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Great post, great recollections, made me do a google search on a -
"Rendezvous Ballroom" surf- search to soak this up at little bit
more. Hope we have more postings like this, -Tony
--- In , "hbseacliff" <hbseacliff@...>
wrote:
>
> Nights to remember: rockin' at Rendezvous
> The third in an occasional series: 'Growing up in Orange County'
>
> CORKY CARROLL CORKY CARROLL
> Register columnist
> SURF'S UP
> corkysurf@...
>
> This is the third week of an occasional series in my column. These
are
> stories of growing up here in Orange County sent in from you
readers.
> If ya have a cool story, send it to me.
>
> Tom Fitzgerald
>
> "I thought your readers might be interested in the era of the
Surfer
> Stomp at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa. In 1961-62 we would
all go
> pay our $1 entrance fee and listen all night to Dick Dale.
>
> "When he left, in about 1963, the Newport Nomads, and Dave Myers
and
> the Surftones took over. I played drums for the Nomads. We were all
> from Newport Harbor High School. Jim Cunningham on lead guitar,
Steve
> McAnlis on rhythm guitar, Kent Anderson on bass, Bill Joyner on
piano,
> Jerry Kavulic on sax, and me on drums.
>
> "Yes, this is when the bands had five or six musicians.
>
> "My slant is from the stage side looking out at anywhere from
2,000 to
> 4,000 kids all dancing the Surfer Stomp. The stage at the
Rendezvous
> was built to accommodate the big bands from the 1930s. The drum
riser
> must have been about 8 feet high off the dance floor. There was a
> light booth in the balcony directly across from the stage. It was
all
> quite impressive.
>
> "The doors would open at 8 p.m. sharp. From my perspective up on
the
> drums it was amazing to see a few thousand kids come through that
one
> door and how quickly the dance floor was packed. It was a sea of
human
> bodies going up and down in unison to the surfer stomp.
>
> "The music was high energy. Fender strats and reverbs generated the
> heavy chunky sound.
>
> "The Rendezvous burned down many years ago and was replaced by
condos.
> And yet, whenever I drive by that intersection, I can still see in
my
> mind the Rendezvous ballroom sitting there as it was in the '60s."
>
> Karen Clay Kneavel
>
> "My name back then was Karen Clay. I moved to Laguna in 1955, so I
> have plenty of memories, but I'll just share a few of my
favorites...
>
> "I remember the old rubber/canvas raft riding at St. Ann's reef.
That
> and the old Styrofoam boards that used to rub me raw on my tummy.
>
> "I remember Billy Hamilton in my jewelry-making class at LBHS (my
> nickname for him was Weirdo). My friend and I put on our maroon and
> white gym shorts and shirts and went to Oak St. after school
because
> Billy was going to teach us how to surf. He even let me use his
board.
> I was a bodysurfer, but all I can remember was Billy yelling at me,
> "turn, turn,'' as the nose took a dive downward and off I'd go.
That
> was my first and last time trying to board surf!
>
> "I used to make out in the new housing developments at Top of the
World.
>
> "LBHS had a bodysurfing contest in February at Oak Street. I came
in
> second. We won paper purple hearts because the water was
freeeeezing!
>
> "Last, but not least, I lived for the Rendezvous on Friday
nights...
>
> "Sad to say, the long, gone orange groves and farms no longer grace
> our county....What open space there is, when hiking at El Morro, I
> only hear the sound of earthmovers in the background.
>
> "Hope you enjoyed some of my memories and this email went
thru...KEEP
> WRITING!"
>
