It’s time again for the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club’s annual concert and coming-out party ushering in summer. The event will be at Mariner’s Point across from the Bahia Hotel Saturday, May 9, with gates opening at 1:30 p.m.
Headlining the event, for ages 21 and up, will be Matisyahu, a reggae and alternative rock group, backed up by The Green from Hawaii, Vokab Kompany hip-hop and electronics, Betamaxx and the Mike Pinto Band.
Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 the day of the event.
“This is our second biggest fundraiser of the year besides the Over the Line Tournament,” said festival chairman Patrick Vaughn. “We’ve had a party there for 40-some years, and we’ve had to reinvent this thing. This year, we teamed with Belly Up in Solana Beach, which has quite a bit more power buying music than we do. This is the strongest (band) lineup we’ve ever had.”
Vaughn said the headliners will likely come on stage about 8:30 p.m., with tickets still available until 9 p.m.
The fest began 60 years ago, when elated athletic club members celebrated the return of Delmar Miller, who had been a prisoner of war during the Korean conflict.
“It all started after Miller, one of our founding members, had been released from the prisoner of war camp,” said athletic club member Brad Pagano. “When he got back, it all escalated from a small gathering of friends into this big party, and it also became the official kickoff to the summer here.”
The club, begun in 1954, supports a number of community causes, including wounded veterans groups, local youth charities, the American Cancer Society, the Armed Services YMCA, the San Diego Sports Association, the Challenged Athletes Foundation, adaptive sports like wheelchair basketball, the Special Olympics, the La Jolla Half Marathon, Habitat for Humanity, San Diego Junior Lifeguards and police and fire fighters.
The club’s mission has been to promote and sponsor youth sports as well as educational, philanthropic and civic activities.
“Of course, the Over the Line tournament (in July) is (our) main event,” Pagano added.
For more information, visit ombac.org.