City of Soledad celebrates 100th anniversary Tuesday
SOLEDAD, Calif. (KION) Tuesday marks 100 years since the City of Soledad was founded, and the city is holding a celebration for community members.
The city was officially incorporated by the State of California on March 9, 1921, and by 1939, the city said Soledad was one of the leading producers of row crops in the country. At that point, more than 1,000 railcars of artichokes, 24,000 cars of lettuce and 7,000 cars of other vegetables were being shipped from Soledad to other parts of the country.
Originally, agriculture in Soledad was focused on cattle, wheat and barley, but dairy operations were added in the 1890's when Swiss and Swedish immigrants moved to the area
“The City of Soledad was built by its people,” says Mayor Anna M. Velazquez. “Soledad is a historic foundation of the agriculture industry because of the work of our community members. Our 100th anniversary celebrates the history of our strong community.”
As part of the celebration, there will be a community cake contest, a dessert grab-n-go, a car parade and a fireworks show, and the city said it will be focusing on resident contributions throughout the celebration. The Grand Marshals of the parade are among Soledad's oldest residents, and student art answering the question "What does Soledad mean to you?" will be featured online.
Residents can participate in some of the events online. This is the schedule of the day's events:
- 2 p.m. Cake contest on Facebook Live
- 3 p.m. Dessert grab-n-go at Soledad City Hall
- 5 p.m. Car parade starting at 235 West Street and ending at City Hall
- 7:30 p.m. Fireworks at Gallardo Park
