Celebrators to Go Back in Time to Mark Signing of Constitution

Orange County will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution with balloons, bands, debates and re-enactments of the historic event.

Many events will revolve around the replica of Independence Hall built on the grounds of Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. Today, schoolchildren with the same names as the Constitution’s signers will affix their John Hancocks and Charles Pinckneys to a copy of the document inside Independence Hall, while a Governor’s Ball is planned there for Thursday evening.

On Saturday and Sunday, authentically costumed actors will portray historical figures, and battles of the American Revolution will be re-enacted on the lawns surrounding the hall.

TODAY: Buena Park--Knott’s Berry Farm, 10 a.m. Thirty-nine students from Orange County and other Southern California cities will re-enact the signing of the Constitution at Independence Hall. The students were chosen because they have the same last names as the signers of the Constitution.

San Clemente--City Hall, 100 Presidio Ave., 6 p.m. City Council members, at their regularly scheduled meeting, will have a “Celebration of Citizenship” by recognizing San Clemente’s Citizens of the Year and by signing copies of the Constitution.

Santa Ana--Plaza of the Flags in the Santa Ana Civic Center, 5:30 p.m. The Orange County Bar Assn. will sponsor a debate between Patrick Henry and James Madison (portrayed by Santa Ana attorney Mitchell Samuelson and Superior Court Judge David Brickner) on whether the Constitution should be adopted. Marching bands will play during the two-hour program, and red, white and blue balloons will be released.

THURSDAY: Brea--Intersection of Birch Street and Brea Boulevard, 1 p.m. Mayor John Sutton will sign a copy of the Constitution, and 200 red, white and blue balloons will be released.

Buena Park--Knott’s Berry Farm, 1 p.m. A copy of the Constitution will be available for signing by the public at Independence Hall. California Chief Justice Malcolm M. Lucas and astronaut Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin Jr. will participate. The free ceremony will last two hours and will feature musical entertainment and guest speakers.

Costa Mesa--Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Four speakers will address aspects of democracy and the Constitution, and a panel discussion will cover the topic “Constitutional Issues.” Speakers will be OCC student body officer Bill Smith, philosophy professor Richard Doss, OCC President Donald Bronsard and Superior Court Judge Donald E. Smallwood. Panel members will be professors Russell Miller, Thomas Wert, Douglas Mason and Terry Timmons.

Fountain Valley--City Hall, 10200 Slater Ave., 12:45 p.m. Dignitaries will speak, 200 red, white and blue flags will be released, and copies of the Constitution will be available for signing.

Fullerton--City Hall, 303 W. Commonwealth Ave., 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. Dignitaries will speak, a flag marking the Bicentennial of the Constitution will be raised, the Troy High School Band will play, copies of the Constitution will be available for signing and refreshments will be served.

Garden Grove--Corner of Garden Grove and Harbor boulevards, 4 p.m. A “We the People” sculpture will be unveiled, and dignitaries will speak.

Huntington Beach--City Hall, 2000 Main St., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Copies of the Constitution will be available for people to sign at City Hall. The signatures will be sent to the state Bicentennial Foundation.

La Habra--Portola Park, 351 S. Euclid St., 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. To coincide with the dedication of a monument marking the founding of La Habra, a re-enactment of the signing of the Constitution will be held. Dignitaries will speak, bands will play, the preamble to the Constitution will be recited, and refreshments will be served.

Los Alamitos--Los Alamitos Community Center, 10911 Oak St., 1 p.m. Dignitaries will speak, and 100 red, white and blue balloons will be released.

Newport Beach--Mariners Park, 2005 Dover Drive, 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. Dignitaries will speak, copies of the Constitution will be available for signing to reaffirm belief in the document, and the Newport Harbor High School Band will play.

Newport Center Branch of the Newport Beach Public Library, 856 San Clemente Drive, 4 p.m. A sing-along of patriotic songs and the releasing of 200 balloons. All four branches of the library system have a Bicentennial bookshelf with books about the Constitution.

Orange--Orange Senior Citizen Center, 170 S. Olive St. 1:30-4 p.m. Clothing styles from the past will be featured in “A Fashion Show of Today and Yesterday,” sponsored by the Orange chapter of the American Assn. of Retired Persons. Tickets are $3.50.

Santa Ana--Rancho Santiago College, 17th and Bristol streets, 11 a.m. Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk, a 23-year veteran of the court and former state attorney general, will present a program. A panel discussion, featuring Los Angeles Times staff writer David Johnston, attorney Jennifer J. King and Rancho Santiago College history instructor Harold Forsythe, will follow.

Westminster--Westminster Civic Center, 8200 Westminster Blvd., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Musical entertainment and continuous showings of a film on the Constitution will take place during the observance, in which participants will be asked to sign copies of the Constitution. A bus will leave at 12:30 p.m. for Knott’s Berry Farm and return to the civic center at 3:30 p.m. Cost is $1 for adults and 50 cents for children and senior citizens.

SATURDAY: Buena Park--Knott’s Berry Farm, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Brigade of the American Revolution has set up camp in front of Independence Hall, with re-enactments of the war taking place throughout both Saturday and Sunday. “A Rising Sun,” a play about the founding fathers, will be staged at 11 a.m., 1, 3 and 4 p.m. in the Declaration Chamber. Craft demonstrations of colonial life and tours will be given. There is no admission charge.

SUNDAY: Costa Mesa--Corner of Anton Boulevard and Avenue of the Arts, 8:30 to 9 p.m. In a vacant field next to the Performing Arts Center, lasers will be projected off nearby buildings in a program recounting the history of the Constitution.