Oxnard : Volunteers Sought for Harbor Festival

A group of boaters is looking for volunteers to work at the upcoming Maritime Days festival at Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard.

The organizers of the event, who expect more than 10,000 people to visit the harbor between Aug. 13 and 15, hope to find help to staff booths and contests.

The three-day event celebrates the history of the maritime industry and of Channel Islands Harbor itself, said Judi Lyons, one of the festival’s organizers.

This year’s festival will be the first in five years that has not received help from Oxnard’s now-defunct convention and visitors bureau.

Staff members will consist primarily of volunteers because funding this year comes entirely from the Channel Islands Harbor Assn. of Lessees, which is sponsoring the event, and from a $25 charge for a party with a shipwreck theme, Lyons said.

In addition to a boat show and party, the festival will include a sand-sculpture contest, a chowder cook-off, a croquet tournament and a fish derby, in which prizes will be awarded for the largest fish caught off the rocks.

The Gull Wings Children’s Museum of Oxnard will hold special events for children.

For more information on becoming a volunteer, call the Maritime Days office at 985-4852.