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Ted Hake’s avid button collector and
author of Collectible
Pin-Back Button 1896-1986
was asked which is his favorite button of all times,
“It would be the 1908 Long Beach Festival of the Sea button.
After all, how many buttons feature lettering
formed by sea snakes?”
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Here we sit in early 2014 a mere 106 years after the very
first and only mermaid festival to be held in Long Beach California…until now! This
June 27th thru the 29th the Pacific Coast Mermaid
Festival will be held in conjunction with Belmont Shores Pirate Invasion. The likes
of which have not been before, for the first time pirates and mermaids will
storm the shores of Long Beach’s, beautiful Belmont Shores. It is exciting to
think that in 1908 pods of mermaids, sailors, longshoremen, and ocean enthusiasts
walked these beaches and now we have a chance to recreate that moment!
But whose footsteps are we following in, who created the
Festival of Sea? And why was it never held again? I am always curious of the
past and so I went in search of the answer to these and other questions, what I
found is brilliant and I hope you will enjoy this little Long Beach history
lesson!
Henry S. Callahan started life a “furniture clerk” and he apparently
was quite good and made quite a bit of money, because in 1906 he and a partner
began the Bank of Commerce and in 1907 he ran for an office in the city council
and won. He took office in 1908, just as he and his family, wife Augusta and their
daughter Thelma moved into their new and stately home on 855 Elm Ave. Also in 1908 the Chamber of Commerce and the
Mercantile Manufactures Association decided the city need to host an all-inclusive
event reminiscent of the parades and carnivals that were being held in San Bernardino.
They would call it the Festival of Sea
and it would be grandiose and magnificent!
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| Callahan home in 1907 approx. |
How Henry got involved with the Festival remains a mystery
to me, but he made sure he was front and center! During the Festival of the Sea a Mermaid Queen
was crowned and as luck would have it, it was none other than Augusta Callahan,
Henry’s wife. At the end of the closing parade the mysterious King Rex was
unmasked to reveal the face of Henry Callahan. The Festival of the Sea was a
five day extravaganza with parades, masquerades, and the coronation of the
Queen and Juvenile Queen. Festivities of all every kind were held throughout
the week and into the evenings. The coronation grabbed the attention of local reports
and the event was emblazoned upon the front page of the Los Angeles Herald.
Now, I could give you the cliff notes of the article but in
order to really drink in the opulence of this five day event, one must read it
and see it from the eyes of those who were there to truly understand. Below is
the best transcription of the article that I could manage!
LONG BEACH CROWNS
QUEEN OF ITS FESTIVAL
CARNIVAL OF SEA BRILLIANT
SPECTACLE!
BEAUTIFUL CITY ABLAZE WITH MYRIAD OF LIGHTS!
Scene of Regal Magnificence Witnessed by
Thousands of Persons Crowded Into Monster Grandstand
Special to The Herald.
LONG BEACH, Sept. 1st — Spectacular and
gorgeously beautiful was the opening night of the first Long Beach Festival of
the Sea. Picture a gigantic grandstand, built upon the beach, the waters of the
Pacific lapping against it, long and broad and high and festooned with lights.
Imagine it filled with thousands of persons whose gaze is eagerly directed
toward the delicately colored seashell, rimmed with incandescent (lights) and
banked with flowers and palms, which rears itself high above the surf. Within
this brilliant shell there is a throne, with sumptuous fittings. Suddenly,
about 8 o'clock, the shrill blasts of trumpets fill the air. "The
queen!" the cry goes up; for Queen Augusta , "mermaid queen,"
has arrived. A fairy appears and dances across the stage. The fairy
accomplishes the transformation of the "mermaid queen" into the queen
of the Festival of the Sea, A wild salute follows, all her subjects joining
until the echoes ring. Lights flash out, many folk in costumes of many kinds
appear upon the stage and the queen is given a rousing welcome.
The queen of the Festival of the Sea, Mrs. H. S. Callahan,
was escorted to her throne by A. C. Malone, prince consort.
The coronation was a beautiful scene. Miss Georgia Lanphere,
Mrs. W. F. King, Mrs. F. L. Wood and Miss Floss Goldsmith, were first, second,
third and fourth ladies of the court, respectively. Other ladies and gentlemen
of the court who participated in the brilliant coronation were___________________.
After the coronation a vaudeville program was given by Patsy
Dolivar, wire walker; Miss Floss Goldsmith, Japanese dance; Shreck brothers,
gymnasts; Miss Jane J Havering, French and Italian dance; George Raymous, high
dive. Fireworks displays followed. Queen's Ball, at 10 o'clock in the
Auditorium, was a notable affair. The queen, preceded by her court and royal
attendants, rode to, the Auditorium from the seashell stage in the royal
litter, a seagoing sedan chair, in her lovely robe of plush and satin she made
a brilliant entrance into the big hall. Members of the court, who were all in
costume, danced a quaint minuet before the ball began. The Auditorium had been
transformed into a bower of beauty. Festival colors of red, green and orange in
pennants, festoons and drapes ran from end to end of the building and from the
center strings of the pennants extended in every direction. Huge American flags
adorned the galleries and ceiling, while thousands of lights glittered among
the waving riot of color.
