Bounty of Free Holiday Fare at the Presidio

Presidio of San Francisco (December 10, 2009) — Not quite ready for the holiday invasion when your family descends upon you en masse? Or maybe you just need to get the in-laws out of the house for a day? The Presidio offers an array of affordable or free holiday fare.

The new Walt Disney Family Museum is now open in the Presidio at 104 Montgomery Street on the Main Post. The museum showcases the life and achievements of one of America’s greatest storytellers. In addition to its extensive regular collection, the museum features an ongoing series of concerts, screenings, and special holiday events in December. Tickets are available online at www.disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum.

The Presidio’s own exhibition, Prejudice and Patriotism: The Story of Japanese Americans of the Military Intelligence Service, 1941 – 1952, runs through January 31 at the Presidio Officers’ Club. Exhibit hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm. This free, mixed-media exhibit tells the story the Japanese Americans recruited by the secret Military Intelligence Service and trained in the Presidio. While their families were incarcerated in detention camps, these soldiers served their country with honor and distinction. This exhibit is sponsored by the National Japanese American Historical Society and the Presidio Trust, and includes fifty portraits from Tom Grave’s photo-exhibit After the Wars: Lessons from America’s Nisei Heroes. (Closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day).

Celebrate Christmas with the Presidio Interfaith Center as they host events at the Presidio’s Main Post Chapel. Spend Christmas Eve with a night of Christmas carols and worship as the Center hosts its annual Carol Sing and Christmas Mass. The event is sponsored by the White Robed Monks of St. Benedict; RSVP required at http://www.wrmosb.org/xmas. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church hosts a Christmas Eve service and celebration, as well as a Christmas Morning Service on Friday. These are informal services with carol singing and are well-suited for families and children. Refreshments will be served after the service. For more information, call (415) 561-3930 or visit www.interfaith-presidio.org.

The Presidio Trust was established by the United States Congress in 1996 to administer the Presidio of San Francisco, an urban national park located at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The areas overseen by the Trust include expansive open space and spectacular views, a 300-acre historic forest, and rare and endangered plants and wildlife. The park comprises nearly 6 million square feet of buildings, including 469 historic structures that contribute to the Presidio’s status as a National Historic Landmark District.