An attractive blonde woman with bobbed hair lounges on a lawn chair outside a grand Arts and Crafts-styled home, sipping lemonade and lazily leafing through the latest issue of Ladies Home Journal while she watches her friends play croquet. Notes from a new song, The Charleston, begin to waft from the house and she begins tapping her toe to the beat. Soon, everyone is dancing to the popular song, kicking and stepping, crisscrossing their knees in perfect time. A scene from the summer blockbuster The Great Gatsby? Perhaps. Or, it could also just as easily be a vignette from Alhambra Preservation Group’s upcoming Magical History Tour, scheduled for Sunday, June 23, which will transport participants to 1920s for a glimpse of Alhambra during the Jazz Age. “It’s like nothing we’ve ever done before,” stated Alhambra Preservation Group President, Christine Olson. “This tour will offer something for everyone – native or newcomer. Together, we’ll explore little-known aspects of Alhambra’s rich history.”
Aboard a chartered luxury motorcoach, tour-goers will travel back in time to 1920s Alhambra. Among the afternoon’s activities will be exclusive tours of two Alhambra Heritage Home Award-winning residences (neither of which has been opened previously for public viewing), as well as visits to other historically significant homes and buildings. Throughout the tour, history will come alive through in-person encounters with some of the historic figures whose influence and accomplishments shaped the development of the entire San Gabriel Valley region.
The Magical History Tour will take place between the hours of noon and 4:00 on Sunday, June 23, 2013. Space will be limited for this exclusive event. The $50 admission will cover the cost of a four-hour tour 
aboard a comfortable, air conditioned motorcoach, a light lunch, opportunities to win prizes and to learn surprising facts about Alhambra’s history and some of the people who made it happen.
“We are excited about this new and different event,” says Olson. “We encourage our fellow Alhambrans and all those who enjoy APG’s Historic Home Tours to, ‘Get on Board with Historic Preservation’ by joining us for what we know will be a day of fun, adventure and learning.”
All proceeds from this fundraising event will support the educational mission of Alhambra Preservation Group, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2003, to ensure that the historical, architectural and cultural resources of Alhambra are identified, protected and celebrated for their contributions to Alhambra’s heritage, economy and environment.
For more information and to purchase tickets, contact Alhambra Preservation Group at (626) 755-3467.
Photos courtesy of the photo librarian and brizzle born and bred.
The Prose of Preservation 