Imperial Beach to get splash pad at Portwood Pier Plaza in partnership with Port of San Diego

For Diné Navajo artist Nicole Marie Pete, a splash pad at Portwood Pier Plaza in Imperial Beach might seem like an unlikely canvas. But she sees something deeper in the sound of children at play.

“In my culture, we hold a beautiful tradition known as the first laugh ceremony,” Pete told a crowd gathered Wednesday morning beneath the colorful so-called Surfhenge sign. “Their first laugh is a sign that they’re choosing to join us fully — choosing their family, their community, and this world.”

It is her wish, she said, that the future splash pad becomes “a place filled with laughter, echoing the sound of children choosing joy, choosing play, and choosing community.”

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