San Diego saw a huge celebration of Turkey’s unique history and culture on Sunday. The House of Turkey brought a festive parade and lawn program to Balboa Park!
I spied the flag-waving procession heading down El Prado around noontime. The smiling group was led by the House of Turkey royalty. Those participating gathered beside the Bea Evenson Fountain, danced and clapped their hands in rhythm!
At the International Cottages, a huge crowd enjoyed traditional food, including Gözleme, Börek and Turkish Tea.
There were crafts, kids activities, cultural displays, and after opening remarks, the happy music of the ATASC-SD Turkish Music Chorus. Then at two o’clock colorfully costumed Turkish folk dancing by the performing group Grup Anadolu began!
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Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) was celebrated today by the Old Globe in San Diego’s Balboa Park. Lots of family-friendly activities and theatrical performances were enjoyed by the public in the Old Globe’s outdoor Copley Plaza!
I enjoyed the first performance of this magical event: actors portraying Mexican folk passed through the audience, came to a grave in front of a beautiful Día de los Muertos altar, and summoned the spirit of a deceased loved one. The spirit came and danced with them, before finally departing.
The event would go on to feature other performances, including a puppet play and Drummers Without Borders. My camera captured their smiles before I headed off, as you can see in the final two photos.
Learn more about the Old Globe’s very colorful Day of the Dead event on their web page here.
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The public was invited to enjoy a wonderful free event at the University of San Diego this afternoon: the 4th Annual Arts and Culture Festival!
The University of San Diego College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Music presented sixteen excellent outdoor performances on campus. Students took to three outdoor stages, singing, dancing and more. I stayed for a bit over an hour and enjoyed every second!
The event is an outreach to intrigued students or potential students, the Linda Vista community, and anyone in San Diego who loves and supports the arts. I’m in the latter category.
After gazing at a number of sculptures created by students around the Camino/Founders Patio, I took a seat for the initial performance by the school’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble.
Next was an energetic combat demo, cleverly (and very humorously) staged by actors from the Old Globe. The Old Globe and University of San Diego offers a top ranked Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. (Jim Parsons, star of The Big Bang Theory, is a graduate!)
Then came several musical numbers by young members of Song/Story/Stage, then a shining performance by the very fine Concert Choir, then mariachi music and ballet folklorico dancing, then more dance, then more music…
USD’s Music Department appreciates the public’s support. Check out their website here. Follow their Instagram posts here. They even offer private music lessons!
A handout at the event included a quote from a student, Lauren, which explains: “Music is something that we all resonate with and encounter in our everyday lives and USD’s music department embodies that by being a home base for music majors and non-majors, no matter what your experience is, to come together and create something beautiful…”
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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.
Look what I spied the other day! A bright, super fun mural was painted a couple months ago at Liberty Station in Point Loma!
The mural can be found along the arched walkway between THE LOT movie theater and Building 176, where a number of music and arts studios are located.
The very colorful artwork was painted by Paola Villaseñor, who goes by the artist name PANCA. Here’s her Instagram page.
The title of the mural is Yo No Soy Marinero, Soy Capitan. That means, in English: I’m not a sailor, I’m the captain.
As a nearby sign explains, this mural showcases the beauty of life and culture in San Diego, with a particular emphasis on the ocean... The artist states: “…the mural…reflects the history of Liberty Station and my role as captain and artist. My hope is that visitors will find joy…”
How could anyone walk through all this found joy without smiling?
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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.
Over the weekend, as I walked through the Bella Vita Fest in San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood, I noticed a large display of fascinating old photographs.
Convivio, a cultural organization that works to preserve the Italian community’s history in San Diego, was showing images from our city’s past!
There were photographs of tuna fishermen and boats and cannery workers, old restaurants and businesses on India Street, Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Washington Elementary School, families, neighbors playing bocce…
It was pointed out to me that many of the houses and buildings that were photographed generations ago can still be recognized on the present-day streets of Little Italy!
Checking out the Convivio website, I see they are undertaking an important history preservation project. Their Italian Digital History Initiative hopes that residents of San Diego will contribute to a growing archives full of memories. The current cornerstone of Convivio’s preservation focus is the Italian Digital History Initiative, established in 2006, which preserves the local Italian community’s heritage through photographs, documents, oral histories, and other new-media resources.
