Santa Cruz Woodies A Chapter of the National Woodie Club
Brief History of the Wharf
The existing Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf is the sixth wharf to be constructed at the current location. It was completed in 1914 and was designed to accommodate steam ships that would transport seafood products and lumber from the Santa Cruz mountains. The last 150 feet of the wharf bent at an angle to allow easier docking for the steam ships. The wharf was supported by over 200 seventy-foot-long pilings of Douglas Fir material. Doug Fir and Coastal Redwoods are native to the area.
During heavy storms in the winter of 2023, the end of the wharf was damaged and had to be closed to public access. In December of 2024, city engineers and contractors were studying potential repairs. A resurgence of the storms occurred, and the last 150 feet of the wharf (the bent portion) collapsed into the ocean. Three people fell into the ocean. Two were rescued and one swam to the shore. A shadow was cast on the future of the wharf.
In the spring of 2025, the wharf was deemed safe to reopen. Currently the wharf is primarily for recreational use with approximately 32 merchants. These merchants include retail and numerous high-end restaurants. The views and the atmosphere are spectacular. Visiting the Santa Cruz Wharf should be on everyone’s bucket list, and Woodies on the Wharf is the ideal way to enjoy that experience.
Woodies on the Wharf
In August 1993, Don Iglesias convened the first meeting of what would become Santa Cruz Woodie Club. On June 24,1995 the first Woodies on the Wharf was held. Forty-five cars showed up. I know because your scribe’s Buick was number forty-five. The event has been held every year since, except for the two covid years. Even during those years, Ohana cannot be kept apart. We showed up with a few cars surreptitiously. Yes, we wore masks and gave each other air hugs, but we could not be kept apart.
We fast forward to June 21, 2025, and celebrate WOW # 29. Remember we lost two formal years to covid. Woodies on the Wharf is no longer a one-day event. It has become a weeklong social event for the club members.
Wednesday, June 18 found ten Woodie members gathered near Pasatiempo golf course off Highway 17. Our purpose was to provide an escort for two very important surfboards to the Museum of Art and History. The Museum will be displaying these boards and many others from July 18 through January 4. The escorted boards were exacting replicas of the boards used by three Hawaiian princes in 1885. These boards were fashioned by Bob Pearson who would also give a shaping demonstration during Woodies on the Wharf. Bob is a world-famous shaper. This was a great kick off to celebrate woodies in the original surf city.
Thursday June 19 was primarily a day of preparation. Generous goodie bags are stuffed with gifts from our many sponsors. They will be passed out to car owners as they enter the show. We never charge the participants for entry. The rental truck is loaded with all the goodies and merchandise at our host hotel, The Ocean Pacific Lodge. The parking lot of the hotel quickly fills with beautiful Woodie cars. Surrounding hotels are also filling up quickly and buzzing with excitement. That evening is a welcome party at the beautiful home of Jule and Alan Hilton. Their home overlooks the Santa Cruz Beach boardwalk. We could see the Big Dipper, The Wild Mouse, and all the other exciting rides. Kids and adults alike were shrieking with delight. The BBQ dinner, drinks and camaraderie were fantastic thanks to Jule and Alan.
Friday morning found all of us heading to the beach vacation home of Jim and Patty Ferdinand for a delicious brunch. But first one must work up an appetite. That is done every year by a paddle out to commemorate those we lost last year. I did not join them. If I had, I would be the subject of next year’s paddle out. After that, Patty and crew served an unbelievable brunch thanks to her friend Joan Graham who flies in every year from Hawaii to prepare a delicious brunch of casseroles, biscuits and gravy etc. Patty even brought in her personal helper, Chris, from Australia. That was truly an international crew. The Ferdinands really suffer in their vacation home in Santa Cruz, because they have to leave their full-time home in Hawaii. After that brunch, I wanted a nap, but the fun was just getting started.
