For Immediate Release
March 13, 2012
For Immediate Release
March 13, 2012
MEDIA CONTACTS
David Shaw, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
415-561-3064, dshaw@parksconservancy.org
Mary Currie, Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District
415-317-2222, mcurrie@goldengate.org
75 DAYS AND COUNTING
TAKE YOUR GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THE PEOPLE’S BRIDGE
SAN FRANCISCO: On May 27, 2012, the famed Golden Gate Bridge turns 75, marking the day in 1937 when “the bridge that couldn’t be built” officially opened to worldwide admiration and acclaim. As plans progress for the bridge’s diamond birthday celebration along the San Francisco waterfront, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, in partnership with the National Park Service, Presidio Trust and the City and County of San Francisco, have assembled a list of “75 Ways to Celebrate the Bridge.” We invite you to share these ideas with all of your Bridge-loving friends in the Bay Area and beyond to commemorate this historic year of the Golden Gate Bridge, in the 75 days leading up to its big birthday fete.
CONNECT, SHARE, AND LEARN:
1. Join the Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary communities on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ggb75), Twitter (www.twitter.com/ggb75) and Flickr (www.flickr.com/groups/ggb75)
2. Attend one or more of the 75 Community Tributes being offered by Bay Area organizations throughout the anniversary year (see list of activities at www.goldengatebridge75.org)
3. Make plans and invite friends to attend the Bridge’s waterfront birthday celebration on May 27, 2012—don’t miss the surprise grand finale!
4. Throw your own Bridge birthday party on May 27, 2012
5. Tweet about your thoughts and reactions to 75th anniversary celebrations and activities; be sure to hashtag #ggb75
6. Tell us your favorite story or memory of the Bridge; visit www.goldengatebridge75.org/share to add to our collective “valentine” to the Bridge
7. Write a poem or song about the Bridge and share it with us at www.facebook.com/ggb75
8. Sing “Happy Birthday” to the Bridge and post your video to our Facebook page
9. Upload your favorite photographs of the Bridge on our Flickr page
10. Share your Bridge painting, drawing, or other artistic masterpiece
11. Take a picture of you or your friends holding a “Happy Birthday Golden Gate Bridge!” sign at your favorite local bridge—a drawbridge, a footbridge, or any bridge at all—and share it with us
12. Concoct a Golden Gate Bridge 75th cocktail and send us the recipe
13. Take a photo from the Bridge on your 2012 birthday and share it
14. Post a video of your best impersonation of a foghorn
15. Snap a quick pic when you see the Golden Gate Transit’s 75th Anniversary Bus, adorned with a Bridge image by Marin artist George Sumner
16. Bake a birthday cake in the shape of the Bridge and share the photos
17. Host a Golden Gate Bridge movie night (a quick Web search turns up lots of films!); debate the greatest movie scenes that feature the Bridge
18. Buy something international orange to wear on Memorial Day weekend
19. Build a sandcastle of the Bridge at your favorite beach
20. Dye your Easter eggs international orange
21. Dress up as the Golden Gate Bridge on Halloween
22. Design your own “Happy Birthday, Golden Gate Bridge!” bumper sticker
23. Paint your nails or toes international orange
24. Learn to say “Happy Birthday, Golden Gate Bridge!” in one of the 112 languages spoken in the Bay Area
25. Send us the name and photo of a friend or relative who walked across the Bridge on Opening Day (May 27, 1937)
26. Tell us what you think the Bay Area—and the world—will be like on the Bridge’s 100th anniversary in 2037
27. Send a Bridge postcard to a loved one
28. Send a beautiful e-card from www.goldengatebridge75.org
29. Reach out to a friend with whom you once visited the Bridge; re-connect and reflect on good memories
30. Bring a family member or friend to the Bridge for his or her first visit
31. Ask someone who is 75 years or older to tell you their personal recollections thoughts about the Bridge; build a bridge across generations
32. Inspire the next generation of “chief engineers” by taking kids to a science museum
33. Help your kids build balsa wood bridges and hold a contest to see which bears the most weight
34. Check out the Golden Gate Bridge exhibit at the 2012 California State Fair, July 12-29
35. Learn more about this beloved span; do some research on the Bridge’s official website, http://goldengatebridge.org/research/section
36. Go to your local public library and read news coverage on the opening of the Bridge in 1937 and get a sense of life in the ’30s
37. Party like its 1937 and host your own 1930s-themed party
38. Google “Golden Gate Bridge 50th anniversary” to learn about the celebration 25 years ago
39. Host a house party and watch the American Experience: Golden Gate Bridge DVD
40. Read Golden Gate: The Life and Times of America’s Greatest Bridge, by former California State Historian Kevin Starr
41. Take a moment to remember those who have died on the Bridge
42. Visit the new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion to see the original model of the tower and other interpretive artifacts and exhibits
43. Enjoy a fresh, local, scrumptious meal at the new and improved Bridge café
44. Capture an ever-perfect Bridge scene (even on the foggiest days!) with the green-screen at the Round House, which will house interpretive and educational elements to the visitor experience
TAKE IN THE VIEW OF THE BRIDGE FROM:
