By Sandy Jiang
Staff Writer
Temple City celebrated its 100th year with the Centennial Celebration on Sep. 30 at Temple City Park, including the Fall Festival and annual classic car show.
After a large setback from COVID-19, the staff had high hopes and expectations for their 100th founding year.
“I think whether you are born here, you live here or you just simply work here, one of the proudest things of being part of the Centennial is learning so much history about the city,” Management analyst Illiana Flores said. “I think the Centennial Celebration has allowed me to be proud of where I work and its history behind it.”
The TC Historical Society, City Council and the school district all collaborated to make this event possible.
Instead of having a separate celebration for the 100th founding year, Temple City incorporated the Centennial into the annual Fall Festival. Additionally, the city organized a parade including performing arts groups within the district, such as TCHS Song and band.
Musical and performance groups from Temple City such as the Brighterside Singers, Choreo, Pep, Colorguard, ECKHO Quintet and band performed in the park’s gazebo at noon.
Some performances included Brighterside Singers with renditions of songs such as “Fascinating Rhythm” and “Charleston” while ECKHO Quintet performed covers of “From the Start” and “Valentine” by Laufey.
Activities for kids included a 100-foot obstacle course, a bubble dome, a castle jumper, a rock climbing section, a 27-foot-long slide and various art booths offering 1920s-themed flapper hats and mini replicas of Walter P. Temple, TC’s founder.
Attendees also had the chance to participate in an auction basket fundraiser. Revenue earned from the fundraiser went towards the school district.
The TC Historical Society held a booth to display and talk about historical information about the city. The Homestead Museum led a series of historical talks beginning with “The Workman and Temple Family in Greater Los Angeles”, which focused on the era before the establishment of TC.
The Homestead Museum provided sign-up sheets for TC residents who were interested in a day at the Temple Property in March 2024 to visit the museum.
“I think for me, this celebration means appreciating the community that we have, and how even after 100 years, many of the fundamental principles of the founders are still in place,” Mayor William Man said. “We’re still a family oriented small town community that’s down to earth, and we focus on just being good neighbors and building up our community.”