Not-so-laboring events

If you’re the type who runs to the sound of musketry, you may want to take time from your Labor Day celebrations to check out Huntington Beach’s very own Civil War battle.

The 14th Annual Civil War Re-enactment put on by the Huntington Beach Historical Society draws around 1,000 re-enactors and history buffs to Huntington Central Park. Like ghosts from the past, they will transform the park into a live Civil War battle.

Re-enactors come from various groups around the country, some as far away as Virginia and North Carolina.

Visitors to the free event will get an inside glimpse into the life of a Civil War soldier. They’ll hear 14 era cannons booming and see blue and gray-clad adversaries fighting to take Central Park’s high ground.

“It’s like a big history lesson all in one day,” said Kelly Rivers, who organizes the yearly event. Rivers took over planning the Historical Society’s Civil War Re-enactment from her mother Maureen, who founded it.

The soldiers will be separated into two camps with the Union soldiers behind the library and Confederacy troops camped on the Slater Avenue side of the park. They will have two battles a day Saturday and Sunday.

A model hospital will be set up where, according to Rivers, there will be examples of Civil War-era medicine. For those less interested in learning about amputation techniques of the 1860s, there is also live period music all day from a string folk band.

“Settlers” will set up booths in tents. The settlers will offer only things that would be available in the 1860s, such as uniform pieces.

There will be a church service at 8 a.m. Sunday as well.

The event is free to the public. Hot dogs and root beer will be for sale with all the proceeds going to fund the Historical Society and next year’s event.

Parking is available at the library as well as at Ocean View High School. A free shuttle will be available to ferry guests between the lot and the battle.

Rivers suggests leaving dogs at home during the event because the din of mock battle scares them.

Girls get extreme

Boardfest will take over the south side of the Huntington Beach pier as girls go all out in surf, skate and snowboard events.

The event showcases the talented women of extreme sports in three categories.

The surf competitions start at 8 a.m. Saturday through Monday. Athletes from as far away as Australia and as close to home as Newport Beach will compete, including 14-year-old X Games phenom Courtney Conlogue and surfer/model Erica Hosseini. Winners will be crowned in pro/am short board, longboard and tag team events, with $5,000 in prizes at stake.

Along with the surf competitions will be clinics that focus on teaching girls basic surfing skills and competition strategies.

A street course set up on the beach will be the stage for the pro/am street skateboarding competitions. This is also the first year for a vert skating competition at Boardfest.

Skateboarding workshops will be offered for girls of any skill set whether they’re first-time riders or veterans of hundreds of bumps and bruises. Professional instructors will teach the clinics and participants will be able to compete in an amateur competition afterward.

For the snowboarding competition, 20 tons of ice will be ground up and blown onto a two-story course from the pier. The course will have a fun box.

There will be daily snowboarding demonstrations by professional snowboarders. A Monday competition will give $1,000 in prizes to whoever lands the best trick. The final competition category is for all three events combined and will give a title to the competitor with the most points in all three categories.

The festival is filled with plenty of other activities and events to suit anyone’s tastes. There will be live acoustic music, Polynesian dancers, a fashion show, and yoga on top of the full serving of extreme sports.

Boardfest is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Surf and skate clinics are daily at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Organizers are expecting about 100,000 visitors during Boardfest’s three-day run.

For more information on Boardfest, visit www.boardfest.com.

Hot dogs down the hatch

Hot dogs are a staple of Labor Day barbecues, but a group will take the tradition to new heights with it’s second annual charity hot dog eating contest.

The Huntington Beach Fire Department, Kelly’s Deli and Home Depot are teaming up to raise money for the Orange County Burn Assn.

There were 15 competitive gurgitators in last year’s competition with the winner consuming eight hot dogs. Joanne Norton of Kelly’s Deli said they’re hoping for even more competitors this year. The deli’s even hosting a competitor drive Saturday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. during their monthly tri-tip barbecue.

Each frank-eating competitor will pay a $20 entry fee, which goes to the burn victims. The competitors, many of whom will be firefighters, will stand to win prizes including a new barbecue or tool set donated by the Home Depot.

The hot dogs used for the contest are bigger than the average dog, weighing in at a quarter-pound each.

“It’s not a skinny weenie,” Norton said. “It’s a substantial dog.”

The event is free to spectators looking to find the next eating contest phenomenon such as Takeru Kobayashi, the Japanese competitive eater who reigned as the world champion hot dog eater for six years.

The hot dog action will be at noon in the parking lot of Home Depot, 7100 Warner Ave. For more information, call Norton at (714) 905-4700.