Tag: americana

Reenactment of Boston Tea Party in Chula Vista!

A reenactment of the Boston Tea Party was performed today in Chula Vista Harbor aboard tall ship Bill of Rights!

The reenactment was part of a larger San Diego event celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. I blogged about it and posted photographs here.

During the Boston Tea Party reenactment, a crowd watched from across the marina as Sea Scouts in historical attire rowed out to the schooner Bill of Rights, boarded her, and proceeded to toss crates of tea from her stern!

I photographed the action from the deck of Bill of Rights and the adjacent dock!

Yes, those weren’t really crates of tea, and the performance was a bit improvised and very loosely based on the actual historical event, but the spirit of the reenactment was appreciated by all who watched.

As tea was flung over the ship’s side, a cheer rose from the onlooking crowd at Bayfront Park on the other side of the marina!

Because the crowd continued to stand and watch, the floating crates were gathered up, reloaded onto Bill of Rights, and tossed into the water again!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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Celebrating the 250th anniversary of Boston Tea Party!

San Diego celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party today. The special event was held in the South Bay, at Chula Vista Bayfront Park.

The event’s main attraction was a reenactment of the historic Boston Tea Party, which was staged across the Chula Vista Marina aboard tall ship Bill of Rights. (I’ll share photos of the reenactment in my next blog post!)

Today’s colorful event attracted a good crowd. Period attire could be seen everywhere, and Bayfront Park’s grass was dotted with displays created by organizations that work to educate the public about our nation’s founding and history.

Many local members of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution were present. Youth performed one act plays concerning the Boston Tea Party on two event stages. Quilts and history books and artifacts from around the time of the American Revolution could be enjoyed by those walking about.

On December 16, 1773, a shipment of tea was destroyed in Boston Harbor by colonists opposed to the Tea Act and taxation by the British without representation. This San Diego event is the first of more to come in the next few years, concerning the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding in 1776.

Enjoy some photographs taken on a sunny San Diego day!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Art from the Great Depression in Oceanside.

A very fine exhibition of American art from around the time of the Great Depression is now on view at the Oceanside Museum of Art.

Art for the People: WPA-Era Paintings from the Dijkstra Collection contains works that were created between the 1920s and the end of World War II. Many pieces by California artists are included, including San Diego’s own Charles Reiffel. The paintings are often dark, with images of poverty, violence and barren places. But there are glimpses of beauty, too, and of life’s striving, and inextinguishable humanity.

According to one sign: “Names for this art have ranged from Regionalism and American Scene Painting to Social Realism and American Expressionism.” I’m by no means an art expert, but I can tell you these diverse works are emotionally stirring. The artists, through the lens of their own experience, sought to capture true things from a difficult period of American history.

Enjoy a visit to the Oceanside Museum of Art no later than November 5, 2023. You’ll see how extraordinary this special exhibition is. It was organized by the Crocker Art Museum, Oceanside Museum of Art, and The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens.

Hooverville on East Tenth Street, Louis Ribak, circa 1940. In the late 1930s, Ribak worked on several murals for the Works Progress Administration.

The Hex Sign, Lancaster County, PA, Ernest Fiene, 1936.

Harlem Cows, Jan Matulka, circa 1924. The depiction of cows evidences the artist’s exposure to Cubism.

A Vale in Death Valley, Helen Forbes, 1939. The artist during the WPA era produced murals for post offices in Susanville, Merced and Monrovia, California.

Worker and Machine, Hugo Gellert, 1928. The artist focused on the struggles of the working class. He was an illustrator for The New Yorker and New York Times.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Old-fashioned fun at Escondido Grape Day Festival!

Enjoy this fun collection of photographs taken during yesterday’s big Grape Day Festival in Escondido!

The family-friendly event, which is held in downtown’s grassy Grape Day Park, celebrates Escondido history and this North County city’s reputation for grape growing. The festival originated way back in 1908 and for the first half of the 20th century it rivaled Pasadena’s Festival of Roses in popularity.

Following the COVID pandemic of a few years ago, the Grape Day Festival is now back in full swing, with a large crowd enjoying grape stomping, historical displays and lots of old-fashioned entertainment!

I wandered about taking it all in. One could listen to jazz, bluegrass and mariachi music, explore exhibits along the park’s History Center, check out old vehicles and farm machinery, observe a milking demonstration, and meet lots of cool people who are involved throughout the community! Plenty of tasty food and games for kids and pony rides, too!

If you love nostalgia and a generous slice of Americana, this festival is for you!

Anybody could stomp some grapes provided by the Bernardo Winery.

Yummy food by the Wine and Beer Tasting Garden!

I learned there is an Old Escondido Historic District. It is the only residential Historic District in North San Diego County. Visit their website here.

