Time to Cheer Again

Next Sunday, Orange County officially launches a yearlong celebration of its 100th birthday. The Orange County Centennial, as it is officially designated, is an important event, at once historic and sheer fun. But even more important is the hope that the centennial celebration will tie the past to the present and give today’s residents roots that will really make them feel at home.

We doubt that when the area broke away from Los Angeles and Orange County was officially born on Aug. 1, 1889, many of the nearly 14,000 residents in the sleepy, rural community envisioned that it would grow to become the sixth largest county in the nation and one of its most desirable and successful metropolitan areas. Of course, it didn’t start out that way. For nearly 60 years, Orange County remained rural. Then came World War II, during which servicemen stationed at military bases in the county and nearby areas discovered California. After the war, many GIs returned here. Then the Santa Ana Freeway was extended into the county. And the boom years began. Growth, although slowed at times, hasn’t really stopped since.

When an area grows as quickly and steadily as Orange County has in the last 40 years, it is hard for residents to have roots or a sense of history. The centennial celebration should help provide that.

Next Sunday, a morning bike tour and an evening fireworks show will kick off the year’s celebration. Before the closing ceremonies in August of 1989, residents will gather for more than 260 special events. They include parades, art shows, dance festivals, horse shows, softball games, concerts and baseball’s All Star Game in Anaheim.

By the end of the yearlong birthday party, residents of all ages, origins and ethnic backgrounds should know more about the history of their county--and about each other. And they should have a new sense of pride in the community they call home.

Before the new county could officially be incorporated in 1889, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state bill that created Orange County had to be resolved. A judge ruled the legislation legal.

The court ruling prompted the editor of the Santa Ana Standard, a newspaper published in the county seat, to editorialize, “Hip, hip, hurrah! for Orange County.” Going into its hundredth year, we find that the editor’s reaction reflects our sentiments exactly.