Home for the Holidays

Presidio of San Francisco (December 22, 2008) — 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 a bounty of holiday fare, all of which is free.

Celebrate Christmas Eve with an evening of Christmas carols and worship as the Presidio Interfaith Center hosts its annual Carol Sing and Christmas Mass. The event, which is sponsored by the White Robed Monks of St. Benedict, takes place on Wednesday, December 24 at 7 pm at the Presidio’s Main Post Chapel. Refreshments will be served after the service. For more information call (415) 422-2836 or visit www.interfaith-presidio.org.

For those interested in going over the river and through the woods, Andy Goldsworthy’s dramatic new sculpture Spire has been completed. The last 20 young Monterey Cypress seedlings were planted around the sculpture last Thursday. As the new young trees grow up to meet the sculpture, it will gradually disappear into the forest. Spire is located along the Bay Ridge Trail, near the Arguello Gate, west of the Inspiration Point Overlook.

In conjunction with the Spire sculpture is the new Goldsworthy At The Presidio exhibit. It provides visitors the opportunity to learn more about Spire, the artist’s working methods, the Presidio forest, and site-based art in general. This free exhibit runs through May 3, 2009 in Building 49 next to the Presidio Officers’ Club on the Main Post. (Closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day)

The Presidio’s own exhibition, War and Dissent: The U.S. in the Philippines 1898-1915, runs Wednesdays to Sundays through February 22, 2009. The free, mixed-media exhibit tells the story of a little-known war that had momentous consequences for both Americans and Filipinos. The exhibit chronicles the growth of the Presidio into a major military installation and the rise of the United States into an imperial power. Its nine themed galleries feature San Francisco monuments, photographs, diaries, letters and political cartoons that trace the full sweep of the conflict. (closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day)

For more information about these and other free events at the Presidio, visit http://www.presidio.gov/calendar or call the Presidio Events Line at (415) 561-5500.

The Presidio Trust was established by the United States Congress in 1996 to oversee the Presidio of San Francisco, an urban national park located at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The 1,500-acre site contains expansive open space and spectacular views, a 300-acre historic forest, and rare and endangered plants and wildlife. It also comprises nearly 6 million square feet of buildings, including 469 historic structures that contribute to its status as a National Historic Landmark District.