Summer Classics

Go back to basics this summer with these nine classic activities and venues, with some new twists.

The Greatest Show on Earth takes its act to new heights this summer.

When you think of summer, you most likely think about lazing around the beach, backyard barbecues and books that seem designed to lower your I.Q. And that’s all good. But this summer, we thought you might want to leave your beach chair once or twice… or even nine times. So here’s a list of summer classics with new twists that are sure to be more stimulating than that paperback’s “surprise” ending.

Circus Daze
If the thought of seeing tiger tamers, trapeze artists and 27 clowns crawling out of a toy car doesn’t sound appealing, well, you sir, have officially lost all sense of fun. Either that or you are a cyborg. For the rest of us, that 139-year tradition that is the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, better known as The Greatest Show On Earth, comes to town in July for 12 magical days under the big top, better known as the Anaheim Honda Center. This year, Ringling is taking the show to new limits in their Over the Top segment. A grand and explosive spectacle, it features flying dogs, hopping elephants, a pack of Bengal tigers, and high wire-riding motorcyclists. In Zing Zang Zoom, Zingmaster Alex makes a four-ton elephant disappear while defeating the evil Mr. Gravity with other incredible magical acts. Finally, the third ring sees Bing A Boom, where audiences get up close and personal – as much as they want to, anyway – with white tigers, Asian elephants and thrilling acrobats. And of course, there are the clowns, which by the way are the best in the business thanks to Ringling Brothers’ 40-year-old clown school. See, it’s even educational.Show prices range from $15-$90; call (800) 745-3000 or visit ringling.com

Photo By Bruce Chamber/The Orange County Register "Sporty" the clown takes a moment to contemplate the grandeur of the OC Fair

Weird Science Fair
There are the pig races, the giant pumpkin contest (first place $1,000!), the best people-watching in Orange County, and the fried whatever-you-can-jam-on-a-stick. But just when you thought the OC Fair couldn’t get any weirder, they come up with Al’s Brain: A 3D Journey through the Human Brain with Weird Al Yankovic. Featuring a 3D movie starring the king of weird himself, this $2.5 million attraction promises to be both educational and entertaining. Okay, we can buy the entertaining part, but educational? Please. Pass the fried Ho Hos and cue the juggler on stilts. Seriously, though, since the first OC Fair went down in 1889, it’s been a summer tradition like no other, especially since they do come up with a new twist every year. (Our favorite recent theme: 2005’s “It’s Callin’ You Out To Play,” the Year of the Avocado.) This year, in addition to all the rides and food and competitions, there will be everything from bull riding and a demolition derby to skateboarding and mixed-martial arts demonstration in the Action Sports Arena – all free with the price of fair admission. And to top it all off, on July 26, from 10 a.m. to noon, 300 Corriente steers will be driven through the streets of Costa Mesa and into the fair grounds. And no, you can’t run with them. But we like the way you’re thinking, because this year’s theme is exactly that: “Think Big.” And we don’t think they just mean pumpkins. The OC Fair runs July 10 through August 9, Wednesdays through Sundays (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). Admission is $10 for adults; $7 for seniors and $5 for kids 6-12. Call (714) 708-FAIR for information or visit ocfair.com

Photo By Sam Gangwer/The Orange County Register A volunteer gets prepared to pose at Pageant of the Masters

Summer Musings
Since 1932, Laguna Beach’s annual Festival of the Arts has celebrated the art and creativity that has made the village by the sea the soulful and art-filled experience it is, since that first wave of plein air artists made the town their home and muse in 1878. And since that first festival, it’s been a perennial favorite, which is saying something, since its most well-known attraction, the Pageant of the Masters, features men and women “entertaining” by trying their best not to bat an eyelash. This year will again feature 140 of the Southland’s most dynamic artists displaying their creations – from paintings and sculpture to jewelry and stained glass to handcrafted furniture and even scrimshaw. There’s also music, juried competition and hands-on demonstrations in printmaking, ceramics, painting, and paper art. But this year marks a return to the real roots of art for the Pageant of the Masters with the theme of The Muse. The theatrical celebration of the art of tableaux vivants (“living pictures”) will explore the very nature of artistic inspiration, the thing that made Laguna what it is today. The Festival of the Arts runs July 5 through August 31, from 10 a.m.-11:30 p.m.; admission is $7 for general admission and $4 for seniors and students (Laguna residents with ID get in free). Pageant of the Masters runs July 8 through August 31; tickets range from $20-$70 and go fast. Call (800) 487-3378 or visit foapom.com for information on all of the above.

