Vernon Rail of Southport has been surfing since 1964, the same year the movie “The Endless Summer” debuted. The movie is about surfers from California traveling all over the world in search of the perfect wave

On Wednesday, July 23, the Harbor Theatre showed the classic movie, and in the lobby of the theatre were two antique surfboards brought in by Rail. The movie will be shown again this Thursday, July 31, at 7 p.m.

“I wanted to get some interest and help the theatre out,” Rail sail. “And pay homage to a groundbreaking movie. “The Endless Summer” was the first movie that really focused on the surfing lifestyle of travel and meeting people.

“It was very eye-opening to me when I first saw it. As an undergraduate I studied marine science and the movie resonated with me, opened my eyes to the beauty of the natural world and getting a chance to be part of the complexity.”

Rail still surfs and paddle-boards to this day. He fondly remembers wiping out on his board and swimming after it until surf “leashes” were created so the board would stay attached to surfers. He recently visited the Maine Maritime Museum, which currently has a small exhibit with Maine-built wooden surfboards.

“There is a history of surfing wherever you are near water,” Rail said. “Not just California, but Long Island has a rich surf culture, and Maine as well. Once they started creating wetsuits out of neoprene, the cold water became less of an issue than it used to be.”