Balboa Island is ready to party Sunday to wrap up its centennial celebration
The 100-year history of Balboa Island and its beach community charm will be the center of attention during a celebration Sunday on Marine Avenue.
Thousands are expected to pack the island’s main drag between Balboa and Park avenues for a final party commemorating the island’s centennial as part of the city of Newport Beach.
The celebration will wrap up a series of events and projects this year honoring the anniversary.
“A hundred years is definitely an important milestone,” said Balboa Island Improvement Assn. President Lee Pearl. “People that visit the island and live on the island really know how special this place is.”
Sunday’s festivities will begin at 11 a.m. with a dedication ceremony on Agate Avenue near the ferry dock, where city officials and the improvement association will unveil a new mural and statue.
The mural, painted on the side of the Island Market, features some of Balboa Island’s famous former residents, along with notable fixtures that have remained through the decades. The Sugar ‘n Spice frozen banana stand on Marine Avenue makes an appearance in the mural, as well as the ferry, which began as a giant rowboat with a small engine that shuttled passengers between Balboa Island and the Balboa Peninsula for a nickel.
The $10,000 mural was funded with donations from four Balboa Island families who will have their names on the artwork and a plaque that will be placed at Agate Avenue and South Bayfront.
After stopping at the mural, visitors can check out the new bronze sculpture of the late Herman and Lois Dorkin, who began visiting the island in the early 1940s and stayed until 2003, when they were no longer able to live on their own in their home on Apolena Avenue.
The Balboa Island Improvement Assn. decided this year to memorialize the Dorkins sitting together on a wood bench looking out to Newport Harbor, an activity they often enjoyed on Balboa Island. The sculpture, officials hope, will pay homage to people who have spent their lives and made memories on the island.
The statue, with a price tag of about $50,000, was funded through donations from Balboa Island residents. The names of the donors will be engraved on a bronze plaque near the bench.
After the unveiling of the two new artworks, visitors can move to Marine Avenue, where a carnival will kick off at about 1 p.m.
Many merchants on Marine Avenue will offer specials and discounts. There also will be food, a beer garden, activities for children and historical items from the Balboa Island Museum.
Building the island
Balboa Island got its start in 1906, when developer William Collins decided to dredge a channel along the north side of Newport Bay across from the Balboa Pavilion on the peninsula. He piled the dredged sand and silt on a mud flat until an island was formed.
In the years that followed, wooden and then concrete bulkheads were built to keep out the high tide, according to historical accounts.
Collins and his real estate agents began selling lots for $300 to $600. Most of the first lots were sold for vacation homes to residents of Pasadena, who traveled to the area on the Pacific Electric Red Car line.
Some people whose families began visiting the island on weekends in the early 1900s moved there permanently. Beach homes have passed from generation to generation.
More people have meant increased traffic and less parking. But residents and business owners say the island has maintained the unique feel that has charmed tourists and locals for decades.
That charm is particularly poignant in the shops that line Marine Avenue, some of which have been in business for decades, said Gary Sherwin, president and chief executive of Newport Beach & Co., which handles marketing for the city.
The experience of visiting the island, with its casual beach vibe, provides a contrast to the tony territories of town like Fashion Island and Newport Coast that many outsiders picture when they think of Newport Beach, according to Sherwin.
“In a lot of communities, to find that uniqueness and authentic experience is becoming harder and harder,” Sherwin said. “To know they’ve held onto that and fought to maintain it for 100 years, that’s something really worth celebrating.”
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
