What is a Sea Festival Without Boats?

"What Is A Sea Festival Without Boats?" is the fifth in a series of articles about having fun in the sun in Long Beach, California.

A first time visitor to Long Beach California that lives a rather sedentary couch-potato lifestyle might be a little intimidated, especially around the beach. It seems everyone is in excellent shape. You see people running, jogging, walking, skating and biking everyday. Sections of the beach along Ocean Boulevard are set about 20 feet below street levels. Those stairs are a killer for people whose daily exercise is walking to the car and back. You will see people running up and down those stairs Rocky style. I hold my breath whenever I see an inline skater bound up the steps without touching the railing.

Long Beach residents love to walk. We are always walking for one cause or another. We walk to raise money for Breast Cancer research, for AIDS awareness, for Muscular Dystrophy and to fund NCCJ. The National Conference for Community and Justice's mission is to fight bias, bigotry and racism by promoting understanding and respect for all people. Sometimes dogs are allowed on the concrete bike path that runs along the entire stretch of beach for these various walks. Of course many of these athletic people are preparing for a competition.

If watching sports is more to your liking than participating in them, do come to Long Beach for some fun in the sun. Fans add excitement to competitions. There is something heartwarming about hearing the crowd cheer loudly when the last person crosses the finish line. That person might be a 78 year old man, a grossly overweight person or person with physical disabilities. They may have finished last in a race, but they finish first in our hearts. They inspire us to do more, try more and never give up.