Surfer Josh Kerr on hand for premiere of his surf film, 'Kerrazy Kronicles,' in Newport Beach

ASP World Tour surfer Josh Kerr will be in Southern California for the premiere of his first feature-length surf film, "Kerrazy Kronicles," Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Lido Theatre, 3459 Via Lido, in Newport Beach. The movie follows Kerr and his pals as they seek out surf, and all kinds of adventure, around the globe.

For those interested in attending, Surfside Sports in Costa Mesa will be offering a limited number of VIP and general admission tickets for customers who purchase Rusty surf gear before the premiere. A select number of tickets will also be available at the Lido Theatre box office on Wednesday.  All tickets will be honored on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Kerr and other surfers will be on hand at the Lido for a meet-and-greet before the movie, and will head to the Blue Beet in Newport Beach following the premiere for an afterparty (open to those with VIP passes) with retro cover band Flock of 80's.

For Kerr fans who can’t make it to Newport Beach, Rusty will be offering a live webcast on its Facebook page.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Video credit: Rusty North America

Fred Hall Show opens Wednesday at Long Beach Convention Center

The 65th annual Fred Hall Show hits Southern California this week, opening Wednesday at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.

This extravaganza of exhibits and seminars is a must-visit for any outdoor enthusiast. Now subtitled the "Ultimate Outdoor Experience," the exhibitor list has grown to include hunting lodges, firearms manufacturers, outdoor adventures, shooting sports and fishing destination resorts worldwide.

But not to worry -- fishing will still be well represented in the approximately 500 vendor booths and 400 seminars taking place over five days.

There are plenty of activities for children as well, including a free trout fishing pond, archery and gun ranges, fishing video game contests, laser shot games, kids casting lanes and more. And entertaining for both young and old will be the return of the ever-popular Dock Dogs competition on the patio.

Another unique exhibit will feature a preview of "The Manzanar Fishing Club," a documentary film on the Japanese American internees who used to sneak out of the World War II relocation camp at Manzanar to fish the trout-filled waters of the Eastern Sierra.

"This is still a work in progress," said Cory Shiozaki, the filmmaker who organized the project scheduled for release later this year, "but we are thrilled to give an early look to our many friends in the fishing community here in Southern California."

Hours are 2 to 9:30 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $15 for adults, $14 for seniors and military members, and free for children 15 and younger with a paid adult.

The show then heads down to the Del Mar Fairgrounds March 24 through 27. Hours are noon to 8:30 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission to the Del Mar show is $13 for adults, $12 for seniors and military members and free for children 15 and younger with a paid adult.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: The 2010 Fred Hall Show in Long Beach was bustling with outdoor enthusiasts. Credit: Fred Hall Shows

'Ride with Larry' filmmakers surpass fundraising goal; will document 300-mile ride across South Dakota by cyclist with Parkinson's disease

The filmmakers of the "Ride with Larry" documentary are thrilled to report that they successfully reached their funding goal on Kickstarter.com, raising a total of $62,695 by the Tuesday deadline.

"We made it to the Kickstarter Hall of Fame as the 15th most-successful project of all time out of 4,000 funded projects since the website began," co-producer/co-director Andrew Rubin told Outposts.

The team's excitement and appreciation of those who contributed is apparent in this "Ride with Larry" blog post:

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE! YOUR SUPPORT MEANS THE WORLD TO THIS TEAM OF PASSIONATE ADVOCATE FILMMAKERS, TO LARRY, AND THIS CAUSE!

We LITERALLY couldn’t do it without you.

Featured in a Jan. 25 Outposts item, Vermillion, S.D., resident Larry Smith, 61, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease when he was 42, is the focus of the documentary that aims to put a human face on the day-to-day fight against Parkinson's. He's planning to bike 300 miles from Aberdeen, S.D., to his home in Vermillion, stopping along the way each night to speak with local support groups about the benefits of cycling, staying active and keeping positive with Parkinson's.

Smith continues to train for his June departure, albeit indoors because of the South Dakota snow keeping him from riding his recumbent bike around town. Both he and his wife, Betty, have been hitting the gym, where Smith is now clocking 17 miles in 40 minutes.

