In celebration of its Centennial, Culver City will begin its year-long festivities Saturday, Sept. 24.
“Our incorporation date for being 100 years old is Sept. 20, 2017. So, we made a decision that we would start the celebration a year in advance, leading up to closing ceremonies on the actual date,” Jim B. Clarke, mayor of Culver City, said.
Planning for the celebration began in 2014, after Clarke organized an 11-member board to take the reins and put together events and activities focused on the community, at large.
Comprised of three events, including speeches by elected officials, community leaders and other select dignitaries, a block party that will spill onto Culver Studios’ front lawn, a parade in Veterans Park will kick-off the festivities: “then, everyone [will be] aware the rest of the year that this is a Centennial. It is going to be awesome,” Laura Chardiet, parade co-chair, said.
Replete with Culver City high school’s marching band–which is currently learning a few pieces from select Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals–floats, antique cars, a gymnastics troupe, as well as a dog parade in honor of city founder, Harry Culver’s, affinity for dogs, “[the Centennial] is starting out with a bang. [We’re] really encompassing that this is a big celebration,” Kathleen Tepley, advisory consultant, said.
“After the parade, we’re going to have a formal ceremony in the middle of Main Street and Culver Boulevard, by the Culver Hotel,” Paul Jacobs, president of the board of Culver City Centennial said. “After that, the Downtown Business Association is creating a block party that is going to cover the entire quad area, that’s the area between the hotel and the Arclight Theater and Culver Studios. So, about four to five blocks.”
Following the initial ceremonies, “a week later, we’re going to have a gala at Sony Studios,” Clarke said. “It is being catered by Wolfgang Puck and there will be other various food stations…That will be a nice party.”
Interested individuals may purchase tickets to the gala for $120 by visiting www.culvercity100.org.
“It takes a village to run the Centennial.” Tepley, said. “That’s what we’re hearing from other cities that have been doing the Centennial. This is a community endeavor”
In keeping with the spirit of community, Culver City residents are encouraged to voice any ideas for events or activities that tie into the Centennial theme.
“We just want the community to hear and start asking about how they can get involved,” Tepley said. “We’ve got a volunteer day that we’re trying to organize because we have got so many people who want to volunteer.”
Jacobs tell us that: “this is a city that has strong community values. It is a city that has a form of government that encourages volunteers and participation.”
Focused on giving the community a voice in planning the celebratory events, “I really encourage individuals or organizations that have ideas of a way that they would like to celebrate the Centennial to [let us know],” Clarke said. “We want to be able to emphasize not only our past but we want to talk about what we are doing today and what we see happening for the next hundred years.”
Suggested events or activities are subject to approval so long as said events tie into Culver City.
Members of the community may begin to see banners commemorating the Centennial, around town.
“We worked with the school district–elementary through high school–where kids had a contest to design a poster of ‘what I like about Culver City’,” Clarke said. “We have chosen thirty-six of those and they are being made into street banners that will also promote our sponsors. 216 banners will be put up around the city.”
Intent on highlighting the city’s hundredth birthday, “for the rest of the year, we have so many cultural, performing and other kinds of art events [slated], but we want to kind of bring it together so that every week we have some kind of special event that we can support,” Jacobs said.
Interested individuals may look forward to the closing ceremonies on September 19, next year.
“The big bash is going to be on the 19th and may spill over into the 20th,” Jacobs said. “We’re going to have a giant birthday party in Veterans Park, a giant cake, we’re going to be honoring our city employees that day, too, at city hall. Those are [a few] of the things we are doing.”
Any inquiries as to how to become involved or when certain events and activities are to be held, may be found at www.culvercity100.org.
“It is not hard to convince people what we are doing and why,” Jacobs said. “If they have lived in the city any length of time, we don’t have to tell them what we are celebrating. It is just about getting the word out to them.”
