Shape-off : photo courtesy Sacred Craft

Industry News

Tribute to the Masters Shape-off to honor Santa Barbara's John Bradbury

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 3 January, 2009 : - - Surfers spoke. Organizers listened. Realizing the huge demand for a surfboard festival beyond San Diego, the organizers of the Sacred Craft Consumer Surfboard Expo are producing one of their expos in Ventura, Ca. during the spring of 2009.

Booth registration and sponsorship marketing opportunities are now available for the 2009 SACRED CRAFT Consumer Surfboard Expo Ventura. SACRED CRAFT Ventura takes place May 16 & 17 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds at C Street.

Ventura GirlWith the super fun and consistent C Street point 50 yards from the expo hall the opportunity for public board demos is ideal. Sponsorship opportunities include shaping bays, music stage, seminar area, film theater, and many others. On top of that organizers have kept vendor costs way down; 10' x 10' booths are available for $550 and booth space includes pipe, drape, flooring and electricity.

"As expected, we are already seeing an early run on booth space," said Expo Director Scott Bass. "Surfers in LA, Ventura and Santa Barbara now have an opportunity to meet the craftsman who design their boards. With C Street as a back drop, SACRED CRAFT Ventura will be a great place to celebrate the surfboard."

In keeping with the expo's philosophy of paying homage to fallen surfboard industry legends, SACRED CRAFT will be honoring Santa Barbara shaping icon John Bradbury.

Bradbury is a highly influential Santa Barbara shaper/surfer learning his craft under the tutelage of legend Renny Yater.

Bradbury was a 'local's local' and the epitome of the local shaper with a faithful clientele of underground wave riders, a shaping bay in his backyard, and a keen eye on approaching swells.

Through the '60s and '70s, Bradbury's "Creative Freedom" logo was synonymous with the underground Santa Barbara surfing scene. In the mid-eighties he was among a handful of board builders who began experimenting with polystyrene epoxy.

Bradbury's lightweight contemporary designs caught the attention of top pros such as Martin Potter, Cheyne Horan and Brad Gerlach. Sadly, Bradbury died of leukemia in 1999.

Ten years later, in the spring of 2009, six regional shapers will honor Bradbury's legacy in the "Tribute to the Masters Shape-off" by replicating a classic Bradbury design.

"I'm super stoked to see my dad and his work honored in this fashion," said John's son Josh Bradbury. "My dad's time on this earth was too short, but thankfully people still appreciate his shaping skills and more importantly, what a great person he was."

The Ventura SACRED CRAFT will feature shapers, shaping demonstrations, public board demos, seminars, surf flicks, local musicians, artists, a loamy vibe, and, of course, the world's finest state-of-the-art surfboards. SACRED CRAFT Consumer Surfboard Expo will also produce an expo at the Del Mar Fairgrounds during the second week of October 2009. Plans are already underway for an expo in Huntington Beach in the spring of 2010.

SACRED CRAFT is proudly sponsored, in part, by SURFER Magazine. Look for our ad in SURFER's Surfboard Buyers Guide as well as SURFER Magazine on sale April 2009.

* WHO: Surfboard lovers from all over
* WHAT: SACRED CRAFT Consumer Surfboard Expo Ventura
* WHEN: May 16 & 17 2009
* WHERE: Ventura County Fairgrounds, Surfers Point
* WHY: Because surfers really only care about two things: Waves and the equipment to ride them with.

www.sacredcraftexpo.com

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Scott Bass

Industry - Surfersvillage