RELATED:

'Ride With Larry': Cyclist with Parkinson's disease to bike 300 miles across South Dakota

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: Larry and Betty Smith riding in Vermillion, S.D. Credit: Andrew Rubin / Ride with Larry

'Ride With Larry': Cyclist with Parkinson's disease to bike 300 miles across South Dakota

   

Avid cyclist Larry Smith was 42 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Now 61, the retired police captain is an inspiring sight around his hometown of Vermillion, S.D., because of his attitude and refusal to just stop living.

Smith, who owns Mister Smith's Bakery and Cafe in Vermillion, has become a familiar sight as he heads to work on his red recumbent bike.

"I know people that got diagnosed with Parkinson's, and they just gave up. Sat in a wheelchair and refused to get up," Smith said. "I'll never give up. Some day this will probably take me, but I'm not going to walk away from life."

He is now taking his message to the street -- about 300 miles of it. In June, Smith is planning to ride from Aberdeen, S.D. to his home in Vermillion, stopping along the way each night to speak with local support groups about the benefits of cycling, staying active and keeping positive with Parkinson's.

Big-wave surfer Mark Visser takes on Maui's 'Jaws' at night

 

Professional big-wave surfer Mark Visser made history early Thursday when he took on 30- to 40-foot waves at Jaws, off the shore of Maui. That's because the 28-year-old Australian went out surfing in the dark. Using specially engineered LED lighting built into a buoyancy vest and on the surfboard, Visser became the first to night surf the infamous break.

"It wasn't until I saw the pictures I realized how big it was," Visser said. "I had to go off feeling. It was the scariest but most exciting thing I have ever done."

With the guidance of a helicopter team overhead, which had a spotlight, Visser was towed in by Jet ski to take on the waves. The project, two years in the making, utilized lighting technology especially created to ensure the wave and board were lighted without hindering the vision of Visser, the Jet Ski drivers and the helicopter pilots.

"I am so pumped to achieve something that no one thought possible and that I was told couldn't be done," Visser said.

The action -- including glow-in-the-dark wipe-outs -- was caught on video, which already has more than 550,000 views since its posting Thursday on GrindTV.com.

This feat, called "The Night Rider," is the first of a series of extreme adventures for Visser, which will be compiled into a documentary titled "9 Lives," scheduled to be distributed in late 2011 or early 2012.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

 Video: Chris Mauro via GrindTV.com

Enter SOG's 'Are You The Gunny?' contest to win SHOT show admission and meet R. Lee Ermey

  

Think you've got what it takes to be "The Gunny?" If so, SOG Specialty Knives and Tools wants you -- to enter its "Are You The Gunny?" contest.

The most talented entrant with the grit, guts and gall to show his or her best impersonation of the one-and-only retired U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey, a.k.a. The Gunny, will win a trip for two to January's not-open-to-the-public Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas, plus get to meet The Gunny himself.

Ermey has a long history of film and TV appearances, recently as the "caring" therapist in the above GEICO commercial.

Entries may be submitted by uploading a video no longer than 4 minutes to YouTube and then posting the entry video to the SOG Facebook page. The submission deadline closes at noon on Dec. 21. Full contest details and rules are available online.

SOG will announce the top three entries on Dec. 23 on its Facebook page and then public voting will commence, closing at 5 p.m. Dec. 29. The grand prize winner will be announced Dec. 30, also on Facebook.

The SHOT show is the largest and most comprehensive exposition of firearms, ammunition, archery, cutlery, outdoor apparel, optics, camping and related products and services. Owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, admittance is restricted to the shooting, hunting and outdoor trade and to commercial buyers and sellers of military, law enforcement and tactical products and services.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Video: GEICO commercial featuring R. Lee Ermey. Credit: GEICO via YouTube

 

'127 Hours': How prepared are you?

In one of my favorite scenes in "127 Hours," in which James Franco plays Aron Ralston, who famously amputated an arm to rescue himself from Utah's Blue John Canyon, movie viewers are visually transported via flyover from the slot canyon where Franco/Ralston is trapped, back to his truck, where a left-behind bottle of Gatorade sits in the back.