If you have interesting material that helps tell the story of Italian immigrants in San Diego, you can bring it down to the AMICIBAR (the historical Amici House) next to the Little Italy Dog Park on Sundays, between 10 am and 2 pm. They’ll digitize photos, documents (marriage, birth certificates), awards/certificates of recognition, personal letters, permits and licenses (fishing or retail industries, for example), and whatever tells THE STORY OF YOUR FAMILY HERITAGE!
Learn more about this important project by clicking here.
Accipiter Dance brought beauty to San Diego’s Liberty Station today. Their dance performance was a part of the San Diego Bird Alliance’s 75th anniversary celebration!
Accipiter Dance is a group led by Brianna Pilkinton. The performance I viewed today seemed a mixture of ballet and a more contemporary freestyle. The dancers moved almost as one, but each individual expressed unique freedom and energy. Their birdlike gracefulness defied often very strenuous movement.
As the group’s website explains, Accipiter Dance’s work communicates the complexity of nature and human connection. They’ve danced at previous San Diego Audubon Society (now called San Diego Bird Alliance) events. If you’d like to support the group’s mostly self-funded projects, check out their website here.
The dance this sunny afternoon was so wonderful I thought I’d share some 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!
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Enjoy this collection of photographs. I took them late this afternoon in Little Italy at the inaugural Bella Vita Fest event, along India Street.
The Italian-themed event is produced by ArtWalk San Diego. Appropriately, it’s taking place during a sunny weekend in October, which is Italian American Heritage Month.
In addition to the work of some 30 chalk artists, visitors to the festival can enjoy live entertainment, wine tastings, great Italian food and lots of unique vendor booths. Bella Vita Fest continues tomorrow, Sunday, from 11 am to 5 pm. Learn more here!
These photographs include many of the chalk art works. Ones that were just begun or badly disrupted by shadows I might have skipped. Most chalk artists will continue their work during Bella Vita Fest on Sunday!
Chalk art by Tonya Neilson.Chalk art by Cecelia Linayao.Chalk art by Pappricci.Chalk art by Dawn Wagner.Chalk art by Meg Beverly Canilang.Chalk art by NIKIMEG.Chalk art by Joyce Hatzidakis.Chalk art by Gutierrez Family.Chalk art by Team Zamora.Chalk art by Isaiah Hernandez.Chalk art by Raziah Roushan.Kids create fun chalk art at Bella Vita Fest in San Diego’s Little Italy.Chalk art by Steele Canyon High School.Chalk art by Shawndell Smith Art.Chalk art by Kim sisters.Chalk art by Maddalena and Rogalski.Chalk art by Michelle Lubin.Chalk art by Jen Swain.Chalk art by Monika Petroczy.Chalk art by Canyon Crest Academy.Chalk art by Jose Noe Hernandez.Chalk art by Fia Soisson.Chalk art by Gloria Ing.Chalk art by Sarah Conley.
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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.
A big celebration was held yesterday at the San Ysidro Branch Library. It was the San Ysidro Library’s 100th Year Anniversary!
Refreshments, entertainment and plenty of South Bay history greeted those who stepped into the library’s community room or outside onto the patio courtyard. I arrived too late to hear a noon presentation, but I did enjoy a great performance by San Ysidro High School’s mariachi band!
In the library’s Lloyd De Llamas Community Room, the South Bay Historical Society projected images of old San Ysidro onto a wall, and the fourteen historical photographs displayed in the room attracted curious eyes. History was visible wherever one looked.
The original library can be seen in the above photograph. Built in 1924, the small but quite beautiful building became a Teen Center in 2022.
Concerning the above photo, which was taken in 1930, Jack Gechter of the South Bay Historical Society wrote:
In 1924 Frank Beyer donated money for the construction of the San Ysidro Library located at 101 West San Ysidro Blvd. The library was formally opened on October 16, 1924. The building had the unique distinction of being the First Branch Library building owned by the County of San Diego and the only library in the country to have a smoking room for men; Beyers insisting: “that most men wish to smoke while they read.” In 1957 San Ysidro was annexed to the City of San Diego. A remodel of the Historic San Ysidro library in 1983 kept the Historic Facade intact and expanded the building to its current size of 4,089 square feet. On November 11, 2000 the San Ysidro Library was added to the list of Historical Landmarks in the City of San Diego. It is designated as HRB # 451. In October, 2014 we celebrated the 90th birthday of our Historic San Ysidro Library and a Historic Plaque was added near the Easterly entrance to the building. On August 10, 2019 we celebrated again as it was the last day of business for the San Ysidro Library after 95 years of service to the San Ysidro Community. We moved to our New San Ysidro Library at 4235 Beyer Blvd and the Grand Opening was on September 7, 2019.
