By Contributed Content | PUBLISHED: August 1, 2018 at 1:05 pm | UPDATED: August 1, 2018 at 1:08 pm By Louis Casiano, Contributing Reporter A five-day celebration of the South Bay’s beach culture and the heroics of Southern California lifeguards are expected to draw thousands to the beach cities for this weekend’s International Surf Festival. Lifeguards from as far south as San Clemente and north of Santa Barbara, along with others, will compete in several events in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Torrance beginning Wednesday through Sunday. The festivities kick off tonight with a Medal of Valor dinner in Redondo Beach to honor several Los Angeles County lifeguards for their bravery in the line of duty. The festival serves as a testament to the South Bay beach culture, which has become part of the region’s identity, said Rob McGowan, a retired lifeguard and surf festival president. “People are paying millions of dollars for homes to be part of it now,” McGowan said. The annual event typically draws several thousand spectators who range in age from 8-years-old to those in their 80s. On Friday, the Charlie Saikley 6-person volleyball tournament gets underway at Manhattan Beach accompanied by the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Championships from the Hermosa Beach Pier. The lifeguard competition includes a rescue demonstration and a six-mile relay run. The bodysurfing and surfing championships will be held Saturday morning in Manhattan Beach as well as a 7-mile paddleboard race in Torrance Beach and the Southern California Lifeguard Championship… [Read full story]
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