Max Berg Plaza Park

Even before the construction fences around the newly renovated Max Berg Plaza Park came down Monday morning, children were already sneaking through to play on the gleaming new playground equipment. By midafternoon, the fences were gone and at least 100 people were on hand to celebrate the much-anticipated reopening of the city's oldest park and to check out its $750,000 make-over. "It's a wonderful park, and we're glad it's reopened," Mayor Joseph Anderson said.

The Parks and Recreation Department and the Kiwanis Club are hosting a Cinco de Mayo festival Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Max Berg Plaza Park. Entertainment will include mariachis, Aztec dancers, bands, local school art displays, a car show, games and contests. The park is at 1100 Calle Puente. Information: (949) 361-8264.

The Parks and Recreation Department and the Kiwanis Club are hosting a Cinco de Mayo festival Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Max Berg Plaza Park. Entertainment will include mariachis, Aztec dancers, bands, local school art displays, a car show, games and contests. The park is at 1100 Calle Puente. Information: (949) 361-8264.

Even before the construction fences around the newly renovated Max Berg Plaza Park came down Monday morning, children were already sneaking through to play on the gleaming new playground equipment. By midafternoon, the fences were gone and at least 100 people were on hand to celebrate the much-anticipated reopening of the city's oldest park and to check out its $750,000 make-over. "It's a wonderful park, and we're glad it's reopened," Mayor Joseph Anderson said.

City officials will hold a ceremony July 1 to mark the end of the community's 65-year-old Police Department as it merges with the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The ceremony will include the formal transfer of law enforcement services between the two agencies, officials said. Service awards will also be presented to members of the San Clemente Police Department. This week, after months of emotional debate, a City Council majority approved a $5.

City officials are looking for volunteers to serve on an advisory committee that will oversee the face-lift of major historic sites and entry points to the seaside community. The panel will work with a consultant being paid $50,000 by the City Council to create a master plan for San Clemente. The effort will include revamping one-time focal points of the city, most built in the 1920s, that have been lost in a sea of post-World War II development.

Sometimes, the success of a running event depends at least partly on the size of the party afterward. Sunday's Fiesta 5000 serves as a kickoff for San Clemente's annual Fiesta, a street festival with games, entertainment, food booths and children's rides (see Around & About, page 15). Organizers of the daylong event say the Fiesta draws more than 50,000 visitors. The 2,300 or so that are expected to take part in the 5K run make it one of the more popular running events in the county.

For one day, the city's population will almost double as downtown streets swell with visitors celebrating the seventh annual San Clemente Fiesta Sunday. More than 50,000 people are expected to pack two downtown blocks on Avenida del Mar to enjoy special events such as a 5K run and the annual Salsa Challenge. For those with competitive spirits and big appetites, separate contests will be held to determine who can eat the most pickles, pies and watermelon.

Male dancers stomped in rhythm and female dancers swayed, dancing a nortena , before about 300 UC Irvine students and guest schoolchildren Thursday at UC Irvine's Cinco de Mayo celebration. The performance by Ballet Folklorico de UCI, made up of about a dozen students, was among events held all through the week at the university. The week has been "a time to celebrate the richness and beauty of Mexican culture," said Corina Espinoza, director of the Cross-Cultural Center.

Daniel Harberts, a 4-year-old who underwent a rare and complicated operation Thursday in which most of his cancerous liver was removed, was recovering Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. "As far as we know at this time the surgery was successful," said Ron Wise, spokesman for the medical center. "There is a great deal of optimism." After the eight-hour surgery, Daniel was easily weaned from the respirator, the hospital reported.

Bundled in a warm coat to ward off the predawn chill, his mind heavy with the war in Iraq, D.J. Atkinson found solace Sunday among a small group of faithful who turned out for Easter sunrise services at a San Clemente park. "Nobody likes war, but we have to support the president," said Atkinson, 69, of San Clemente, adding that he was praying for the safe return of troops. "We want them all back," he said. "I think we need a lot of unity in the country right now." The Rev. Packard L. Okie of St.