What's Happening in Vallejo, CA…

A grand reopening of the Capitol Street Stairs will be held in Vallejo next month.

This has been a six-year effort to turn the devasted Capitol Street Stairs in the downtown into a tourist destination. The first few years were slow and treacherous as many roadblocks from the city presented themselves. The artists who were originally lined up to design the stairs left and were replaced by those who placed second in a contest to redesign the stairs.

This was followed by city officials getting behind the project, adopting it as a capital improvement project, and providing the needed $300,000 for repair of the staircase. This included turning the outdoor concreate staircase into a history lesson and a piece of public art. The risers, which are 10 feet wide, are covered with custom-made art tiles created by artists Colette Crutcher and Aileen Barr. The tiles were created from old photos found at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, and in private collections.

There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4:00 pm on Friday, December 10. Such special ceremonies are often promoted throughout a city with many kinds of printing services. This will be followed by a parade with the Vallejo giant puppets, the Los Catrinas of Solano AIDS Coalition, and the Obtanium Works Art Cars. There will be more festivities at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum on Main Street.