Arizona celebrates London Bridge's 50th Anniversary

Lake Havasu City celebrates the 50th anniversary the dedication of London Bridge. This landmark was built in western Arizona, at the Colorado River. The October schedule includes a parade and powerboat racing, musical performances, theatre, and a costume contest, as well as sports competitions. Robert McCulloch, the founder of Lake Havasu City, purchased the stone bridge for $2 million in 1968. He had it shipped by truck and ship from London to be broken up and transported via the Panama Canal to Los Angeles. The reconstruction and construction took three years. This led to the October 1971 dedication. London decided to replace the bridge as it was becoming too weak to withstand increasing automobile traffic. The bridge, which spans a channel that runs between Lake Havasu City and an island in its river, has been a popular tourist attraction. New York’s Empire State Building has its Gateway Arch, St. Louis has its Gateway Arch, and Los Angeles has its Hollywood sign. Terence Concannon is the president and CEO at Go Lake Havasu. The city’s convention bureau and visitors bureau. The 50th anniversary celebrations begin this weekend with a candlelit dinner and ball Saturday night, followed by a Sunday morning tea and garden brunch, which will lead into a costume contest, according to the Today’s News Herald. Melanie Preston, a Lake Havasu City non-profit that organizes the London Bridge Renaissance Faire each year, explained that the idea for the feast was inspired by the 1971 dedication of London Bridge in Lake Havasu City. This ceremony also featured a large tent for a formal dedication dinner. 50 year ago, the dedication dinner was inspired by the original 1831 dedication of the bridge in the same city that gave it its name. Preston stated that the banquet will be buffet-style with rows of tables and candles, banners, flowers, candles, and banners. Hannah Rangel, Lake Havasu Museum of History Director, said that the feast would be interactive and offer guests the opportunity to model some of the costumes they wore in the original costume contests of the 1970s. These costumes have since been donated by the museum. Rangel stated that some of the dresses they had made in previous costume contests were simply stunning. Rangel said, “So we will discuss those and give some history. We will be focusing on making sure the history of the city is accurately represented.