Pasadena gears up for Colorado Street Bridge party

The historic preservation group Pasadena Heritage marks 35 years of local activism on Saturday with the return of the biennial Colorado Street Bridge Party.

Pasadena Heritage began hosting bridge parties in the late 1970s, when the iconic 1913 structure had fallen into disrepair and was threatened with possible demolition. The bridge has since been restored and undergone seismic upgrades.

In preparation, city officials will close the bridge Saturday at 6 a.m. The bridge will ropen Sunday at 3 a.m.

The party kicks off at 6 p.m. with a procession by the Pasadena Scottish Pipes and Drums group from the bridge’s Orange Grove Boulevard entrance. Entertainment, food and drink continue through 11 p.m. with local restaurant and craft-beer booths, classic cars, children’s activities and live music from Pasadena rock-scene veterans Snotty Scotty & the Hankies, Horses on Astroturf and Mercy & the Merkettes.

Also on stage for a special Battle of the Bands are three groups that formed at local high schools in the late 1960s and early ‘70s: Blair High’s Abacuda Beartail, the Mighty Mustangs from John Muir High, and Stinky Felix — which formed at Pasadena High School in 1967 under the name Atomic Duck, according to volunteer organizer Peter Wilson. KTLA Morning News anchor Michaela Pereira will emcee.

Tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for children (kids under 6 are free) on the day of the event.
Call (626) 441-6333 or visit www.pasadenaheritage.org for pre-sale discounts.

-- Joe Piasecki, Times Community News

Twitter: @JoePiasecki