Celebrating Wahines History

March is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate the impacts women have made to our communities and societies.  These impacts are as varied as a field of wildflowers and just as beautiful and precious.  History has deigned to record some names while others are remembered only by loved ones, family and friends, for those contributions, while not noteworthy to historians, are just as important to the individuals affected.  With all of this reflecting I began to wonder about the role women have played in the years with regards to surfing, a sport that is typically identified as a male dominated activity.  

Surfing history takes us back in time to the 17th century and there is evidence men, women and children all surfed together as a family activity in the Hawaiian and Polynesian Islands.  Mamala was a demi-god or kapua in Polynesian culture and was recognized as a skilled surfer taking many different forms including that of a beautiful female or a combination of half shark and half woman.  There are also stories of a mythical princess from Maui named Princess Kelea who was described as the best surfer in the Hawaiian Islands.  In 1905, the oldest known surfboard was found in the burial cave of Princess Kaneamuna and it is believed the surfboard belonged to the Princess and entombed with her.  

Fast forward to 1885 and Princess Ka’iulani demonstrated her skill on a surfboard not only to her fellow Hawaiians but to the English as well when she surfed the English Channel.  From there we meet Isabel Letham, a 15-year-old Australian girl who was proficient at swimming and bodysurfing.  Duke Kahanamoku taught to her ride a surfboard in the early 1900’s at Freshwater Beach and she is considered to be the first Australian, female or male, to have surfed a surfboard.  Since then names like Marge Calhoun, Mary Ann Hawkins, Kathy Kohner (better known as Gidget) Rell Sunn (Hawaii’s first lifeguard), Linda Merrill, Lisa Anderson, Layne Beachley, Bethany Hamilton, and many others have continued to pursue the magic of riding a surfboard as it runs along the face of a wave.  Some have their names recorded in the history books for their impact on the sport of surfing, others, their names remembered and treasured by loved ones, family and friends for their daily actions and contributions.  And for us, we recognize and thank all of them, past and present, for all the paths they have blazed and all the love they have shared.  

https://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/38995/recreation_and_sports/wahines_through_the_ages_the_history_of_female_surfers.html

https://www.history.com/news/women-surfers-1600s-hawaii-princess-gidget

https://www.slydehandboards.com/blogs/news/12878453-women-in-surfing-a-brief-history

Best Run~Best Trick~College Park Style

Lompoc Parks and Rec Annual Skateboard Competition is a community event and fun for all ages!   We have been partnering with Lompoc Parks and Rec since 2000 on this competition featuring Best Run (skate jam format) and Best Trick in five different age groups.  Registration starts at 10AM with competition to begin shortly afterwards by age group, youngest to oldest.  Prizes will be awarded for first through third place in all categories and there will also be opportunities to win some great raffle prizes throughout the competition.  Lompoc Foursquare Church will be joining the fun again with snacks and water!  

We are so very thankful and grateful for everyone that makes this competition possible each year including the skateboarders and the spectators, the businesses that provide sponsorships, Lompoc Parks & Rec staff, Lompoc Foursquare Church Elevate Youth Group, Charles-our emcee and our judges.  Without all of these wonderful people this great event wouldn’t be possible.  

So bring your skate, helmet and pads or perhaps your lawn chair and some sunscreen this Saturday and we’ll see you at College Park for some fun!

World Oceans Day!

World Oceans Day is on Friday, June 8th and a chance to celebrate and bring awareness to a part of Mother Earth that covers 71% of our world and holds 97% of all the water on Earth.  The concept for World Ocean Day was first proposed by the Canadian Government at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, in 1992.  After several years and the coordinated efforts of many organizations and tens of thousands of individuals, a resolution was passed in December 2008, and the United Nations officially began recognizing World Oceans Day on June 8th of every year.  This was an important step in turning the effort into a global one.  Since then the network of partners worldwide has grown to include approximately 2,000 organizations committed to preserving our oceans and the marine and plant life that call them home.  

