Holding the Fort
A bump in the road the size of a 12-foot dolphin statue hasn’t been
enough to dampen the spirits of Peggy Fort, who’s in charge of
planning Corona del Mar’s centennial celebration this year.
She continues to vigorously promote the event and all of the
planning that goes along with it, constantly urging community members
to participate in the process.
As busy as she’s been, Fort has still found the time to keep track
of the propositions she supports and the movies she thinks are most
deserving for best picture at tonight’s Academy Awards.
She also revealed in an interview with the Pilot’s Mike Swanson
that her October won’t only consist of celebrating the centennial --
she’ll also be running in the Chicago Marathon. One thing’s certain:
Fort loves a challenge.
How’s the centennial celebration planning coming along? Any
pre-celebratory jitters?
The centennial planning is coming together nicely. We are really
organized and on track with coordination of a series of first-class
community-wide event celebrations in honor of the 100-year birthday
of Corona del Mar. In July we will launch the centennial with a
100-day countdown to the official celebration weekend, which is Oct.
14 to 17, 2004. In addition to the fundraising and marketing, we have
a Special Events Committee, Black-Tie Gala Committee, Historic
Committee, Time Capsule Committee, School Involvement, Gala Art Show,
Merchant Promotions and an Outreach Committee. The subcommittees are
all focused and very well managed. They are working hard to organize
their various components of the celebration. We are continuing to
recruit volunteers and encourage the community to get involved in the
planning. It’s a great way to meet your neighbors and give back to
the wonderful community that we all live in. Our monthly planning
meetings are the third Wednesdays of every month at Sherman Library
and Gardens at 7 p.m. For more information or to volunteer for the
CdM Centennial Celebration, visit https://www.cdm2004.com or call
(949) 675-0501.
Has talk of the dolphin statue faded since announcing it won’t be
erected and used as the city’s time capsule?
Yes, pretty much. The Wyland sculpture was just one of the many
great projects that the committee is working on as part of the
yearlong community-wide centennial celebration.
Did community backlash against the statue surprise you, and how
did it affect all the other aspects of planning for the celebration?
No, we were not really surprised. Newport Beach is a very
conservative community and the Wyland sculpture was a big idea. I
will always be extremely proud of the committee for their work and
all the effort that was put into developing such a wonderful concept,
and thankful to Wyland, too. Even though we were let down, the whole
idea about celebration events is to bring the community together in
celebration. We did not intend to create such a controversy and by no
means wanted it to be divisive to our celebration. That’s not what
this is about.
Has it been difficult managing such a large committee thus far, or
has that done more to help field the deluge of community input?
There’s no question that the high level of community involvement
definitely has helped in the planning and success of the celebration
thus far. It has been a great experience managing the committee
because I was fortunate enough to recruit strong leadership in the
subcommittee positions and I have a lot of great support. Everyone on
the committee has been so nice and excited to be a part of helping to
plan the celebration. The active participation from the community is
exactly what is making this event so special -- and I would like to
see it grow even more.
Any clues on where the time capsule will end up, and what it will
look like?
Well, we actually have a time capsule subcommittee working very
closely with members of the community and the city. They are making
recommendations regarding the site location, concept and design
elements of the project. One concept we are currently reviewing is
incorporating the centennial time capsule enhancement project into
the “Vision Plan” for Corona del Mar. As a result of extensive
community outreach, the site location we are currently reviewing is
at the corner of Marguerite Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway. The
time capsule will most likely be in the ground with an area for
bronze nameplates with donor recognition opportunities from grants.
Do community members seem to be having fun coming up with new
ideas now that the controversial one’s out of the way?
Yes, it’s been a lot of fun. We actually have so many good ideas
regarding the time capsule enhancement project that it is almost
overwhelming. We are also fortunate to have local Corona del Mar
architect Ron Yeo lending his talents to our effort, which really
helps. Ideas regarding the time capsule enhancement project including
suggestions of what the community would like to place inside of it
can be sent to info@cdm2004.com.
What area of the plan is the committee working on most
aggressively now?
The biggest focus now is on community fundraising and corporate
sponsorships. We actually started a nonprofit, charitable foundation
committed to investing back in the Corona del Mar community through
celebration of the history, education, art and physical community
enhancements for present and future generations to enjoy, while
preserving the historic significance of the village. The community
fundraising campaign and the corporate sponsorships will support all
of the community event celebrations and the proposed time capsule
enhancement campaign in the village. The Centennial Foundation,
chaired by Bernie Svalstad, is starting to get the word out to the
community and it is catching on. Committee and foundation member Bill
Dean is our fundraising chairman and we are creating a fundraising
committee to help in gaining donations. Our proposed budget and goal
is to raise at least $250,000 by October to support all of the
wonderful special event celebrations and proposed time capsule
enhancement project as part of the centennial celebration. For more
information regarding on how anyone can donate to the Corona del Mar
Centennial Foundation, please contact (949) 675-0501. We are also
working hard right now on the centennial event marketing and
community outreach. B.J. Johnson, who chairs our outreach committee,
will head up various presentations and a weekly booth at the CdM
Farmer’s Market to promote community spirit and the centennial
celebration. Stop by and say hello.
What do you miss most because of working so many hours heading the
centennial celebration committee? Have you caught any of the movies
up for best picture at Sunday’s Academy Awards? Any favorites?
Yes, sometimes the long hours can be challenging. Luckily, I
really enjoy what I do and try to surround myself with good people to
work with. That makes all the difference in the world. I do enjoy
going to the movies. This year, I actually saw all of the films
nominated for best picture. I think it’s really hard to compare which
film should win because they were all so amazing in such different
ways. My gut tells me “The Lord of the Rings” will win -- and I think
it should. The trilogy is timeless. If I ever have the time, I want
to watch all three of them over again on a rainy day. The story was
so creatively done and the visual effects were absolutely amazing. My
personal favorite movie, though, by far was “Seabiscuit.” I just
loved that movie so much! It will always be one of my all-time
favorites. I really enjoyed seeing “Lost in Translation” as well.
When the celebration’s over, do you anticipate breathing a sigh of
relief, or wishing you could do it all over again?
Well, it is certainly going to be a fun and memorable year for me.
I am also training for the Chicago Marathon, which I will run this
October as well. I know the entire committee is excited to be a part
of celebration -- so, that will really make it special. We will all
be looking forward to celebrating the centennial together with our
friends, family and the rest of the community. I’m hoping that my
family will be able to fly out that weekend from Chicago to celebrate
too. Since Corona del Mar’s centennial is the prelude to the
centennial for the entire city of Newport Beach, I don’t think anyone
will have to wish very hard to do it all over again, because we will
all have an opportunity to in 2006. I hope to see the community
spirit continue to grow and another big celebration in the works.
It’s important to keep things in perspective and remember that in
addition to all the hard work, planning celebration events like this
should truly be a fun experience.
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