These folks were drumming their hearts out as I neared. Unfortunately, I arrived too late. Their musical performance ended a few moments later.
Okay, I was just walking along through Balboa Park this afternoon when I stumbled upon something really cool. Members of the Super Sonic Samba School were drumming like crazy in Pepper Grove!
I didn’t bother these folks, but their sign on the grass is probably seen by relatively few people–so I thought I might help and post a photo!
Read the sign to learn more about the Super Sonic Samba School. If you want to dance or drum in San Diego, this looks like great fun! And you can’t beat creating music outdoors on soft green grass, in fresh air and sunshine. And in beautiful Balboa Park!
The Super Sonic Samba School welcomes dancers and drummers at the World Beat Center and Pepper Grove in Balboa Park.If you drum in Pepper Grove, you get to create music near some cool art. This huge mural is on the Centro Cultural de la Raza.Another Sunday drumming session of the Super Sonic Samba School wraps up. Looks like a whole lot of fun!
…
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!
A young lady is about to get a surprise during a fun magic show in Balboa Park.
I observed many emotions today. These emotions were expressed in the eyes and faces of people I encountered during a walk through wonderful Balboa Park.
Balboa Park is like a small slice of some ideal world: so many people coming together, sharing dreams and happy visions. A walk through the park is like all the good things in human life stirred into one potent elixir, with smiles, freedom, friendship, rampant creativity on every side, and much sunlight. And, of course, memories of special moments and of past loved ones–and, sometimes, sadness.
Kenny Shelton juggles in between magic acts. Today he tossed dizzy feelings of joy toward hundreds of people on El Prado.
Kenny seems like a great guy. He’s definitely funny and a crowd-pleaser! Need some entertainment in San Diego? Find him here!
The San Diego Harmony Ringers conjure bright, cheerful music in Balboa Park.Intense sadness near the Museum of Man, as people remember the Sewol ferry disaster in South Korea, which happened 1000 days ago. The victims’ families are still searching for answers.A belly dancer and musicians draw a large crowd near the Botanical Building. The audience is spellbound.A group prays under a beautiful tree. Human hope, pain, love . . . among the dropping leaves.Creating a labyrinth in Balboa Park’s Zoro Garden. This gentleman created a similar labyrinth which I photographed near the Botanical Building some time ago.I’m shown a notebook. A Native American basket on the left depicts a radiating labyrinth. Labyrinths are a very ancient human expression, filled with spiritual meaning.
To learn more about his fascinating labyrinths, please visit this Facebook page.
A canvas on El Prado asks random passersby to Paint On Me.Dogs and people mingle freely. Sheer happiness at Balboa Park’s busy Nate’s Point Dog Park.This musician was so positive and so alive, he lit up countless hearts in wonderful Balboa Park. Joy conquers.
…
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!
A very special Sunday organ concert in Balboa Park. Today ordinary residents of San Diego and random visitors from around the world joined together to sing Christmas carols!
I wish you could have been there. At the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, this afternoon at 2:00. Your heart would’ve been warmed by the most amazing spectacle.
Young and old, residents of San Diego and random tourists visiting Balboa Park from around the world–all came together spontaneously to sing beloved Christmas carols. Right up on the stage, all together, as one.
What a sight. What a wonderful yearly tradition.
There is hope for this old world.
The holiday season at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion includes candy canes, Christmas cookies and gingerbread men.The free organ concert in Balboa Park this afternoon began with classical and unique organ music composed over the years for Christmas.Spreckels Organ Curator Dale Sorenson smiles as he turns pages for San Diego Civic Organist Emeritus Robert Plimpton.The more fancy organ playing is over. Time for the public to come up on stage to sing familiar Christmas carols!A crowd heads up onto the Spreckels Organ Pavilion stage. Anybody could join in the happy singing.A heartwarming San Diego tradition in Balboa Park. Young and old, everyone and anyone–together people sing many beloved Christmas songs.Ross Porter, Executive Director of the Spreckels Organ Society, leads the proceedings with unabashed zest.A small random sample of humanity singing Christmas carols with joy.
…
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!
I wish you all Happy Holidays and best wishes in this coming New Year!
Sunshine and the sounds of summer linger on a building in downtown San Diego.
Yes, San Diego has sunny, temperate weather for most of the year–many say our city has the best weather in the whole wide world. But, you know, these mornings in December can seem a bit chilly. At least to me. So I was thankful to spot some warm art this morning at the corner of Fourth Avenue and C Street.
Memories of summer linger on . . .
Musical notes and birds fly among palm trees. As winter nears, an image on a utility box warms the heart of the city.
…
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!
Youthful members of All About Music San Diego prepare to play instrumental music at 2016 Christmas on the Prado in Balboa Park.
Early this afternoon, before the threatened rain might begin, I headed up to Balboa Park to enjoy a bit of the 3rd Annual Christmas on the Prado. This celebration of Christmas is put on by the San Diego Children’s Coalition and the San Diego Community Christmas Committee; it shouldn’t be confused with December Nights, a more diverse holiday event in Balboa Park which used to be called “Christmas on the Prado”. December Nights will take place next week.
