To celebrate its “golden anniversary” next month, the San Clemente Historical Society will host a gala at the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, where guests can enjoy dinner and live entertainment, as well as check out rarities on display from the group’s archives.
During the celebration on March 19, from 4-7 p.m., an Ole Hanson impersonator will reenact the town founder’s original sales pitch to prospective homebuyers in the late 1920s and present a brief historic film on San Clemente’s development.
“Come learn for yourself how San Clemente became one of the most beautiful and unique towns in California,” Historical Society President Larry Culbertson said in the group’s announcement of the gala.
In the spirit of the meal that Hanson offered as part of his initial sales pitch, partygoers will be served chicken dinners. There will also be a cash bar for libations during the festivities.
“Fred and Lois Divel led the group of citizens who founded the Historical Society in March 1973 in response to citizen outrage over the tearing down of many historic buildings in town,” the Historical Society said in its announcement. “Saving Casa Romantica, Ole’s home, was one of the Society’s early success stories.”
Tickets for the gala are $20 per person and can be purchased at sanclementehistoricalsociety.org.
The Historical Society is also encouraging local businesses to sponsor the event, with levels ranging from $100 to $1,000. Sponsorship contributions, the group said, would aid its efforts in preserving San Clemente’s history, and help it continue education projects such as putting together textbooks on local history for grade school classrooms.
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