Ocean Beach Historical Society member Carol Bowers remembers the last big Newport Pier Christmas celebration in 1941, before the United States became involved in World War II. At the time, she said, Ocean Beach residents feared that the enemy would attack San Diego from the ocean, so they painted streetlights black on the side facing the ocean to detract attention from the beach town.
“There weren’t a lot of lights,” Bowers told a group of fourth-grade Girl Scouts from Ocean Beach Elementary March 25 about the dark and tenebrous holiday season.
Bowers’ memories paint a picture of the past, and by speaking to the group of 10-year-olds, she is passing on a piece of local history and ensuring its survival.
The 10 girls of Junior Girl Scout Troop 3208 are working to earn the Local Lore badge by visiting with local historians. Now a few weeks into it, the girls are well on their way to becoming Ocean Beach historians, armed with more knowledge of Ocean Beach’s unique history than many longtime residents.
Stephanie Greenwald, a member of the Ocean Beach Historical Society, is the grandmother of junior Girl Scout Maizy Greenwald. She has helped the troop and Troop Leader Linda Jaros in their quest.
“I haven’t had to plan anything,” Jaros said of Greenwald’s assistance in organizing the projects.
The lengthy process to earn the badge includes interviewing former Ocean Beach Elementary School students, analyzing old and current maps of the area and looking at examples of architecture from different historical periods by the end of June.
“I think at the end of this badge, they’ll be quite the informed Obecians,” Jaros said.
While much of Ocean Beach’s landscapes and buildings have remained intact, the girls have seen how the people and atmosphere have evolved over the years.
At the March meeting with Bowers, she told stories of her experiences in Ocean Beach growing up in the 1940s and 1950s. She showed the girls photos of people on the beach dressed in tophats and suits while lounging on the sand.
“Back then,” Greenwald said, “swimming suits were called ‘swimming costumes.’ Now we always think of costumes as dress-up things.”
Bowers also told a story about the time when Fred Kraft, then-owner of Kraft Drug Store on the corner of Newport Avenue and Bacon Street, threatened to call the police on her brother after he stole a handful of popcorn.

But it wasn’t just black-and-white photos that interested the students. While not that long ago to Jaros, the girls were excited to view old Ocean Beach Elementary staff photos from 1994.
“It’s the first year their teacher [Cyndie Volpone] began teaching at the school,” Jaros explained as the girls pounced on the table to get a good look.
Bowers also touched on the former Newport Hotel, which was transformed into the Ocean Beach Hostel in the 1990s.
“It was a big deal to come over the hill on your horse and stay at the hotel,” Bowers said of the hotel’s popularity during the days of dirt roads and horseback travel.
Bowers gave the girls tips on preserving their own history and encouraged them to invest in quality scrapbook materials to protect their photos and keepsakes.
She also suggested that the troop enter its photos in the historical society’s OB Exposed event in May, which exhibits photos from around Ocean Beach.
While the girls enjoyed looking at old photographs, they really liked talking one-on-one with historians and especially the former Ocean Beach Elementary students.
“I like doing the interviews,” Girl Scout Ocean Hurd said. “We get to know more about them.”
For more information about the Ocean Beach Historical Society, call Carol Bowers at (619) 222-6066.