There Was Still More to See

In our visits to Old Town in San Diego, we have found historical, religious, cultural, and architec-tural attractions in a relatively small area.

One of the religious attractions is the Church of the Immaculate Conception. The Church was begun in 1868, but owing to the building in New San Diego, it was not until July 22, 1917 that the Church was opened for divine worship.

The Solemn Dedication took place on July 16, 1919.

The Church has been in continuous operation since that time and the ties to the Founding Fathers remain strong. In fact, two of the original bells of the San Diego Mission still summon the faithful to worship: one in the Mission San Diego de Alcala in Mission Valley, and the other one, here in the bell tower of Immaculate Conception Church in Old Town.

And upon completion of the Church renovation in July 1997, the Mission Bell began ringing again in Old Town.














We took a little time just to take in the serenity of the Church created by the glow of the sunlight coming through the stained glass windows.












Later in the afternoon, we attended the finals of the competition among the ballet folklorico dance troops. A small, but apprecia-tive, crowd attended the competition held in the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.

I was not able to learn the names of the groups or more about the forms of dance. Each of the four finalists performed several dances with several costume changes.



























































































































































































Also performing was this professional group (these last three photos) from Tijuana, Mexico.


The group just returned from Taiwan where they competed among troops from 14 countries.

The competition this day was both colorful and spirited. And enjoyed by all.