45. Marin Headlands (Battery Spencer, Hawk Hill, and more!)
46. Crissy Field
47. Fort Baker
48. Baker Beach
49. Golden Gate Overlook in the Presidio, coming in Spring 2012
50. Fort Point
51. Alcatraz
52. Lands End (for the Golden Gate National Parks sites above, visit www.parksconservancy.org/visit for more information and ideas)
53. Sausalito waterfront
54. Tiburon/Belvedere waterfront
55. Marina Green
56. Angel Island
57. Twin Peaks
58. de Young Museum Tower
59. Coit Tower
GET MOVING:
60. Walk, stroll, cycle, skip, jog, or roll across the Bridge
61. Sail under the Bridge
62. Kayak, windsurf, or kiteboard under the Bridge
63. Take a scenic airplane ride over the Bridge
64. Explore the new and improved Bay Trail segments around the Golden Gate Bridge plaza
65. Discover the Batteries to Bluffs Trail—and other trails in the adjacent Presidio parklands—for more stunning Bridge vistas
66. Embark on a Bridge-to-Bridge urban hike, from the foot of the Bay Bridge to the foot of the Golden Gate, through San Francisco
67. Camp at Kirby Cove (visit www.nps.gov/goga) and fall asleep to foghorn lullabies
68. Participate in a Pier Crabbing activity off the Fort Point pier; see www.parksconservancy.org/calendar for upcoming dates
69. Take one of the new guided Bridge Tours (beginning April 23, 2012)
70. See the span in a whole new light on one of the exclusive new Bridge Night Tours (beginning April 23, 2012)
71. Visit Fort Point, the Civil War-era fortress greatly admired by Chief Engineer Joseph Strauss
SUPPORT BRIDGE AND PARK IMPROVEMENTS:
72. Join the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and help protect the magnificent parklands that flank the Bridge, www.parksconservancy.org/join
73. Volunteer to build trails and restore wildlife habitat around the Golden Gate Bridge, www.parksconservancy.org/volunteer
74. Purchase a Bridge 75th Anniversary Commemorative 2012 Calendar and other new interpretive items in the Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion or at the online store, with proceeds going to support Bridge visitor-experience improvements
75. Sign up at www.goldengatebridge75.org for e-mail updates on 75th Anniversary celebration details and upcoming events
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About the Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary:
The 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge is a project of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in collaboration with the National Park Service, Presidio Trust and the City and County of San Francisco. The year-long celebration and visitor services improvements are funded by private contributions, with major underwriting provided by Genentech, HP, Kaiser Permanente and Wells Fargo. Anniversary events include The Golden Gate Festival along the San Francisco waterfront on May 27, 2012; 75 Tributes to the Bridge, a year-long series of public programs presented throughout the Bay Area; renovation of the historic Round House and construction of a new Bridge Pavilion Welcome Center and Museum Store; and enhancements to the Bridge Plaza and Golden Gate National Recreation Area parklands on both sides of the span. For additional information and all public inquiries, please visit www.goldengatebridge75.org.
Media Contacts
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About the Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary
The 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge is a project of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in collaboration with the National Park Service and The Presidio Trust. The year-long celebration and visitor services improvements are funded by private contributions, with major underwriting provided by Wells Fargo, Genentech, HP, and Kaiser Permanente. Anniversary events include The Golden Gate Festival along the San Francisco waterfront on May 27, 2012; 75 Tributes to the Bridge, a year-long series of public programs presented throughout the Bay Area; renovation of the historic Round House and construction of a new visitor Pavilion; and enhancements to the Bridge Plaza and Golden Gate National Recreation Area parklands on both sides of the span. For additional information and all public inquiries, please visit www.goldengatebridge75.org.
About the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
The Parks Conservancy is the nonprofit membership organization created to preserve the Golden Gate National Parks, enhance the experiences of park visitors, and build a community dedicated to conserving the parks for the future. The Conservancy is an authorized “cooperating association” of the National Park Service, and is one of more than 70 such nonprofit organizations working with national parks around the country. To learn more, please visit www.parksconservancy.org or call (415) 561-3000.
About the National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior charged with managing the preservation and public use of America’s most significant natural, scenic, historic, and cultural treasures. The NPS manages the Golden Gate National Parks, as well as 394 other park sites across the U.S. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/goga or call (415) 561-4700.
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