When my dad was an elementary school student in the early 1970s, he remembers going with a friend to Featherly Regional Park in Anaheim as part of Fullerton’s Youth Science Center. It […]
Investigating the History of Featherly Regional Park
Emerson Little
Stedman Clock: Standing the Test of Time
If you’ve ever walked or driven down North Harbor Boulevard in downtown Fullerton, you may have noticed an old fashioned street clock positioned on the curb in front of a brick building […]
Fullerton Police Provide Free Vacation Check Program
Earlier this summer, before my family went on a brief trip, we filled out a vacation check application through the Fullerton Police website. The Vacation Check, which is open only to residences […]
Discover Fullerton on Foot with Free Monthly Walking Tours
On an overcast morning near the end of July, two volunteer tour guides wearing T-shirts that read “Park People” sat on the benches outside the sliding glass doors of the Fullerton Community […]
Spending Time at South Fullerton Parks
Fullerton is a city rich with parks and recreational trails. Most residents are familiar with Hillcrest Park. However, they may not be aware of the other parks within the City. A few […]
Assistance League’s Taste of the Town Returns Vegas-Style after 2-Year Absence
On a late Saturday afternoon at the beginning of June, laughter, lively conversation, and the sounds of rock and roll music carried through the air from the Fullerton Plaza to where my […]
Rediscovering Gilman Park
On my way back from shopping in Brea, I drove a half-mile east on Associated Road, down Rolling Hills Drive, and saw someone stepping over a chain attached to a wooden fence […]
A Day of Authors Returns In-Person
For 29 years, the Assistance League Professional Humanitarian Auxiliary, also known as ALPHA, has hosted the popular Day of Authors event, which has drawn roughly 500 book lovers each year. While the […]
Wandering Through West Coyote Hills Tree Park
A couple of years ago, for a previous column, I wrote about the parks of Fullerton. There was one just north of Parks Junior High School that I recently discovered I hadn’t […]
Downtown Fullerton Historic Walking Tours Resume After Two-Year Hiatus
“Education is part of our goals and tours are a great way to get people to hear more about Fullerton’s historic past,” said Ernie Kelsey, President of Fullerton Heritage, and Chair of […]
LeVar Burton Reads to Richman Elementary School Students
“The story about Rhino isn’t just about everything that he lost, it’s also about things that he gained in terms of knowing that we’re never alone, and that we all need help […]
North Orange County Hiking Trails Have Green Hills and a Gas Pipeline
One of the best views of Orange County can be seen on a hiking trail that starts in an ordinary neighborhood. Located at the end of Rimcrest Drive in Yorba Linda (just […]
Beckman Instruments Building Has History of Scientific Invention
Fullerton has been home to many large manufacturing companies over the years, such as the Hughes Aircraft Company, and Sylvania Electric Products. More recently, the Kimberly-Clark plant was torn down and along […]
Studio for Southern CA History is ‘Shouting From the Margins’ at CSUF Library
Inspired by the experiences of Harlen Lambert and Daniel Michael Lynem, Jr., two men who represented opposite ends of the political spectrum, “Shouting from the Margins: Black Orange County, 1960-1979” opened last […]
Fullerton Heritage Celebrates 30th Anniversary
For the past 30 years, Fullerton Heritage, a non-profit benefit corporation of over 150 members, has dedicated itself to preserving Fullerton’s past for future generations. The all-volunteer organization has been very active […]
City Hall Has Compelling History
Fullerton’s City Hall hasn’t always been in the same building as it is today. In fact, before it was even built, “city offices were located in rented offices in the downtown area,” […]
Fighting Fires Since 1908: A History of Fullerton’s Fire Department
In its early days, Fullerton didn’t have a fire department. It wasn’t until 1908, after a fire leveled three buildings in the downtown area, that Fullerton’s first volunteer fire department was formed. […]
El Cajon Trail Provides Green Space in Yorba Linda
Recently, there’s been talk about a proposed greenbelt trail along a stretch of abandoned Union Pacific right-of-way in south Fullerton. An example of what such a trail might look like and how […]
