75th Anniversary of City: Madrid was Shifty, Ewin was Rev. Sweetworthy

On Feb. 10, 1987, La Mesa’s mayor, City Council and top department officials were all dressed up for business—or actually, dressed back.  Top civic officials donned  the fashions of 1912.

The occasion was the “Old Town Council Meeting Celebration.”  The special council meeting was the kickoff event of the City of La Mesa’s Diamond Jubilee 75th Anniversary celebration.

Mayor Fred Nagel opened the meeting with a welcome to all who had come to relive the city’s historical origins.  Nagel—as well as council colleagues Ernie Ewin, Jerri Lopez, Art Madrid, Ed Senechal and City Manager Ronald Bradley, City Clerk Anita Underwood and Attorney LeRoy Knutson—had been outfitted in period costumes to re-enact the first City Trustees (later council) meeting of March 1912.

After reading a proclamation thanking the city’s pioneering 1912 leaders, the council conducted a mock meeting reliving the appointments of the original city staff, initial ordinances and the election of Dr. Charles Samson as the first Chairman of the Board of Trustees (later mayor). 

The  re-enactment included Chamber of Commerce executive president Gordon Austin’s impassioned performance as a disgruntled citizen of 1912 who had to be calmed by the new city marshal (the beginnings of our Police Department).

The crowd was treated to a sing-along of old-time songs including I Want a Girl Just Like the Girl That Married Dear Old Dad and Down By the Old Mill Stream.

The festivities ended with the cutting of the “Diamond Jubilee” birthday cake.

Similar to the Golden Anniversary celebration of 1962, this official city “birthday party” started off a full year of centennial activities and events. 

The city boasted more than 51,000 citizens, up from 30,000 during the 50th anniversary celebration of 1962. 

The city was joined by the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce (an earlier version), La Mesa Historical Society, numerous service clubs and community institutions for the yearlong celebration for the Diamond Jubilee. 

Planning had begun in May 1986 under the direction of the Chamber of Commerce and resulted first in a contest to choose a logo, then to develop merchandise and plan key events. 

Special commemorative merchandise was created including a decorative belt-buckle featuring the historic McKinney House and recently restored La Mesa Depot, lithographs of La Mesa historic landmarks, T-shirts and a historical booklet.

Once the City Council opened the festivities on Feb. 10, other events followed— including a Diamond Jubilee kickoff dinner Feb. 20 sponsored by the La Mesa Kiwaniannes and the city. 

Held in the La Mesa Community Center, the program honored longstanding businesses celebrating their own anniversaries such as Drew Ford (60 years), McClellan Buick (50 years), and La Mesa Lumber (80 years).

The chamber also was celebrating its 75th anniversary.  It held its own Diamond Anniversary Dinner on June 19, 1987, including a special slide show on the chamber and city’s intertwined history.

The community at large was invited to take part during the May 30 La Mesa City Picnic.  Festivities included a full day of old-time games, contests, food and music fit for La Mesa’s families. 

Three separate stages were set up—one at La Mesa Boulevard and Fourth, another at the Historical Society’s McKinney House museum and the third at MacArthur Park, where most of the “picnic” festivities occurred including food booths, games and performances by local school bands, community theater groups and swing and rock and roll bands. 

But probably the most memorable of the Diamond Jubilee events was civic leaders having costumed fun.  

This extra-special event was an ode to La Mesa’s pioneering motion picture history.  La Mesa had been home base of the American Film Manufacturing Co.’s “Flying A” studio from August 1911 through July 1912.  During that year of residency, the company produced nearly one hundred “one-reeler” silent Westerns (more on this in future articles).

As such, the longstanding Lamplighters community theater group worked to produce one of the original films as a stage play.  Lamplighter director Paul Treske adapted Flying A director (and later Hollywood legend) Allan Dwan’s script for the 1912 film The Winning of La Mesa.  The melodramatic storyline was set in a fictional “Wild West” version of La Mesa—“The Sin Capitol of the West,” according to the tongue-in-cheek adaptation of the original script.

According to then and current Councilman Ewin, the council and city officials were asked to audition for parts in the play.  After assessing the talent and assets of those interested, Treske cast local VIPs in the show.

Mayor Fred Nagel won the role of saloon owner Tex Garvin, councilperson Jerri Lopez as Tex’s love interest Pretty Peggy, Councilman Art Madrid (our current mayor) as Tex’s sidekick Shifty, along with Councilman Ewin as Reverend Sweetworthy—the man to “clean up” sinful La Mesa.  

Staff also joined in the fun.

City Manager Ron Bradley played the Sheriff and City Clerk Anita Underwood, Redevelopment Director Janice Weinrick and personnel director Barbara Ramsey all filled roles as saloon girls. 

Parks department staffers Bob Caesar and Adolfo Villalobos and police Capt. Wayne Beatty played cowboys.  Along with Lamplighter regular Jo Coffey and the Historical Society’s Lloyd Donahoo, the cast also featured chamber president Gordon Austin as wisecracking bartender Jake, Grossmont Hospital’s Bob Yarras as cowboy Slim, and Miss La Mesa 1987 Heather Hale as Miss Purity Sweetworthy.

Although the two-night stand sold out the Ben Polak Fine Arts Center Theatre, and proved quite entertaining to La Mesans, it fell short of a Broadway run and any Tony Award nominations. 

However, it has proved to be, along with the belt buckles, a most memorable part of the 75th celebration.  Copies of the VHS tapes of the show being true La Mesa collectables today—and yes, the Historical Society has copies and the current Centennial Committee is considering public screening opportunities for 2012.

The Diamond Jubilee closed out its year of celebration with an “Old Fashioned Christmas Evening” featuring dinner and dancing for thanking all sponsors and volunteers.

In addition to Mayor Madrid and Councilman Ewin, a couple of other recognizable city staffers still around from the 1987 year include City Manager David Witt (then Assistant Planning Director) and Police Chief Alan Lanning (then a department lieutenant).

With such a tradition of civic celebration—as those in 1937, 1962, and 1987—the current Centennial Committee has only to look at its predecessors for inspiration on how to get a yearlong party going in our almost-a-century-old hometown—surely a true sign of a Winning of La Mesa.

FOR MORE INFORMATION on the city’s centennial celebration plans for 2012—including how to become an official sponsor, make a donation or have a Centennial Committee member make a presentation to your group or organization on how to get involved—visit the city of La Mesa’s website at cityoflamesa.com/centennial; e-mail  LaMesa100@ci.la-mesa.com or call 619-667-1300.

The La Mesa Historical Society, meanwhile, is looking for historical photos and memorabilia for its archives, along with candidates and volunteers for oral history interviews.  The society is also interested in providing assistance in organizing your La Mesa organization’s archival collections. 

For more information on these centennial-inspired efforts, contact the society at lamesahistoricalsociety.com, e-mail information@lamesahistoricalsociety.com or call 619-466-0197.

Earlier columns in this series:

• Part I, 1937: 150-Story Building at Lemon and Bancroft? Prophecy for 1962 Fell Short
• Part II, 1962: Mystery of the Missing Documentary: Chamber Touted City’s 50th Birthday