$3M facelift does wonders for Hazel, the 17,000-pipe organ
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, June 15. I’m Carol Cormaci, bringing you today’s TimesOC newsletter with the latest roundup of news and events.
Some joyous noise has been generated in recent weeks out of Hazel, the painstakingly restored pipe organ at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, I learned last night after reading a story by my colleague, Sarah Mosqueda.
The 17,000-pipe, 300-stop, 250-rank instrument, donated in 1982 by Hazel Wright to what was then known around the globe as the Crystal Cathedral, famous for its “Hour of Power” broadcast led by the late telegenic pastor, Robert H. Schuller, was sorely in need of some TLC. That ministry had fallen into bankruptcy by 2010, services stopped, the organ went silent and the huge glass church with its surrounding property was sold to the Catholic Diocese of Orange.
“The heat and humidity inside the mostly glass building melted parts of the organ, and birds made nests in the pipes that stretch five stories tall,” Mosqueda writes.
The ignominy of it all must have been nearly too much for one organ to bear.
But then, in 2014, the Diocese, which recognized the need to bring Hazel back to her former glory, undertook the massive effort. The pipes were shipped back to their original builders in Padua, Italy for refurbishing. When that work was done two years later, everything had to be put back together properly of course, a project that takes a lot of time. And, you guessed it, the pandemic delayed the work far beyond expectations.
All’s well now. The work is complete and Hazel was properly blessed on June 10. “Josep Solé Coll, principal organist of St. Peter’s Basilica and organist for the liturgical celebrations of Pope Francis, traveled from Vatican City to play for the celebration,” Mosqueda reported.
It was apparently a fitting tribute. The very Rev. Christopher H. Smith, Episcopal vicar and rector of Christ Cathedral, who is also a trained organist, says the reawakened Hazel is “magnificent.”
MORE NEWS
— We still have almost three weeks before the Fourth of July is upon us, but already police and fire officials are reporting arrests of people using illegal fireworks this season. Through undercover operations, officers have so far seized more than 600 pounds of contraband explosives being sold in Costa Mesa and recently assisted in the seizure of another 1,000 pounds in San Bernardino, police reported a week ago today.
— As numbers continued to be released from the June primary it became clear U.S. Rep. Young Kim successfully beat back a last-minute challenge from a fellow Republican, Mission Viejo City Councilman Greg Raths, and will face off with Democrat Asif Mahmood in the fall election for the seat centered in inland Orange County.
— Speaking of elected officials, Huntington Beach is the only city in Orange County that elects its city attorney. Michael Gates was first elected as city attorney in 2014, and he and the City Council have openly clashed in the past. There is a move afoot, via city charter amendments, to make the city attorney role an appointed position instead. The council will talk June 21 about putting a measure on the November ballot that would ask Huntington Beach voters to weigh in on the amendments, which have been proposed by a committee.
— More than $200,000 worth of stolen Lululemon stretch leggings were recovered in a La Habra apartment by California Highway Patrol investigators who had been alerted of a shipment made from the Midwest. The CHP said the products were stolen from various Lululemon locations, including stores in Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.
— Former Newport Beach resident and attorney Michael Avenatti, 51, currently housed at the federal prison on Terminal Island in San Pedro serving sentences for two prior convictions, on Sunday offered to plead guilty to multiple criminal charges against him in California, but it’s not clear whether or not that offer will be accepted. He faces 36 criminal charges in this state alleging he stole millions of dollars from clients, cheated on his taxes and then lied to investigators.
LIFE & LEISURE
— “Journeys at Vanguard” Counseling Center, a partnership between Vanguard’s graduate psychology program and Journeys Counseling Ministry, founded by the Rev. Randy Powell, opened recently in Santa Ana and also has branches in Costa Mesa and Mission Viejo. According to this Daily Pilot feature story, anyone is welcome to visit the center for therapy. Clients pay as able — or not at all, if they can’t afford it. In that case, donations will cover them through a scholarship program.
— There are two new vessels in the fleet for Gondola Adventures in Newport Beach, Luna and Bella, both of
which received champagne christenings on a recent day. Greg Mohr, who with his family operates the company, said he couldn’t resist ordering them new from Venice, Italy when a rare opportunity presented itself. “I have seen some really beautiful gondolas. I have never seen a gondola this beautiful,” Mohr enthused to my colleague Lilly Nguyen. “They have the finish of a Steinway piano or a Rolls-Royce. They are just absolutely spectacular. They’re like a 36-foot-long Stradivarius violin on the water.”
— Surf dogs gathered Friday morning at Huntington State Beach, along with their trainers, for the 25th annual Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge Western Regional competition. Sugar, an 11-year-old female surf dog from Huntington Beach, again came out on top in the canine competition at the break off Brookhurst Street. The full story from my colleague Matt Szabo can be found here.
SPORTS
— The Angels play the L.A. Dodgers tonight in the second game of a two-night Freeway Series at Dodger Stadium after both teams have been having some challenges. After that, the Angels head to Seattle to take on the Mariners, Thursday through Sunday.
— Keith and Kirk Orahood, twin brothers who have served as tennis coaches at JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano for 10 years, are hoping to establish a multisport adaptive program there, freelance journalist Luca Evans learned recently. The first step in their initiative, Evans reports, is a wheelchair youth tennis clinic.
CALENDAR THIS
— Last week I received a note from one of our loyal newsletter subscribers telling me he likes our coverage of interesting happenings (usually found under the Life & Leisure subhead), but he would like to be clued in before an event takes place, in case he’d like to attend it himself. This strikes me as an entirely reasonable suggestion, but between the vastness of this great county and my hope of keeping this missive easy to digest quickly, it might be challenging to list more than one or two each week. I’m testing the waters with you today by including this upcoming event for your consideration: Fountain Valley Summerfest is set for this Thursday through Sunday at Fountain Valley Sports Park, 16400 Brookhurst St. Carnival rides, live entertainment, beer and wine garden, food booths and vendors are all part of the mix, for $5 general admission. On Friday and Saturday there will be fireworks displays after dark. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday; 5 to 11 p.m. Friday; 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday (which is Father’s Day— treat him!). Learn more at fvsummerfest.com.
KEEP IN TOUCH
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