Corona del Mar centennial celebration shaping up

June Casagrande

An outdoor concert and a beach expo are two of the events that will

round out a four-day celebration of Corona del Mar’s centennial next

year.

Volunteers are making substantial headway in planning the

village’s 100th anniversary events. The dates have been set: The

celebration will take place from Oct. 14 to 17, 2004. Some of the

events have been solidified: The expo will take place at Big Corona

State Beach on Oct. 17 and will include historical information

booths, food and family activities. And a battalion of volunteers --

more than 200 -- have already signed up to plan and put on the

events.

“Everybody’s getting really excited about celebrating Corona del

Mar’s centennial,” said Peggy Fort, event director and chair for the

centennial celebration. “But it’s important to note that while this

is about Corona del Mar, it’s really a citywide event. We’re getting

the whole city involved.”

A committee formed earlier this year has already decided that the

expo and an outdoor beach concert will be part of the celebration. A

black-tie event will kick off the activities. Other ideas have yet to

be finalized, including installing some kind of memorial or statue at

Inspiration Point or even creating a time capsule to be stored at the

memorial. Also under consideration are a fireworks show, local cable

programs on Corona del Mar history and other events. The events will

be paid for by the efforts of the centennial’s fund-raising committee

while the city of Newport Beach will match a portion of the funds.

Fort added that Corona del Mar’s centennial celebration will also

seek to build momentum for the city of Newport Beach’s centennial,

which takes place in 2006.

“It will be sort of a prelude for the citywide centennial,” she

said.

Corona del Mar was born in 1904 when Los Angeles Real Estate

Magnate George E. Hart bought a 706-acre section of Irvine Ranch from

the Irvine Co. This village of Corona del Mar officially became part

of Newport Beach two years later when the city was incorporated. This

history is expected to be a big part of the centennial celebration’s

focus.

“Everybody likes a party,” said B.J. Johnson, president of the

Corona del Mar Homeowners Assn. and volunteer committee chair for the

centennial celebration. “It’s shaping up wonderfully.”