Letter: Memories of 60s Street Dances

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In the late 1960s teen street dances were held right where our new promenade is planned. They were sponsored by a youth committee made up of members from different churches. The group was an idea from Bob Cornelison, the priest at St. Mary’s episcopal church. A stage in front of Klass electric shop had a live band with power from the shop. The Laguna Beach Lumber co. provided 4 x 8’ plywood “walls” that were tied together in a zig-zag way at each end of the block, which allowed the committee to have entryways and be self-financed from admission dollars. The dances were so popular the city council requested that the committee limit their promotion. One foggy night, Laguna Beach Mayor, Glenn Vedder, got lots of phone calls because the fog seemed to trap the music and bother residents nearby and on the hills, but the mayor had worked with young people, and the dances went on — closing at midnight. I believe the LBPD parked a car at one end of the block, and there never was a problem despite the crowd.

At that time, there was also an award-winning teen page in one of the local newspapers, which was completely produced by teen writers and photographers. Two wonderful memories of teens from the 1960s.

Roger Carter, Laguna Beach

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