Photo By Sally French The happiest place on earth just got happier.

The Happiest Boutique on Earth
What is more of a standard summer fling than a day at Disneyland? Despite the crowds, it’s still the happiest place on earth – which sort of explains the crowds. Yes, let’s face it, summer is not complete without terrifying your youngsters in the Haunted Mansion, or emptying their stomachs after lunch on the Tower of Terror. And where else in this fashion-conscious world is it not only acceptable, but encouraged to wear cut-off jeans, a face-full of ice cream and mouse ears? But this year, dressing up might mean something a little more fun and elegant – at least for little Sally – thanks to the new Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Fantasyland’s iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle. As the name implies, this is a whimsical beauty salon where girls aged three and up are transformed into fairy princesses. With the help of her own Fairy Godmother and Fairy Godmother-in-training, she’ll get a head-to-slipper makeover. Hairstyles include the Fairytale Princess, Disney Diva and Pop Princess. And for dad and mom, there are three package choices, ranging from the $44.95 Coach treatment to the $200 Castle Package, which includes the other packages’ full makeovers (shimmering makeup, princess sash, princess cinch sac, body jewels, nail polish), but also a princess gown, wand, shoes, and portraits. For information on Disneyland or the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, visit disneyland.disney.go.com

Tasty Food Ahoy!
Summer in Southern California is ripe for outdoor dining, whether it’s on your loggia or with a panoramic sunset view at the hilltop Pelican Grill, or in an intimate setting on Newport Harbor. But this summer, bring it to another level and join the “electric yachting” set, because getting to the restaurant should be half the fun. No, you don’t have to plunk down 50 grand for a deluxe Duffy electric boat to do it; a couple hundred will do the trick – for a few hours, anyway. (And since they carry 12, it’s a low-cost split.) The 21-foot deluxe boats come with canopy top, cushy seats and a sound system that includes a CD player and iPod hookup. So pop in the booze cruise tunes you love best and make way for one of the many outdoor dining spots of Newport Harbor with dock space. They include perennial faves like Bluewater Grill, Cannery Seafood of the Pacific, Woody’s Wharf, The Chart House, and Newport Landing. Then there is the newly opened The Dock (formerly Le Quai), an intimate eatery tucked away in the Rhine Channel serving everything from pan-seared sole and Atlantic salmon to New Zealand lamb loin. For a little more elbow room, chug on over to Back Bay Bistro, a true gem hidden way back in the serenity that is the Upper Back Bay. It has a huge patio and a nice bar with big screens and big water views. Everything summer dining is meant to be. For information on Duffy electric boat rentals and Newport Harbor restaurants, call (949) 645-6812 or visit duffyofnewportbeach.com. For information on The Dock: eatatthedock.com; Back Bay Bistro: www.backbaybistronewportbeach.com

Photo By Geoff Anderson Lido Theater, an OC landmark, and home to the OP Summer Surf Series

Surfin' the Summer Flicks
Surely, it’s not summer without a good surf flick or four. Enter the second annual OP Summer Surf Series at the historic Lido Theatre, which features what all good surf theaters need – a balcony (if you don’t want popcorn and the occasional beer can dropped on your noggin, we suggest not sitting under it). The series kicked off last month with the ’80s classic, North Shore. A movie every surfer loves to hate, it features icons such as Gerry Lopez (Mr. Pipeline); Mark Occolupo; “Turtle;” and the man who rides moving mountains, Laird Hamilton (the scene of him in pink body paint is itself worth the price of admission). Other monthly screenings include Steve Soderberg’s tour de force Ocean Fever, a mélange of incredible surfing footage with single-fins, twin-fins and thrusters racing to a soundtrack of pumping synthesizer beats; Gone Surfin’, six action-packed stories capturing the essence of the surfing experience through travel to Fiji, Tahiti and Baja, and highlighting the surfing of Brad Gerlach and Matt Archbold; and Style Masters, the original Super-8 documentary of the hottest action on the North Shore during the late ’70s and ’80s. Old favorites with a new stoke. The OP Summer Surf Series runs through August. Tickets are $7; for more information visit projekter.com

