The National Park Service is celebrating its 90th birthday on Friday, Aug. 25 with a daylong celebration at Cabrillo National Monument, the only national park in San Diego,.
The festivities at Cabrillo, located at the southern tip of Point Loma at the end of Catalina Boulevard, will feature living history, exhibits and tours of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse.
The lighthouse, with the exception of the tower, lantern and gallery (the catwalk outside the lantern), are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, the birthday celebration opens the entire lighthouse to tours.
“We open the tower, lantern and gallery of the lighthouse to visitors for the National Park Service birthday,” said Karl Pierce, public information officer for Cabrillo National Monument.
The 150-year-old lighthouse was one of the first eight of its kind built on the West Coast. It was completed in 1854 and guided ships into and out of the San Diego Bay from Nov. 15, 1855, until March 23, 1891, when it was replaced by the Point Loma Lighthouse down the hill, which is still operated by the Coast Guard.
The event is open to everyone: national park lovers, lighthouse aficionados, local history buffs and families looking for a fun and educational time
“Lighthouses, in general, are very popular and have quite a following,” said Pierce. “Because we are only able to open the tower section two days each year, many people like to come out those days to experience it, to see the Third Order Fresnel lens up close and also see the panoramic, 360-degree view from the gallery.”
Lighthouse tours will run from 10:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on the day of celebration.
The monument will offer films about the nation’s national parks in the visitor center auditorium between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., as well as three exhibits.
The monument’s non-profit cooperating association, the Cabrillo National Monument Foundation (CNMF), which is celebrating their 50th anniversary as well, will be selling books and other products about national parks and the National Park System in the bookstore in the visitor center.
“All the money that we raise supports the program, projects and activities of the park,” said Karen Eccles, CNMF executive director.
For more information , call (619) 557-5450 or visit www.nps.gov/cabr/.