Community Plans Bicentennial Fiesta

From a Spanish land grant given to a worn-out soldier to a small but growing city on the edge of greater Los Angeles, Simi Valley has a 200-year history that is being celebrated tonight by civic leaders and longtime residents.

The Simi Valley Bicentennial Fiesta is the last big organized celebration of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the area and will include an address by Victor Ibanze Martin, the consul general in Los Angeles for the Spanish government, said Larry Freed, chairman of the bicentennial committee.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Freed said.

It was in 1795 that King Carlos IV of Spain awarded Santiago Pico with the 113,000-acre land grant called El Rancho Simi. Simi Valley was not incorporated until October 1969.

Tonight’s dinner will also recognize local families who can trace their ancestors back to some of the earliest settlers.

The dinner, a Mexican feast catered by the Acapulco Restaurant in Simi Valley, is scheduled to start with drinks at 6:30 p.m. at the Rancho Simi Park District Community Center on Los Angeles Avenue at Stearns Street.

Entertainment will be provided by flamenco dancers from the El Cid Restaurant in West Los Angeles. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door, at the Strathearn Historical Park Museum or at Ken’s Stationers. For more information call 581-4280.