Estrella Family Fashions Zoot Suits at El Pachuco
Opening its doors for business in 1978, El Pachuco Zoot Suits, located at 801 South Harbor Boulevard, has always been a family business. Phyllis Estrella, who was born, raised, and married in […]
Fullerton: A “Preserve America Community”
Entering Fullerton city limits on Chapman Avenue, one sees a sign that says Fullerton is a “Preserve America Community.” It turns out that the Preserve America Program, a federal initiative developed to […]
Monte Alban keeps Mexican culture and tradition alive through folkloric dance
Early on a Saturday morning in a parking lot behind the family-run business of El Pachuco, shouts and spirited cries were exchanged between folkloric dancers and their families in the audience as […]
Observing History at Orange County’s Oldest Public Cemetery
On a hazy morning in late September, a thin layer of mist lingered over the gravestones at the Anaheim Cemetery, the oldest of Orange County’s three public graveyards. Sitting in the middle […]
Community Lawn Concerts: Listening to “Lawn Jazz” With the Dixiedelics
“It was a few months into the pandemic and all our regular music gigs had dried up,” said Dave Kraus, a member of the Dixiedelics, a group of professional musicians who play […]
Community Lawn Concerts: Six Foot Sessions on Valley View
On Friday evenings, the sounds of international folk music carry through a Fullerton neighborhood. These melodies are from a series of community concerts created by local musicians on their front lawns to […]
From Whiting Avenue to Whiting Ranch’s Red Rock Canyon
Many Fullerton residents may be familiar with Whiting Avenue, but many may may not know how the street got its name. Once the town of Fullerton had been christened, the Amerige Brothers […]
A Potential Trail Along Fullerton’s Abandoned Union Pacific Tracks
Back in 2009, Brea community meetings were held to find a way to convert the city’s abandoned rails into trails for walking, running and biking, instead of places where people dumped trash […]
Purple Flowering Jacarandas Blossom in Fullerton
With spring coming to a close and June Gloom creeping in, this is the time of year when people driving through Fullerton can see flowers blooming on the city’s jacaranda trees, creating […]
Raymond Basin Designed for Water Conservation and Flood Control
Driving down Raymond Avenue, over the Riverside freeway, and continuing until it became East Street in Anaheim, I noticed a large fenced in area which reminded me of a dried-up lakebed, with […]
Oldest Remaining Church in Fullerton Has Historic Past
Rapidly constructed in seven months in 1909, the building on the corner of Pomona and East Amerige has served the needs of three different religious congregations over the years. When the building […]
Flying into Fullerton Airport’s History
It’s hard not to miss the sounds of airplanes flying overhead in Fullerton on their way to the airport. In “Wings Over Fullerton,” a historical pamphlet by Sylvia Mudrick, the Fullerton Municipal […]
Filmed in Fullerton: Movies Made on Location
I’ve always been fascinated with films, especially the production process behind them. It’s interesting to find out where the films you’ve watched were actually made. Following Observer reader Linda Henke’s suggestion, I […]
Fullerton Friendship Trees Have Roots in Sister City Program
Passing by City Hall on Highland, it’s easy to miss the trees planted alongside the building. Upon closer inspection, you may notice large signs in front of a few of these trees, […]
The City’s Barrancas and Floods in Fullerton’s Past
Since Southern California usually has quite a lot of rain around this time of year, I thought it would be interesting to look into a few of the past floods Fullerton has […]
Local El Camino Real Bells Tell California History
Driving or walking along Harbor Boulevard through Fullerton’s downtown district, you may have noticed a green old-fashioned bell mounted on a tall concrete crook labeled with a brown sign with the words, […]
Looking Back at CSUF’s Outdoor Sculpture Collection
After looking over my dad’s old AAA “California’s Gold Guide Map” that highlights places in California visited by Huell Howser in Road Trip with Huell Howser and California’s Gold, I noticed a […]
