Villanueva, far left; Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres, center in striped maroon sweater; and Bruce Howard, far right in yellow vest

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO—Seven members of a California Rotary club joined with about 20 local Rotarians and Rosarito residents Saturday in an event to demonstrate this tourist area is perfectly safe for visitors.

The event organized by Rotarians from Cambria, California was officially a beach maintenance session but Bruce Howard, past president of that club, said its main purpose was to help eliminate inaccurate perceptions that have developed in the U.S.

“We want to tell people that Baja is safe,” said Howard, who owns a vacation home in Rosarito. “We’re coming down, we love coming down and we feel safe and welcome and comfortable here.”

Howard said media coverage of the Mexican government’s aggressive crackdown on drug cartels, including some sensationalized stories, has created the impression among some in the U.S. that the area is unsafe for visitors.

“Those of us who love this area and visit it often know that is not true,” Howard said. “But unfortunately the perception is seen as reality by many and it has badly hurt the economy and many people here.”

Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres thanked Howard and those attending for their effort: “We appreciate you thinking of Rosarito and trusting us when we say that we’re truly safe for visitors.”

Howard also urged all the Rotarians to send news of the event to their local papers in the U.S. Joining Howard for the trip from Cambria were Sharon Harvey, Socorro Simmons, David May, Tommy Howard, Vikki Hansen and Dennis White.

Members of the two local clubs, Club Playas de Rosarito and the Rotary Club of Rosarito, also helped organize the event and participated. The clubs will join together for future events also, said Rosarito Rotarian Jorge Villanueva.

Some of the Rotarians wore yellow vests for the beach maintenance, which took about two hours. “The beaches are cleaner here than the ones at home,” Howard said.

Some local residents as well as Rosarito Rotarians and members of the city’s Convention & Visitors Bureau also joined in. Howard said several Rotarians from clubs in Southern California as well as Wyoming also participated.

ROSARITO CONTACT:
Ron Raposa
(619)948-3740
ronraposa@hotmail.com

U.S. ROTARY CONTACT:
Bruce Howard
(805) 909-0780
bruce@brucehowardrealtor.com

Sand Sculpture

Baja Sand 2009 will be held from 10 to 6 p.m. that Sunday in front of the Rosarito Beach Hotel. The exhibition and amateur competition is a prelude to the first full-scale sand sculpting competition which is scheduled for May 2 of 2010.

Half of the profits from the 2010 event will be donated to the Rosarito Boys & Girls Club.

“We’re very excited about this inaugural event and think it’s a perfect fit for this city with its miles of beautiful coastline and tradition of artistic creations,” said Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres.

Registration and further information is available at info@rosarito.org, rosaritotur@baja.gob.mx or by calling 661-612-0200 or 661-612-0396 in Mexico or 619-730-1871 in the United States.

The creation of elaborate sand sculptures is a popular event on beaches throughout the world, including an annual competition in Imperial Beach which attracts some of the best global teams and hundreds of thousands of fascinated spectators.

Raul Aragon, Rosarito’s delegate from the Baja State Secretary of Tourism office, an organizer of the event, said that planning has been going on for month to make Baja Sand 2009 a memorable and successful attraction.

The event will follow by one day the 30th-year edition of the Rosarito-Ensenada 50-Mile Fun Bike Ride, which attracts thousands of riders, and the same day as the Rosarito chamber of restaurants annual steak and lobster festival.

“It will create an incredible fun-filled weekend here,” Aragon said. “Both longtime fans of sand sculpting and those who have never seen this incredible activity before will have an amazing day.”

Although this event is an amateur competition Archisand, one of the top teams in the world, is being brought in to give an exhibition the day of the contest.

Archisand, a team of architects and craftsmen, was founded by in 1989 by Greg LeBon. It has won the 10-man division of the U.S. Open at Imperial Beach six of the past nine years. More than 300,000 people attend that annual competition.

“People will be amazed at what Archisand and create from simple sand,” Aragon said. “It truly does qualify as exceptional sculpture.”

To help amateurs prepare for this year’s competition, Rosarito sand sculptor Raul Ocegera will give workshops this Saturday and Sunday from 9 to 1 on the beach in front of the hotel.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Ron Raposa
619-948-3740
ronraposa@hotmail.com

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