Centennial Celebration Comments

In connection with the Balboa Park Centennial, you should host the U.S. Open Brass Band Championships, or the North American Brass Band Association competition, or some other brass band competition.  Brass band music is a perfect historical tribute to the park, and hosting a competition in the organ pavilion or would provide great entertainment for many.  The competition would also attract lots of visitors from all over the country, including the bands, their families and cultural tourists, and it would generate great media coverage for the Centennial Celebration, the Park, and the City.

It is a perfect fit.

How can I volunteer to help make it happen?

The centennial topic is well hidden at this web site!

My first thought is the ugly conversion of stadia and other public spaces into corporate advertisements. I will not be able to sleep if this happens to our park. Please assure that there is no corporate advertising anywhere on the facility; no logos, no legos no Mickey Mouse. That includes transportation- busses etc with their garish signs. It includes food vendors using Coca Cola cups and other advertising containers. And god help us if we allow street vendors with t-shirts and Padres nonsense, which have nothing to do with the park and have no interest to visitors. Entertainers should be carefully scrutinized for relevance as well. Let the visitors see our park as a pristine walk through history and our vision for the future.

There is much about our park that even natives aren't aware of, such as the incredible collection of plants. This should certainly receive some attention in the form of guided tours. Highlight some organizations that use the park facilities- ballet, junior symphony (do they still practise there?), plant and animal societies, the archery range, the (currently neglected) cactus garden above 163, Zorro gardens etc. These things are inexpensive and interesting to some adult visitors.

As for children, sigh, I don't know. Interactive arts and crafts could be sponsored by many existing park organizations- natural history, science center, art museums, international village, etc. I would avoid flashy booths promoting these activities as they would detract from the authenticity of the park experience.

Frequent organ concerts would be nice, with a variety of classical and other music. Loud music should generally be performed after dark so not to disturb the serenity of the daytime experience. One of the greatest experiences of my time in the park was when I heard a flute playing somewhere nearby. I walked half a mile to find a flautist in an alcove of a building playing lovely baroque music. Afterward I learned that he was a Julliard student travelling for the summer. His music payed his expenses, and he scored at least $200 for his 20 minute concert in the park. If we could attract such people for the centennial, many visitors would go home with a transcendental memory.

Transportation is an issue, of course. I agree with reducing vehicle traffic in the park but that means much more parking will be required nearby (the hospital?) and more public transportation. The park has few places to secure bicycles currently. I thought a bicycle rental facility had been considered- was that ever implemented?

It seems to me that we're getting a late start with this planning. It doesn't help that the public is unaware and even this web site hides the subject. I'll be looking for ways to help and I imagine that many others will too, if only they knew…

What a huge display of ego and therefore a huge waste of money!  Why on earth are people from outside of San Diego supposed to come away with a "sense of ownership" when all they're seeing is a show of "Isn't Balboa Park Great!"? 

The Union Tribune mentions that the hope is that the 2015 event will revive interest in Balboa Park, in a similary way to the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition.  Notice something about those exposition names?  They are outward-looking!  There is a reason inherent in such an expo for people from outside San Diego to come and visit.  Do you think for a minute that I would make a special trip to, say, New York City for a Central Park celebratory event?  If I happened to be in NYC then I might, or might not, attend.

Please!  Rethink this whole expenditure of significant amounts of money.  Do something with it that will result in improvement and/or broadened awareness of Balboa Park and San Diego!

Will we finally ban cars from the bridge/plaza de panama?!  That would be wonderful! 

Might be fun to ask people who might have memorabilia to share their items!