We will be celebrating the day by spending some time enjoying our local beach and recommitting to being better stewards of our environment.  Some changes that we have personally made include: to not use single use plastic bottles and opt instead for stainless steel or multiple use bottles; to use reusable totes or bags when shopping; to not use plastic straws either at home or while out dining; picking up trash when we see it even when it was not ours; recycle/repurpose when possible; and our Save the Plastic Tree promotion.  We are also exploring other ways of reducing our use of plastic and impact on the environment and will be sharing with you in future posts what we have found successful.   

Help us spread the word and share how you plan to celebrate World Oceans Day this year and any changes you have made or plan to make to preserve our oceans and environment. Change starts with each of us…

https://www.oceanicinstitute.org/aboutoceans/aquafacts.html

http://www.worldoceansday.org

Celebrate National Small Business Week With Us!

We believe small businesses should be celebrated every week but there is an official National Small Business Week which was established in 1963.   Over 50 years ago, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation citing the importance of small businesses in job creation and building strong, viable communities.  This year the SBA National Small Business Week officially begins Sunday, April 29th but we are celebrating our local small businesses beginning Monday, April 30th through Sunday May 6th. 

Though many years have passed and many things have changed since the first National Small Business Week over 50 years ago, one thing that hasn’t changed is how important our local small businesses are.  More than 50% of Americans own or work for a small business, every 2 of 3 jobs in the private sector is created by a small business and the success of small businesses is critical to growing the US economy.  Also, on a local level, a healthy small business community contributes positively to the local economy, allowing money to circulate within the same community for an extended period of time.  Local business owners tend to use the services of other local businesses and employees spend money where they work.  This, coupled with the resulting tax dollars for infrastructure that then stay within the community, make for a stronger local economy and community.  

Please join us this year for National Small Business Week with our other local small businesses neighbors!  Visit http://www.lompoc.com/small-business-week.html to find out more and click on our logo to see how we are celebrating!

Sources:

http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/mainlinetimes/opinion/as-i-see-it-national-small-business-week-over-years/article_173736b5-dfb6-553d-9b78-9a6cc95f0231.html

https://www.business.com/articles/small-business-week-2018/

https://www.sba.gov/node/1615232

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-m-kirby/small-businesses-can-make_b_13127000.html

Celebrating Earth Day and Making a Difference!

Celebrating Earth Day

The first Earth Day was celebrated over 40 years ago on April 22, 1970.  It was founded by Gaylord Nelson, a US Senator from Wisconsin, after seeing the impact of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.  At that time it was the largest oil spill in US history and still ranks at number 3, behind only the Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez oil spills.  It was Mr. Gaylord’s vision to have a “national teach-in on the environment” and energize the public to protect the environment by addressing water and air pollution concerns.  Over 20 million Americans participated in that first Earth Day celebration uniting many in a common cause that had been previously fragmented over several specific environmental concerns.  

This year, Earth Day celebrations will focus on the effort to end world plastic pollution.  Not only is the plastic unsightly in our oceans and detrimental to both ocean and animal life but it has also entered some of our food sources leading to health issues.  The campaign this year includes four main parts, one of which is, ‘educating people worldwide to take personal responsibility for plastic pollution by choosing to reject, reduce, reuse and recycle plastics’ which is in alignment with our ‘Save a Plastic Tree’ campaign.

More than two years ago, as we became more aware of the negative impacts the single use bags were having on the environment, we began our ‘Save a Plastic Tree’ campaign.  It is simple, if you say ‘no’ to a bag at check out you may sign up for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the store.  We draw the first week of every month from all entries for that month.  Over time we have noticed a dramatic reduction in the number of single use bags people are requesting when they leave the store and we have a very happy customer every month when they get the phone call to ‘come on down-you're a winner!’  A win win from our point of view.  

So we are asking you to join us in continuing to reduce the number of single use bags that are used and to consider reducing other plastics you use, like single use water bottles, straws, plastic lids, plastic wrap and many other items that have become an integral part of our lives.  Many times there are alternatives and when there aren’t please consider reusing, recycling or repurposing the item.  Together we can make a change.

Sources-

https://www.earthday.org/about/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Santa_Barbara_oil_spill