Another scene shows him preparing for his trek from the point of view of a top shelf in his kitchen cabinet, his hand searching for a Swiss Army knife that he can't see and can't quite reach — and ultimately leaves behind. That sharp blade probably would have come in handy.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, thinking about it makes me wince — and not just because of the graphic amputation scene, which I glimpsed between squinted eyes. It made me think of forgotten gear and food, and omitted destination notification.

Daredevil adventurer descends into live volcano and has the video to prove it

 

The above video certainly fits into all the subhead categories on Outposts -- Outdoors, Action and Adventure.

Entitled "Most Incredible Volcano Footage Ever," the video shows extreme adventurer Drew Bristol as he ventures into Marum volcano on Ambrym Island in the South Pacific.

Bristol was part of a team led by New Zealand filmmaker/vulcanologist Geoff Mackley on an expedition 10 years in the planning.

On his website, Mackley describes the experience: "The incredible noise ... the heat ... the toxic gas ... the falling rocks ... the danger, nothing else in life will ever compare to the mind blowing rush of being  so close to a spectacle like this!"

44-year-old Mackley told the Daily Mail Online that while the video has gone viral on the Internet, it has also brought out the skeptics.

"I don't fake things," he said. "What would be the point of me traveling around the world to film volcanoes and earthquakes and then faking the footage?"

"Of course, you can fake anything in a studio these days, but that's not for me," added Mackley. "What you see from me is real."

The men are believed to be the first people who have ever dared venture so close to Marum volcano, located in the Vanuatu archipelago about 400 miles from Australia.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Video credit: YouTube

How to surf from your seat: California surf culture on the big screen this fall

As California’s summer south swells wane and surfers pray for a glimmer of last year’s El Nino magic, wave enthusiasts have plenty of options to whittle away the doldrums from the safety of their seats this fall.

Friday evening kicks off the opening of the New York Surf Film Festival, a three-day event, Sept. 24-26, dedicated to the best surf stories of the year at the Tribeca Theaters in New York. Angelenos will find plenty of local talent and turf on display in films including "180 South," produced by L.A. production company Woodshed Films, directed by Ojai native Chris Malloy and exquisitely shot by Los Angeles-based director of photography Danny Moder. The film retraces the 1968 trip by Patagonia founder Yvonne Choinard and North Face founder Doug Tompkins from Ventura to Patagonia through the eyes of Ventura adventurer Jeff Johnson.

Other West Coast films include "Stoked and Broke," by Orange County phenom Cyrus Sutton, and "Thrills, Spills and What Not," by and about Ventura surf star Dane Reynolds, both anecdotes to the slick high budget surf porn that has become all too common in the genre.

Southern California shapers are the subjects of San Diego artist/surfer Richard Kenvin’s short, "The Planning Totem," "A Brief History: Terry Martin" by Los Angeles director Tyler Manson, and "Shaping a Life" by Denise Galvao that profiles Oceanside shaper, big-wave surfer and contest organizer Gary Linden. 

Malibu Surfing Assn. MSA Classic kickoff party and benefit event Thursday at Malibu Wines

"No Leash Required," a special event to celebrate this year's Malibu Surfing Assn. MSA Classic surfing club competition, will be held Thursday beginning at 7 p.m. at Malibu Wines Tasting Room.

Honoring noted artist/photographer and Maneater Productions' director Steven Lippman and The Blue Project, proceeds from the evening will benefit SurfAid International.

The night includes food catered by Cal-Fresco and live music from Brett Dennen, Everest and KCRW disc jockey Mario Cotto, along with special guests Nia Peeples and Sam George. 

There will also be a live auction, with a chance to bid on items such as handcrafted surfboards, designer jewelry, clothing and works from world-renowned photographers, painters, sculptors and board-shapers.

