Snapshots of PG

The Pt. Pinos Lighthouse restoration project recently got a $20,000 boost from the Monterey Peninsula Foundation in the form of a grant. The Monterey Peninsula Foundation hosts the AT&T Pro-Am, which opens next week and the proceeds of which go to charities. The Heritage Society itself, through fund-raising activities, sales in the Lighthouse gift shop and “door” donations, donated $4,000 recently.

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By Marge Ann Jameson

Almost 20 years ago, when the Pacific Grove Municipal Ballpark Master Plan was adopted, there was extensive community involvement in its development. A framework for operating rules allowed community use by youth and adult organized baseball and softball teams was established by the Planning Commission and Recreation Commission and adopted by the City Council in 1992.

At that time, adult league use of the park, located at the junction of 17 Mile Drive, Short Street and Pico Avenue was the primary concern of neighbors but restrictions were put in place which made it difficult for youth to use the park at all. For example, the high school team was prohibited from using the park before March 1 of each year despite the fact that their season begins on February 1. PG Pony League, which serves about 400 children, were not allowed to play on Saturdays unless the games were classified as tournaments.

The kids faced a shortage of playing facilities. And the municipal ball field sat idle. Read more…»

By Cameron Douglas

Working with the Pacific Grove Heritage Society, a small group of dedicated craftsmen are determined to complete a large restoration project on the Point Pinos Lighthouse. First lit in 1855, Point Pinos is the oldest continuously-operating lighthouse on the west coast, and retains its original Fresnel lens.

The years have not been kind to our lighthouse, which suffered damage to its tower in the great earthquake of 1906. Besides standing in the path of on-shore northwesterly winds — anyone who’s stood out at Asilomar on a stormy day knows what that’s like — Point Pinos has not had the best of care in recent years. Read more…»

Captured by the magic of a Monarch chrysalis, a young visitor sporting Monarch face paint joined the excitement at Monarch Magic 2010 at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. Despite low butterfly counts last season, there is optimism this year as new trees offer better shelter to the wandering insects.

Flags line the fence at Caledonia Park for Pacific Grove’s 4th of July celebration Sunday, July 4, 2010. The annual event is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and featured a reading of the Declaration of Independence by local actors.

Pacific Grove Jamboree Sept. 3, 2010, while not a regular season game, gave the Breakers a chance to show their stuff against visiting Stevenson School, Half Moon Bay and Seaside High Schools in a round-robin set. It was an opportunity for team-building as each school fielded both offensive and defensive teams.

This is why we live in Pacific Grove.