In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the classic surf film, Five Summer Stories, a panel of notable surfers will come together to discuss the film’s influence on the sport, their lives, and careers. Panelists include Jeff Booth, Hans Hagen, Ryan Hitzel, Bob McKnight, Alisa Schwarzstein, and Steve Wood.

Advance tickets recommended.
Museum members: $20
Non-members: $30

Five Summer Stories is a cultural icon, a time capsule from a watershed era when the world was at a critical crossroads and its reflection was clear in the emerging sport/art of surfing. Against a backdrop of the Vietnam War and the Nixon years, Five Summer Stories was the culmination of the joint surf-film careers of Jim Freeman and Greg MacGillivray. Code named “The Last Surfing Movie” during production, the movie portrays a young, outlaw sport at a strategic point in its creative evolution, at a historical crux in time.

Jeff Booth is a Laguna Beach native and a former top 5 world ranked Professional Surfer. With over twenty-five years of experience in the action sports industry evolving from elite competitive athlete to national sales manager for several surf brands. He is the co-founder and head of sales and operations at Distant Local, a clothing brand that services private label needs for surf shops across the country. Booth is well-known and respected throughout the industry with strong relationships, work ethic and authenticity. He values the power of “culture” created by the surf lifestyle, and is an avid volunteer, donating time to multiple organizations and coaching the local surf team are natural extensions of his love for the ocean. Booth has multiple national amateur surfing titles with NSSA and US championships. He was runner-up in the 1984 and 1986 World Amateur titles for Juniors and Men’s competitions, Rookie of the Year in 1988 on the ASP Pro Surfing tour, and runner-up in the Pipeline Masters and G-Land Pro. Booth has been on the cover of several national and international surfing publications, as well as appeared in several surf movies including Endless Summer II, Slater Black n White, Quiksilver Performers II.

Outside of the competitive world, booth is a surfing coach for Thurston Middle School, and co-founder of the Laguna Beach High School Surfing Scholarship. He is also president of both the Laguna Beach Surf Club and Surfing America.

Hans Hagen is a former professional surfer and current director of the Mauli Ola Foundation who introduces surfing as a natural therapy for cystic fibrosis. Hagen produces events and gets in the water with those in need around the world over the past 30 years, Laguna Beach native Hans Hagen has consistently excelled in all surfing has to offer. From his discovery of new waves in the Spice Islands, India and beyond.  To multiple surfing titles and being the face of respected surf brands globally to collaborating on acclaimed films like Shelter, Thicker Than Water, Aquatopia, Shelter, Lost Prophets and Somewhere, Anywhere, Everywhere, Hagen is one of the few surfers who can say, “I’ve been there.”

Ryan Hitzel is the Founder and CEO of the adventure lifestyle brand, Roark. The fast-growing and critically acclaimed apparel company is distributed globally – building gear for the road less travelled with purpose and style in mind. The collections are inspired by far-flung destinations with a focus on culture and gear that meets the demands of rigorous adventure. Rooted in travel and surf, the chase for a character named Roark began in 2011 and has culminated with the 2022 release of a pictorial guide to the world entitled “Roaming,” published by Rizzoli.

Before founding Roark, Ryan began his career as a graphic designer in Action Sports apparel before moving into Advertising as an Art Director. During his time at Deutsch LA as a Creative Director, he worked on many high-profile campaigns winning awards for his work on brands like Volkswagen.

Ryan has drawn much of his inspiration from adventurism, fine art, global culture, and the many places he finds himself in between chasing waves – often off the beaten path. The stories of wanderlust passed on to him in the sand as kid remain the impetus of the hunt for Mr. Roark. Today, Ryan resides in his hometown of Laguna Beach with his wife Dianne, son Henry and daughter Claire.

Bob McKnight co-founded Quiksilver in 1976 and has served as the company’s President, CEO and Chairman of the Board since its inception until 2015. Under his watch, Quiksilver grew from a startup to a worldwide corporation with revenues of $2.5 Billion. Today, Quiksilver, Inc. has merged with the Billabong Group and is now called “Boardriders Inc.” Boardriders is a globally diversified, world leader in outdoor lifestyle apparel and hardgoods with their seven main brands of Quiksilver, Roxy, DC. Billabong, RVCA, Element and Von Zipper. The company has over 5000 employees, operates in over 100 countries and has close to 700 retail stores in the world. Bob served on the Quiksilver Inc. NYSE Board as Chairman for 27 years. Today Bob serves as a consultant and Ambassador to the company and manages the Boardriders Foundation.

