Many people ask how they can be part of the Centennial and leave a lasting memory. One of the best ways to do that is through the Commemorative Centennial Brick program.
Research undertaken by Adrian Bown from Leeds Metropolitan University of 860 homes found that brick structures can have a lifespan of 500 years or more.
This research focused on traditional low-rise residential housing and smaller commercial brick built properties.
It found that “ …under the right circumstances clay bricks have the potential to remain serviceable up to 650 years. This is approximately the time at which clay brickwork was first introduced to the UK from the continent.”
We might not be in the United Kingdom, and it may only be our Centennial, but your brick will last for generation after generation.
Bricks can be purchased for $100 each and you have the choice of locations in any of the five districts.
As most people may already know, the five districts are Old Town (called the pier location), Marina Park, Leisure World, College Park East and College Park West.
Go to sealbeach100.com to buy the bricks, or pick up an order form from City Hall.
They are also available at the Sun office at 216 Main St.
If you can’t decide where to place your brick, or you really want to make a lasting impression, you can get five bricks (one for each district site) for the discounted rate of $300. How is that for “covering your bases”?
Each brick if purchased as the five packs must have the same wording, which is limited to 18 characters per line and no more than three lines.
That is 54 spaces for your lasting Centennial message.
The extra great news?
Spaces between words and punctuation do not count as a character (unless you just wanted special characters like !@!&#—which would be pretty weird.)
Basic simple symbols such as a heart or cross as well can be done on your message.
Feel free to buy bricks not in your home district, or even if you don’t live in Seal Beach.
We welcome your participation in the program.
You are able to purchase bricks up until the cutoff date of May 1. The orders must be received by that date. We are anticipating a target of installing the bricks in early September, right before the Centennial.
We are hoping to have a ribbon cutting on one day for all locations.
In an effort to avoid everyone saying Happy 100th Birthday Seal Beach; we are strategically placing bricks that have the official logo on them throughout the project.
We felt the people buying the bricks wanted the room for their personal message.
It will be fun for everyone to come and find their brick repeatedly for years and years.
My son grew up in Seal Beach and will be happy to come and show his grandchild his brick.
The bricks will be sandblasted, not laser cut or etched in them. We want this to last.
Sponsorship has been working on this project for over a year.
We have selected it the red clay 4×8 brick.
This choice made the lettering stand out the most.
What are people writing?
It varies greatly.
Some people are writing Bible verses, some saying when they arrived in Seal Beach, a favorite memory of Seal. Each brick is personal to the purchaser.
It will be exciting to see when they go in and people are discovering their bricks for the first time. Some have been given as gifts.
People who don’t order one will be sorry they didn’t grab it when they had the chance. The procedes from the sale of these bricks are what is paying for the events of the Centennial: fireworks, the rides, the music, etc.
The more the bricks we sell the more we can do with the money. So come on and sign up, they are going fast!
Laura Ellsworth is a member of the Seal Beach Centennial Committee. Her brick will say:
NY by Birth
SB by Choice
Laura Ellsworth
