Hey, how many of you folks out there have celebrated your 100th birthday? Well, if you want to know what a 100th birthday celebration looks like, come on out to San Diego and help mark Balboa Park's Centennial!
In 1915, the engineers who were building the Panama Canal had finished up their job. G Aubrey Davidson--then president of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce--said, "Hey, San Diego Bay is going to become famous because it will be the first port for ships heading north after traversing the canal!"
Thus was born the idea for the Panama-California Exposition and for Balboa Park. San Diego had an estimated population of only 40,000 at that time, but about 50,000 people are said to have swarmed through the park on opening day.
Before the Exposition, the Park, roughly 1,200 acres, really had no buildings and no park-like landscaping. But the folks planning the Fair got very busy and finished up their work quickly.
Many of the building have been reconstructed over the years, and Balboa Park is now one of the main attractions for both residents and tourists who come out to San Diego to enjoy the weather, the beaches and the sights.
One of the key attractions in the Park is the Spreckels Organ Pavillion, which has been outfitted with three new ranks of organ pipes. With its 4,518 pipes and 73 ranks, the organ is the largest outdoor organ in the Western Hemisphere. Concerts of musical classics are offered free throughout the year.
But there are many, many other things to see, to hear and to do in Balboa Park. The Park is home to 15 major museums, many performing arts venues, beautiful
gardens and the world-famous San Diego Zoo.
So, come on out to Balboa Park and help celebrate its 100 years of providing a great calendar of
museum exhibitions, plays, musicals, concerts, and classes.