Courtesy Beach Bunny Swimwear

Summer Strutting
When you hit the sand this summer, it doesn’t take a fashion critic to figure out it’s as much of a fashion show as the Paris runways – whether you dread it or not. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of. After all, why did you abstain from those lava cakes and cream sauces and hit that Pilates machine (that seems more like a 14th-century Grand Inquisitor’s favorite tool) since the beginning of January if not to strut your stuff down the boardwalk? And darn it, you deserve a new summer wardrobe, you’ve suffered for it. Which is why you might want to get thee to a bunnery, as in the new Beach Bunny Swimwear store in Newport Beach (also sold at Molly Brown’s Swimwear and Laguna Beachwear). Referred to more than once as the “lingerie” of swimsuits, designer Angela Chittenden has put an emphasis on emphasis – as opposed to functionality – earning the suits a spot on nine pages of the Sports Illustrated swimwear issue. Sporting such indulgences as lace trim, Swarovski crystals and pearls, they demand price tags of $200-$300. In other words, don’t try surfing in these babies; pull out your trusty Roxy boardies for that. But when you want to turn heads, you know where to go. And if too many heads start turning, don’t sweat it, Chittenden has designed a new line of cover-ups.

Surf City Celebration
Huntington Beach started out on February 17, 1909 as a funky little surf town and your best bet to find a dive bar with a tattoo parlor in the back. Today, 100 years later, well, it’s pretty much the same. No, no, no, actually in the past 20 years Huntington Beach has become a resort destination that boasts five-star hotels, fine dining and a Main Street that rivals Third Street Promenade, resulting in 11 million visitors annually. In addition, the entire downtown area – which fronts the beach – is being redesigned to include upscale stores, apartments and pleasant walkways connecting the many attractions. But of course, Huntington hasn’t given up the thing that has always put it in the spotlight: surfing. Huntington Beach is the official Surf City USA. Which is why Huntington is a perennial summer classic. And this 2009, thanks to year-long events celebrating its centennial, a trip to Huntington is most warranted. On July 24, Joey Buran, the California Kid and Pipeline Master-turned-Orange-County-pastor joins surfers Jeff Hakman and Pat O’Connell and legendary surf filmmaker Bruce Brown (Endless Summer) as a 2009 inductee into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame at the corner of PCH and Main Street. June is Diversity Month and, among many events, Leon Leyson, a Holocaust survivor and the youngest survivor on Schindler’s List, will describe his experiences during a June 2 talk at the HB Central Library. August is Sports Month, featuring the Youth All-Star Games at the HB Sports Complex. And in September, Arts, Culture and Music Month, from the second through the 13th, Plein Air Painters will inhabit Main Street, and on the 19th all surfers are encouraged to become a part of history by participating in a “Surfboards in the Sand” photo opportunity. Or you could always track down a tattoo parlor – a more upscale one. For more specific information visit www.ci.huntington-beach.ca.us

Photo By Michael Goulding/The Orange County Register Take in world-class surfing and great people-watching at the U.S. Open of Surfing.

You Mean There's Surfing, Too?
Probably the biggest irony of the Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing is that for many people the surfing competition is not the biggest attraction. Simply put, this nine-day fest is more of an action sport, people-watching Olympic-sized palooza-esque gig than anything else. Sort of the OC Fair gets cool and hits the beach. In fact, no other surfing event in the world can boast the roller-coaster spectacle – and speckled history – of this event. At its low, during the 1980s OP days, it saw Huntington Beach’s biggest riot, complete with overturned burning police cars. At its height, as in the recent years, it has shown off the action sports world to millions as an exciting, professional aspect of the sporting world. On tap this year is all the action and entertainments as usual – the BMX and skateboarding Soul Bowl, the beach fashion and goods expo booths, the food and live entertainment. This year also sees a new title sponsor: Hurley, a local surf company, which takes over from Honda – a not-so-local car company – so expect an even cooler vibe than ever. Oh, and a lot of surfing. The Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing hits the beach July 18-26 and is free to the public. Visit usopenofsurfing.com for details.