Huntington Beach Happenings
by: Chris MacDonald
Posted: April 5, 2021
HUNTINGTON BEACH...From the desk of Council Member Barbara Delgleize:
Mayor Kim Carr called for a special meeting that was held on Monday, 29th to consider reopening the city council meetings to all of the public. At this time, two of our city council members aren't willing to wear masks to our meeting so we will continue on zoom at least for the near future.
Mayor Carr has been leading with numerous town halls meetings held on Wednesday evenings at 5pm on topics important to the residents of the city. I along with Mayor Pro-Tem Ortiz we were able to have a power point presentation on Homeless Solutions 101 done by United Way OC with Becks Heyhoe and Atty McLellan. Excellent information on the true costs of homelessness and the real solutions that make a difference. Should you want to see what was presented please go directly to www.HBReady.com everything Huntington Beach is posted on the site. Great news more and more vaccinations are being received in our community. It appears that this weekend we will move into the Orange Tier allowing many more things to open.
There have been many comments sent to City Council on the concerns of e-bikes on the beach trail. What many people do not realize is at this time there is actually an ordinance against e-bikes on our trail. However, within the last year due to COIVD-19 the popularity in general of e-bikes and regular bicycles has made the trail over crowded. Actually, unsafe especially at the higher speeds. Mayor Carr and city staff met out on the trail last Friday and believe that they will be able to bring forward solutions so bikes can be ridden safer on the trail. The results will be shared at a later council meeting in April.
At Monday night's council meeting we will have a 2020 Housing Element Annual Progress Report. Also, to accept the execution of grant applications and ongoing grant management for certain recycling. Adopt a Resolutions to approve the Zoning Text Amendment regarding Alcohol Sales & Services in the Beach & Edinger Corridors Specific Plan (BECSP).
The Mayor and Council Member Dan Kalmick asks that we as the City of Huntington Beach Denounces all Hate Crimes & Reaffirms its Commitment to Safety & Inclusivity for ALL. Including any movements of promoting White Supremacy within our community.
Calling all Employers!!! OC Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, OC Community Services & the OC Workforce Development Board cordially invite you to attend: South Orange County Virtual Job Fair 2021, April 7, 2021 – 10am to 2pm. For more information visit: OCONESTOP.Com/JOBFAIRS
Kiwanis Club of HB held their annual Easter Egg Hunton Saturday, April 3rd at the Sports Complex...Visitors enjoyed this event in the safety of their car as they moved along the festive events.
Huntington Beach City Historian Jerry Person Presents Remembering When:
Huntington Beach Celebrates Easter Yesterday and Today
his week we are going to be remembering an Easter in 1945, a special Easter that has a siminlar connection with today's history. In that Easter, World War II was winding down as the enemy was on the run. Americans at home were in 1945 sacrificing their "normal lifestyle" to win the war.
Today, our residents are fighting a war too. For one whole year our "normal lifestyle" was interrupted by another world war in which the enemy was so small that guns and tanks were of no use, yet that enemy was killing humans by the millions. Of course this war's enemy is the coronvirus COVID-19 and this Easter, like the Easter of 1945, looks as if this war is winding down too. Let us hope and pray so.
At the start of World War II both children and adults were shown how to wear a gas masks and today we have also been shown how to wear another kind of masks.
Right now we have someing to be thankful for as life is slowing returning to normal and this week we are going to see how our residents celebrated their Easter holiday as we journey back in time when Easter meant a new beginning as the war in Europe ended and the prospects of victory in Japan was in sight, much as we are seeing the enemy virus on the run.
If you listen real hard you may hear the ghostly echoes of past Easter church bells ringing from their many steeples as they call their congregations for Easter services. In 1945 Easter would be celebrated on April 1st.
Our nation as well as our town was still on rationing and many of the foods we take for granted today were hard to come by.
There are still a few of you that are old enough to remember ration books with those stamps you tore out or those blue and red tokens your mother used to buy meat and sugar at the grocery store.
One way the lady of the house could preserve fruits from her victory garden was by canning, but to get enough extra sugar you had to apply to the Huntington Beach War Price and Rationing Board. Your mother would fill out paperwork, namely OPA form R-341 and submit this with a "spare stamp 13" from War Ration Book Four and then wait for the application to be approved and then she would be sent a sugar coupon to take to the market to buy the sugar.