When I arrived, the event was just getting underway and many booths were still being erected. I caught a few early performances and some of the Christmas spirit. Here are a few photos!
The San Diego Community Christmas Center’s nativity display at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion is viewed by families during Christmas on the Prado.The nativity display shows scenes from the Bible concerning the birth of Christ.Shepherds are visited by an angel.Children view a scene depicting the birth of Jesus in a humble manger.A shack magically transported from the North Pole provides treats at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion during Christmas on the Prado.Christmas sweets include cookies!A brightly decorated tree and traditional Christmas music inside the House of Ireland at Balboa Park’s International Cottages.A small but cheerful Christmas tree inside the House of England.Inside the House of Norway, children make tiny paper Christmas baskets to hang on a tree among ornaments.Adding color to Christmas cookies inside the House of Norway.A youth ballet company practices before they take the stage at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.A children’s group sings joyful carols and other merry songs during Christmas on the Prado.Getting a Christmas tree ready where Santa will sit in the evening, after nightfall.
…
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!
Dr. Carol Williams, San Diego Civic Organist for 15 years, in the middle of her final Sunday afternoon performance at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park.
Thank you Dr. Carol Williams.
Thank you for 15 years of inspiration, dedication, and–most of all–unparalleled music. Thank you for making the Spreckels Organ come so alive. Thank you for your quirky good humor and your wonderful showmanship. Thank you for being such a great part of San Diego’s history, for being one of a long string of distinguished musicians, Civic Organists who first made the Spreckels Organ’s powerful lungs sing in 1915. Thank you for helping culture in Balboa Park to thrive. Thank you for bringing in some of the finest organists in the world for our absolutely incredible Summer Organ Festivals. Thanks for being a part of many Sunday afternoons, at two o’clock, when I could simply close my eyes and feel the music move through me. Just music. Each living note. Thank you!
In the years ahead, may you produce many fantastic compositions for the king of instruments!
A large crowd turned out to enjoy the music produced by Carol and the Spreckels Organ one last Sunday afternoon.Dr. Carol Williams wows the crowd with another amazing performance. She is one of the world’s finest concert organists. And her dog Dietrich up on stage seems quite proud!A special day in Balboa Park as our nation’s first woman Civic Organist plays the king of instruments one last Sunday.The Spreckels Organ Pavilion was filled with people who have enjoyed Carol’s concerts for many years.Carol and pal Dietrich between pieces. KUSI television videotaped the historic occasion.Dr. Carol Williams, a premiere concert organist, plays the Spreckels Organ, the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world.An artist at work.The beginning of a standing ovation, just as Carol asks everyone to stand for the National Anthem.Dr. Carol Williams greets organ lovers in the gift shop after her final Sunday concert in Balboa Park. She has long been a San Diego treasure, and now becomes a part of our city’s history.An organ student thanks Dr. Carol Williams. She worked hard to educate youth, to encourage aspiring musicians, and to build the Spreckels Organ Society into a powerful presence in the music world.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
A beautiful dance on the Spreckels Organ Pavilion stage in Balboa Park during the 2016 Moon Festival.
A truly wonderful Chinese Moon Festival is being held this evening in Balboa Park! I took photos before the sun set that provide a sense of how fantastic and entertaining this annual event is.
The Moon Festival is co-sponsored by the House of China in Balboa Park and the Confucius Institute at San Diego State University. Every year, the festival seems to grow and grow!
A very large crowd turned out this year for the Chinese Moon Festival in Balboa Park. The benches in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion were packed.Table provides info about the Confucius Institute at San Diego State University. They co-sponsored the Moon Festival, along with the House of China in Balboa Park.The San Diego Chinese Historical Society and Museum was having a book sale!Huge Chinese Crepes were being prepared near the entertainment.A half moon hangs above the ornate colonnade of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Very appropriate!The Moon Festival would provide lots of colorful entertainment into the evening. I took photos while the sun was still up.Thunder drums!Followed by youthful Chinese acrobats!These energetic acrobats were wonderfully talented. They performed feats that seemed impossible.A fluid, colorful dance that mimics the motions of an exotic fish. Everyone in the audience seemed mesmerized.A truly wonderful Chinese dance in San Diego’s Balboa Park during the 2016 Moon Festival!
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Beauty queens and dancers in colorful dresses watch the House of Peru lawn program in San Diego’s Balboa Park.
I took some photos this afternoon in Balboa Park of the House of Peru’s lawn program. In these photographs you’ll see genuine joy. I felt it.
Like many other nations, Peru is a member of the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages, located near the heart of beautiful Balboa Park. The special event today coincided with Peru’s Fiestas Patrias, a holiday that celebrates Peru gaining independence from the Spanish Empire.
