Monday, September 04, 2006

The City's Birthday: the way it used to be...

So it's almost over - the City's 225th Birthday has been celebrated Officially (more on that soon).

But this meager celebration today that lacked the masses projected calls to mind the other ways the City has celebrated its birthday.

For many years at the beginning of the 20th Century, Los Angeles had an organization that put on a fantastic event that attracted attendees from all across the state: La Fiesta Association, Ltd. (Remember, it was this committee that in 1931 created the City's Flag.

Here are some telling photos from the Library's Photo Collection:

The Annual Birthday Celebration would include a three-mile parade.



The Parade would include elaborate floats, like this one from the Bureau of Power & Light (precursor to the DWP).




From the LAPL Photo Database: "Mrs. Elizabeth Hicks Gross, 'scion of a pioneer family,' presided as queen of La Fiesta de Los Angeles, a 10-day celebration of the city's 150th anniversary that 'engulfed the city in a whirlwind of parades, pageants, balls, concerts, operas, and carnivals far surpassing the famous celebrations of cities throughout the world.' "




The 1931 Festival Organizing committee. (In 2006, they had 63 members.)

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