Gathering in the name of history

Alicia Robinson

Mike Fenderson first saw his wife in 1956 at Crystal Cove state

beach.

Hundreds of people with fond memories of camping, beach walks and

the historic cottages will gather at Crystal Cove State Park today

and Sunday for an art show and gala fundraiser held by the Crystal

Cove Alliance, a nonprofit group that supports historic preservation

of the beachfront community.

Fenderson will emcee tonight’s tropical gala, where a sold-out

crowd of 400 will have dinner and martinis outdoors, while listening

to a steel drum band and surf music. On Sunday, the public is invited

to browse an exhibition and sale of 180 plein air paintings mainly by

Southern California artists, enjoy music and live entertainment, and

bring a picnic lunch or buy hot dogs and refreshments from the state

park lifeguards.

Guests will be able to take tours of the park’s historic district

and cottages, some of which were built as early as the 1920s. They

will also be able to see the progress that’s been made on a

$12-million state project to restore about half of the park’s 46

cottages to how they looked in their heyday, from 1920 to about 1950.

“People will really be able to see what’s happening and what

they’ll be seeing in the future, when the place opens up after summer

2005,” said Laura Davick, president of the Crystal Cove Alliance and

a former cottage resident. “This is really a once-in-a-lifetime

chance to really see it being restored.”

Last year, the gala dinner drew 320 people. Ticket and painting

sales raised $60,000. This year, the goal is to raise $100,000 to

devote to restoring and furnishing a cottage that will become a

marine research center, Davick said.

The paintings on sale this year are mostly coastal scenes created

by a variety of artists, said Laguna Beach artist Patti Ohslund, who

painted two seascapes for the show.

Restoration of the cottages is important when so many other beach

cottages along the coast are being torn down and replaced with bigger

houses, said Ohslund, who lived at Crystal Cove for 25 years.

She and Fenderson said they were happy to help the Crystal Cove

Alliance preserve a place that holds memories for them. Fenderson

spent many summers on the beach at Crystal Cove and was a lifeguard

there for several years.

Fenderson also leads tours there. Some people, including those who

have lived in the area, are surprised to discover the beautiful beach

and its cottages, he said.

“They say, ‘I’ve driven by this place forever, and I had no idea

this was here,’” he said. “They’re just happy to see it and know that

now they can start enjoying it.”

Sunday’s free public celebration is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4

p.m. at Crystal Cove State Park. Parking is available in the Los

Trancos parking lot just south of Newport Coast Road. For more

information, call (949)640-5220 or visit

https://www.crystalcovealliance.org online.