Paddle Out Party event for the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum will raise funds for annual activities
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A community beach party is set for Sunday at Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara to raise funds and awareness for the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum.
The Paddle Out Party began as a way to get through the COVID crisis and it continues on. It's now on year three.
All ages can take part in activities and friendly competitions from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Maritime Museum website has information on registration as an individual and also as a team, or you can join a team.
The beach area is fully open to the public to enjoy and be part of the event.
The organizers include 1977 World Champion Surfer and author Shaun Tomson.
"It's wonderful to be connected to out maritime heritage," he said. As a co-chair he said. "it's so cool. All these different people coming together with kayaks with dorys, with surfboards with standup paddles and then we've got a crew of swimmers as well."
He sees the immense value the museum has in the community.
"This is such a special place where one can look at the past, one can look at the present and also you can start thinking about the future and that is a wonderful thing about a museum," said Tomson.
The other co-chair is Kristin Larson, "the museum does serve as a hub in our community. It is educational. It conserves history. They are stewards of the environment and so we have brought all those elements together."
Executive Director of the Maritime Museum Greg Gorga says the funds raised at the event will go right to work.
"We have wonderful exhibits we have 170 years of harbor history opening up September 14th. We have a film of the 100 year anniversary of the Hondo (boat disaster) anniversary showing here on September 21st," said Gorga. "Then all of our amazing education programs. We just had 1500 kids through the harbor in our maritime on the move program over the summer. This September we do girls in ocean science , promoting junior high and high school ladies to pursue some kind of ocean and marine related studies in college and in a career."
In October the musem bring the Mystic Whaler tall ship in for tall ship education. Gorga said, "in January and February we send out kids on a local fishing boat and they become hands on marine scientists and then we do Maritime on the Move throughout the year."
From there, "we do Whales are Super Heros to get kids to learn how whales are so important in our channel and to climate changes. This fundraiser helps to support our education programs, our exhibits, our lectures and all the other things we do on a daily basis here at the maritime museum."
The event Sunday will include live music from the Do No Harm Band.
The Maritime Museum has issued the guidelines below:
Register or create a team in order to be in the running for great prizes!
- Team captains will receive free event registration when they create a team of five people.
- Individuals raising $300 will receive a free Individual membership to SBMM.
- The first five individuals to raise $500 will receive a gift card to a local Santa Barbara business.
- The first five individuals to raise $1,000 will be able to pick from a Condor Express package or a trip to Santa Cruz Island with Island Packers Cruises.
- The grand prize to the top fundraiser will be an evening pizza party with age appropriate beverages for 10 at SBMM including 10 copies of the book The Code by World Surfing Champion Shaun Tomson.
Funds raised through registration and the fun peer-to-peer platform allow the museum to do its good work even better, showcasing exciting exhibitions, providing diverse educational opportunities, and building community through gatherings and events – all while highlighting 13,000 years of maritime history – from Chumash culture to today’s surfing and environmental movements.
For more information go to: Santa Barbara Maritime Museum.
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