Press Release:

 

RON JON SURF SHOP BEACH ‘N BOARDS FEST TO DEBUT MARCH 6-10, 2013 IN COCOA BEACH

 

ECO-CONSCIOUS BOARD SPORTS, FILM AND MUSIC EVENT TO BE AN ACTION SPORTS SPRING BREAK DESTINATION

 

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — (June 15, 2012) — Ron Jon Surf Shop and event partner Mitch Varnes have created a one-of-a-kind board sports event set to debut next March in Cocoa Beach.

 

Beach ‘N Board Fest, which will be held March 6-10, 2013, will encompass an array of board sports, including surf, skate, skim, wake-skate, paddle and kite boarding, in both competitive and exhibition formats. Surfing will be the centerpiece of the weekend with both collegiate and junior pro surfing competitions taking place.

 

The event will kick off with the inaugural Board Sports Film Festival and continue with on-going live music and comedy performances, and a collegiate beach volleyball tournament in addition to the boarding events. As an alcohol-free event, Beach ‘N Boards Fest provides an action-packed alternative to spring breakers.

 

Beach ‘N Boards Fest stands apart from other action sports festivals as it does not restrict attendees to spectatorship, offering an interactive experience with most boarding activities available to spring breakers as well as contests and other activities to be announced later.

 

The Beach ‘N Boards Fest will take place at two sites in Cocoa Beach. “The River Site” located off of SR 520 just east of the causeway and “The Beach Site” at Shepard Park. Event organizers hope to draw Florida residents and spring breakers from throughout the Southeast.

 

“We are thrilled to partner with Mitch Varnes for this truly exciting event that we hope to grow into one of the most successful and entertaining festivals along the east coast of the United States,” said Debbie Harvey, president and COO of Ron Jon Surf Shop. “Beach ‘N Boards Fest will provide an array of entertainment options for the entire family.”

 

“This is going to be a really fun event for our community and for all who attend and participate,” said Varnes. “Ron Jon Surf Shop has for years been the biggest backer of surfing events in Florida, and the Space Coast is the epicenter of surfing in Florida. So, it is only fitting that we bring all the boarding sports together here in Cocoa Beach.”

 

Entertainment and sports aside, Beach ‘N Boards Fest will be a model of sustainability with organizers striving for a zero-waste event.

 

“We are particularly interested in Mitch’s commitment to having a minimal impact on the environment,” said Harvey.

 

“We intend to recycle and composte all waste generated during this festival,” Varnes added. “We have a good relationship with the sustainability group at Florida Tech, and they will be assisting us in our preservation efforts.”

 

Mitch Varnes is an Indialantic resident who co-founded the University of Central Florida surf team in 1983 and later the Collegiate Surfing Association. From 2005-2010, he produced the Sebastian Inlet Pro, which is the east coast’s richest-ever multi-year professional surfing event. He also created the Melbourne Music Marathon Weekend, east central Florida’s premiere weekend distance running event.

 

Ron Jon Surf Shop was founded in 1959 by surfing enthusiast Ron DiMenna. Two years later, he opened a tiny oceanside shop in Long Beach Island, N.J. The lifestyle-apparel and board-sports-equipment retailer has since opened stores in Cocoa Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Ft. Myers, Key West, Panama City Beach, Fla., Myrtle Beach, S.C. and the newest location in Clearwater Beach, Fla. The flagship store in Cocoa Beach is the world’s largest surf shop. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.