The city of Chula Vista’s centennial year is coming to a close, but not before a time capsule is sealed away.
After a year’s worth of celebrations commemorating the city’s 100 years in existence, elected officials gathered with residents Tuesday at City Hall to celebrate the photos and paintings that marked the city’s milestone anniversary.
More than 100 people were in attendance.
“We’ve always had a vision for a time capsule,” Chula Vista’s centennial manager Mary Marcdante said. “The idea is to leave a legacy of this centennial year so that when it’s opened in 2061, the city has a picture of what our life was like in 2011.”
Many people within the community came forward to express an interest in having a dedication for the city. The Committee of 100, which was created last year, will decide what items go into the capsule before it’s sealed into a vault located in the City Clerk’s Office.
Marcdante said the centennial year went by too fast.
“I feel honored and privileged to have been able to celebrate with this city,” she said. “Anytime there was a big need someone stepped up.”
Marcdante said the centennial concert was one of her favorite memories because of the way the community came together.
With no budget for the event, more than 300 performers and directors of music donated their time and talent to the community.
“It’s one of the most creative and engaging things that a community can do,” Marcdante said. “That to me is magic.”
The climax of the centennial celebration, Founder’s Day, brought 25,000 people to the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
“I think it exceeded everyone’s expectations,” Marcdante said.
Marcdante said she’s mostly been focused on getting the centennial book, “Chula Vista’s Centennial: A Century of People and Progress,” on every coffee table and in every classroom in Chula Vista.
The time capsule, which is one and a half feet squared and made of concrete, was donated by Randy Bellamy, the president of Village Cremation Service in Chula Vista.
It will contain memorabilia from 2011, including a police centennial coin, copies of The Star News, the centennial book, and letters written to the future from the mayor, council members, students and residents.
The time capsule will remain open until Dec. 22, then sealed and stored in the city’s vault. The capsule’s plaque will be engraved by Blackie’s Trophies with the words: In commemoration of the centennial 2011, to the people of Chula Vista, past, present and future, to be opened in the year 2061.
Only a handful of letters have been received so far, including those from the council and three from the city’s Youth Action Council.