Several antique vehicles on display.

A very cool 1949 Ford woodie.

Kids learn how to dust for fingerprints behind a Crime Scene Investigation vehicle.

Smiles at the Vietnam Veterans of America booth.

Kids learn about native snakes at the San Dieguito River Park booth.

The Escondido Public Library features a Pioneer Room, where anyone can search a local history archive for old documents, photographs and more. Go to their website here.

Brightly smiling Escondido royalty pose for a photo.

The San Diego Archaeological Center was on hand for the festival. I still haven’t visited their museum in nearby San Pasqual Valley. Check out their website here.

The Wa$xayam Pomki Museum of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians had cultural displays at their booth. They are one of the Grape Day Festival sponsors. Their website is here.

Lots of demonstrations could be viewed along the Escondido History Center’s Heritage Walk.

A family learning about blacksmithing at the Tom Bandy Blacksmith Shop.

Pre-Columbian methods for preparing corn.

Antique machines used to grind corn.

I placed a dried corn cob in here and turned the crank!

Grape Day banners on the fence in front of the History Center’s Victorian House.

Hollandia dairy, based in San Diego’s North County, brought two cows and a goat for milking demonstrations.

Beautiful color at a wonderful community festival.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

4th of July returns to Old Town San Diego!

An amazing Independence Day celebration was enjoyed today at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park!

It has been four years since the last 4th of July event of this magnitude in the State Park. That’s because of COVID and its unfortunate impacts on the park. But Old Town’s celebration of our nation’s birthday is back!

Many families turned out for the free fun. There were tables with crafts, a bluegrass band, historical demonstrations, authentic costumes, and old-fashioned games for the kids. The event provided a taste of how Independence Day might have been celebrated in early San Diego, back in the mid-19th century.

To all the people who make Old Town San Diego State Historic Park so wonderful–thank you!

A big 4th of July banner on the Robinson-Rose House, the State Park’s Information Center.

Lots of folks were kicking back on the grassy, shady central plaza.

Kids were enjoying crafts under some canopies.

The Hot Pursuit Band plays old-time bluegrass music.

One table concerned the living descendants of early San Diego.

A visitor learns how thousands of people now living in San Diego have descended from the first residents of Old Town.

If you’d like to investigate the genealogy of San Diego families, check out this website.

To learn about the Descendants of Early San Diego, check out this website!

A look into the past of San Diego.

Spinning on the porch of Threads of the Past.

This year’s “Sanitary Commission” quilt at Threads of the Past. The colorful blocks were sewn by kids.

What did San Diego look like in 1776? I chose the most barren-looking photo. The only structure back then was a 1769 Spanish fort, El Presidio Real de San Diego.

A perfect Fourth of July afternoon for a picnic in the plaza near the historic Casa de Estudillo.

Nostalgic games on the plaza included wheelbarrow races.

As usual, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park’s active Blacksmith Shop drew a crowd.

A smile in the garden of La Casa de Estudillo.

And another smile in the courtyard!

Celebrate the USA. Happy 4th!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Old postcards from San Diego’s past.

California pioneer M. C. Close and his mermaid Trixie. La Jolla. February 29th, 1910.

Do you love viewing or collecting old postcards?

Postcards are experiences frozen in time. Images and a few words are meant to be shared and remembered.

Postcards that were printed long ago can also be windows into history.

I saw an old postcard of the San Diego Zoo the other day. I then wondered how many cards depicting San Diego and its attractions are in the public domain.

Upon visiting Wikimedia Commons, I discovered quite a few!

Here’s a diverse selection of old postcards that you might enjoy looking at. In several instances the image information wasn’t very detailed, so I did a little extra research. Postcard dates were taken from Wikimedia Commons, or in one case inferred: the Spreckels Organ Pavilion showing a wicker electriquette cart. Read the captions.

Anyone who has memories or additional information, please feel free to leave a comment!

San Diego Zoo. Entrance to the zoo. 1961.

El Toreador Motel, San Ysidro. Date uncertain. El Toreador opened in October 1948.

U. S. Grant Hotel, San Diego. Date uncertain.

Fifth Avenue Auto Wash at Fifth and Kalmia. Circa 1920-1929.

Fred Vinyard Overhead Garage Doors, 3600 block of Pacific Highway, opposite Consolidated Aircraft. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.

Japanese Tea House, Panama-California Exposition, San Diego, 1915.

Little Chapel of the Roses, Chula Vista. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.

Pickwick Hotel in downtown San Diego. Between circa 1930 and 1945. Today the 1927 building is home to The Sofia Hotel.

Panoramic view of San Diego, circa 1900-1909. The foreground appears to be Bankers Hill.

Hotel Del Coronado. Circa 1900-1909.

