The tucked-away street in San Clemente was the perfect place for the board makers who spent countless hours shaping, glassing and manufacturing surfboards – it was an industrial hub just a short jaunt from the waves where they could test their innovations.
Since the ’60s, Calle de Los Molinos on the north end of town has hosted a tight-knit enclave of surf-centric businesses that through the decades has maintained its reputation as the go-to area for all-things surfboards.
Now, the first-ever Boardbuilders Hall of Fame planned for noon on Sept. 9 will pay homage to San Clemente’s storied surf history as part of the new Rhythm & Resin festival, a block party filled with food, drink, live music and booths featuring the latest surf products and creations.
This year’s inductees include: Dale Velzy, Herbie Fletcher, Randy Sleigh, Danny Brawner, Rick James, Brad Basham, Chris McElroy, Terry Senate, Jay Longley and Jeffrey “Midget” Smith.
The event, which focuses solely on San Clemente board makers, is not to be confused with the International Surfboard Builders Hall of Fame, scheduled for Oct. 14 at the Huntington Beach Pier.
The idea for the San Clemente version was the brainchild of Damian Brawner, who runs Brawner Surfboards. His father, Danny, is among this year’s inductees, one of the many board builders who helped put San Clemente on the surf map decades ago.
Both are also musicians. Dannny Brawner’s band, The Sandals, was behind the iconic soundtrack for “The Endless Summer,” and Damian Brawner is turning a part of his surf shop into a music studio.
“Rhythm and resin go together,” said Damian Brawner, who said the idea was kicked around three years ago, but the pandemic stalled the event’s launch.
His dad started shaping in 1956 along with Velzy after the South Bay board maker left his Manhattan Beach operation to migrate south to San Clemente.
It was a time when surfboards were changing, the craft evolving, and many of the…
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