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The seventy-year-old Bay Theatre officially received its second lease on life Saturday as surfers and surfer families from throughout Southern California braved a light drizzle to fill the more than 300 seats to see the film “The Harbour Chronicles.”
Theatre owners Paul and Nichole Dunlap, project manager Ben Ahle, and the investors who helped fund the restoration were present to see the former Fox Theatre fill to standing-room-only capacity for the evening.
Saturday evening was the debut, of sorts, for two lengthy efforts, a nine-year restoration of the Bay Theatre and a 13-year effort by former firefighter Chris Sardelis to capture the legacy of Seal Beach surfboard shaper Rich Harbour.
The documentary film traces the dedication of the late Harbour Surfboards, who was largely responsible for making Seal Beach ground zero for surfing and growing surf culture here, beginning in the 1950s.
In a way, it was like that theatre and surfing had grown up together as well and were now getting their proper due.
Former surfer dudes, and gals, came from throughout the area to enjoy the “epic film.”
Dunlap and Sardelis opened the evening by speaking to the capacity crowd on a stage lined with Harbour Surfboards and a cutout of Rich.
Dunlap welcomed the large crowd with the humble words of a man who has overcome much during the nine-year restoration. “I’m so happy to see everyone here tonight,” said Dunlap, noting that the rebuilt stage and theatre will not only show movies but serve as an event space for the city.
I’m very excited but I’ve never done this before so I’m a bit nervous,” said Sardelis before going on stage. “I want it to go well.” Once on stage, dressed in a black tuxedo and matching sneakers, Sardelis gave a short history of the 13-year film, thanking several members of the audience who contributed to finishing the film.
“This is a very special night for all of us,” said Robert Howson, the owner of Harbour Surfboards, who once rode on the Harbour Surfboard team and later came into the business with Rich to run the business side.
Once the film started, the audience often burst into cheers and applause as they saw scenes of their youth and watched surfing icons from Seal Beach and nearby take to the waves.
It brought back memories for many.
John Hall, originally of Long Beach but now liveing in Huntington Beach, said he came because he surfed with Sardelis in their youth. “Chris had balance like nobody’s business,” Hall remembers.
“I would take the bus. I’d take my surfboard down to the end of 72nd place, paddle across, and surf the main channel. And that was back in the day when after you rode your last wave, you’d take off your trunks and put them on your head and back,” he laughed.
Trevor Downs, a teacher and surfer from Monrovia, said he helped Rich form the Harbour Owners Society more than 20 years ago.
“Rich was always ahead of his time,” said Downs, remembering how before the age of today’s media, Harbour had a very rough software through which he would keep in touch with all his surfer customers.
“Rich would regularly have us come down to the shop and he would show home movies of surfers,” said Downs.
“We started something called the Harbour Owners Society where a bunch of guys online would talk to Rich and he would actually get on there and answer questions about surfboards and so it was all online before really Facebook was big or anything like that,” said Downs.
After the film, theatregoers even posted about event online.
“The film was epic, the Bay theatre was spectacular, and the crowd was stoked beyond words,” posted William Thomas on Instagram.
Nicole Dunlap, Paul’s wife, said it’s been a crazy decade, but she never doubted the Bay Theatre would be finished.
“It’s kind of crazy, you know, because, for the past eight years, this has been my life and Paul’s life. I think it’s going to bring a lot of happiness to the city, and I think it’s going to bring a lot of people together.”
“My husband is a freaking lion. Nothing will stop him. We’ve been through COVID, lockdowns, break-ins, and our architect passed away, but it just made us more driven to get it done. I always tell them to hold the vision and trust the process.”
“This took a very special person and a very special team to make this happen, but we’re here,” she said
For project manager Ben Ahle, it was an interesting night. Ahle painstakingly interpreted Dunlap’s vision and led multiple teams of workers to complete every aspect of the restoration over the nine years.
“It is a very bittersweet evening,” for me, said a smiling Ahle.
“It is kind of ironic that after all that, I’m popping popcorn for everybody,” he said.
“We are finally ready for the public to come see our place.”
