City’s history to age a century

Deepa Bharath

The centennial to celebrate this community’s 100th birthday won’t

just bask in past glory or revel in its prosperous present.

Community leaders are thinking 100 years ahead. They want to show

posterity what their town looked and felt like a century before. To

that end, they’ll install a time capsule in the Centennial Plaza,

being built to commemorate the occasion.

The time capsule is actually smaller than many people would

imagine, said Laura Dietz, who is coordinating the effort as head of

the Corona del Mar Centennial Celebration’s history committee.

It is a heavy-duty, stainless steel box, 12 inches long, 12 inches

wide and 14 inches deep, she said.

“The key is to be able to preserve whatever we put into the time

capsule,” Dietz said.

There are many limitations on what can actually be put into it,

she added. Dietz has a file folder full of information in addition to

material from the University of Minnesota’s Historical Society and

many websites about what can go in the time capsule.

“We can’t have color photographs in there or anything with rubber

in it,” she said. “We can’t have an actual newspaper because it’ll

disintegrate.”

So all documents, newspapers and photographs going into the time

capsule will be transferred on to microfilm, Dietz said.

Some members did question whether microfiche technology will

become archaic and defunct in the years to come, said Corona del Mar

architect David Muller, also a member of the history committee.

“But we’re being told it won’t,” he said. “I guess we just have to

take the Smithsonian’s word for it.”

It’s a chance they have to take because the microfilm is

guaranteed to stay intact for 500 years, Dietz said.

A number of items will also be placed in special protective

sleeves.

“We’ll have all sorts of information -- from how many dog licenses

were issued for Corona del Mar by the city of Newport Beach right

down to books, documents and children’s artwork,” Dietz said.

If residents want to come forward with information or articles

they believe are significant, they should contact the centennial

organizers, so that it can go to the history committee, Dietz said.

“All people need to bear in mind is the space limitation we have

and how we can preserve the items,” she said.

An engraving on the time capsule with tell when the time capsule

was installed and also bear a suggestion that it be opened in 100

years, in the year 2104.

Muller believes that members of a future generation, when they

open up the time capsule, will see how much the previous generation

appreciated Corona del Mar.

“We just love where we live,” he said. “There’s substantial pride

that exists in this community, which is not universal to Orange

County or even Southern California. I think that pride we have shows

in the effort we’re putting in to celebrate this 100th birthday.”

It’s taken time out of many people’s lives, Muller said.

“But it’s a chance you get once in a lifetime,” he said, pointing

out that locals will get to celebrate again when Newport turns 100 in

2006. “It’s absolutely worth it.”

* DEEPA BHARATH is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at

deepa.bharath@latimes.com.