HB's Famous Golden Bear Officially Honored

By C. MacDonald

Huntington Beach, CA--You could "feel the love" as a plaque was recently unveiled marking the site of the legendary Golden Bear (306 Pacific Coast Highway) where performers like No Doubt, John Denver, Jimi Hendrix, Judy Collins, The Byrds, Jan and Dean, B.B. King, Jimmy Buffet, Steve Martin, The Doors, Robin Williams, Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia and The Smothers Brothers thrilled spectators in an intimate setting.

"It was like you were in somebody's house," recalled longtime surfer, Gary Sahagen. "So intimate… You could get right up next to the stage and feel you were part of the act."

"Going to the Bear was like having a concert in your living room," said Dan McCoy, a former Hollywood stuntman, who frequented the restaurant which became known internationally as a star-studded rock n' roll nightclub. "Even if you didn't have money to enter, you could stand outside the side door off Main Street and listen to the music for free." Many heard the music from the beach across the street.

The fun-filled place featured all types of entertainers--from rock and folk to country and comedy. It was a place where you watched people like Van Halen and Cheech and Chong open shows on their way up and other groups, once famous, performing on their way down.

"It was a ‘happening,' just getting to experience the Bear," said Mary Landau, who loved seeing Leon Russell and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. "There was much excitement and a buzz in the air. It made you feel so good, so open, so free."

"Getting to see so many different entertainers each week really spoiled you," said Debbie Stock, who saw Spirit, Gary Busey, Mary Kay Place and others there. "B.B. King was one of my favorites and I was working at the Huntington Beach Inn, when he came in for coffee one night. He left me a $100 tip!"

On another occasion, King's band was staying at the Inn and one of its members overslept and came rushing into the Coffee Shop, looking for his group. They had already left for the Golden Bear. I was getting off and volunteered to drive him and got him there just in time."

"The audience, the acts and the employees were like family," said Carole Babiracki-Kirby, a co-owner of the Golden Bear, with her late husband Rick Baboracki and his brother Chuck from 1974 to 1986. "When we started out, we didn't know what we were doing but the entertainers and our guests loved us and the venue, which had been at this same location since 1929. The world's greatest artists would come here and often work on their acts before heading out on tour. One week, we had Robin Williams trying out new jokes for his ‘Mork and Mindy' TV show."

"You never knew who you'd see. Our performers were so sensational that even The Rolling Stones, Cher, Peter Frampton and Helen Reddy popped in to check them out. I'll always remember how the entire building shook when Steppenwolf played ‘Born to Be Wild.'"

The Golden Bear was creating lifelong memories for thousands of guests, musicians and singers. But, it too, would soon become a memory. The building reportedly did not meet Earthquake Codes and stood in the way of redevelopment plans. Robin Trower was the last act. The bear went into hibernation and closed its doors for the final time on January 29, 1986. "While we were packing, it began to rain inside the kitchen," said Carole. "Almost like the Bear was crying goodbye!" It would be torn down.

Bill Anderson, a world-renown artist, was a leader on Huntington Beach's Allied Arts Board, who tried to save it from the wrecking ball. "It was a unique, art deco architectural beauty with an amazing history that should have been saved," said Anderson, whose paintings of it were featured at the plaque unveiling and a Golden Bear reunion in the Waterfront Hilton several years ago.

"After its demise, visitors from around the World often came to the HB International Surfing Museum asking questions and looking for mementoes of The Golden Bear," said HB Ambassador and former museum board member, Chris MacDonald. "There was so much interest in it that I thought there should be at least a star in the sidewalk with its name at the exact location of the building's main entrance. Carole showed me where that was and I approached the city and business owners."

Carole and others kept working to keep the Bear memories alive. There have been Golden Bear exhibits at the surfing museum and the HB Art Museum. The city and the HB Historic Resources Board created a plaque for the building standing where it once stood. "Nothing could ever replace what happened at the Bear," said HB City Councilman Joe Carchio, who along with Mayor Matthew Harper, Carole and others, wanted to make sure the memories would remain alive. Working with the city, the resources board designed a plaque, which was placed on a building pillar, south of Main Street, off Pacific Coast Highway. Board Chair Duane Wentworth, said the Bear was more than just a legend but a temple to music that was appreciated the world over.

Now, thanks to everyone involved, many people can stop at this spot and appreciate their memories of amazing times past. Even visitors who never heard of the Bear, can read about its significant, sensational past. And, all will know where the Bear once "roared."