The Coronado Public Library currently has an exhibit up that takes visitors 50 years back in time. \u201cCoronado Days: A Portrait of the 1970s\u201d focuses on a variety of aspects of life on the island during the decade, with a particular focus on 1976 and the celebration of the nation\u2019s bicentennial.<\/p>\n
Special Collections Librarian Kelly Andrade and Librarian Ashley Chase curated the exhibit, having begun planning for it over a year ago as they started to consider how the library\u2019s exhibits could tie in with the larger 250th anniversary celebration. \u201cOne of the things we needed to consider was, being in California, how does 250 relate to us? One of the ideas was to do something more localized, and working with the Coronado Historical Association (CHA) also gave us some ideas,\u201d Andrade said of how they landed on \u201cCoronado Days\u201d.<\/p>\n
The exhibit, which can be explored at the librarian through September 27, features things like the front pages of the Coronado Journal newspaper throughout 1976, a video compilation of interviews between current Coronado High School (CHS) students and CHS graduates from the Class of 1976, local yearbooks, memorabilia that showcases the island during that decade and allude to major events and decisions happening locally, \u201cnow and then\u201d photos, and more.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe video component is about trying to bridge the generational gaps,\u201d Chase explained of that piece of the exhibit. \u201cTo bring teens and Gen Z into the conversation and get them excited about history and the idea that they\u2019re making history all the time.\u201d The library partnered with CHA last fall, giving CHA\u2019s high school interns the opportunity to be part of creating this exhibit. \u201cThey filmed a generational conversation about what it was like growing up here and what it was like being at the high school in the 70s. They also each wrote an article to go with the video and the interview, as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I have to shout out that, even though doing the internship with teens was very out of my wheelhouse,\u201d Chase laughed, \u201cthey were wonderful. Seeing the grads and the current high school students have that conversation was really rewarding for me, too. It was special to see them go through their pictures and yearbooks together before their interviews.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up in a small town (only 2,500 people) and working here, I really love the small town atmosphere,\u201d Andrade mentioned. \u201cThat and working on this exhibit brings me back to my childhood. The people I went to high school with are now running that city, and are our teachers and principals at the schools. So I liked seeing that people who graduated 50 years ago are still around Coronado. And we\u2019ve gotten to make these great connections with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
When setting up their exhibits, Andrade and Chase like to ensure every element tells a story of what\u2019s on display. \u201cEach case has a theme; for example, one is more focused on civics, with pieces about the City \u2013 who was in charge of the City then, and there were a lot of interesting things that were happening in the 70s,\u201d Andrade noted. \u201cVirginia Bridge was the first woman mayor, elected in 1972. She was actually only the second person to be elected by the citizens because before that the mayors were selected by the city council.\u201d<\/p>\n
That case also includes pieces about some of the local organizations that have been a part of the community for many years, pieces on the big Winn Room renovation project that took place in the 70s, and even the song sheets for a musical piece that was written for Coronado that decade. \u201cThese big pamphlets [shown in the case] were annual reports that were sent out to everyone, and the community would get them in the mail,\u201d Chase added. \u201cI also just love seeing stuff like this,\u201d she said, pointing out an aerial photo of Coronado. \u201cHere you can see the Shores hadn\u2019t been built yet, but that was another big project that happened in the 70s, along with Tidelands Park.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another case focuses heavily on Coronado\u2019s local bicentennial celebrations in 1976 and the Fourth of July celebrations. Included in this section is the official transcript from a town meeting in 1976 and photos by local photographer Tommy Lark, who was responsible for many of the photos in the Coronado Journal and Bay and Bridge magazine. \u201cThis is [a look at] that whole year,\u201d Chase said of the case. \u201cThis highlights the events that were held in 1976, but they even started getting prepared for the bicentennial in 1972,\u201d Andrade added.<\/p>\n
Next to the television playing the student and graduate interviews is a case dedicated to Coronado\u2019s schools. \u201cWe have every CHS yearbook except for 1993 right now, and we wanted to highlight the seniors who graduated in 1976 so we have their senior photos,\u201d Andrade continued. \u201cWe used to have four elementary schools until Glorietta Elementary School closed in the 70s. We even have some junior high yearbooks in here, and then because we have almost all of the Bay and Bridge magazines (which were started in the 70s by then mayor, Virginia Bridge, who was the publisher and editor) we have the Glorietta Elementary School featured in there, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final case in the collection features more of Tommy Lark\u2019s photos and creates a visual comparison of Orange Avenue and other local spots between the 70s