The Ocean Beach MainStreet Association (OBMA) is poised to host the 2012 installment of the OB Beach Ball, an event celebrating Southern California lifestyle and action sports. The Saturday, May 19 event runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Ocean Beach Pier parking lot at the corner of Newport Avenue and Abbott Street, as well as in the main beach parking lot at the foot of Santa Monica Avenue and at Saratoga Park next to the main beach parking lot. One of the main attractions — as it was last year — will be a 70-foot-tall Ferris Wheel, which will offer riders a bird’s-eye view for $5 from now through Sunday, May 20 at Saratoga Park. The OBMA is inviting residents and neighbors to celebrate summer with live music provided by six bands, action sports, a 135-foot waterslide and a microbrew beer festival. General admission tickets for the beer garden are $3. Visitors can watch skateboard demonstrations, volleyball games, tug-of-war competitions and human strength and endurance contests. Take photos from atop the Ferris Wheel, try your luck on a mechanical bull or take part in the beach endurance competitions. Free shuttles will be available to take festivalgoers between the 710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach and the main pier parking lot in Ocean Beach every 30 minutes all day on May 19. For more information, visit http://obbeachball.com.
