Found: another proposal from the now-disbanded Balboa Park Centennial Group

San Diego, then and now

Author

By Walter Mencken

Publish Date

May 9, 2014

Balboa Park Centennial Group

From the minutes of the December 2013 meeting of the Balboa Park Centennial Group, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and a fifth of Glenlivet:

"Our inspiration stems from [gropey] Mayor Filner's efforts to restore the Plaza de Panama to its 1915 status as a grand pedestrian space. We thought, 'Why not restore other elements of the original 1915 Panama-California Exposition that gave birth to Balboa Park as we know it — but in a way that reflects our modern world?'"

Mr. [REDACTED] noted that, during the 1935 Expo, there were tensions between the nudists and the strippers, both of whom had exhibition venues in the Park. Ms. [REDACTED] commented that "exhibitionist venues" was more like it. Mr. [REDACTED] noted that strippers and nudists always made him a little tense, too, if you know what I mean, and was told to shut up by Ms. [REDACTED]. Mr. [REDACTED] then asked if maybe the Group couldn't look into corporate sponsorship from the De Anza Springs Clothing Optional Resort and also maybe Cheetah's Strip Club in exchange for a presence at the 2015 XXXposition. Ms. [REDACTED] reminded Mr. [REDACTED] that this was the Centennial of the 1915 Expo, not the 1935, and that if he wanted to bring up his proposal again in 20 years or so, that was fine, but maybe wait until then, when she would be dead and buried. At this point, Chairman [REDACTED] noted that Mr. [REDACTED] was onto something, at least as far as the whole "then and now" thing was concerned, and asked for proposals.