I hung around for a bit, absorbing all the life. I then meandered on through the green, sun-filled park. I did a lot of sitting on shady benches. I did my best to conjure up a new short story idea for my fiction blog Short Stories by Richard. I also took a peek at the Orchid Show in the Casa del Prado. I’ll blog about that in a day or two on one of my other photo blogs, Beautiful Balboa Park.
The House of Pacific Relations’ lawn program today among the International Cottages featured the House of Peru. Peru is celebrating its Fiestas Patrias.Many Peruvian products were on display and for sale in tents around the grassy lawn.I was told the sweaters, mittens and other woven goods were made in Peru.There was a lot of favorite Peruvian food, including marcianos (fruit pops) and chicha morada (a sweet Peruvian beverage made from purple corn).A huge crowd assembled for the celebration of Peru’s independence from the Spanish Empire. The lawn program would include speeches, music and dancing.Color guard from Coronado High School’s JROTC program. Photo taken minutes before the event opened with national anthems from both the United States and Peru.Hearty greetings were offered to everyone attending. Many in the audience had roots in Peru. The mural backdrop depicts Machu Picchu.After a few speeches, the lawn program featured stirring Peruvian music.The music was so lively and happy, some people from the audience were soon dancing on the stage!I plainly see that in Peru there’s a deep love of life!Costumed dancers, young and old, practice off-stage during the festive House of Peru lawn program in Balboa Park.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
The 2016 International Summer Organ Festival in Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion will feature some of the world’s great organists! If you’ve never been to these concerts, time to go check it out!
It starts tomorrow evening! It’s time again for that annual world-famous cultural event in Balboa Park: the International Summer Organ Festival! I promised to say something about these amazing weekly concerts on my blog, so I better do it today before it’s too late!
Anyone who has attended the International Summer Organ Festival in past years knows that many of the world’s greatest concert organists perform during the 10 week blockbuster event. The free concerts are held on Monday evenings in Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Concerts begin at 7:30 and last about 2 hours, with a brief intermission to eat, drink, talk, visit the gift shop and stretch legs. Thousands of music buffs and ordinary folk (like myself) come out to listen to the Spreckels Organ’s awesome and versatile voice.
As many of you might know, the Spreckels Organ recently regained the title of World’s Largest Outdoor Organ. And when an organist “pulls out all the stops”, you can hear this King of Instruments clear across Balboa Park!
One more thing–I learned that gourmet sandwiches will be available at the concession area this year–they’re large enough to feed two. So why not make an evening of it? Perhaps walk around beautifully lit Balboa Park before the evening concert or afterward!
Oh–and I should mention that on the Fourth of July, a special concert will feature a spectacular tribute to musical Americana, including favorite rags, marches, Gershwin and more. All played by Dave Wickerham, who is a top-notch theatre organist. (I’ve heard him before, and the way he plays is just unbelievable.)
Click the photo above that contains information about the performances. The image will enlarge and you can mark your calendars. If you’re not in San Diego, I believe the concerts will be streamed on the internet. To learn more about that possibility, and more about the Spreckels Organ Society and their concerts and educational programs, click here!
Ross Porter, Executive Administrator of the Spreckels Organ Society, shows us the newly printed program which visitors will receive at every free summer Monday night performance.I needed some photos for today’s blog post, so I captured a smile in the outdoor gift shop. I missed this afternoon’s free Sunday concert because I was on a secret mission and had to go elsewhere.About an hour to go before the free Sunday afternoon concert at 2 o’clock. Volunteers and curious folk are Just hanging out. The Spreckels Organ Pavilion is home to the world’s largest outdoor organ and brilliant Civic Organist, Dr. Carol Williams!
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
A very cool street mural in North Park depicts icons from three decades: the 50s, 60s and 70s.
Check out this super cool street mural in North Park, on the side of a building near the corner of 30th Street and Adams Avenue! It’s titled “Remembering… 50’s 60’s 70’s” and was painted by the artist Kerry A. Moore in 2008. The mural depicts small, iconic scenes from what many might call the good old days! I searched like crazy but could find absolutely nothing about this fun street art on the internet.
How many entertainment legends and famous people from those three decades can you spot? Among others, I recognize Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, the I Love Lucy show, the Rat Pack, Martin Luther King, Jr., Neil Armstrong, the Beatles, JFK, Easy Rider, Jimi Hendrix, the original Star Wars, The Godfather, Happy Days, John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, and, of course, Rocky Balboa. I was a kid in the 70’s and remember many good times. Movies I remember fondly include Star Wars, Rocky and Superman. But most of my best old memories are probably from the 80’s, experiencing life and this great big world as a young adult. Wow, the years have gone by quickly.
I have a dream. Make love, not war. Happy Days. Revolutionary music, cool cars, sports heroes, and a space opera that changed entertainment forever. Bits of history and popular culture from America’s past. Now that is one jam-packed mural!
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! 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 fun photos for you to enjoy!
Cool San Diego Sights! 