Bob currently resides in Laguna Beach, CA with his wife Annette and their three children, Kristi, Roxy and Robbie. Bob grew up in San Marino, California and attended San Marino High School, graduating in 1971. Bob graduated from USC in 1976, with an undergraduate degree in Business Management. He is also on the Board of The Wrigley Institute and The Ocean Institute in Dana Point.  He continues to teach classes in finance and entrepreneurship annually at USC, UC Irvine and Stanford.

Alisa Schwarzstein Cairns moved to Laguna Beach as a youngster from NY in 1974. Once in Laguna Beach she quickly found Surfing, Skateboarding and the Arts. As a 15-year-old, while a student at Laguna Beach High School, she won the 1980 World Amateur Surfing Championships held in Biarritz, France and helped the US Team secure 1st overall. While an Amateur surfer, she compiled one of the best records of any surfer in history, winning every major title including two-time National Champion, two-time US Champion, California High School Champion and a member of the National Team and US team for six years. Alisa was fortunate to travel the world and surf successfully winning numerous international competitions as well. School, sports and the Arts were always important, and she went to UCLA in 1982 with a Festival of Arts scholarship courtesy of a Ceramic Business she did in High School and some small surfing scholarships.

Alisa continued her studies at UCLA while turning pro in 1984 and was awarded the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) Rookie of the Year Award finishing in the Top 8 of her first year on tour while still going to school full time. Graduating in 1986 with a Sociology Degree she finished her highest year on the ASP 4th in World, placing near the top in a number of events including a 2nd in The World Cup at Haleiwa, HI held in 8-10ft surf. Alisa not only competed for many years, successfully on the ASP, but also won US Professional titles competing and winning on the Bud Tour. She also spent about 10 years as the Women’s Representative on the ASP Board of Directors, had a local newspaper column, was a surfing and snowboarding judge both for the amateurs and professionals and coached the Laguna Beach High School Surf Team as it became an accredited Varsity Sport. In 1987-88 was Inducted in the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and in 2012 was the Women of The Year and Inducted in The Surfing Walk of Fame.

Alisa helped run ASP North America and multiple Professional sporting events with her husband Ian Cairns, former Professional Surfer and the founder of the ASP, and has twin boys Ethan and Malachai. Alisa’s love of the Arts came from her parents, and they supported her in every way throughout her surfing career. Her late father Richard Schwarzstein, an Attorney, was on many Boards of Directors in the Arts, including the Laguna Beach Art Museum, LCAD, and the OC Philharmonic, just to name a few, and took her to her many surf events around the world. Her mother, Sande, an Artist, was right there by her side and was instrumental in the move to Laguna Beach, along with the ceramic business.

Alisa still lives in Laguna Beach with her husband Ian and surfs as much as she can with the same surf stoke she has always had. You can usually spot her around town, out at Thalia or Brooks St. Alisa still helps coach the Laguna Beach High School Surf Team. She also works as the E-commerce and Customer Service Manager for Agit Global helping sell foam products like Surfboards, Bodyboards, SUPs and Sleds.

Steve Wood was living his dream life, living on the beach at 38th Street in Newport Beach and surfing every available moment when he wasn’t attending Newport Harbor High.  His world came tumbling down when hist father was transferred to Dallas, Texas.  He spent $125 of pity money his grandmother gave him and bought a cheesy electric guitar, started a band with a guy in his geometry class and within 2 years had a number 4 record on the local pop radio station.

When he returned to Newport Beach, he realized he was not going to continue his plan of attending college and being a dentist, but rather started the legendary Southern California band Honk, famous for the music in the cult classic film “Five Summer Stories”.  He went on to become Kenny Loggins’ musical director for 10 years where he co-wrote several songs with Kenny and helped arrange and record “Footloose”.  His multifaceted career went on to include a Clio award winning stint with Stevie Wonder along with producing and writing for a variety of recording artists. He also worked for the Sony Classical label which included his production of PBS specials, one filmed at the Colosseum in Rome and another with the Boston Pops.

He is probably best known for his work with Greg MacGillivray in the IMAX documentary field where he scored nearly 30 films and received 7 best soundtrack awards, the most by any composer.  That work allowed him to work with George Harrison, Sting (2 Oscar nominated films), Brian May of Queen, Dave Matthews Band, Paul McCartney, The Moody Blues and a host of other international musical luminaries.

He is currently playing music with his best friend and wife of 50 years, Beth Fitchet Wood (also of Honk).  He recently released an album of his original songs called Junk Drawer which has been #1 on the independent Roots Music Report for 10 weeks.