SEAL BEACH : Celebration Marks 80th Anniversary

In a weekend of celebrations, the city’s volunteer-built pier-side police substation will be dedicated, the Naval Weapons Station will welcome the public to its annual open house and continuing events will mark the city’s 80th anniversary.

Public Visitation Day at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station begins at 10 a.m. today with tours of the facility and the battleship Rentz. A new viewing center for the 200-acre national wildlife refuge within the base will also be open to the public.

In celebration of the 80th anniversary of the city’s incorporation, the annual Founder’s Day Masquerade Ball will take place tonight from 6:30 to midnight at the Old Ranch Country Club.

Founder’s Day activities continue Sunday with 11:15 a.m. dedication ceremonies for the new police substation at the pier. Seal Beach Police Chief Bill Stearns, county Supervisor Jim Silva and a representative from Gov. Pete Wilson’s office are scheduled to take part.

The opening of the office at the beach comes 27 years after police headquarters were moved from the shore to the current location across from the Naval Weapons Station. Residents lobbied city officials for years to construct a substation near the pier to help curb growing incidents of crime and graffiti.

The cash-strapped city could not afford the project, so local restaurateur Jack Haley organized residents and others who volunteered time and materials to construct the Community Safety Building over the past two months.

At noon Sunday, after the dedication of the substation, the Founder’s Day Parade begins on Main Street, followed by a Day on the Green in the downtown area, featuring food, games and an evening concert.