We headed back to the Ocean Pacific Lodge to begin the official opening ceremonies. The beeristas were busy pouring beer, wine and sodas. Pupu’s were served up Toni and Lynda and their lovely crew. I caught, one crew member, my beautiful wife, busily stirring the nacho sauce. As the pupu’s were laid out, the festivities began. Welcoming remarks were made, and the Next Generation began poolside games. The young kids were having a blast with limbo contests and a ring toss contest. That was followed up by the adults having a whacky hula contest. I am not sure I can explain what that was, but I hope the pictures explain it all. Let’s put it this way, when our National Secretary, Bill Sampson, abandons his normal attire, and decides to dress whacky, THAT’S whacky! I will not list all the winners, because all participants and the audience were all winners. It was time to retire for the evening and prepare for the main event.
Early Saturday morning the woodies began to file onto the wharf. I did not get there until 5:45 AM but there were already 40 or so cars out there. By 6:00 AM the display booths were being set up and filled with wonderful merchandise and raffle items. Although the event did not officially begin until 10:00 AM, spectators were buying merchandise as early as 8:00 AM. The smells of fresh coffee, donuts, bacon and even calamari combined with the feeling of excitement in the air. You really must experience WOW in the morning to understand the feeling.
Opening ceremonies began at 10:00 AM. 126 Woodies had arrived. (we have had as many as 200 cars in the past) The crowds were unbelievable. According to Placer.ai, 11,250 spectators attended the event. The poster artist, Chris Walsh, was on site to sign posters. Google Christopher J Walsh of Fremont, Ca, and you will understand the quality of his art. Folks were lined up all day to purchase merchandise and raffle tickets. The restaurants were all open and packed. There were hula dancers and Bob Pearson was doing his surfboard shaping demonstration. Everyone was smiling.
The awards ceremony began at 2:30 PM. I mentioned earlier that you want to make WOW part of your bucket list. Our Long-Distance winner did just that. The Long-Distance Award went to Alex Vanichuk of Langley, Canada. He did not trailer his car down. He pulled his tear drop trailer. That is remarkable to say the least.
The awards went to:
The awards ceremony is followed by the, very well organized, parade off the wharf including a police escort. People are lined up by the thousands to cheer on the Woodies. The crowd was waiving, the horns were honking, and everyone had a great time. But the party was nowhere near over. We headed back to the Ocean Pacific Lodge for our Saturday night tailgate party.
The tailgate party began around 5:00 PM with a catered Mexican themed dinner. The food was delicious. We carried our food out to the parking lot to enjoy the music and other entertainment. Our official troubadour, Bob Lopez, was under the weather and not able to perform. I am pleased to announce that Bob is on the mend. That does not mean we didn’t have music to enjoy. I was worried that we would have to listen to Pandora, but our club has a plethora of talent.
A young lady named Josie has been singing with Bob over the years. The tone and soul in her voice, however, belie her young age. She demonstrated poise and maturity. She was later joined by Western Region Director, Greg Chandler who sang well into the evening. In our younger years, our Saturday parties were shut down by the police around midnight. As we have aged, we generally shut down by 9-10:00 PM. Greg was so entertaining we lasted at least 15 minutes longer.
I would be remiss to talk about Saturday night and not mention Cheryl Luchsinger’s quilt. It has become an annual event to raffle off her beautiful work of art. This year’s winner is the owner of a very successful transmission shop and spent most of Thursday on the side of the freeway fixing another Woodie owner’s car. This is the kind of karma our club is known for. This year’s winner was Ed Schuck.
One would think the party would be over by now, but nooo. It’s Sunday morning and it’s time for Sophia’s cruise. It is a cruise to honor our members who have gone before us. This year’s cruise took 51 cars out the newly reopened West Cliff Drive past gorgeous million-dollar homes. The fun part is when we make the U-turn at Natural Bridges State Park. As you head back, you can count the cars as you pass. I always forget to count my own car. We end up at the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor and Java Junction for pastries and coffee and our final goodbyes. It’s like leaving your best friends on the last day of high school. You just don’t want to say goodbye.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, Santa Cruz Woodies is an Ohana, a family. Woodies on the Wharf is an annual family reunion, but even better. Every year we have new cars to attend to and add new members to our family. Yes, we quarrel from time to time, but we love each other like family. Woodies on the Wharf must be a bucket list experience. Next year’s event will be our 30th and promises to be more special than ever. Put the week of Saturday June 27, 2026, on your calendar and join our Ohana.
Aloha,
John Fleming, SCWC
