For the past year, the Facebook group Coronado Happenings has been the talk of the town. If you have fallen victim to unclaimed dog poop that has infiltrated your yard like landmines, been nearly sideswiped by an aggressive driver, had your bike stolen, opposed or supported the addition of bike lanes, sought out the best place for fish tacos in town, or encountered a unique experience of local cuisine, you have probably turned to Coronado Happenings to either state your opinions or read the thoughts of others. Because, you know, someone, somewhere in this small town, took the initiative to speak their mind, so you don’t always have to.
Some may call it the Jerry Springer of local news, because you never know what you are going to read on the forum; or a neighborhood watchdog on steroids, because you know someone seems to always be watching you. However, isn’t that the beauty of Coronado Happenings?
It’s raw. It’s unexpected. It’s, sometimes, comical or compelling. It’s exactly what goes on, behind the scenes screens, in this one-of-a-kind community. It’s uncensored.
Five years ago, Coronado local and long-time resident Charles “Charlie” Crehore created a platform that united his closest friends through social media. With a background in the cellular industry and a love for gadgets, Crehore has seen value in social media for quite some time. However, he didn’t foresee how successful Coronado Happenings would become.
“I’m incredibly proud of Coronado Happenings and what it’s become,” said Crehore. “I kind of saw, early on, the direction it could take as a community billboard. But, it just has evolved so much, beyond what I had ever imagined.”
“It’s not like I sat down one day and said, ‘What can I do to give something back to my community?’ I just started a Facebook group. Early on, I did realize what it could become, but, I think, Coronado Happenings is kind of here for the long run.”
Quickly, the group boomed in popularity. Now, Islanders, non-residents, and tourists spanning the globe voice concerns, advertise, share noteworthy ideas and, ultimately, connect.
If you are one of the over 8,000 members of group, you probably can’t help but admit that you are the slightest bit eager to check in daily and see what’s happening on Coronado Happenings.
“The bad comes with it. There is no separating it out. I’m not going to restrict the forum. People have said I can make it so I would have to approve every post that appears in Coronado Happenings. But, that takes out the entire spontaneity of it. When you have that spontaneity you don’t always get what you want.”
Of course the posts and comments can, sometimes, be controversial, but controversy isn’t always a bad thing. It means people, of all backgrounds, are engaged in an open dialogue; a dialogue that’s center stage for the rest of the members of the community to see, judge, and reflect on.
“Lots of people can share their opinions about something. And, somebody like a sitting City Council member can go to the group and look through it. They can read comments from 50 people in five minutes and really get a feeling for people, not only the people they see and hear from all the time, but another group of people that don’t take the time to go to City Council [meetings]. And, it’s very quick for them.”
And for every head-butt, there are a dozen positive things that come from Coronado Happenings. Crehore says there are almost too many to count, but there are a few memorable moments that he will never forget. One being, when he spearheaded an initiative, through Coronado Happenings, to raise money for childrens’ bicycles.
“I love it when we have helped get bicycles for children. One story, in particular, that comes to mind is when Happenings helped get a bike for Ian Lindquist (pictured right). Ian found out that his bike was stolen, as he was leaving his house for church school. I said, ‘hey, let’s buy him a bike’. So, I went to Holland’s Bicycles and explained the situation to them. They were awesome. They gave us a discount and threw in some additional gear. The police department even donated a new lock for the bike. People showed up to Holland’s to donate money for the bike and within one day we were able to replace the bike.”
Another noteworthy moment for Happenings was when the group raised a significant amount of money for Silver Strand Elementary School‘s luau, after their original sponsor backed out, just days before the event.
“Their luau, two years ago, their sponsor backed out at the last minute. I heard from somebody at Silver Strand School and I asked them how much money they needed. They were short $7,500. So, I went onto [Coronado] Happenings and I asked people. I said, this is the situation, please give money. The money started rolling in. We had the $7,000 within about four hours.”
Crehore says Coronado Happenings’ popularity and success won’t be slowing down any time soon, as he has big hopes for the group.
“I would like to go forward to other things, like my idea for Coronado Happenings’ Causes. I would like to do something, like have a cause a month, like smaller local charities, and say, ‘hey, this is the cause for the month, please donate a dollar or five dollars in Coronado Happenings’ name, this month, in this group’. It would be twelve different groups a year and I think we can, maybe, make a little bit of a difference. I would actually like to make it [Coronado Happenings] into a foundation.”
Charles attributes the success of the group to the members who are part of it.
“I want to thank the members of Happenings who make it what it is.”
Coronado Happenings is a private Facebook group, but you can request to join or ask another member to add you.
