The ink had barely dried on official documents renaming and rechartering the Women’s Civic Club as our Solana Beach Civic & Historical Society in 1989 when then-Board members charged ahead with plans to transform a deteriorating 100-year-old home into our Heritage Museum. Although the structure — the former Stevens house, built in 1888 — had been identified and promised for the purpose of creating a museum, a few challenges remained. Among them: Where to put it? And how to get it there?
The City had agreed to assume ownership and committed $25,000 for exterior renovation, but there was no consensus about where to place the planned museum. As many as eight locations were under consideration, including Skyline School, several undeveloped acres in residential neighborhoods, and the 16-acre property then used as a flower farm at the north end of North Rios Ave. From the start, City staff and Park and Recreations Committee members advocated for siting the planned museum on City-owned land. They
eventually prevailed in 1991 when Council approved a proposal to move the old house to La Colonia Park.
Now it was up to the Society to fund the $4,000 cost of the move. Help came with a $1,000 donation from Bruce Howe, a former resident of the house, whose family owned it from 1979 to 1984.
On Friday, February 22, 1991, starting at 9 a.m., the historic house was loaded on a flatbed truck for the mile-long journey from Del Mar Downs Road to Via de la Valle, then to Valley Avenue and the east side of the park.
Over time, the City took on exterior renovations, including a foundation, painting and a porch that wrapped around one of two eucalyptus trees preserved on site. Volunteers helped install the new roof, which also accommodated the tree, and began to
refurbish the interior. The work took years. It wasn’t until September, 17, 1994, that our Heritage Museum was formally dedicated and began opening for visitors.
It was another decade before the interior displays were completed to tell a story about the history of our City.
Boo-Boo had been looking forward to the Historical Society’s Halloween party all month. He had never been to one before, and was excited to dress up in his best white sheet.
Jackie o’Lantern was feeling excited as she made her way to the community center by the sea. It was the earliest Halloween party of the season, and Jackie loved nothing more than dressing up and celebrating with her friends.
The Jinx attended the earliest Halloween party of the season, at a community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon and the days might finally start to get chilly. The Jinx was excited to attend his first Halloween party, but he was also nervous. What would he wear? He had no idea what costumes humans wore. He decided to go as himself and flew to the party in a cloud of dark smoke.
Obscuro was getting excited for the upcoming Halloween party. It would be his first one of the season, and he was looking forward to dressing up in his favorite costume. He had white latex skin that made his face look like a mask, so he always stuck out in a crowd. But that was exactly why he loved going to Halloween parties- he loved the opportunity to show off his unique look.
Lucius Morte had never been to a Halloween party before. He had always been too busy tormenting the damned in the 4th level of hell to bother with earthly celebrations. But this year, he was feeling particularly restless and decided to venture out into the world of mortals. He found a community center by the sea that was hosting a Halloween party and decided to attend.
Vespera was so excited to go to the Halloween party. It was at a community center by the sea, and it would be her first party in a long time! She had been practicing her mime and charade skills for weeks, and she was determined to show everyone how good she was.
Gourdy Bane was very excited to attend the earliest Halloween party of the season. It was being held at a community center by the sea, and he loved the sound of waves crashing against the shore. When he arrived, he saw that the party was already in full swing. There were pumpkins everywhere, and people were dressed in costumes. Gourdy Bane saw a couple of gourds wearing pirate costumes, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He loved Halloween parties, and he was having a great time dancing to the music and eating candy.
Morrigana was very excited to attend the Halloween party at the community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon, and the days were finally starting to get chilly. Morrigana had been working on her Halloween outfit all year long, and she was looking forward to showing it off.
William Wisp had been looking forward to the community center’s Halloween party all month long. It was going to be two days before the full moon, and he loved the smell of fall in the air (cinnamon and pumpkin spice). His Halloween costume was all ready to go, and he was excited to show it off to all of his friends. This year, he was dressed as a pumpkin. His little orange boots matched his little pumpkin body perfectly.
Mr. Creepers was all dressed up and ready to go to the community center by the sea for the earliest Halloween party of the season. It had been a long time since he’d been out and about, but he was feeling young at heart and ready to have some fun. He loved the black 1940s coat that he had found at a thrift store and felt confident that he would be the most stylish person at the party.
The Frankster had always loved Halloween. He loved the costumes, the candy, and most of all, the parties. This year, he was especially excited for the party at the community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon, and he could feel a tiny bit of a cool autumn breeze in the air.
Wooblydook was really excited to attend the Halloween party at the community center by the sea. He had never been to one before, and he was looking forward to kale pulling and making neep lanterns. The party was two days before the full moon, and Wooblydook was hoping it would start to get chilly soon. He loved being out in the cold and feeling his bat-like ears flap in the wind.
As the sun began to set, the community center by the sea came to life. Lights flickered on, announcing that the earliest Halloween party of the season was about to start. A golden sun slowly rose in the sky, growing brighter and brighter as it got closer to the horizon. As it reached its peak, people whispered: this sun only came out at night. It was the Midnight Sun.