Tag: balboa park

Scandal at December Nights? Community tree ignored.

Do you know San Diego has a Community Christmas Tree in Balboa Park?

Few seem to know.

It appears our city’s Community Christmas Tree will be ignored for a second straight year at December Nights. I walked past the tree this evening, and it’s surrounded by vendor tents, all but forgotten.

Some would say this is a scandal.

The tree replaced an earlier Community Christmas Tree that was planted behind the same iron fence in 1981.

The original tree eventually became overgrown and unsuitable for decoration. The beautiful new tree is thriving and certainly large enough for lights and ornaments.

I’ve spoken to various people about this situation (including people who should care), but no one knows anything. Most people, it seems, have very short memories or simply don’t want to be bothered. How sad.

Read more about San Diego’s Community Christmas Tree by clicking here or here.

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Nutcracker dances by San Diego Civic Youth Ballet.

The San Diego Civic Youth Ballet has been an institution in Balboa Park since 1945. Their annual performances of holiday favorite The Nutcracker begin in early December. That’s quickly approaching!

A preview of several Nutcracker dances was offered this afternoon at Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

Most of the weekly Sunday organ concert was devoted to the youthful dancing. And it was quite good!

Light, graceful movement, as if on a cloud, shined up on the stage. The professionalism and poise of the young ballet dancers was remarkable.

Several times during today’s preview a connection problem with an iPhone caused the music to unexpectedly stop, but the dancers danced on, unfazed. When the music suddenly started again, it was as if the glitch had never happened.

These photos show how wonderful The Nutcracker is bound to be. The upcoming performances will be at the Casa del Prado Theater in Balboa Park. Get your tickets by clicking here!

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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)!

San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild exhibition.

When I walk through Balboa Park, I usually wander into Spanish Village Art Center, then through the door of Gallery 21. I did exactly that today.

What did I find? A whole lot of great art, of course!

I had stumbled upon the Fall Membership Exhibition of the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild.

Unfortunately, exhibitions in Gallery 21 typically last two weeks, and tomorrow is the final day of this one. But I figured I’d post a few photos anyway, to bring attention to a group of local professional artists who actively support the San Diego Museum of Art.

I moved in a circle through the gallery, peering at various types and styles of art, wowed by the talent of these great artists.

Friendly artist Ed Whitmore, who was manning the information desk, answered my questions about his own pieces–very unique, strangely organic works. He uses the controlled oxidation of iron, copper, and bronze metal effects paints, a process that quickly creates patina.

Check out one of his pieces…

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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)!

San Diego’s community Christmas tree . . . forgotten again?

San Diego’s incredibly popular December Nights event is less than a week away.

Holiday decorations are being set up throughout Balboa Park. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are anticipated next Friday and Saturday.

Will San Diego’s new Community Christmas Tree be forgotten again? Regrettably, it was forgotten last year. Read that sad news by clicking here.

The tree, encircled by a fence opposite the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, was planted about four years ago. It replaced an overgrown, spindly, misshapen Community Christmas Tree that could no longer safely support lights and ornaments.

The new tree has grown to be very beautiful. But, as I explained, it was forgotten last holiday season. Will that happen again this year? I hope not.

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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)!

San Diego artist’s experience during the New Deal.

Several weeks ago a new exhibit opened at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park. San Diego’s New Deal Renaissance: An Artist’s Experience concerns the life and work of notable local artists during the Great Depression, with a focus on Belle Goldschlager Baranceanu.

Belle Baranceanu was painter, muralist, lithographer, engraver and illustrator who moved from Chicago to San Diego in 1933 looking for opportunity. She found employment with the Works Progress Administration curriculum project.

Her work included two monumental murals at Roosevelt Junior High School (not far from Balboa Park): Building Mission Dam and Portola’s Northern Expedition. Those two amazing murals were moved to the San Diego History Center where they have been preserved and can be viewed. The exhibit includes studies that she produced before painting the murals.

By the way, you might have seen more of her work in Balboa Park. The Progress of Man can be found in the grand foyer of the Balboa Park Club building. The mural was created for the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. The History Center exhibit includes a reproduction of the large mural.

San Diego’s New Deal Renaissance: An Artist’s Experience provides information concerning other local artists during this era, as well, including sculptor Donal Hord and painter Charles Reiffel. (Yes, the same Charles Reiffel whose pieces include two huge murals at the History Center and two canvases on a wall inside the Casa de Balboa, the building that houses the History Center.)

There’s far too much to describe here, so it would best to visit the San Diego History Center yourself! It’s always super interesting and free!

During your visit, check out the History Center’s seasonal poinsettia Christmas tree. Perhaps swing on by during Balboa Park’s big December Nights event next week!

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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)!

Balboa Park cottages prepare for holidays!

Christmas Tree ornaments in the House of Mexico cottage.

Many of the International Cottages in Balboa Park are already getting ready for the holidays. And others cottages will soon be decorating. December Nights is less than two weeks away!

