Irvine Bowl Park Needs Signs

Regarding the Friday, November 19, 2010 articles "FOA Facelift in the Works" by Rita Robinson in the Laguna Beach Independent and "Festival's façade redesign in the works" by Barbara Diamond in the Coastline Pilot, I hope new signage will include "Irvine Bowl Park". The Festival of the Arts ground uses the City of Laguna Beach's "Irvine Bowl Park" and the park should be properly identified.

While most people do not realize that it actually is a public park, ironically, the Irvine Bowl Park is the largest municipal park in the City of Laguna Beach. Unfortunately, if you stop by on most any day, you will likely find the area where exhibitors stalls are used during the summer deserted and unused.

From "History Of Laguna Canyon" written by Laguna Beach Historical Society President Emeritus Belinda Blacketer May 2001:
"The site of the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters was to be a community park, which was chosen in 1938. In April 1940, the citizen’s of Laguna Beach passed a 'Park, Music and Advertising Tax' of 10 cents on each $100 of assessed valuation to purchase and develop the Irvine property.
The area that is now the festival grounds was shown on a map of the proposed park site as the 'play area', the canyon where the police firing range is now was to be used for 'rustic trails' and the Amphitheater the Festival wanted to build was to use a very small portion of the park land.
The original deed stated that the City 'shall use said real property for the following purposes only, and for no others, to wit: for the construction, enlargement, improvement, maintenance and operation of the outdoor amphitheater now situated thereon and known as Irvine Bowl, for the production and holding of public concerts, theatrical performances, festivals, exhibits and any all forms of public entertainment and recreation'."
"In 1947, after James Irvine’s death, the park was donated to the City of Laguna Beach by the Irvine family. The community planned a community center, a children's playground, and community kitchen along with many other civic uses. These facilities do not exist today. In the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s the park was used for the community Easter Egg Hunt, carnivals, the Orange County Goat Show, the Scottish Festival, and various other community group events. The park served as the only real community park for the City of Laguna Beach for many years. In the 1950’s a restaurant was built on the former playground terrace."

Laguna Beach Cartoonists

Photo: Phil Interlandi Cartoon from Pete Fulmer 1965 Book
"Frank Interlandi dies at 85; former L.A. Times editorial cartoonist" is the title of the February 10, 2010 Los Angeles Times article by Dennis McLellan (see http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/10/local/la-me-frank-interlandi10-2010feb10) "The Laguna Beach artist drew cartoons for the paper from 1962 until 1981."
The article includes "The Interlandi brothers [identical twin brother cartoonist Phil Interlandi of Playboy magazine] were among a gaggle of newspaper and magazine cartoonists in Laguna who began taking midday bar breaks together in the 1950s. Over the years, the group included Virgil (VIP) Partch, John Dempsey, Dick Oldden, Ed Nofziger, Don Tobin and Roger Armstrong."
The Laguna Beach Historical Society just received as a donation the 1965 book by Laguna Beach Post columnist Pete Fulmer "Laguna's My Studio" In it he wrote on page 28:
"There have been a wealth of cartoonists in Laguna Beach as they gravitated to the Community Playhouse putting into words on stage and activities about the theater the talents that they applied to the drawing board.

Phil Interlandi long ago found that the stage complemented the lonely way of life in his studio and in addition to his Post cartoons, Phil's work has been seen at one time or another in all major magazines in the country.

Ed Nofziger, also known for his many stage appearances, has done freelance cartooning for major publications, written children's comics, done many of the Magoo stories for UPA and is currently editorial artist for the Post.

Others who are members of the Playhouse, participating in various departments of the Players' activities, are Frank Interlandi, Phil's identical twin brother, whose Below Olympus cartoons appears daily in the Los Angeles Times.

Don Tobin created "The Little Woman" daily cartoon syndicated in King's Features; Pete Winters, also a Playhouse member, sketched "Toodles," the comic cartoon story. Roger Armstrong, currently director of Laguna Art Gallery Association, was a comic creator for many years and left his drawing board behind for the role of the general in the Playhouse production in 1959 of 'Romanoff and Juliet.'

When Armstrong was sitting at his drawing board, he created the comic strips of Ella Cinders and Napoleon."

Laguna Beach Historical Society Program Monday October 19th "Growing Up in Laguna During the Great Depression" by Peter Kaye

See Photo Main Beach Pier destroyed in 1939 by so-called hurricane and photo of Franklin D. Roosevelt in Laguna July 16 1938

The next Laguna Beach Historical Society program will be Monday, October 19th "Growing Up in Laguna During the Great Depression" by Peter Kaye. The program is from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will be held at the Laguna Beach City Hall Council Chambers which is at 505 Forest Avenue. The public is invited and there is no charge.

