Monthly

2 Point Loma Bookstores in San Diego’s Annual “Book Crawl” — Sat., April 29 thru Monday, May 1

The San Diego Book Crawl returns for its sixth year and includes 2 Point Loma bookstores, filling three days with prizes, special events and author signings (and of course books) at 13 indie bookstores throughout the county. The Book Crawl is organized collectively by all the local indie bookstores, falling on the weekend of the national Independent Bookstore Day, Saturday, April 29 through Monday, May 1.

La Playa Books: 1026 Rosecrans St., Point Loma. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Closed Monday.
Mysterious Galaxy: 3555 Rosecrans St. #107; Sports Arena/Point Loma. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday. KPBS

2-Sided Mural at United Portuguese Painted by 2 Who Grew Up in Ocean Beach

One of the highlights of the 75th-anniversary celebration of the United Portuguese S.E.S. in Point Loma on April 15 was the dedication of an outdoor mural painted by Jack Stricker and Austin Gosswiller. The historic milestone at the Portuguese Hall at 2818 Avenida De Portugal was observed on a Saturday evening. … It was the public unveiling of the new two-sided mural painted by Stricker and Gosswiller. A collaboration between UPSES and the Point Loma Association, a nonprofit spearheading community beautification, and improvement, the new mural is a re-creation of “azulejos,” blue-and-white Portuguese tiles using acrylic paint.

“We worked on the mural for about 60 hours, sometimes late into the night,” said Stricker, adding UPSES “just wanted something new on the walls and it just worked out perfectly.” “It was fun to re-create it (tiles),” concurred Gosswiller, who has worked with Stricker on a couple of murals since last year. “We’ve got a few more projects lined up,” he added. Stricker has also done murals in Liberty Station and Ocean Beach. His OB mural depicts pitcher Joe Musgrove of the Padres. Gosswiller pointed out he and Stricker have been acquainted since fifth or sixth grade having both grown up in Ocean Beach. “He’s a good friend of my brother’s and that’s how we connected,” Stricker said. sdnews.com

Man Rescued After Sliding Down Sunset Cliffs

A man was rescued Wednesday evening, April 26, after falling off Sunset Cliffs in the Point Loma neighborhood, said San Diego Lifeguards. First-responders say the man had slid down a steep bluff and suffered several cuts in the process. Officials say rescuers were called in to assist. San Diego Fire-Rescue crews were able to hoist him back up in a stretcher and pull him back over the cliffs ledge to safety, which video shows was not an easy task. The man, whose identity was not released, is expected to make a full recovery. Sunset Cliffs extends 1.5 miles along the Point Loma peninsula’s shoreline and lifeguards have encouraged the public to use extreme caution when visiting the popular area as the natural cliff formations may erode or become slippery. Fox5

OB Brew News #########################

Kilowatt Wins Gold at Brewers Cup

Kilowatt Brewing won a San Diego-best two gold medals, and was among the 11 brewers in the county awarded golds. The Brewers Cup, held last month in Sacramento, drew 1,306 entries from 191 breweries. There were 83 categories and a total of 37 medals were awarded to breweries within the county, including eight silver and 16 bronze. Local brewers bested their performance at the 2021 competition, nearly doubling the 19 medals collected two years ago. The list of Gold Medal winners included this entry: Kilowatt Brewing (Kearny Mesa, Ocean Beach and Oceanside) – OB Bubble Dubbel for “Belgian Strong Darks” and S3-2x Peach Cobbler for “Experimental/Specialty Beers” Patch / Times of SD

Growing Up in OB Led Couple to Master the Brew

Downing a crisp, cold, craft beer made locally while enjoying the coast and weather in Ocean Beach is something that just can’t be emulated anywhere else. At least not according to Haley Smith. The 2023 board president of the San Diego Brewers Guild — a nonprofit that promotes producers and distributors of craft beer — has both a personal and a community connection to craft brews, especially those from OB. Smith also is the director of marketing and national accounts at Belching Beaver Brewery, which has four locations in San Diego County. Smith, 35, grew up in OB. She referred to her childhood as “the most unique environment you can have.”

As a youth, she hung out on the beach, got to know people from all walks of life and learned about the businesses around her. She said it unknowingly prepared her for the career she now has as an adult. “I was born and raised in OB; I grew up on Orchard Street. Every day of summer in my childhood was spent going to Tower 2 and Bermuda Street Beach,” Smith said. “My parents still live there — they both grew up in OB. They both graduated from Point Loma High School, as well as myself and my three sisters,” she said. The family’s OB legacy goes back even further, as Smith’s grandmother used to work at a pet store on Newport Avenue. Pt.Loma-OB Monthly

Wild Ales in OB – May 4th Star Wars Theme

The Force will be strong with beer lovers in Ocean Beach as California Wild Ales gears up for their annual May the 4th Star Wars-themed celebration. The brewery will be hosting a day-long event on May the 4th, featuring a lineup of special Star Wars-inspired brews, including Darth Citrius, Chewboocha, Jabba the Hopp, and Juicy Jedi IPA. Located in Ocean Beach Wild Ales co-founders Zack Brager and Bill DeWitt are known for their passion for both craft beer and Star Wars, and this event brings their two passions together in a galactic celebration.

