TEN LETTERS TALL: It's easy to have a lot of pride in California for various reasons -- naysayers may want to say nay, but we'll sweetly smile and invite them to come spend a day at Big Sur or the redwoods and then see if their naying has ceased -- and a big reason is the name. It's poetic, it's mellifluous, and it springs from a land of plenty found in a long ago book (thank the early explorers for bestowing the name upon the state). But here's something else nice: It looks really good when it is very, very large. Exhibit A? The ten-letter welcome that was found in front of Disney California Adventure in Anaheim for many years. The C and the A and the L and the I all stood tall and colorful, and if a minute passed without someone posing for a snapshot in front of the sign, well, it was a rare minute, indeed. But with the major redo of the theme park over the last several years, the front got a new look, too. Meaning? The letters came down. But a bit of good news arrived early last summer: Cal Expo in Sacramento would be the worthy beneficiary. And, truly, is there a better place for the iconic, seen-in-a-thousand-photos CALIFORNIA sign thank in front of the place where our state fair takes place?
THE LETTERS GO UP: Now, just over a year after the announcement, the CALIFORNIA sign was been installed on Monday, July 1 in front of the state fair's longtime home. Nice time, too; the installation came just in time for this year's extravaganza, which opens on Friday, July 12. Want to see a peek at the installation and where those letter stand now? You can.
