Ocean Beach MainStreet Association received a $9,000 grant from the District 2 Council office, which it is using for new banners and stringing lights along Newport Avenue.
“We’ve been thinking it would be very festive if we put lights up on palm trees on both sides of Newport from the ocean to Sunset Cliffs Boulevard,” said OBMA executive director Denny Knox, who noted it also fits this year’s “Miracle on Newport Avenue” holiday theme.
So far, so good. Knox noted the new holiday decorations pretty much withstood the recent storms that brought heavy rain and wind and downing palm fronds.
Knox said the new holiday lights are of the LED variety that conserves energy. The lights went up just before Thanksgiving for the holidays.
New banners, designed by Ashley Lewis Design, are also going up in OB’s business district, noted Knox describing them as “adorable. These are our new holiday banners and they should be good for three to five years, depending on the weather.”
Of her banner designs, Ashley Lewis noted: “For this project I was inspired to create a series of illustrations celebrating the animals of Ocean Beach, with three different characters representing the seasonal themes of peace (a pelican), love (a dog), and joy (a green parrot, which many residents will recognize from the 2019 OB Street Fair logo). “OB is a colorful community of individuals who follow our own paths in life (often while walking a dog), but are united in our love for the beach and the urban wildlife that comes with it. The animal theme felt like a fun, not-too-serious way to put people in a festive mood without relying on the same old holiday imagery we see everywhere else. The banners are as unique as OB, and I hope they make people smile.”
Knox said holiday decorations are part of OB’s Clean and Safe Program promoting community beautification and security. “We thought this would be a good opportunity to test the LED lighting out, see if it’s bright on the street,” she said. “The new LED lights have been a vast improvement over the old light standards. They have been a huge benefit to the community.”
As usual, OB’s business district be decked out with garland and red bows said Knox adding stringing lights and hanging banners was a major undertaking.
“We assembled about 15 people in one of our board member’s garages to assemble and help us install all the lights,” said Knox noting Sunset Cliffs Surfing Association, New Break Church and numerous volunteers all pitched in.
Afterward, Knox said, nearly 50 volunteers were treated to breakfast at Margarita’s Family Restaurant on Newport Avenue on Nov. 23.
Discussing Shop Small Saturday in Ocean Beach on Saturday, Nov. 30, Knox said, “It was phenomenal. It went better than we had hoped, and it was sunny and the mayor came.”