Steaming through San Diego County, California. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945. Santa Fe train passes through orange groves.

Mission San Diego. Founded by Padre Junipero Serra. Circa 1900-1909.

Caves of La Jolla. Circa 1900-1909.

The Barcelona Hotel and Apartments in Bankers Hill. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.

Tropic Motel, 2611 San Diego Avenue (off U.S. 101), in Old Town San Diego. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.

Ferry Boat Ramona. San Diego. Circa 1910.

Twin Inns, Carlsbad. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.

State Normal School, San Diego, 1905. State sponsored teacher training college in University Heights. Demolished in 1955.

Carnegie Library, San Diego, 1905. Opened in 1902 at Eighth and E Streets. It was demolished in 1952.

Amusement Center, Mission Beach, San Diego. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945. Today this is Belmont Park with its Giant Dipper Roller Coaster.

Point Loma Homestead. 1906. Lomaland of the Theosophical Society, established in 1900.

Postcard of The San Diegan at San Diego’s Santa Fe Depot train station in August 1973.

Tugging A Sailing Boat to Sea. San Diego. Circa 1910.

The Open Air Organ, Balboa Park, San Diego. The Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Circa 1915.

Bath House. San Diego. Circa 1910. Los Baños pool and public baths opened downtown in 1897 near the foot of D Street (Broadway).

Portion of Business District, San Diego. Image predates 1920.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

World record longest: the Vista Historical Mural!

Did you know the world’s longest mural was painted in Vista, California?

That’s according to Guinness World Records. The amazing “Vista Historical Mural” is 564 feet long!

Originally painted in 2005 by artist Clayton Parker, the colorful mural covers the rear of eight businesses. It’s located along the alley-like Vistacado Lane between Indiana Avenue and Michigan Avenue. The history of Vista is depicted as a very long parade.

I took photos at one end of this mural back in May. I captured much of the recently restored part near the corner of Main Street and Indiana Avenue, with its scenes from the Vistacado Festival Parade. You can see those particular photos and learn a bit more here. At the time I regretted not photographing the entire long, world record mural.

So I returned later. I’ve now documented the whole length! As you can see, some parked vehicles, trash containers and other objects prevented my camera from capturing absolutely everything.

Walk east down Vistacado Lane, as I did, and the painted representation of Vista’s history moves back in time.

Enjoy!

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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!

La Mesa gathers for big Flag Day Parade!

A good crowd gathered late this morning in the Village of La Mesa for the big 23rd Annual Flag Day Parade!

Excited people–young and old, kids and parents, friends and neighbors–lined the sidewalks on either side of La Mesa Boulevard to watch heroes and active members of the community pass by in a sea of American flags.

Flags waved for marching bands, veterans, beauty queens, scout troops, youthful dancers, politicians–everything you’d expect from this red, white and blue slice of Americana!

The patriotic spectacle is a popular La Mesa tradition that I personally hadn’t seen until today.

I took lots of colorful photographs that you, too, might enjoy…

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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!

Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison in North Park!

What in the world are Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison doing in North Park?

They’re decorating the exterior of the very unique San Diego Gas & Electric Company’s Substation F!

I happened to look up and see the two historical figures as I walked along the El Cajon Boulevard sidewalk just east of Iowa Street.

These gentleman made groundbreaking discoveries and inventions that remain important in our electricity dependent world. Both esteemed men, in North Park, are busts made of cast stone!

Learn more about SDG&E’s beautifully restored Station F, originally built in 1926, at this web page.

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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!

Vistacado Festival Parade mural celebrates Vista history!

A nostalgic mural in downtown Vista, California depicts an annual community parade held in the 1930’s to 1950’s.

One recently restored end of the Vistacado Festival Parade mural, originally painted in 2005 by artist Clayton Parker, decorates the exterior of Barrel & Stave Pour House, near the corner of Main Street and Indiana Avenue.

The parade seems to proceed around the building. There are cool old cars, a marching band, cheerleaders, young baseball players, dignitaries, and even walking avocado mascots!

I smiled when I saw the mural includes an image of Pepper Tree Frosty, which I blogged about yesterday here!

This parade artwork is actually one small part of a much, much longer historical mural that runs 564 feet along Vistacado Lane between North Indiana and Michigan Avenue. The entire stretch of artwork has been recognized as Guinness World Record longest continuous mural!

I glimpsed the very long, somewhat faded artwork down Vistacado Lane during my walk yesterday, and in retrospect I should have photographed all of it. I’ll hopefully remember to do that on my next visit to Vista.

I learned about the longer mural when I read this article. It explains how the original artist, Clayton Parker, restored the portion you see in these photographs back in 2020.

UPDATE!

I later returned to Vista to photograph the entire length of the world record historical mural. You can see those photos here!

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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!