Northridge Beautification Foundation - Support upcoming mural project and fundraiser

The Museum of the San Fernando fully supports the upcoming mural project of Northridge Beautification Foundation.


Please support this upcoming fundraiser. 

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

This is my last project for Northridge Beautification Foundation.  Please help me SPREAD THE WORD for all the work we've accomplished in the last 10 years! 

TAKE OUT (OR DINE ON PATIO) AT SHARKY'S ON JULY 31, AUGUST 1 & 2.  SHARKY'S in Northridge will match your contribution to benefit the fantastic Northridge Farms Horse Mural going up at 8765 Reseda Blvd. 

JUST SHOW THE FLYER (on your phone or printed out).

The mural will be an awesome addition to the history of the community.

Thank you for all the support you've given me.  We could not have had the art on the street without your contributions.

My very best!  Stay safe and healthy.

Andrea Alvarado

 Depiction of the upcoming Mural on Reseda Blvd., just north of Parthenia.

Support. Protect. Promote.

Please do your share to promote art and artists and community beautification in the valley.

Michel Stevens, The Museum SFV

Happy 65th Anniversary to Disneyland

On July 17 1955, Disneyland, officially opened to the public! 

This is the only Disney park built and stepped foot in by Walt Disney himself. 

Happy 65th anniversary to the original Magic Kingdom and the Happiest Place on Earth!

Walt Disney came up with the concept of Disneyland after visiting various amusement parks with his daughters in the 1930s and 1940s. He initially envisioned building a tourist attraction adjacent to his studios in Burbank to entertain fans who wished to visit; however, he soon realized that the proposed site was too small. 

After hiring a consultant to help him determine an appropriate site for his project, Disney bought a 160-acre (65 ha) site near Anaheim in 1953. Construction began in 1954.

Main Street, U.S.A. is patterned after a typical Midwest town of the early 20th century, and took much inspiration from Walt Disney's hometown, Marceline, Missouri.[40] Main Street, U.S.A. has a train station, town square, movie theater, city hall, firehouse with a steam-powered pump engine, emporium, shops, arcades, double-decker bus, horse-drawn streetcar, and jitneys.

Encircling Disneyland and providing a grand circle tour is the Disneyland Railroad (DRR), a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge short-line railway consisting of five oil-fired and steam-powered locomotives, in addition to three passenger trains and one passenger-carrying freight train. Originally known as the Disneyland and Santa Fe Railroad, the DRR was presented by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway until 1974. From 1955 to 1974, the Santa Fe Rail Pass was accepted in lieu of a Disneyland "D" coupon. With a 3 ft (914 mm) gauge, the most common narrow track gauge used in North America, the track runs in a continuous loop around Disneyland through each of its realms.

One of Disneyland's signature attractions is its Disneyland Monorail System monorail service, which opened in Tomorrowland in 1959 as the first daily-operating monorail train system in the Western Hemisphere. The monorail guideway has remained almost exactly the same since 1961, aside from small alterations while Indiana Jones Adventure was being built.

Disneyland was dedicated at an "International Press Preview" event held on Sunday, July 17, 1955, which was open only to invited guests and the media. 

Trivia:
How much did it cost for adults and children to enter Disneyland on July 18, 1955?
Answer below.

Although 28,000 people attended the event, only about half of those were invitees, the rest having purchased counterfeit tickets or even sneaked into the park by climbing over the fence.

The Special Sunday events, including the dedication, were televised nationwide and anchored by three of Walt Disney's friends from Hollywood: Art Linkletter, Bob Cummings, and Ronald Reagan.

On December 5, 1985, to celebrate Disneyland's 30th year in operation, one million balloons were launched along the streets bordering Disneyland as part of the Skyfest Celebration.

The "Happiest Homecoming on Earth" was an eighteen-month-long celebration (held through 2005 and 2006) of the 50th anniversary of the Disneyland Park, also celebrating Disneyland's milestone throughout Disney parks worldwide. Attractions that had been in the park on opening day had one ride vehicle painted gold, and the park was decorated with fifty Golden Mickey Ears. The celebration started on May 5, 2005, and ended on September 30, 2006.

Disneyland aerial view in 1963.

 
Disneyland aerial view in 2004.

Mickey and Minnie in 1955.

Walt Disney with models of the Magic Kingdom and the Matterhorn.

Answer trivia: A one-day ticket to Disneyland on 7-18-55 and in 1955 cost $1 for adults and $.50-$.75 cents for children. In addition to the price of entry, each of the park's rides had a fee.

Sources: Disneyland; D23; Wikipedia

 

posted by Michel Stevens, TMSFV

History of July 4th and America - quiz - how much do you know?

Happy July 4th to all The Museum of the San Fernando Valley members, donors, Friends of The Museum and visitors.  How about a little holiday trivia?

