Courthouse Legacy Foundation Project Update
The Old Spirit Lives On!
Recently the original “people block” was removed as part of the demolition work to prepare the fountain for the newly carved pieces. Worker took great care to remove the original people block two weeks ago, place it on a pallet and help to move it to a storage location in the Santa Barbara Courthouse. Mark Melchiori, president of Melchiori Construction Company donated the labor and equipment to help in the removal and safe relocation of the old Spirit. The original will be placed on exhibit in the near future with interpretive signage that tells the story of why the project had to be completed before the original statue completely failed.
Check out www.sbclf.org (photo gallery) for images of this great day.
A New Spirit Emerges…
Monday, May 23, 2011 will be a very exciting day. The newly carved Spirit of the Ocean blocks will be set into place! It is not long now until the entire (five year) project will be completed.
For lead carver, Nick Blantern and his amazing team, this is a very unnerving day—they have been carving on these sandstone blocks for over seven months. This coming Monday those blocks will be assembled for the first time and final carving to match the joins will take place over the next few weeks. This is a very exciting time!
The setting of these blocks will likely take a few days—Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Come join us and watch history in the making!
Unveiling of new Spirit of the Ocean:
Mark your calendars–July 29, 2011, under a nice summer afternoon sun, Peggy Hayes will cut the ribbon that will unveil the completed Spirit of the Ocean Fountain. Peggy has been selected for this great honor for her three-decades of careful watch and stewardship of the aged Spirit of the Ocean Fountain through the Courthouse Docent Council. The event is open the public, is free and will take place during lunch, Friday, July 29, 2011.
Come join us and be a part of history!
Celebration Party Planned:
Set you calendar for Saturday, July 30, 2011 to join Greg & Jane Hind; Michael & Anne Towbes and others to celebrate the completion of one of the major public art projects in Southern California.
Tickets to this gala event are $200 per person to include the sultry sounds of Barbara Morrison, 1920’s theme and a wonderful summer evening celebrating the hard work of a great team of people.