I poked my nose into most of the cottages today searching for Christmas and seasonal decorations. These photographs represent what I found.

Hand-crafted holiday gifts inside the House of Sweden cottage.

Hand-painted Christmas ornaments available inside House of Italy’s cottage.

Beautiful candles and greenery inside the House of Hungary cottage.

The House of Scotland Pipe Band will be performing during December Nights.

Santa and elves at work inside the House of Denmark cottage.

A uniquely beautiful wreath inside the House of Ukraine’s cottage.

Here comes Santa Claus inside the House of Finland’s cottage!

As I walked around, I noticed other parts of Balboa Park are getting ready!

The big poinsettia Christmas Tree that is coming to the San Diego History Center has its framework set up. Santa, his sled and reindeer are already taking to the sky between the Plaza de Panama and the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. And the the religious nativity scenes have been set up in back of the pavilion. No Gingerbread House yet!

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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)!

Japanese brush painting classes in San Diego!

Would you like to learn the art of Japanese brush painting? Do you live in San Diego? Read on!

Today I enjoyed the 48th Annual Japanese Brush Painting Fall Art Exhibition in Balboa Park. The event was presented by the Friends of Sumi-e. I’ve checked out this fine exhibition several times over the years.

In addition to all the stunning artwork on display, artists were greeting visitors with live demonstrations of this traditional Japanese art.

I watched for a bit. Before my eyes, elegantly applied ink turned magically into stunning, sublimely beautiful images.

Speaking to the smiling artists, I learned there are San Diego Community College Continuing Education classes that teach the art of Sumi-e. Naoko, who you see in the next photo, is one of the instructors!

If you’d like to try your hand at creating brush art, check out this webpage for the classes!

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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)!

A mysterious old plaque in Balboa Park.

I often look down at this old plaque in Balboa Park as I walk from the Spreckels Organ Pavilion into the International Cottages. It’s situated next to the walkway after you cross Pan American Road.

To me this little plaque is a mystery.

The name Peggy Angus is probably known by some who are knowledgeable about our city’s history. When I perform a Google search, I see she was an active member of the Kiwanis Club of San Diego. She’s mentioned in two different San Diego Kiwanis Tidings newsletters back in 1955.

The plaque celebrates Peggy’s birthday in 1983. Why was it placed in Balboa Park?

Please leave a comment if you know anything about the history. Other readers might be interested to learn more about Peggy Angus and her birthday plaque, too!

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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)!

Fine photography exhibited in Balboa Park!

There’s a special place in Balboa Park where photography clubs meet and compete, and amazing photographs cover the walls.

Curious? Walk along Village Place east of the huge Moreton Bay Fig tree, toward the intersection that leads to the parking lot east of Spanish Village, and look for the small Photographic Arts Building. It’s home of the Southern California Association of Camera Clubs.

Several galleries filled with fine photographs are open free to the public on Saturday afternoons. I stepped through the door today, spoke with some friendly folks, and admired the work of exceptional regional photographers.

Clubs that meet here include the Darkroomers, Poly Photo Club, Photo Naturalists, and the Fallbrook Camera Club. According to an informative handout I received, the Southern California Association of Camera Clubs fosters enrichment programs for photographers of all skill levels through our member clubs and photographic programs. If you love photography, you’re encouraged to join!

After viewing the works on display, I asked a few questions. I learned that nearly all of the photos taken are digital, and that nearly all are photoshopped. Which is a bit disappointing to me, personally. I love a stunning, flawless picture as much as anyone, but I also love authenticity. Perhaps that’s just silly me, with my modest old camera, being jealous!

Do you love art or photography? This is definitely a place you want to visit!

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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)!

Little Amal walks in San Diego!

Little Amal walked in San Diego today!

The 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee child made her way through Balboa Park, from the Old Globe to the San Diego Museum of Art and then down El Prado. Groups of musicians played while Little Amal touched hands with onlookers. A crowd of hundreds surged around the human-activated puppet, phones raised to capture the moment.

Little Amal has been walking around the world. Between 7 September and 26 November 2023, Amal is journeying 9,000 miles across the United States and Mexico in one of the largest free public festivals ever created. She is walking through 40 towns and cities from Boston to San Diego and 7 cities from Tijuana to Tapachula… So far, she has visited 14 countries including Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, the UK, the United States, Poland, Ukraine, Canada and Norway.

Little Amal’s walk is intended to draw attention to the plight of refugees, particularly the displaced children who suffer. The organization Choose Love is raising funds in connection with this amazing international event. If you’d like to donate to the cause of helping refugees, visit their website by clicking here. Donations provide education, food, shelter, emergency medical care, legal assistance and much more for children like Little Amal.

In San Diego, the event was produced with the help of the La Jolla Playhouse. Many smiling Without Walls volunteers carrying colorful umbrellas were in the crowd, distributing fans like the one you see in my photographs.

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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)!