Sleeping Bear Surf was established from, and survives upon, a foundation of joy. Our mama, Beryl, yearned to share the magic of her backyard, and the unparalleled joy of playing in waves, with all who walked through her door. Her contagious laughter has carried Sleeping Bear Surf through two decades, fostering a mission of human to human, and human to big lake, connection. Now, as we step into our 20th year, it will be joy that carries us, too. Enter, the first ever “Beryl Days” – a shindig with joy & Beryl’s childlike energy as the centerpiece of the weekend! Join us as we hoot & holler, giggle & squeal, play & party our way onward, into the next 20!
Paddle-outs are a long standing tradition in the surf community – a beautiful tribute to the life & legacy of a leader.
Historically, the act of gathering in a circle in the arms of the lake symbolizes how the water brings people together. Beryl’s mission was deeply rooted in connecting people to the power of the Lakes & fostering community through joyous freshwater play.
Friday, we paddle out and come together – for Beryl.
If you feel moved to join us, be ready to hit the water at the Empire Public Beach Lighthouse at 6:30pm.
What to Bring:
~ Any non-motorized, human-powered craft
~ Leashes for all Surf craft & SUPs
~ PFDs for all paddlers on SUPs or in boats
~ A natural offering if you so wish (SBS will be providing flowers)
You do not need to paddle out to participate in this gathering – please feel free to join us along the shore if you so choose becaaaause…
Onwards into the Night:
We will be hosting an extra special Wine & Cheese on the wall – a classic, casual gathering of good folk, new friends & old that happens weekly, every Friday night, per our 15+ year tradition. All are welcome, always.
What to Know:
~ It’s a tailgate, potluck style! Bring a dish or drink offering to share!
If you are unable, holy moly don’t sweat it and we will be so tickled that you have joined us!
Only bring a contribution if your capacity allows and your heart calls you to do so!
A full day of silly-fun games & activities for the whole family – from seasoned watermen to little groms. Rally a relay team, practice your stone skippin’, perfect your sand castle buildin’, your cherry pit spittin’, and old school moves on a skate board.
1:00pm Dig Time!
Led by local sand castle extraordinaire Adam Scarborough – yes, this is one of his masterpieces!
What to Know:
Join us on the beach for a fun, hands-in-the-sand build-off centered around creativity, community, & classic fun!
~ All ages and levels are encouraged to partake!
~ You may bring any tools to craft your creation! No power tools please ; )
~ We will have some sand castle building toys etc on site too for anyone to use as they desire!
There will be a treasure awarded for the most extraordinary sand creation!
Join stone-thrower extraordinaire Mike King for the “Below Amateur Stone Skipping Competition”; a high-vibe, low-key, and equally super-duper-serious stone skipping competition to share in the simple and joyous art of bouncing rocks across water!
What to Know:
This is an every man for themselves battle at the beach!
~ You will have six consecutive throws each
~ The participant with the highest number of skips in one throw wins
~ There will be a tie breaker if we do come to a tie
~ Skips will be counted with cell phone slow-mo & to the best of our abilities
What to Bring:
~ Your prized super-skippin’ stones! (Stones can not be artificial or meddled with!)
You will have 6 throws, plus a potential tie breaker of 3 throws, as well as a warm up period. We recommend bringing, or finding at least 10 stones. Mike is already carrying his treasured stones around in a satchel – this is serious business.
Disclaimer: Please rock hunt responsibly – stones may not be taken from within the National Lakeshore. : )
KICK OFF TIME 2:00pm SHARP with Ella & Mike
This is going to be a silly-high-vibe, extremely ridiculous, laughter-inducing bracket-style relay race to remember!
We recommend teams of five although you could partake with less, doubling up on segments of the race.
Alright, here’s the breakdown:
1 sack race / 2 bear crawl & barrel rolling / 3 paddling a surfboard / 4 swimming / 5 running
What to Know:
~ This event is designed for the child at heart but is open to all ages
~ All teams will be stacked in brackets and put head to head with one other team.
The winner will then move on to compete with the winner of the corresponding bracket and so forth.
~ As it comes down to two teams, there will be a final challenge to bring the winner across the finish line!
~ We are encouraging pre-registration so we can build out brackets!
If you would like to show up day-of without registering, please do so at 1:30pm ” )
What to Bring:
~ Your game face!!!
~ Wear attire that can get wet! This is, of course, a Sleeping Bear Surf event! There may be suprises!
~ You should therefore also bring a change of clothes so you can stick around the rest of the evening!
Sponsored by Sleeping Bear Surf
Bring out all your pre-loved, dusty, beauteous or beat up sarf gear!
Boards, suits, fins, board bags… we’re down with it as long as you think it is worthy of finding a new home!
You may drop off your goods day of the event, or Friday (11:00am – 5:00pm) the day prior. We’ll give you a fancy shmancy price tag for you to set the price and then your gear will be placed outside next to the shop, alley side, through 5:00pm to sell, swap, trade – whatever you fancy.
If your goods find a new home you get to pocket 90% of the sale! The remaining 10% goes to support the shop.
The alley way will be closed off and ready for shred! This event is designed to let creativity & classic fun rip wild on boards!
Pig* style games judged by attendees (with the support of our team!) :
Hippy jump Comp / Slalom / Quarter pipe / Limbo / Manual Comp
Sponsored by SBS & Sector 9 Skateboards
Big fun for the whole family (big kids too)!
Tie-Dye booth, face painting, yard games, pin the pig on the surfboard, and more!
Music kicks off at 4:00pm! 4 incredible acts, with inspiring speakers, stories & a special screening in between!
We feel so unbelievably lucky to have such remarkable artists joining us for the evening. This is going to be quite the night of musical magic.
Enjoy a soul-filled, finger pickin’ set from local legend Patrick Neimisto, be serenaded by the sugar-sweet voice of Allie Kessel, sway & groove to the Skinny Limbs and boogie down to The Go Rounds!!
Holy moly we are soo excited.
9:30am Beach Yoga with Jessica Shelton of Sleeping Bear Yoga
10:00am Beach Cleanup with Hannah Tizedes at The Cleanup Club to give a little back to this unbelievably special place!
11:00am Enjoy a Sunday “Sip n’ Dip” – a Community Plunge and Goodies from our friends at The Mill
Reserve your site now at Backyard Burdickville.com!
