Opportunities to go do history stuff

Sistine Chapel Madonna tableau from the1933 "Spirit of the Masters Pageant."

In 1933, local artists staged a marketing stunt (the flash mob of its day), to promote Laguna Beach's second annual Festival of Arts. They dressed up like famous works of art and marched along Coast Highway. The artists eventually made their way to the festival grounds, where they went on a stage and posed like the figures in the artworks that inspired their costumes. It was the start of the elaborate and exceedingly Laguna-ish tradition we now know as "The Pageant of the Masters." 

They've gotten a lot better at this over the last 80 years, and their tableaux vivants (living pictures) of classic and contemporary artwork often look nearly identical to the original pieces. I know what you're thinking, but it really is something you should see at least once if you're going to call yourself an Orange Countian.
This year's theme, "The Big Picture: A Salute to Art that Inspired the Movies," should be great fun on a warm summer evening in the Irvine Bowl. Seats are located in the Director's Tier Side and normally cost $30, but the Orange County Historical Society is offering them at a discount: $25 for members, and $28 for non-members. The tickets are for Sun., July 14, 2013, and the curtain will rise at 8:30pm. Not only will you get cheaper tickets, but you'll get to sit with a bunch of friendly people from OCHS! Tickets will be available at OCHS's general meetings until they're sold out.

Orange County Historical Society is also promoting another of their popular History Hikes this Spring, but it's only being promoted to their members. This time, the hike is a tour of the ruins of the pioneer homesteads in what's now O'Neill Park, led by a member of one of the pioneer families that lived there. It's a beautiful walk back through time along Trabuco Creek, under the oaks and sycamores. To find out more,... go join OCHS yet already!

The Maag House (1890s) at the Heritage Museum of Orange County, Santa Ana.

The Heritage Museum of Orange County, (you know... the Kellogg House people!), are holding a fun event to raise money to turn the Maag House into exhibit space for rotating historical exhibits. "A Taste of America In The O.C.," will feature wines, micro-brews and restaurants from around Orange County. It will be held on the grounds of the museum, at 3101 W. Harvard St., Santa Ana, on April 6, 2013, 5:30-9:30pm. Tickets ($50) must be purchased in advance, and you don't have much time left. Visit their website at heritagemuseumoc.org for more information or to get tickets.

About my blogroll: I took some time this past weekend to update the links on the right hand side of this blog. I know it's a long list to scroll through, but I've tried to include every historical society, organization, historical library, and other resource that deals with O.C. history, or which helps us O.C. historians do our jobs. If you find that I'm missing something important, please let me know.