Barbara-Jean Del Rico, 16, right, and Jasmine Alvarez, 14, both of San Jacinto, warm up before a performance by the Red Tail Spirit Dancers during Hemet's 100th birthday celebration Saturday. Thousands filled Front and Harvard streets throughout the day to enjoy the festivities.
As a bright sun shone on downtown Hemet during Saturday's 100th anniversary kickoff party, Linda Krupa said she couldn't help but think of the bright future she feels is just around the corner for the city.
"I believe the strength of this community is its people, and we have gone through a lot but we've always come through it in the end," said Krupa, a member of the city's centennial committee. "Times have been hard with the economy, but I think our better days are still to come."
A number of people shared Krupa's sentiments during Saturday's festivities, the start of the city's centennial anniversary of incorporation. The block party included speeches by elected officials, performances by a number of groups, street vendors, and the cameo appearance by the sun, the first in nearly a week after storms battered the region.
Thousands filled Front and Harvard streets throughout the day to enjoy the festivities, including Elizabeth Borders, one of five finalists for Hemet's Miss Centennial pageant. Borders, 19, had not been born when 130 people voted in favor of Hemet incorporating.
But she said she could feel the spirit of the town's founders in the air Saturday.
"It's really great to be here as our city turns 100," Borders said. "This is a great town and I think we can only progress."
U.S. Reps. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, and Connie Mack, R-Fla., joined a host of state and local officials to celebrate the occasion.
Fire Chief Matt Shobert ran the anchor leg of a five-person run between Diamond Valley Lake and the Hemet Public Library, holding a baton that contained a proclamation that will be placed in the city's centennial time capsule later in the summer.
Shobert said the two-mile run was "chilly to start, but got warmer as I got into it."
"It was a very surreal experience to be here... I was honored to be a part of it," Shobert said.
Speaking about the down economy's impact on Hemet, Shobert said the centennial celebration serves as a reminder of many of the issues that faced the town's founders, Edward L. Mayberry and William F. Whittier.
The stage play "Remembering When: The Story of Mr. Whittier's Hemet," which had been presented throughout the weekend, highlighted those parallels, he said.
"We have a strong community," Shobert said. "We just have to use this down period to plan for the future, so it can be a success."
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