Grand Marshals Chosen for Seal Beach’s 95th Birthday

A parade that will march down Electric Ave. on Sunday, October 10

It will be celebrating the 95th Anniversary of Seal Beach and  Kim and Steve Masoner and Lynne Pranter Phipps will be co-Grand Marshalls.

They will represent two different times in our town’s history. Kim and Steve, the present and the Lynne Pranter Phipps family …the historic times of our town.

Kim Masoner and her husband, Steve founded ‘Save Our Beach’ and the effort has grown from a handful of local volunteers to a nonprofit organization with a mailing list of more than 12,000 people across Southern California. Kim explains, “We started “Save Our Beach” because we live along the ocean. It’s literally our backyard and we took  long walks and picked up trash along the way. We were often asked if we had any extra bags. People just wanted to help. So we started carrying extra trash bags on our walks. And then we decided if there is that much interest …we’ll just make it easier for them by conducting a beach cleanup on a monthly basis.

Kim said, “Then we added ‘California Coastal Day,’ where we have 3 locations AND we also added a monthly “Riverbed/Wetlands Cleanup.”  Masoner schedules beach cleanups normally on the third Saturday of every month, and also organizes impromptu cleanups after major storms.

Once a week, she hosts field trips for elementary school children from San Diego to Santa Monica. Students help clean up a local beach and also learn how to prevent trash from ending up on the sand. Save Our Beach’s work doesn’t stop at the shore. After each event, Masoner donates old tennis balls to the local animal shelter and washes clothing found on the beach to donate to the homeless.The Masoners have received more awards than we can print here for their efforts in cleaning up the coast for over 10 years.

Regarding our other Grand Marshall, well her family has played an important part in “old” Seal Beach and “new” Seal Beach. Pretty much been on the scene for most of its 95 years.

Lynne Pranter Phipps’ great grandmother, Clara E. Boling Watts, lived in Tent City; grandmother; Jessie Reed was first woman mayor in Orange County when she became our Mayor.  She fought the legal gambling ordinance all her life. Founder of the Woman’s Club of Seal Beach in 1923 and proprietor of Tent City. Lynne’s mother, Norma Pranter, also lived in Tent City.  Tent City also had some wooden cottages and it was a resort for “summer people.” It was  between 12th and 14th streets and was popular between 1918 and 1938 .  Norma was president of the Woman’s Club of Seal Beach 1951 -52.

Lynne has a son and granddaughter living in the same building she lived in and it was , remodeled by her Great Grandmother and Grandfather.  It was a hone that  that was brought over from the Seal Beach Airport in 1944 when the navy moved in and now still sits on the property at 316 & 316 1/2 10th St. Her son, Lee, wife and Granddaughter, Haley, live there. 11 year old Haley is the sixth generation Seal Beacher.

How lucky we are to have a “ForeMother” and two outstanding young whippersnappers bringing all these kudos to our town’s 95th birthday.

Congratulations, Kim, Steve and Lynne!