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I grew up so close to this place but I was too young to be a part of
it. I have some friends who are a few years older that went. They
still remember those days very fondly.
--- In , "Tony" <outerwave@...> wrote:
>
> 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!"
> >
>
