30th Annual Woodies on the Wharf

What an EPIC weekend! 

To everyone who has attended Woodies on the Wharf (WOW) in the past 30 years—and those who joined us this year—a big thank you.

To mark the 30th anniversary of this iconic event, organizers sought to reduce our volunteer labor and give our regular helpers a well-deserved break.  While the weekend usually kicks off with Thursday goodie bag stuffing, a few preparation changes led us to forego the bags entirely.  Instead, we set up merchandise sales in the kitchen of the Ocean Pacific Lodge (OPL).  Drivers didn’t miss out, though; everyone who drove a Woodie onto the Wharf on Saturday received a custom metal lunchbox featuring this year’s anniversary poster art, courtesy of Dave Welles.

Thursday evening, Alan and Jule Hilton welcomed us into their beautiful home overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Boardwalk for our annual Welcome to WOW party.  It was a fantastic start to the weekend, perfectly showcasing our club’s spirit to new members and guests.

On Friday morning, the paddle out and breakfast hosted by the Ferdinands—and tirelessly supported by Joan Graham and this year her son, Patrick—attracted a record-breaking crowd. Well over 150 people gathered at their beach cottage.  Patty, Jim, Joan, and Patrick worked incredibly hard to feed the massive influx of guests, and they deserve our highest accolades.

Before breakfast, upward of a dozen people hit the water for our annual Memorial Paddle Out to honor the club members we lost this year. 

The majority of this year’s participants were young, which bodes well for the future of our club.

Friday afternoon’s merchandise sales, charity raffle sales and pool party went off without a hitch. Despite initial fears that an early sale would hurt numbers, a dedicated crew pulled it off.

We sold out of tickets for Saturday’s Tailgate dinner, the kids had a blast in the pool, and the adults enjoyed plenty of time to relax and connect.

Later that evening, the Friday night “Mahalo’s for the Memories-Surfside Social” party kicked off at the Dream Inn (DI), overlooking Cowells Beach and the Santa Cruz Wharf.

It was a spectacular event. Guests took advantage of free, quiet transportation provided by Rainbow Rickshaws, which shuttled folks between the OPL and the DI using electric rickshaws.

SCWC President Loren Steck opened the evening by thanking the volunteers who made the night possible. The event featured a 30th WOW Hawaiian blessing and background music by four-time Grammy Award-winning slack-key guitar artist George Kahumoku Jr., alongside beautiful hula performances by Charmaine Moniz and the Te Hau Nui School of Hula and Tahitian Dance.

Guests enjoyed passed hot and cold appetizers, a Mac and Cheese bar along with a no-host bar. Steve Hendricks this year’s poster artist (and schoolmate of Loren Steck) was in attendance along with several dignitaries from the City of Santa Cruz to help us celebrate.

Throughout the night, guests enjoyed a continuous slideshow of 30 years of WOW memories with Jim Vickery’s photos.

Also on display was a stunning showcase of quilts including the very first quilt made for Past SCWC President Skip Gill by Cheryl Luchsinger.

Outside, below the windows, Bill Lewis welcomed us with his signature sand art.

This unprecedented display was a massive hit with the crowd. Special thanks go to the WOW 30th Anniversary Committee for navigating uncharted territory to bring it all together.

Saturday dawned with beautiful, sunny California weather. We stopped counting entries at just under 150 cars.

The custom lunchboxes were a huge success, and a new scavenger hunt—dreamed up by Toni Wilkerson and Julie Graff (SC Parks & Recreation)—kept the kids thrilled as they searched the wharf. KU KIA ‘1 MAUNA, one of two groups that performed Hula Dancing on the Santa Cruz Wharf stage wowed us with their traditional Hawaiian Dance routines.

Bob Pearson kept audiences captivated with two surfboard history talks and shaping demonstrations. We were also treated to a spectacular aerobatic flyover by a precision flight team.

Classified Sound provided an excellent soundtrack to the day, as always, and owner/SCWC member Jonathan DuFour was genuinely moved to receive the Rich Smart Spirit of Aloha Award during our closing ceremony.

We also celebrated four stalwarts who have attended all 30 WOW events (John Fleming, Hugh Forrest and Jim and Sue Vickery.

This year’s awards and raffle winners were announced at the end of the day. Award winners included the People’s Choice award given to Marty and Dave Behrens (1950 Ford), the Woodie Owners Choice award given to Rodney and Cheryl Palla (1940 Olds), and the Long-Distance award given to John and Chris Jansen (1937 Ford) who drove all the way from North Carolina to attend. Raffle winners included Michelle Feeney who won the E-bike, Jeff and Liza Diehl who won the Raffle Surfboard and Sharon Gardiner who won the Woodie Owners Surfboard.

On Saturday night, the OPL parking lot was packed hours before our Mexican-themed dinner provided by Leslies Catering began.

Tears welled up across the crowd as Cheryl Luchsinger re-gifted a commemorative quilt to Toni Wilkerson in honor of her late husband, Dave. Seeing so many of Cheryl’s handmade quilts hanging from the OPL railings—and past recipients wrapped in theirs for warmth—was incredibly moving. Former SCWC President John Fleming was completely caught off guard by the presentation of his custom quilt, and his reaction showed just how much it meant to him.

Two more well-deserved Rich Smart Spirit of Aloha Awards were presented to Sue Vickery and Joan Graham, with special thanks to Patty Ferdinand for doing a stellar job managing the selection process. For entertainment, Josie Feeney sang a beautiful opening set, serving as the calm before the musical storm that was Bob Lopez. The singing, dancing, and music kept the energy high until well past 10:30 PM.

On Sunday morning, Sophia’s Cruise wrapped up the weekend beautifully, ending at Java Junction where we enjoyed hot coffee and delicious fresh pastries. Despite pioneering a new route to the yacht harbor due to the Murray Street bridge closure, nobody got lost—or at least, nobody admitted to it! It was a wonderfully low-key conclusion to a historic weekend.

What truly makes the Santa Cruz Woodies Club great is our people. We love what we do, love sharing it with others, and welcome everyone with open arms. We exude Aloha, and our newest members always tell us they can feel it. That warmth is our secret sauce, and we are proud to share it.