by Garth Meyer
“BeachLife Ranch” second edition is complete.
“Just licking wounds,” said Co-founder Allen Sanford on Monday. “It was a super-successful but exhausting weekend. We put in our steps. I thought it went great. The first year people didn’t quite understand it, this time people were getting it, and our talent over-delivered.”
Numbers show a 25 percent increase in attendance from the first BeachLife Ranch a year ago, with 10,100 tickets sold for Friday, 8,200 Saturday and 8,300 Sunday, according to Katie Henley, Ranch marketing director.
The show is overseen by Sanford and now run by a group of mostly younger charges.
“We have a philosophy. When we started this, we first hired industry veterans. What I found is I like taking chances…” Sanford said. “And I get to spend my time on the creativity… It allows me to look at the vibe and the paint job. I don’t like anybody to see behind the curtain.”
Sanford and others go on a nightly patrol to watch the details; unlit areas, a section of fence that needs to be covered, placement of the 350 plants brought in.
“We do the patrols and make long punch lists that we execute,” Sanford said. “A normal eye wouldn’t even catch them, but you just feel good… We keep adding cooler and cooler plants.”
“The one thing I can’t teach is pride in the South Bay and passion for craft.”
Now that the BeachLife Ranch second edition is finished, Sanford was back on the phone Monday – as he has been for two months – working on the lineup for the next BeachLife in May 2024.
At this time last year, he told Easy Reader that Beachlife Ranch would be “bigger than BeachLife in two years.” Does he still think so?
“The turnout in May surprised me. The only adjustment is it’s a pretty big height to get to,” he said. “I still think it’s just massive and it’s just getting started.” ER
