Spring at the Presidio (March-May 2018)

Presidio of San Francisco (January 31, 2017) – It’s not too early to anticipate the arrival of spring, as the Presidio Trust announces seasonal activities, self-guided adventures and free public programs from March-May, 2018. As the days get longer and milder, outdoor activities return like archeological digs, stargazing parties, and family-friendly bike rides. The popular Presidio Picnic, sponsored by the Presidio Trust and Off the Grid, returns to the Main Post lawn on March 18 for a sixth season, and Presidio Live, the free series of live music, theatre, dance, film, and dialogues at the Presidio Officers’ Club continues each Thursday at 7 pm. Memorial Day marks the 150th anniversary of the Presidio’s participation in the national commemoration.

Exclusion Exhibition Extended

Due to its overwhelming popularity, the Presidio Trust is pleased to announce the extension of the exhibition Exclusion: The Presidio’s Role in World War II Japanese American Incarceration, through spring of 2019. The exhibition opened Saturday, April 1, 2017, marking 75 years since Western Defense Commander Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt sat at his desk in Building 35 at the Presidio in spring 1942 and signed 108 Civilian Exclusion Orders that unjustly incarcerated 120,000 Japanese Americans, purportedly in the name of national security.

Exclusion, housed in the historic Officers’ Club museum and developed in collaboration with the Fred T. Korematsu Institute and the National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS), has resonated with over 42,660 visitors since it’s opening, and has become the Presidio’s most popular special exhibition to date. Exhibition themes continue to resonate with visitors—more than 1500 visitors have participated in the “Your Voice Matters” component by sharing their thoughts on immigration reform, racial profiling, mass incarceration, and other issues that remain relevant today.

Several related public programs are included in the Presidio Live series, including a film screening of The Ito Sisters: An American Story and panel discussion with filmmaker Antonia Grace Glen, presented in collaboration with the Korematsu Institute (March 15); a remembrance lantern-making workshop with artist Judy Shintani, whose work is on view in Exclusion (March 31); tours of the office where Lt. Gen. DeWitt signed the Civilian Exclusion Orders and a video installation illuminating the windows of his office. Program information is available online at www.presidio.gov/events.

Presidio Picnic

San Francisco’s largest community picnic, the Presidio Picnic, will return for its much-anticipated sixth season beginning Sunday, March 18 and running through October 7, from 11 am – 4 pm. Co-sponsored by the Presidio Trust and Off the Grid, the weekly picnic combines the best of the international food scene with the best of this national park. This multi-cultural event honors traditions of many of our diverse communities in the Bay Area, offering a blend of culinary selections from international mobile food vendors, and dance performances that highlight styles from Mexico, Philippines, Asia Pacific and Polynesia and more—some participatory. Leave the car at home and venture to the city’s most sustainable picnic on the PresidiGo shuttle.

Presidio Twilight, San Francisco’s largest campfire and mobile vendor experience includes lantern-lit dining cabanas, blanket-side cocktail service, fire pits, live music, and views of the sun setting over San Francisco Bay, returns on Thursday evenings from 5 pm – 9 pm beginning May 17. More about both events will be announced at a future date.

Free Events at the Presidio Officers’ Club

Events on the Presidio Live series continue on Thursday evenings throughout May, offering an eclectic lineup of live music, theatre, dance, film, and dialogues with a contemporary take on the history and nature of the Presidio and the culture of our diverse Bay Area community. A celebration of International Women’s Day takes place on Thursday, March 8 with a multimedia presentation chronicling the courageous women of the Bay Area between 1776 and 1911. In celebration of Earth Day, Al Gore’s sobering film, An Inconvenient Sequel screens, followed by a Q&A with award-winning director Jon Shenk, April 26. Additional topics plus chamber music from Chinese to new music to cabaret complete the lineup.

The Presidio Book Club, an inclusive public program that anyone can take part in, whether or not they’ve read the book, continues to meet on Saturdays from 1 pm – 3 pm, and partners the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers co-present both Stargazing Parties and the Astrolecture Series throughout the spring (check their website for dates). Creative Family Fun offers free drop-in arts and crafts for kids of all ages on weekend mornings from 11 am – 3 pm. Please check our calendar for the multitude of docent-led Art Walks, History Tours, and Presidio Experience Tours leaving from the Presidio Visitor Center and the Presidio Officers’ Club: www.presidio.gov/events.

Archaeology Dig Reopens on Earth Day

Join Presidio archeologists for the return of the annual season of live archaeology digs with Back into the Earth Day from 9 am to 12 am on Saturday, April 21. We will kick-off the season by removing the sand covering last year’s discoveries on El Presidio de San Francisco, the Spanish-colonial archaeological site buried just below the ground in front of the Presidio Officers’ Club. At the neighboring Archaeology Lab, 45-minute tours offer a chance to learn about the Presidio’s archaeological process and current and past excavations by visiting the state-of-the-art lab and collections facility where the Presidio’s artifacts are cleaned, catalogued, studied, and curated. Volunteers can help with this active research, please see the website for how to get involved.

– Live Dig: Every Friday and Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm; Friday, April 27 through Friday, May 25.
– Lab Tours: Guided tours, every Wednesday at 1pm; Open Lab tours every Wednesday 2pm – 4pm.

Nature in the Park

Nature comes alive in the Presidio in springtime, and visitors are always welcome to stop by the Visitor Center to pick up a hiking map and suggestions for exploring the park’s free picnic areas, overlooks and trails. From forests and beaches to restored wetlands, lakes and marshes, the Presidio is home to 330 native plant species and 350 species of thriving wildlife. Look for the rare, pink petals of the rare Presidio clarkia wildflowers in the grasslands below Inspiration Point as well as the returning Allen’s hummingbirds. Kids can pick up an Explorer Back-pack at the Presidio Visitor Center or embark on a Geo Cashing adventure.

Public Venues

Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Ave., San Francisco
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am – 5 pm, phone 415-561-4165

Presidio Visitor Center, 210 Lincoln Blvd., San Francisco
Hours: Open seven days a week, 10 am – 5 pm, phone 415-561-4323