Young Chang If you’ve lived long enough...

Young Chang

If you’ve lived long enough in Newport Beach and care about

celebrating seasonal holidays like the Fourth of July, Christmas or

Veterans Day with the community, you know there’s at least one

waterfront place that’ll shoot up the fireworks (until last summer,

that is), light up the Back Bay and salute those who served in wars

with well-deserved discounts.

This place is the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort.

It was built in 1958 by the Dunes Corporation, a local group.

The original name of the resort was Welsh Memorial Aquatic Park.

It was just a lagoon back then, with areas designated for

paddle-boating, sailing and picnicking. There were souvenir shops and

also the still present “Moby” sculpture.

The plastic fiberglass whale was built in 1958 and is still

located inside the Dunes’ lagoon, said general manager Andrew

Theodorou.

The name changed in 1962 to what we know today, after another 195

recreational vehicle sites were added.

A major expansion began in 1989, which expanded the RV park, the

Village Center, the Back Bay Cafe, a dry storage area for 400 boats

and a public boat launch area, Theodorou said. The expansion made

water sports more playable and included refurbished swimming lagoons.

In 1991, phase two of the construction began.

“It was a $10 million renovation of the existing 241 slip marina

and 200 more boat slips were added,” the general manager said.

Additions included a clubhouse, a pool and a spa.

Today, popular events at the Dunes include the Cattle Baron’s

Ball, the annual boat show and the Top Dog Fashion Show. The

first-ever South Coast Fine Arts Festival will be held there Oct. 12.

“We have become a landmark in the city of Newport Beach,”

Theodorou said. “We have been involved in many large fund-raisers and

events and festivities.”

* Do you know of a person, place or event that deserves a

historical LOOK BACK? Let us know. Contact Young Chang by fax at

(949) 646-4170; e-mail at young.chang@latimes.com; or mail her at c/o

Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627