The May the 4th celebration at California Wild Ales promises to be a day filled with fun, flavor, and fandom. The brewery will be decked out in Star Wars-themed decorations, and attendees are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite Star Wars characters for a chance to win prizes in the costume contest. But the highlight of the event will undoubtedly be the special Star Wars-inspired beers that California Wild Ales will be pouring. From the zesty and refreshing Darth Citrius to the tropical Juicy Jedi Hazy IPA, beer lovers can expect unique flavors that pay homage to the beloved Star Wars saga. California Wild Ales announced plans to move their production facility to the neighboring community of Point Loma, with the new location set to open this spring. The move will allow the brewery to increase its ability to bring its innovative craft beers to even more people. Brewbound

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Despite the Sound, All is Punk Bliss at The Holding Company

The Holding Company in Ocean Beach is a three-level building: the lower level is used for live music, the second floor is a bar that plays, well, not punk music, and the roof is a restaurant offering a view of the city and beach, even on this less-than-clear day. The concert space is a hall with a bar running along one side; the stage area has a small floor. There are several bands tonight, including D.P.I., Project Sellout, Luciferigno, and On The Piss. Each group sounds progressively worse, due to what, even in my most charitable moments, I cannot call be an actual mix. San Diego Reader

Chef Phillip Esteban Is Bringing a Seafood to Liberty Station

A prominent local chef is putting together an ambitious project that will encompass a bakery, deli, cocktail bar, and fast-casual dining experience at Liberty Station. Wildflour Delicatessen is the largest venture yet for chef Phillip Esteban and his hospitality group Open Gym, who are planning to launch the all-day restaurant this summer at the Arts District’s historic Barracks 19 building where it will span two studio spaces totaling over 4,000-square-feet, with a front patio as well as a back patio that’s part of a courtyard shared with Carruth Cellars.

Esteban’s menu will deliver fresh Southern California vibes, centering around seafood. Wildflour Delicatessen will also have a bakery component, featuring breads and pastries created by Hommage Bakehouse’s Justin Gaspar, and take-home provisions like housemade jams and spreads, granola, and cured fish. There will also be a coffee program, fueled by Barrio Logan’s incoming Provecho! Coffee Co., along with a full cocktail bar and a selection of natural wine. SanDiegoEater

Naval Base Point Loma Wins DOD Environmental Award

Environmental Restoration, Installation: Naval Base Point Loma, California — Completed corrective action at underground storage tank 105, where there was a release from a former 7,500-gallon diesel fuel UST near San Diego Bay, ending ongoing investigations since 1995. The corrective action consisted of injecting micron-scale activated carbon into saturated soil to serve as a permeable barrier to protect ecological receptors from petroleum migrating toward the bay. DOD

Fed Money Coming to Help Fix San Diego Streetlights — Including Point Loma

At last count, more than 5,900 of the city’s roughly 57,000 streetlights — more than 10 percent — were broken. And the average time to repair a reported outage has been more than 250 days. Federal money, which Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego) helped secure, will pay for replacement wiring for roughly 200 lights — 30 in Logan Heights and 170 in Pacific Beach and Point Loma. SDU-T

Reward Offered for Tips on Hit-and-Run in OB

San Diego police are asking the public to help locate a hit-and-run driver responsible for seriously injuring two pedestrians in Ocean Beach. A $1,000 has been offered by San Diego County Crime Stoppers to anyone who submits a tip that lead to an arrest. The victims, a 31-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, were struck shortly before 5:45 p.m. Friday by a black older model Lexus sedan, possibly a LS400, police said. The victims were unloading property from their rental car along the south curb of 4700 Greene St. off West Point Loma Boulevard. The Lexus was traveling east on Greene Street and struck both pedestrians and their rental car, police said. The vehicle then fled the scene, continuing eastbound on Greene toward Ebers Street. Both victims were hospitalized with serious injuries. Police said the vehicle has damage to its passenger side. It is missing the passenger side mirror and a windshield wiper. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call traffic investigators at (858) 495-7823 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. Tips also can be submitted at www.sdcrimestoppers.org Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in the case.

OB Guy Recounts Paralyzing Dive

An Ocean Beach man is recounting the fateful moment in Mission Bay that changed the course of his life, as he dove in shallow water. Last Saturday afternoon, Collin Bosse, 23, was hanging out with friends on Mission Bay, off Dawes Street, when he decided to get into the water. “I took probably three or four steps and dove in thinking it was definitely going to be deep enough for me to dive and swim a little bit,” said Bosse. Moments later, his miscalculation became clear. “I hit my head on the bottom, and I just felt this sensation go throughout all of my hands and limbs … I opened my eyes, and I could see my hands floating. Right then and there, I realized I was paralyzed,” said Bosse. Unable to move, Bosse was face down, and holding his breath, when some friends, sensing something was wrong, rushed to him. “I love them to death. They saved my life. How can you not be appreciative?” said Bosse. 10News