Encinitas Menehune Surf Classic

On June 18, 2006, Moonlight Beach once again hosted The Menehune Surf Classic and Father's Day Beach Party. Put on by the Fathers Resource Center in conjunction with Encinitas Surfboards, organizers call the Beach Party and Menehune Surf Classic "the world's largest Father's Day celebration." The celebration consisted of the surf contest, clowns, comedy, live bands and a fantasy hair salon for kids. The surf contest was held for Menehunes, with divisions (both long and short board) for boys and girls ranging in age from 5 to 15. There was also a father-child tandem division. Conditions for the contest were fair, as the waves were clean and in the 2 ft range, with lots of reforms rolling into a shore break for the littlest chargers. Competitors came from near and far to surf in this annual event, which was run and overseen by Kahuna Bob and his wife Peggy Edwards. Many of the competitors were local, yet several came as far as Orange County and Santa Barbara. One young man came all the way from Colorado to participate in the event. Kirra Kehoe, which has competed in the event for the last several years, traveled from Malibu, and once again, Kirra walked away with the hardware. She defended her titles by placing first in both the girls 10-12 short and long board divisions. After accepting her awards, Kirra then treated the beach crowd on hand to a special performance by getting on stage (along with other surfers in the competition) and singing her hit song,…”That Surfer Girl”. One of the girls which Kirra brought on to the stage was Ashlei Tipton. Nine year old Ashlei also traveled quite a distance to surf in this event,…Coconut Creek, FL. But the story doesn’t end there. Ashlei has only been surfing for two weeks! She asked her dad to sign her up at the last minute so she could participate in her first contest. Ashei impressed all, by placing fourth in the girls 7-9 division. Well done Ashlei! All of the competitors were magnificent, and made each and every father proud on this celebrated day. Throughout the day, there was also some great music was on hand as well, as the Bayou Brothers, West Coast Blues Boys, The Hank Show, and Note Fade Away all performed live on stage. Also on hand was New York Times best-selling author, expert witness and international consultant Warren Farrell, Ph.D.