Send us your answers and if you have these all correct, we will send you two passes to an upcoming Museum speaker or historic tour event ($20 value!)

Send answers to: themuseumsfv(at)gmail(dot)(com).

1) What historical event do Americans celebrate on the Fourth of July?

a) Official signing of the Declaration of Independence
b) George Washington's birthday
c) The first shots of the American Revolution
d) Formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence


2) How many founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence?
a) 13
b) 7
c) 32
d) 56

3) Which president first held a Fourth of July celebration at the White House?

a) George Washington
b) John Adams
c) Thomas Jefferson
d) James Madison


4) Which two U.S. presidents died on July 4th in the same year?

a) Thomas Jefferson and John Adams
b) James Monroe and Martin Van Buren
c) Millard Fillmore and Andrew Johnson
d) William Howard Taft and Warren G. Harding

5) Which U.S. president was born on Independence Day?

a) Calvin Coolidge
b) James Buchanan
c) Andrew Johnson
d) Ronald Reagan

6) What is the estimated number of people living in the 13 colonies on July 4, 1776?

a) 2.5 million
b) 9 million
c) 15 million
d) 30 million

7) Which of the following was not one of the original 13 American Colonies?

a) Vermont
b) Georgia
c) Massachusetts
d) North Carolina

Good luck!

Sources: Varied

The Daily New - Vote for your Favorite spots in the Valley

The Museum SFV members and visitors... it's that time of the year when we ask you to consider voting for YOUR Museum of the San Fernando Valley as the BEST museum in the valley.

Please vote online at:
www.DailyNews.com/Readerschoice

Deadline is August, Sunday, 30 2020.

You must vote for a minimum of five categories.

Thank you.

Carl Reiner, prolific comedy legend who created ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show,’ dead at 98

Carl Reiner, prolific comedy writer and legend who was most well-known for creating ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show,’ died on June 29, 2020 at the age of 98 in Beverly Hills.

His longtime writing partner Mel Brooks said he treasured Carl Reiner as a colleague and friend.

“Whether he wrote or performed or he was just your best friend — nobody could do it better,” Brooks said. “He’ll be greatly missed. A tired cliche in times like this, but in Carl Reiner’s case it’s absolutely true. He will be greatly missed."

The Bronx-born Reiner worked in a machine shop after high school as he took free acting classes sponsored by the Works Progress Administration. He made $1 a week for his first paid acting gig but had to promise not to brag about his good fortune to the other cast members at a Manhattan theater.

He first came to national attention in the 1950s on Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows,” where he wrote alongside Mel Brooks, Neil Simon and other comedy legends. He remained lifelong friends with Brooks; in their later years, the two often shared dinner and a movie at Reiner’s home.

Additional information can be read from article written by Steve Chawkins and Dennis McLellan of The Los Angeles Times by clicking HERE.

"I've done a lot in my life but have to say that show is what I'm most proud of," said Reiner. "We couldn't afford to shoot it originally in color and make a profit, but I'm so pleased with the colorized episodes – they look fantastic."

Reiner's 2017 HBO documentary, "If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast," was also recently released on DVD in which he narrates a series of interviews with active nonagenarians.

"In my opening section, I'm reading the newspaper obituary section and remark if I'm not in it, I'll have breakfast," he said. "They thought that would make a good title."

The documentary features 90+ year-old guests still active in areas such as sports, fashion, music, comedy and acting, such as Dick Van Dyke, Kirk Douglas, and Reiner's long-time cohort in comedy Mel Brooks. "Truly a collection of remarkable people," said Reiner.

 "Truly a collection of remarkable people," said Reiner.

His son, famous director and actor, Rob Reiner tweeted, "Last night my dad passed away. As I write this my heart is hurting. He was my guiding light."

Hugh Downs, television pioneer at ‘Today’ and ‘20/20,’ dies at 99

Hugh Downs, a television pioneer whose career spanned over five decades that included serving as Jack Paar’s late-night announcer-sidekick, hosting NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s news magazine “20/20,” died on July 2nd in Scottsdale, Arizona.

More than three decades later, the Guinness Book of Records certified that Downs held the Guinness Record for on-air national commercial television time, with nearly 10,000 as of 1985. His total of more than 15,000 hours was surpassed by Regis Philbin in 2004.

Hugh Downs on The Today Show.  

Downs worked for five years on the “Tonight” show, 10 years hosting the game show “Concentration,” nine years hosting the “Today” show, four years hosting “Over Easy", and the first seven of his 21 years hosting “20/20.” 

Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters on the show 20/20.

To read entire Obit article written by Dennis McLellan, Stephen Battaglio of The Los Angeles Times, please click HERE.

Jack Paar, Hugh Downs and Jose Melis on the Tonight Show in 1960.

 

 
Hugh Downs on the show Concentration.