A colorful way to add to Folk’s lore

Sea lions, bathing beauties, the Balboa Pavilion and Newport Beach Mayor Don Webb are all crammed into the 28 clean white pages of the city’s centennial coloring book.

Local artist Roger Folk, who drew the book’s designs, will be signing his creation Monday at the Newport Beach Central Library.

Folk, a watercolor painter who has lived in Newport Beach for 38 years, began working on the book last fall. It was hard to whittle down 100 years of city history into 28 pages, he said.

The book honors the city’s 100th birthday, which is Sept. 1.

It starts with the area’s earliest settlers, the 1888 construction of a wharf and the first lighted boat parade in 1908, and runs up through the 2000 creation of the interpretive center in the Back Bay and the January 2006 centennial Rose Parade float.

Folk went on location to draw the Balboa Ferry, the Fun Zone and John Wayne Airport. The picture of John Wayne is based on the statue of him at the airport, but Folk was personally acquainted with the Duke.

“It’s a very popular page. Even kids now recognize him,” Folk said. “When our kids were small they’d always want to go to John Wayne’s house [on Halloween] because he’d give out the big Hershey candy bars.”

Webb found his way into the coloring book twice: He’s inside the front cover with an introductory message, and he appears as a 1953 Boy Scout on the far right of page 19.

Folk said he eagerly agreed when asked to illustrate the city’s history for the centennial.

“I was really thrilled about it,” he said. “Newport Beach has given my family and me a very nice 38 years. We enjoy living here. This book is sort of a gift from me back to the city for the good life that I’ve enjoyed.”

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