On this Easter President Roosevelt asked the nation to donate your old clothes to the United National Clothing Collection drive for the refugees in Europe. Today I wouldn't be able to donate my old clothes, because I'm still wearing them. Here in Huntington Beach William Gallienne directed this drive and he appointed Delbert "Bud" Higgins as its chairman.
Scoutmaster Joe Axton and members of Boy Scout Troop #1 were out that Easter collecting newspapers for the nation's paper shortage. In 2020 we also had a different type of paper shortage of our own at the markets.
During that Easter a new scout troop and cub pack came on the scene over at Ocean View sponsored by the Wintersburg Methodist Church. Flavel Kellogg was made scoutmaster while Mike Vidal became cub master and each held their weekly meetings in a scout cabin located on the Ocean View school grounds.
That Easter of 1945 the children of our town would have to forgo their annual Easter egg hunt sponsored by the Windsor Club because of the scarcity of candy. Last year's 2020 Easter egg hunts were also cancelled not because of a candy shortage, but because coming close to the enemy virus could make you sick.
On that 1945 Easter Sunday a special showing of a replica of Switzerland's Mount Wetterhorn was held at the Casa de Curios store, 116 Main Street, created by Madge Francis.
Little Bonnie Erwin of 512 Huntington Street held an Easter egg hunt party at her home for her friends. Attending the hunt were Jerry Flaws, Jackie Robertson, Diane Bartlett, Constance Denny, Gerald Camp, Kae Erwin and Roy John Oliver.
A young Patricia Thiery celebrated her eighth birthday with a party at her home at 714 11th Street where her guests played games, won prizes and tasted one of the two angel food cakes with chocolate frosting. Each cake having eight candles on it for Patricia to blow out.
With the help of Room Mothers, the children at Central Elementary School (Dwyer School today) held Easter parties in each of its classrooms.
Our city and our HB Chamber of Commerce hosted an Easter Musicale Pageant inside of Memorial Hall. Dr. Ralph Hawes and his Girls' choir preformed several musical numbers. The choir included Margaret Been, Shirley Clemens, Patricia Coe, Patsy Hawes, Patricia Hackler, Barbara Whitfield, Dorothy and Mildred Hawes, Pearl Ream, Irene Weinheimer, Theresa Wuerer, and Robbie Young.
A large cross took center stage and served as the theme of this year's musicale that also included the famed Pierce Brothers quartet and Stanley Smith playing "The Holy City" on his trumpet.
But for that Easter it was the churches that past generation would go to seek solace and pray for the safe return of their loved ones.
Father Jerome O'Neill would conduct a special Memorial High Mass that Easter at Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic church, 321 10th Street, commemorating servicemen of the parish and of the community who gave their lives in 1945. Members of this choir performed "Christ the Lord is Risen Today," and a special arrangement of Schubert's "Ave Maria." At the conclusion of the Mass the congregation and the choir sang "God Bless America."
Services over at the First Methodist Church, 401 11th Street, included several numbers performed by the church choir assisted by Edna Siemers. "Resurrection" was the topic of this Easter sermon given by Dr. Walter McCleneghan.
The Christian Church presented their Easter morning pageant inside their church at 8th and Orange. The theme of that year's pageant was "From the Holy Sepulcher" and featured Margaret Pryor, Frances Garvin, Betty Jo McDaniels, May Frost, Olive Groover, Jean Coker and Sylvia Jenkins.
The Church of Christ held their Easter service inside the Woman's Clubhouse, 418 10th Street, and included a sermon by guest speaker Claude Thurman.
A 6 a.m. Sunrise Service over at the Foursquare Gospel Church, 723 Lake Street, would be their contribution to the Easter holiday that included a message by guest speaker Rev. Catherine Blom, pastor of the Church of God and at its evening service Rev. Evelyn Caudill's message was "The Power of the Risen Christ."
Easter is about a miracle that happened so very long ago, but this year (1945) a small miracle occurred the next day right here in Huntington Beach.
On Monday morning over at the Hardy home, 726 Main Street, Mollie Hardy dropped a bunch of broccoli she had just purchased from the Standard Market, 126 Main Street, into a pan of water and out came a set of keys hidden inside the greens. Mollie called the market and the clerk told her that a customer had turned the store upside down looking for his keys. Mollie returned the keys to the store and hopefully the customer received his Easter gift.
A small miracle to be sure, but a true Huntington Beach Easter miracle after all. So let's hope that this war in 2021 comes to an end and is consigned to the history books of time.
You can always e-mail Jerry your History questions at: hbnews@hbquik.com .