Seal Beach, El Toro, La Habra, Balboa, etc.

Today's photo shows the Seal Beach pier, in early March 1983, after a big storm system had moved through, leaving flooding and destruction in its wake.

Join the Saddleback Area Historical Society for Rancho Days, held May 5th, 11am-4pm, at Heritage Hill Park in El Toro. The event will feature traditional Indian, Spanish and Mexican music, dance, crafts and costumes. There will also be presentations by local historians.

One of La Habra's ardent preservation advocates, Mel Williams, passed away on April 4th. The Register's obit is posted here. I spoke in La Habra a couple years ago, and afterward spent some time talking with Mel and a few other La Habra citizens about preservation. We drove around town, pointing out buildings and discussing what could be accomplished. Eventually, we all ended up at Marie Callendars talking local history over coffee and pie. In the past few years, La Habra has done more to acknowledge its historic resources, and voices like Mel's were important in getting the ball rolling.

Late O.C. resident John Wayne's 100th birthday will be celebrated with a big lineup of his films at this year's Newport Beach Film Festival. Details are available online. My personal favorite is "The Cowboys," with Bruce Dern as the villian.

To follow up on my earlier Balboa entry, here's a link to more Rendezvous Ballroom information.

Author Chris Epting will be signing his books on Saturday, 1pm, at California Greetings, 301 Main St., Huntington Beach. It's the first signing for his new title, Led Zeppelin Crashed Here - The Rock and Roll Landmarks of North America. But he'll also be signing his earlier books, including Images of America: Huntington Beach.

"Disneyland: Back to 1955" a multimedia presentation with David Koenig, will be held April 18. 7:00-8:45pm at the Barbara J. Riley Community Center in Downey. For reservations, call the Downey City Library (562) 904-7360, ext. 32. (Meanwhile, here's a clip of Walt Disney's dedication of Disneyland to tide you over.)