Pavilion offers shelter from storm

Anyone who wandered into the Grand Ballroom of the Balboa Pavilion

Sunday afternoon might have thought it was a Friday night.

Dozens of local residents put on their dancing shoes and grooved

to the music of the Redd Stewart Band while celebrating the Balboa

Pavilion’s 100th birthday and raising money for hurricane relief.

“Anything we can do to help the Red Cross,” said David Salisbury,

owner of Harborside Restaurant in the Balboa Pavilion and organizer

of Sunday’s event. All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross

Hurricane Relief Fund.

Salisbury said there had been plans to celebrate the structure’s

centennial, but after Hurricane Katrina he decided to do something to

help the victims. He said he expected to raise a couple thousand

dollars from entry fees, food purchases, game ticket sales and cash

donations.

The event kicked off in the Pavilion parking lot, where for a $10

donation attendees feasted on hot dogs, hamburgers and grilled

chicken sandwiches. An array of old-fashioned carnival games lined

the fence, along with a large bounce house and a face-painting

artist. Upstairs, for an additional $10, adults danced the afternoon

away while enjoying cocktails.

Salisbury donated all the food and games for the barbecue.

“Whatever money comes in is totally for [the Red Cross],”

Salisbury said. He added that though it’s easy to just write a check,

he wanted to get the community involved in the fundraising effort.

“It’s a good cause,” said 10-year-old Briggs Viloria of Newport

Beach. Briggs spent the afternoon working at the basketball game and

helping out with the event. “It makes me feel better to help out for

other kids.”

Longtime Balboa resident Gay Wassall-Kelly said the celebration

brought back memories of the old days on Balboa.

“This is what we used to do down here,” she said, gesturing to the

dart-throwing games and face-painting artist.

Wassall-Kelly said she and her husband were happy it was a

fundraising event.

“We wouldn’t miss this,” she said. “Even if there wasn’t good

food, which there always is, we would be down here.”

* LINDSAY SANDHAM is the news assistant. She can be reached at

(714) 966-4625 or lindsay.sandham@

latimes.com.