Tickets are $50 presale or $60 at the door. Malibu Wines is at 31740 Mulholland Hwy. in Malibu.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Image courtesy of Maneater Productions / SurfAid International

Nathan Gocke, quadriplegic, will surf with world's top pros Saturday at the U.S. Open of Surfing

Nathan Gocke will be hitting the swells Saturday in Huntington Beach at the U.S. Open of Surfing, likely alongside some of the world's top surfers on the ASP World Tour -- defending champion Mick Fanning, nine-time titleholder Kelly Slater, current No. 1-ranked Jordy Smith. Gocke isn't an up-and-comer in the surfing community, but more of an up-and-doer. You see, Gocke is a quadriplegic, paralyzed at age 32 in a tragic surfing accident on his home break of Hermosa Beach in spring 2008.

Gocke will be participating in a very special surfing event, "They Will Surf Again," taking place at 2:15 p.m., to raise money for Life Rolls On, a division of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people affected by spinal cord injury by utilizing action sports as a platform.

Also joining Gocke in the surf Saturday will be Jesse Billauer, who was also paralyzed in a surfing accident. Billauer, the 2004 Nike Casey Martin Award winner, is a main source of inspiration for Gocke throughout the documentary film, "Floating: the Nathan Gocke Story," which follows Gocke through his rehabilitation journey. 

"Spending two years filming Nathan's recovery was a life-changing experience," said "Floating" director/producer Richard Yelland. "Nathan became a personal inspiration to me in how he was able to put his tragedy aside and focus on his ability -- to dream and realize it. 'Floating' is a story of one surfer whose journey is a declaration that we can endure and overcome."

"Floating" is in limited theatrical release and can also be seen on FUEL TV Thursday at 9:30 p.m. and again on Sept. 5 at the same time.

Here's hoping Outposts readers planning to be at the U.S. Open of Surfing this Saturday will take time to cheer on Gocke, and let him know how inspiring his determination is.

-- Kelly Burgess

twitter.com/latimesoutposts

Photo: Nathan Gocke catches a wave. Credit: Mike Gomez

'Project Save Our Surf: SURF 24' festival coming to Huntington Beach Saturday and Sunday

Project Save Our Surf: SURF 24, a two-day festival of surfing, music, film and community, will be hitting the shores of Huntington Beach on Saturday and Sunday.

Coinciding with International Surfing Day, the third-annual event will feature a 24-hour surfathon being held to benefit the Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Bay and the Orange County Department of Education program Inside the Outdoors.   

Co-hosted by actress and Project SOS founder Tanna Frederick as well as world champion surfers Shaun Tomson and Peter "PT" Townend, recreational and pro surfers will be joined by television and film celebrities competing to put up the best wave each hour from noon, Saturday to noon Sunday, vying for the "SURF 24 Surfer of the Year" trophy.

Surf luminaries participating include James Pribram, Matt Beacham, Mary Osborne, Buttons Kaluhiokalani, Angie Reno, John Philbin, Courtney Conlogue and Jon Rose, with more likely added.

Celebrity surfers scheduled to attend include Sam Trammell ("True Blood"), Jesse Spencer ("House"), Galen Gering ("Days of our Lives"), Sean Patrick Flanery ("Boondock Saints"), Chad Lowe ("24"), Michael Munoz ("The Amazing Race"), Zoe Bell ("Grindhouse"), Eric Balfour ("24"), Brandon Boyd ("Incubus"), Ingo Rademacher ("General Hospital"), David Chokachi ("Beyond the Break"), Gregory Harrison ("Trapper John, MD"), Chris Bruno ("The Dead Zone") and Pat Parnell (Fuel TV’s "The Daily Habit").

The opening ceremony will be Saturday at 11:30 a.m., with events scheduled throughout the day for the whole family, including live music, guest speakers, mural painting and volleyball, plus vendors offering food and other items. A surf-film program will begin at 8:30 p.m. on the Pier Plaza, featuring special appearances from the cast and creators of "North Shore."

Sunday will feature a beach breakfast at 8 a.m., with awards and the closing ceremony at noon.  

To register to surf, visit www.projectsaveoursurf.org or call (424) 781-0865. 

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: Actress and Project SOS founder Tanna Frederick will be co-hosting the Project Save Our Surf: SURF 24 festival this weekend in Huntington Beach. Credit: Lesley Bohm

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