By Rachael Rifkin
Staff Writer
After a brief hiatus last year due to the economic downturn, the California Heights Home and Garden Tour is all set to return this October 11. Celebrating its 12th year, the much-anticipated event will feature five Spanish-style bungalow homes, three gardens, antique autos, special speaker Jane Powell (author of Bungalow Baths and Bungalow Kitchens), light refreshments and live music.
Powell (“the bad girl of bungalow writing” ) will kick off the day with a 10am talk (tentatively scheduled at Longfellow Elementary’s auditorium). Trolleys will begin their route throughout the historic neighborhood at 11am. Participants will also have access to local business discounts and the chance to chat with home improvement/restoration business representatives.
“All of the featured Spanish bungalows were built between the 1920s and 1930s,” said California Heights home tour coordinator Kerrie Weaver. “The three gardens are all very unique. One is Victorian, one is an English garden with brickwork and a big Redwood Sequoia, and one is an organic sustainable garden.”
Originally started as a joint venture between the California Heights Neighborhood Association (CHNA) and Long Beach Heritage, the tour was created to both showcase the neighborhood and raise money for community projects.
CHNA board member Karen Highberger helped organize the first California Heights Home and Garden Tour in 1997.
“We had batted around the idea for a few years. We finally decided to approach LB Heritage because they had experience doing home tours. We partnered it with their fair,” said Highberger. “We bent over backwards to make our tour stand out. We had a trolley, water stations at every house, and strolling musicians.”
Still, they never envisioned that it would become an annual event.
“It was only meant to be a one-time event, but it was so popular that we came back the next year, and the year after that, and the year after that,” said Weaver.
CHNA president John Royce believes the tour is special for a variety of reasons.
“Our tour promotes the awareness of our historic-district designation and allows residents and guests to see how others have massaged their older homes for modern living, while preserving the historic character and charm that makes them so special,” said Royce. “The tour engages residents and enhances the special sense of community we enjoy in California Heights and Long Beach.”
The proceeds from past tours have funded the Cal Heights mural by Art Mortimer, Cal Heights ReLeaf tree plantings and care days, and the Lamppost Restoration project. Their newest program, Clean Streets, follows a rotating pattern to remove litter from the commercial corridors that surround the neighborhood each Thursday morning.
Volunteers are still needed for this event. To volunteer or for more information, contact Karen Highberger at (714) 436-0826 or email Kerrie Weaver at calheights@earthlink.net.
