Seal Beach Celebrates 97th Birthday

Happy (early) birthday, Seal Beach!

Though the city's 97th anniversary is later this month, residents celebrated Seal Beach Founders Day with gusto Sunday afternoon.

The event’s theme was honoring those who serve or were stationed at the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach.

Navy sailors in full uniform, including Station Commander Paul Werring, attended the festivities.

“It’s a pleasure to be invited out here to say the least,” Werring said. “It’s awesome to have the support that we get from this community.”

A cool breeze and a blue sky greeted guests at the Seal Beach Pier as they listened to music from The Hank Barto Quartet from Leisure World, the Oak Middle School choir, and the Los Alamitos High School jazz and marching bands.

The city was founded in 1915 on Oct. 25 or Oct 27, (there is some debate on the issue), according to Libby Appelgate, Founders Day Committee publicity chair and local historian.

However, there’s no debate on Sunday’s celebration – Appelgate said everything came together “as planned.”

“Seal Beach has come a long way,” Appelgate said. “We were a city of 250 and now we’re a city with 24,000.”

The Seal Beach Lions Club provided bratwurst and hot dogs, and the Founders Day committee sold t-shirts in honor of the anniversary.  

 “It is a great place to live, and it's small town living at its best,” said City Councilwoman Ellery Deaton. “The program that the Founders Day Committee put together is just spectacular.”

Karen Anderson, a Seal Beach resident who attended with her dog Bugsy, said she loves the “little beach community.”

"And Bugsy loves the city," Anderson said. 

Eight-year old Cienna (whose last name we thought we wrote down, but apparently not) said she loves Seal Beach because she can “go swimming in the ocean.”

“I like to go into the water,” Cienna said. “It’s fun.”

For more information on Founders Day, visit the Seal Beach Founders Day blog.