The stage represented a subterranean throne. Fishnet, in
which seaweed was caught, was ' draped from the proscenium arch. Starfish, kelp
and moss were effectively used in the draping. Cat tail rushes were hung from
the ceiling in a way greatly to strengthen the subterranean Idea. : Ball
tickets sold at $1. The floor was crowded. Ball souvenirs were sea shells
attached to silk ribbons. W. J. Desmond was chairman of the committee in
charge. He was assisted by Mrs. Clay H. White, P.lmer Campen, Miss Mabel Ena,
Dr. H. V. Epperson. Thousands came in
today to witness the festival’s opening. Tomorrow morning at 10:30 the festival
and floral parade will move through the streets. Dr. A. B. Austin will be
marshal. In the parade will be a large display of beautiful floats bearing
richly gowned young women. There will be many handsomely decorated automobiles
and carriages______ Head of parade form on Pine at Sixth street; down Pine to
Ocean avenue, west on Ocean to Magnolia avenue, ' north on Magnolia to Fourth; east
on Fourth to Locust, north on Locust to Sixth, east on Sixth to American
avenue, south on American avenue to Ocean avenue, west on Ocean avenue to and
past Hotel Virginia; then disbanding. ___________________ Tomorrow afternoon
there will be sports of many kinds, going on at the beach and in the Water, including
, horse swimming races. There will be afternoon performances daily in the
seashell stage, as well as in the evenings. There will be dally balloon
ascensions and band concerts. Eight bands will take places in the parade
tomorrow and the * Municipal band, Willey's concert band and the Ocean Park
band will have a concert contest in the Auditorium in the afternoon for prizes
of $300, $150 and $75. The Fullerton band, the Whittler state school band, the
Naples band and the Majestic band will also compete in the parade contest for prizes of $100, $50 and $25. A
"rube" band will be in the rear of the parade. The poultry show
opened today with 250 splendid entries. Awards were made today in a number of
classes and the judging will be finished tomorrow. The prizes awarded today
were as follows: Poultry Show Prizes (omitted)
The cat show also
opened today. Many fine animals are entered, an Interesting one being an
Australian cat which was washed overboard in the Golden Gate, San Francisco,
and was rescued by Mrs. J. J. Osmer of Long Beach, after the cat swam a mile.
Mrs. Leland Norton of Los Angeles ls to Judge all the cats. James Heartwell jr. Long Beach; H. W. Gunston. South Pasadena; George H.
Masterson, Duarte; and G. A. Goodacre, Compton, are Judges In the poultry show.
Friday a Public Holiday Mayor Windham today issued a proclamation declaring
next Friday a public holiday in honor of the festival. Harry Wright, the
aeronaut, made a sensational balloon ascension at 2 o'clock this afternoon from
the corner of Fourth street and Pine avenue, 5000 people witnessing It. The
balloon came down on an East Fourth street residence, breaking two telephone
wires. Wright suffered a slight ankle sprain. James Zerbe, president of the Los
Angeles Aero club, was here today, superintendenting the setting up of his
airship, made at Bimini hot springs. The craft, which has not been exhibited
before, will endeavor of make daily flights from the top of the Byde-A-Wyle
theater on the Pike. The city looked gay and festive tonight. Strings of red
and green Incandescent (lights) hung across the main streets and made a canopy
of light over the pier.
~End of Article
(Side note: I omitted the lists of names, prizes, and places awarded)
Wow! That is a spectacular Spectacle, indeed! As rumor has it the festivals over the top grandeur
is what kept it from ever returning. While the city did see a revenue increase
the cost of hosting and cleaning up the Festival of the Sea was more than
expected. Lots of talk and plans were
in the works to bring it back, but it never saw the light of day again. Since
then small groups and organizations have banded together to host one or two
events in Long Beach trying to continue in the vein of the festival gone before
them. Nothing has ever been done on this
scale and the Pacific Coast Mermaid Festival cannot promise Cat and Poultry
Contests but we can promise to keep the spirit of wonderment and magic alive on
our beaches! th – 29th during the Belmont
Shores Pirate Invasion!
Celebrate Mermaids!
Celebrate History! Celebrate the Oceans!
What learn more the Pacific Coast Mermaid Festival?
Check out our Facebook page, ask questions, volunteer,
get info and make friends!
Love, Peace, & Mermaids,
Meridian
Stay connected and be sure to follow Meridian Mer-Gyver
at:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/meridian.mergyver
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https://twitter.com/MeridianMerGyve
Blogger:
http://meridianmer-gyver.blogspot.com
PS. Wondering what happened to the Callahan Family? Me Too!
Henry died in 1934 and his wife continued to live in there family home now located at 3215 E. Ocean Ave for the next two years. The home at 855 Elm was sold to the Scottish Rite, the home was torn down and the Scottish Rite Cathedral was erected. The cathedral still stands today and is one Long Beaches historical markers. Agusta then moved into a high rise apartment where she lived out her days, passing ways in 1964 at the age 90. Augusta, Long Beaches only Mermaid Queen, out lives her entire family.
Very little could be found on their daughter Thelma, she was born in 1900 and only lived to see her 17th birthday. I have no idea how or why she died so young, I can only speculate that is was a tragedy, because there is no record of her beyond the census. The remaining record of Thelma is from a census from Indiana indicating that she born to Augusta and Henry Callahan.
The family is buried together in the family plot at Sunnyside Cemetery in Long Beach California.
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