COUNTYWIDE : Celebration to Mark Park’s 94th Year

The county will hold a 94th birthday party Saturday for Irvine Regional Park, the oldest regional park in California, featuring food, crafts, music, contests and educational programs centered on American Indian and Mexican cultures.

Admission will be $2 for adults and $1 for children ages 7 to 14. Younger children will be admitted free. Proceeds will benefit the Southern California Indian Center, which is co-sponsoring the event.

The celebration continues a countdown that began last year in anticipation of the park’s 100th birthday, said Carolyn L. Charkey, an event organizer. The theme will change each year to celebrate the different cultures that settled the Orange County area, she said. Next year’s celebration will have a German theme, and the 100th anniversary in 1997 will celebrate Indochinese cultures.

The event will begin in the center of the park at 11 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. The celebration will include a salsa-making contest in two categories, homemade and commercial. Entrants must bring at least a quart of their salsa, ready to serve, and submit an entry form by 1 p.m. The top prize is a trip for two to Ensenada, sponsored by Miniondas, a Spanish language newspaper.