By Ricky Richardson | Contributing Writer
(Hawthorne, Ca.)- The City of Hawthorne celebrated its 100 Anniversary with five wonderful events, July 8-12, 2022.
The City held a Commemorative Dinner on Friday evening at the Hawthorne Memorial Center to kick off the celebration.
The second event featured a Parade and Block party. The parade started at 139th and Hawthorne Blvd., to 126th and Hawthorne Blvd.
Everyone loves a parade. Several thousand people lineup on the east side of Hawthorne Blvd., for a good view of the parade. The crowd consisted of residents from Hawthorne, as well as family, friends and neighbors from surrounding communities, in keeping with the motto “City of Good Neighbors.”
The parade featured vintage police cars, provided by the Hawthorne Police Officers Associations. Hawthorne Public Works Department showcased vehicles from their maintenance yard.
Elected officials representing the City of Hawthorne, State and Federal offices were also in attendance. Hawthorne Mayor Alex Vargas, Mayor Pro-tem L. David Patterson, Councilmembers Alex Monteiro, Olivia Valentine and Angie English.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters and State Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor also participated in the parade, along with Los Angeles Dodger Derrel Thomas and members of Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and DreamTeam.
Additional participants consisted of the Hawthorne Historical Society, various Commissioners, Marching Band, Equestrians Unit, AYSO members, Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, Kiwanis and Rotary (Hawthorne, LAX and Lennox), Veterans Organizations and Educational institutes- Hawthorne School District (Ramona, Zela Davis, Prairie Vista Middle School and HMS), and El Camino Community College, Dr. Brenda Thames, Superintendent/President, Nilo Michelin, Board of Trustee, just to name a few of the parade participants.
Hawthorne Centennial Celebration continued after the parade with a Block Party on 126th street, in front of City Hall. The Block Party had a dozen classic, vintage cars on display, food trucks, games and jump houses.
Several community organizations and Departments from the City provided information and resources at the Block Party.
Brian Beirne, aka, “Mr. Rock N’ Roll” former longtime DJ on KRTH-FM, introduced Surfin’ a Beach Boys Tribute Band. This was the perfect band to celebrate Hawthorne’s centennial with music from the legendary Beach Boys from Hawthorne, California. Surfin’ crowd pleasing journey through the Beach Boys wonderful, catalog of fresh and timeless music, brought back a lot of fond memories for the audience, during their two-hour long set.
LA Love Band was another great addition chosen to entertain the crowd with an eclectic set of oldies, reggae, blues, R&B and soul playlist.
Day at the Museum, July 10th, 10:00am-2:oopm. The activities consisted of a continental breakfast and lunch for purchase, classic car show, an Art Show. Attendees were able to see photos, magazines, newspapers, and other memorabilia from the early days of Hawthorne.
State of Hawthorne with the Honorable Alex Vargas, gave an overview of currents events, developments and an outlook for the future of Hawthorne at an event at the Hawthorne Memorial Center.
City of Hawthorne Centennial Celebration concluded with the Time Capsule Opening. This segment brought back fond memories, laughter, and a few smiles as City Officials unveiled the contents of the Time Capsule.
City of Hawthorne successfully brought together a diverse, multi-cultural crowd to celebrate its Centennial. Hawthorne, California “City of Good Neighbors.”
