Palo Alto Day kicks off celebration of city’s 125th birthday

The contents of a time capsule sealed in the dark ages of 1994 will be on display at the celebration at King Plaza.

It was in 2006 when then Palo Alto Mayor Judy Kleinberg had the idea for Palo Alto Day — a celebration of the city’s history, culture and residents. But It didn’t happen that year. She pitched it now and again over the years, and it never really gained traction. Until now.

After the city council gave its blessing last year, Palo Alto Day is finally a reality, and Sunday’s festivities at King Plaza will kick off a yearlong celebration of the city’s 125th birthday.

“I’m thrilled that we will have some way to celebrate what we appreciate about Palo Alto — what brings us together rather than what divides us,” said Kleinberg, the president of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce who will serve as mistress of ceremonies for the event.

Festivities start at 12:45 p.m. and will feature music followed by remarks from several civic leaders including Mayor Eric Filseth, City Manager Ed Shikada and City Councilwoman Liz Kniss, who was mayor when Palo Alto celebrated its centennial in 1994. The public also will get a chance to see the contents of a time capsule — three others are set to be opened in 2044, 2069 and 2094 — that was sealed at that 100th anniversary event.

Brian George is the Palo Alto Historical Association member who did the research to locate the 3-foot long stainless steel capsule at the bottom of an elevator shaft. “It’s an eclectic collection of documents, Centennial material, 1994 magazines and newspapers, and letters from students talking about their lives and predicting the future,” George said. “There are a few unique items that will surprise the public when they see the display of the contents.”

If 1994 doesn’t seem that long ago to you, remember that was the decade before Google, Facebook, and Twitter upended our lives. There was no iMac, iPod or iPhone and most people’s access to the internet was still America Online. In other words, a very different time.

Following that reveal, birthday cupcakes will be served inside city hall and the public will also get the chance to weigh in on what items should be placed in another time capsule that Kleinberg says will be sealed for another big milestone, perhaps the city’s bicentennial. My suggestion: If an iPhone is included, make sure to pack an extra battery and a charger. Who knows what the power situation will be in the future, but I don’t see an Apple battery lasting that long.

The 125th anniversary celebration will continue throughout the year, with the May Fete parade on May 4, the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce’s Tall Tree Awards on May 16 and a revived Black and While Ball in October all taking up the theme.

And there’s also hope that the focus on Palo Alto pride will help the nascent Palo Alto Museum raise the final $1 million on its initial $9.2 million fundraising campaign, which will allow it to begin rehab construction on the Roth Building on Homer Avenue this summer. An additional $6 million will need to be raised to really turn it into a museum.

Palo Alto Museum Executive Director Laura Bajuk said it’s surprising that while the Palo Alto Historical Association has existed since 1913, the city has no museum devoted to its history. The effort to transform the Roth Building into the museum started in 2007. (Get more information or donate at www.paloaltohistorymuseum.org)

“The tide has turned from ‘Why is it taking so long?’ to full city council support and full enthusiasm,” Bajuk said. “It really feels like we’re all pulling together to create this asset for the community.”

And the Palo Alto Museum sounds like a good place to hold the city’s 150th birthday party in 2044.

GOOD CHARACTERS: Actor Neil Kaplan knows something about characters, as he’s provided voices for so many in movies, TV and video games including Tychus J. Findley in “Starcraft 2” and Optimus Prime in “Transformers: Robots in Disguise.” So he was an entertaining choice to MC this year’s Character Awards dinner for the Silicon Valley/Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

“I was a Boy Scout in Santa Clara County,” said Kaplan, who grew up in San Jose. “I’ve got a wonderful reason to leave Hollywood behind, for just a day, and come up and spend the evening with you.”

The community leaders honored at the event were Amanino LLP partner Tom Bondi, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, Valley Heating & Cooling owner Cindy Faulkner and Hopkins & Carley attorney Jay Ross.

YOU GOT ON BOARD: Silicon Valley did a great job for Get On Board Day, a nationwide campaign on Thursday to raise awareness and support of public transportation. Like many other agencies across the country, VTA offered free rides all day on buses and light-rail trains, and word definitely got out about that. VTA spokeswoman Holly Perez said that ridership was up 15 percent for that day.