IRVINE REGIONAL PARK CELEBRATES 125 YEARS

Irvine Regional Park will celebrate its 125th anniversary this fall with a family-friendly event that includes live music, dance, theater, crafts, historical demonstrations and interpretive programs. Residents have long enjoyed the park’s secluded trails, tranquil pond and magnificent stands of live oak. As far back as the 1850s, those oaks attracted locals who called the area “the picnic grounds.” In 1897, Irvine Company donated the picnic grounds to the County of Orange, with the request that no trees would be cut and the entire 160 acres would be kept in their natural state. In doing so, the Company helped create the first regional park in California, today managed by OC Parks. The Oct. 1 anniversary event is free to attend, though there is a $5 parking fee.