Happy Holidays from the Friends of
Balboa Park. As I reflect on 2011, I smile with pride about the many projects, activities, planning and connections made on behalf of Balboa Park, by the Friends and many, many others. We are temporary stewards of this magnificent asset and with the coming of the 2015 celebration, we have the focus to put the future of the Park in the forefront of the San Diego mindset. I am pleased to read and see the Park in the media on nearly a daily basis and talked about in an affectionate way. This kind of publicity speaks well of the Park’s next 100 years. Click here to read entire message.
News | nick November 14, 2011 | 
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Our annual luncheon was this past October 25 at the Balboa Park Club. We had a successful event – Check out our photo gallery to view photos. To view and download an event program, click here.
News | nick October 26, 2011 | Comments Off
Our winter newsletter is out with articles and photos about our October Awards Luncheon, the new Kiosks, the Kate Sessions B-day Celebration, the Park & Rec. picnic, speeches reprinted from our luncheon from Founder Betty Peabody and Millennium Award Honoree Dorothea Laub, and so much more. Click here to view online.
Friends of Balboa Park, together with our partner Kiosk Arts, finished installation of two new kiosks this fall. Click here to view a map of all five locations. Look for our new updated kiosks in locations at the corner of Pan American Plaza just below the International Cottages and at the Inspiration Point Tram Stop. The new kiosks feature touch screen technology that has a new look and feel, thanks to the work of the Balboa Park Online Collaborative who has been designed the software updates. Information on museum exhibits, performances, park tours, and special events are available to kiosk users as well as map locations for all the park’s features including restaurants, restrooms, museums, gardens, and attractions. Each Kiosk offers FREE WiFi, an ATM,park map, and sponsor messages from our partners. Thanks to funding from Las Patronas, Balboa Park Trust at The San Diego Foundation, and the Thursday Club, we are now putting the finishing touches on a multi-year project that helps connect people to the park!
Friends of Balboa Park is proud to get you behind the scenes around Balboa Park. If you are a regular Park visitor, you have probably heard one of the noontime bell medleys coming from the California Tower. But few people know the process behind the sound. To read more about this fascinating instrument and its rich history in the park, and to find out how you can submit a song request, click here to view entire article submitted by current Carillonneur Gina Seashore.
The Family Guide is designed with YOU in mind! We hope you will stay longer and play more by doing these activities while visiting Balboa Park with your family. There are activities for nine museums and twelve outdoor areas in Balboa Park. Have fun exploring the museums and free outdoor gardens. For some of the activities you will need a pencil, but for all of them you will definitely need your wonderful imagination. The guide is a project of the Informal Curriculum Experience (I.C.E.) sub-committee of the Balboa Park Educators’ Council (BPEC). Printed copies will be available at the Visitors Center, thanks to support from Balboa Park Central. Have fun, be creative, and PLAY! Click here to download a complete guide.
Check out our photo gallery to view photos from our past events including:
- Millennium Awards Luncheon Oct 2011
- Fall Park & Rec. Picnic Oct 2011
- Kiosk Dedication and Party Sept 2011
- Navy Volunteers June 2011
- Rotarians at Work Day in Balboa Park April 2011
- Palm Canyon Walk March 2011
- Butterfly Garden Release March 2011
- Arbor Day 2011
On Tuesday, July 19, the MOU (memorandum of understanding) with the Plaza de Panama Project for the removal of vehicles from the center of the park was approved by the City Council. This was NOT a request for approval of a specific design. It was a request for support from the Council to move forward with an EIR (Environmental Impact Report) review where many alternatives will be studied by the Plaza de Panama Committee.
Walking tours will take place the third Saturday of every month and offer the public an opportunity to learn more about the project and its benefits to Balboa Park. For more information on the tours and to view plan updates, public input,and more, including donations, please visit the official website of the Plaza de Panama project.
News | nick December 22, 2010 | Comments Off
Enjoy stories written in this rich history of Balboa Park as told through people’s memories of Balboa Park from the Expositions in 1915 and 1935. The stories were collected and published by Betty and Homer Peabody in 1997 in a volume entitled “Tapestries of Time.” If you would like to contribute a memory or story of Balboa Park in the early days, please send to our office: info@friendsofbalboapark.org. We will add to our online collection. The stories are organized by last name of the contributing authors. Click here to download Tapestries of Time.
Postcard courtesy of David Marshall
News | nick November 17, 2010 | Comments Off
Regarding the Formation of a New Public Benefit Non-Profit Corporation & the Creation of a Public Private Partnership with the City of San Diego to Assist with Funding, Management, and Governance of Balboa Park. Click here.
News | nick April 8, 2010 | Comments Off
Balboa Park. As I reflect on 2011, I smile with pride about the many projects, activities, planning and connections made on behalf of Balboa Park, by the Friends and many, many others. We are temporary stewards of this magnificent asset and with the coming of the 2015 celebration, we have the focus to put the future of the Park in the forefront of the San Diego mindset. I am pleased to read and see the Park in the media on nearly a daily basis and talked about in an affectionate way. This kind of publicity speaks well of the Park’s next 100 years. Click here to read entire message.
