Join us for our monthly Coffee and Culture program at our Main Street Branch Library.  This monthly event will feature various historical or cultural speakers on topics related to Huntington Beach, Orange County, and Southern California. 

Our July conversation invites you to come learn about the amazing George Freeth and SoCal Surf History!

Patrick Moser, professor of writing at Drury University and the editor of Pacific Passages: An Anthology of Surf Writing, will present his newest book Surf and Rescue: George Freeth and the Birth of California Beach Culture.  

Patrick Moser places Freeth’s inspiring life story against the rise of the Southern California beach culture he helped shape and define. Freeth made headlines with his rescue of seven fishermen, an act of heroism that highlighted his innovative lifeguarding techniques. But he also founded California's first surf club and coached both male and female athletes, including Olympic swimming champion and “father of modern surfing” Duke Kahanamoku. Often in financial straits, Freeth persevered as a teacher and lifeguarding pioneer--building a legacy that endured long after his death during the 1919 influenza pandemic.

Join us for this fascinating presentation. Enjoy a cup of coffee while you listen and learn something new about Southern California's amazing surf history.

*Doors will open at 5:30pm, program will begin promptly at 6:00pm.