and the present day. \u201cWe love his images from the 70s of Coronado, and then we love a \u2018now and then\u2019 type of thing,\u201d Andrade said of putting this case together. \u201cWe walked around [Coronado] and tried to take as close of a replica image to what Tommy was photographing at the time to see what\u2019s changed and what\u2019s still there. And even though we didn\u2019t grow up in Coronado, we\u2019re both history buffs, so looking at what Coronado used to look like and getting to go out and take these photos was really fun for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything on display \u2013 the yearbooks, the photographs, the newspapers, etc. \u2013 has come from the library\u2019s special collections. \u201cWe have an incredible ephemera collection, and I want to give [Andrade] huge props,\u201d Chase said. \u201cAs our head of special collections, she\u2019s really been bringing the whole thing up to a professional standard. Thinking about how people are going to know how to find [these collections] and how we preserve them has been a huge labor of over the past couple of years. And we want people to know it\u2019s here, that anybody can come see our collections. They just have to make an appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Included in their collections is access to local newspapers. \u201cWe have a whole run that\u2019s on microfilm, as well as access to the California Digital Newspaper Collection,\u201d she added. \u201cPeople don\u2019t always know that\u2019s here, so we want to hype that up, too. Right now you can see any Coronado paper that\u2019s existed prior to 2022. It\u2019s a resource for people to use and our number one suggestion when people ask questions or want to start research [on a local topic]. I love that people want to stop and check out the headlines that are displayed in this current exhibit, and we want to let them know that if they want to dive deeper and read that entire issue, they can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since the exhibit has been up, both have loved seeing how library visitors have been engaging with it, especially when people recognize themselves or someone they know from a photo or the video. \u201cWe\u2019ve really loved seeing those moments,\u201d Andrade said. \u201cJust watching people come up and have those very nostalgic memories.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do always wonder if people are really going to like each exhibit, and then we\u2019re always pleasantly surprised when people give us feedback that they really loved it, or that they learned something new, or that it was very nostalgic for them, etc.,\u201d she added, mentioning that comment cards are available at the library or digitally on the library\u2019s website for anyone who would like to provide feedback on the current exhibits. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of research when we do these kinds of exhibits and do them ourselves, where we have to figure out what was going on [locally] in the 1970s and comb through our collections.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes longer when we\u2019re doing fully in-house things,\u201d Chase agreed, \u201cbut we\u2019re so lucky that we have an abundance of content. So it was figuring out what we could narrow it down to and what kind of narrative we would be telling.\u201d<\/p>\n
And what\u2019s evident throughout the exhibit is how the past is a reflection of the present. \u201cYou see things change, obviously, but you see so many things and so many of the types of concerns that kind of stay the same,\u201d Chase noted. \u201cLike with the creation of the Shores \u2013 is it good, is it bad, some people like it while others don\u2019t. We\u2019re all having the same, different experience. The 70s was also a time of great upheaval and change, but kids were still going to high school and having a great time, being silly, not knowing what the future holds, etc. Seeing that, it made me feel calmer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of really like that because change is inevitable, and you do need change,\u201d Andrade agreed. \u201cBut you also love that there\u2019s still that connection that people can have, and that hasn\u2019t changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCoronado Days: A Portrait of the 1970s\u201d is on display at the Coronado Public Library now through September 27.<\/p>\n
While this exhibit was curated fully by the library and its collections, Andrade and Chase are also open to partnering with outside groups and individuals who may have access to a collection or are part of an organization celebrating a milestone, etc. They\u2019re about a year out in planning for the next exhibits (with four planned per year), but anyone who would like to discuss the exhibits or an idea is welcome to contact them via email at kandrade@coronado.ca.us<\/a> and achase@coronado.ca.us<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re here for the community, so what does the community want to see? It\u2019s their exhibit space, really. We\u2019re just the stewards of the collections and the curators of the exhibits.\u201d<\/p>\n VOL. 116, NO. 36 – Sept. 9, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Coronado Public Library currently has an exhibit up that takes visitors 50 years back in time. \u201cCoronado…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466560,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[20304,3211,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-466559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-coronado_city_news","tag-coronado_island_news","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}