Peter Kaye, author of the book Contrarian, will read and expand upon portions of his book Contrarian with special emphasis on President Franklin D. Roosevelt's stopover in Laguna Beach in 1938, the hurricane of 1939 and how Laguna Beach reacted to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Peter Kaye is former newspaper reporter, television producer and commentator, campaign aide and participant in sixteen national political conventions, Kaye has released Contrarian, a fast-paced memoir detailing his fifty-five years in politics and reporting.

The Laguna Beach Historical Society has a new web site to view historic photographs at www.Laguna-Historical-Society.smugmug.com. For those having treasured historic photographs or printed material, the Historical Society is happy to scan them electronically and return them to the owners. This way there will be a record preserved for future generations without the necessity for the owners to relinquish the item. Viewers are invited to leave comments to help the Society better identify or date the photographs. At the web site, prints can also be purchase; for example an 8” by 10" glossy for $6.97 plus tax and shipping.

Questions on photographs or Laguna Beach history are invited to be sent to info@LagunaHistory.org.

Step back into 1920s Laguna by visiting the Laguna Beach Historical Society Murphy-Smith Bungalow which located at 278 Ocean Avenue and which is opened to the public at no-charge every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Volunteers are needed to greet visitors to the Murphy-Smith Bungalow and should call 939-7257.

Those interested in supporting and joining the Laguna Beach Historical Society should send $15 per individual, $25 per household or $50 per business/organization to 278 Ocean Avenue, Laguna Beach CA 92651. The Laguna Beach Historical Society is a section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Tax ID #33-0519882.

Extravagance Worthy of the 'King of Pop'

See Laguna Beach Independent at
http://www.lagunabeachindependent.com/news/2009/0717/letters/017.html

Extravagance Worthy of the 'King of Pop'

Editor,

Was there ever anything that topped the Michael Jackson memorial extravaganza?

There was an event in 1852 that was truly a must see. Everyone who could attend from San Diego to San Luis Obispo went to Los Angeles to see the nine-mile horse race between Sarko and Black Swan.

In 1821 Mexico won its independence from Spain. Only 25 years later, the United States won California and other lands winning the Mexican War in 1846. The U.S. recognized some of the Mexican land grants, so Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of California, and Jose Andres Sepulveda were owners of large ranchos.

From 1837 to 1842 Jose Andres Sepulveda received grants known as Rancho San Joaquin, which later was sold to James Irvine and others to become a 50,000-acre portion of the Irvine Ranch. The ranch extended from "Newport Bay southeast to the center of what was then Laguna Canyon Creek, and is now the middle of the block between Broadway and Ocean Avenue," according to Belinda Blacketer, president emeritus of the Laguna Beach Historical Society.

Pio Pico and Jose Andres Sepulveda had quite a race in 1852, Pio Pico himself losing $1,600 and 300 head of cattle. The owners of the great ranchos may have been even more extravagant than Michael Jackson, wearing outfits for important occasions costing over $1,000.

Sarko was a race horse owned by Pio Pico, and Jose Andres Sepulveda purchased an Australian horse Black Swan. In the 1952 book "The Irvine Ranch" by Robert Glass Cleland, he writes: "In 1846, when Pio Pico's governorship and the Mexican regime came to a simultaneous end in California, the two brothers, Pio and Andres, were among the three or four largest landowners in the state. Like [Jose Andres] Sepulveda, they were also passionately devoted to horse racing and indulged quite as freely as Don Jose in the reckless wagers of the time."

Cleland quotes Thomas D. Mott, one of the spectators of the race: "No preparations were made to put the track in condition, and not much of the race outside of start and finish was seen, as mustard on both sides of the road was 10 feet high. The length of the course was nine miles, or more properly speaking, three Spanish leagues .... Everybody in the country was present and the whole country as far north as San Luis Obispo and south to San Diego was depopulated. They all came to see the great race."

Robert Glass Cleland continues: "The wagers included $25,000 in cash, ... 500 horses, 500 mares, 500 heifers, 500 calves, and 500 sheep. To the great chagrin and impoverishment of the Picos and the many other backers of the stallion, the mare [Black Swan] won the race by some 75 yards."

I wish I had seen it.

"After the victory, Sepulveda bought Black Swan and took her back to the Rancho San Joaquin. There the mare stepped on a nail, contracted lockjaw, and died."
Gene Felder,
Laguna Beach