Five years ago the San Ysidro Library moved to its much larger, modern building on Beyer Boulevard. I’ve posted photos in the past, here and here, that show art inside and outside the beautiful new library.
I enjoyed the 100 years anniversary celebration yesterday and took these photos…
I saw many Friends of the San Ysidro Branch Library helping with the festivities.Lots of treats were enjoyed by those in attendance.The Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park has many educational STEM programs that serve San Diego area communities, including San Ysidro.Kids watch a balloon inflate with carbon dioxide from dry ice.Community organization Casa Familiar was on hand, providing a smile and information about their many quality of life programs for those who might be underserved.Students from San Ysidro High School pose for a photo!A mariachi musical performance at San Ysidro Library by students from San Ysidro High School.Cool cars had gathered in the library parking lot!A fine day to come together and celebrate!
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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.
On Saturday, the Bonita Museum and Cultural Center brought part of their Border Blasters exhibition to the World Design Capital’s temporary Exchange Pavilion in Balboa Park!
Border Blasters is an exhibition by artists from Mexico and the United States that explores the impact of Tijuana and San Diego radio, television and music in the region. As experienced by those who live on either side of the border, the diverse media coming via the airwaves is seen and heard by many eyes and ears.
The art of Border Blasters celebrates this unique, shared culture.
As I walked through Balboa Park yesterday, the first thing that attracted me to the Exchange Pavilion (the orange structure that stands at the center of the Plaza de Panama) was a gigantic skull! The skull has a name: Francisco!
The colorful sculpture, made of paper mache and other materials, was created by artist Maricruz Alvarado. That’s her above, standing by Francisco!
Francisco is hollow and very light. He can be wheeled around! I stepped inside the big skull and this is what I saw. Images of the band La Cruz!
Next, I noticed what appeared to be rows of seashells arranged inside the Exchange Pavilion. They were created by Endangered Concepts. I learned they are actually composed of compressed unrecyclable plastic!
One of the sculptures I was shown was made to appear like a Pacific Triton Conch. Blowing through it produced a trumpeting sound!
Next, I spied a strange musical invention. It’s called QUADRA. The conceptual art piece is by multi-disciplinary artist and San Diego native Jason Soares. You turn the square dials and different electronic sounds are generated!
Jason was still setting everything up when I took these photos.
As one sign explained, QUADRAs FRONTERAs configures the QUADRA for the first phase of a multi-location quadraphonic autonomous zone that seeks to connect multiple geographic locations together. All I know is the generated sound coming from the speakers was very cool!
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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!
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We are now in the middle of San Diego City Clerk’s 6th Annual Archives Month!
Through October 18th, 2024, the public can experience a fascinating San Diego City Clerk Archives exhibit concerning the history of Barrio Logan. Extensive displays can be viewed just inside the front entrance of San Diego’s downtown City Administration Building, at 202 C Street.
The exhibit is titled Telling Our Stories–Preserving Our Histories: The Chicano Movement in San Diego. It features photographs, articles and City Clerk documents that pertain to the culturally rich Barrio Logan neighborhood and how it has changed over time. There is an emphasis on the creation of Chicano Park, the work of Chicano activists, the origin and influence of Neighborhood House, and the tuna canning industry that once thrived in Barrio Logan down by the water.
In addition, there’s a video that visitors to the exhibit are invited to watch. It shows how residents were adversely affected by the construction of Interstate 5 and the Coronado Bay Bridge, and how they worked together to help preserve the community’s identity and establish Chicano Park.
The exhibit is curated by the San Diego City Clerk Archives in partnership with the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center.
I enjoyed looking at the displays and learning important facets of San Diego history. I encourage anyone who travels downtown to check it out. The City Administration Building is open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Here are a few photographs that I took…
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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.
Cool San Diego Sights! 