Birthdays are something to cherish. They’re a time to reflect on where we’ve been, take stock of where we are, and look ahead at what’s still to come. We at Ranch & Coast Magazine are incredibly honored to be celebrating our 60th anniversary this year. It is certainly not lost on us how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to tell your stories over these past six decades, and we are truly grateful. As we celebrate our own milestone year, we thought it a perfect time to share this moment with others marking momentous anniversaries of their own. Please join us at the Belly Up Tavern on November 25 for our special anniversary party. Here’s to all the years!

Celebrating 150 years, the San Diego Natural History Museum is the oldest scientific institution in Southern California and the third oldest west of the Mississippi River. It was founded in 1874 as the San Diego Society of Natural History — not long after the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species — by a group of amateur naturalists whose members wanted to be a primary source of scientific information and culture for the growing community. 2024 marks the sesquicentennial of those events, and “The Nat,” as it is affectionately known, has been celebrating all year. The museum, which now includes more than eight million specimens and a world-class research and conservation arm, moved into its current home on Balboa Park’s East Prado in 1933, and central to this year’s celebration was the opening of a Nature Trail that now surrounds the building with a living display of the San Diego/Baja California region.   Bill Abrams

The Balboa Theatre opened downtown to great acclaim in March 1924. Designed by architect William Wheeler and constructed by the Wurster Construction Company for $800,000, it began as a vaudeville and cinema theater. Renovated in 2008 after a 20-year closure, the $26.5 million restoration was funded by the City of San Diego’s Redevelopment Agency. This historic landmark features a unique tiled dome and ornate plaster fretwork above the seating area, and today continues to serves as a community performing arts gem for the region.   Mia Park

In December 1924, Ellen Browning Scripps and her brother founded the Scripps Metabolic Clinic in downtown La Jolla. The clinic, which would later become Scripps Research, was dedicated to investigating and treating diseases, with a focus on diabetes. By this time, Ellen Browning Scripps had already found success in multiple pursuits: as a schoolteacher, a journalist, and a newspaper mogul. But she realized that investing in science would usher in the future of medicine — across both San Diego and the world. Scripps Research scientists have spent a remarkable 100 years pushing the boundaries of biomedical innovation. Now, as it celebrates its centennial, the institute is empowering world-renowned scientists to pursue groundbreaking ideas for the most pressing problems in human health: cancer, heart disease, deadly pathogens, neurological diseases, and much more.   Mia Park

The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, which is marking its 100th anniversary this year, was among the first structures to break ground in the master-planned community of Rancho Santa Fe, one of the first such developments in California, conceived by railroad executive W.E. Hodges and land developer Colonel Ed Fletcher. Designed by architect Lilian J. Rice, The Inn was initially a sales office and guest house for visitors looking to buy property and build homes in the new community. It also became the centerpiece of the village, as commercial buildings, a store, school, gas station, and row houses grew up around it in what became known as the Civic Center. The Inn has changed hands seven times over the years, although the Royce family owned the property for a half century before selling it to JMI Realty. Steve Hermann, a hotelier and interior designer, bought The Inn in May 2022 for $42.7 million and embarked on an ambitious remodel, only to sell it unfinished for $100 million in July 2023 to GEM Realty Capital. Now with Managing Director Vikram Sood at the helm, The Inn reopened to the public on November 1, 2023, with renovated rooms, a spa, and public spaces including Lilian’s restaurant, named for the architect, and Bing’s Bar, named after Bing Crosby, the crooner and actor who lived in the Ranch and founded the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. The Inn continues as the center of community, a popular setting for special events, fundraisers, weddings, and family celebrations.  Andrea Naversen

The Caesar salad, a culinary institution, is celebrating its centennial this year. Though there is some debate on the exact details of its origin, there is strong consensus that Caesar’s Restaurant popularized the salad recipe in Tijuana, first serving its now famous salad on July 4, 1924. Fast-forward to the spring of 2010, when Juan José Plascencia, founder of Tijuana-based restaurant group Grupo Plascencia, and his son, Juan José Plascencia Jr., were walking down Avenida Revolución when they learned that Caesar’s Restaurant was closing. The Grupo Plascencia team quickly met to discuss taking over the historic restaurant, which originally opened in 1923. On July 24, 2010, Caesar’s reopened under the direction of the Plascencia family. This past summer, renowned chef/restaurateur Javier Plascencia and Caesar’s threw a week-long shindig in Tijuana in celebration of the Caesar salad’s 100th anniversary and the legacy of the restaurant his family saved.   Mia Park

University of San Diego is marking its 75th anniversary with a yearlong celebration that honors its past and looks toward a bright future. Founded by Bishop Charles Francis Buddy and Mother Rosalie Clifton Hill, RSCJ, USD serves the world by fearlessly pursuing beauty, goodness, and truth. As a contemporary Catholic university intrinsically linked to the San Diego region, USD also connects with the community in its mission to create a more hopeful, inclusive, and sustainable world.

To kick off the milestone year, USD hosted a conference for Catholic universities from around the world to discuss the future of higher education. Alumni and friends traveled to some of the most sacred places in Italy during Holy Week and walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain during the summer. 

Locally, USD partnered on a special project with the Monarch School, which serves thousands of unhoused youth and families in San Diego, and joined forces with the San Diego Padres through the Padres Pedal the Cause event. As the title sponsor and grand marshal of the Linda Vista Multicultural Fair and Parade, USD’s students, athletes, faculty, staff, and alumni shared their Torero spirit with the neighborhood they call home. The university also welcomed visitors to campus for hundreds of lectures, exhibits, symposia, and community events. 

On November 16, USD will “Shine Bright on the Diamond” at Petco Park during the Founders Gala. This signature event was first presented in 2009 during USD’s 60th anniversary, and the six galas held since then have netted more than $6 million for student scholarships. Next month, year-end Christmas traditions will include a tree lighting ceremony and a mass to observe the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe. In January 2025, the university will celebrate the opening of its 80,000 square-foot Palomar Health Student Wellness Center.   Mia Park

It’s hard to imagine that in the wholesome 1950s, when San Diego’s total population hovered just around 500,000 people, litter was already a big enough issue that residents declared it an all-out war, establishing a citizens’ committee to tackle the issue. “The War Against Litter” was the genesis of I Love a Clean San Diego, which, over seven decades, has grown to become so much more than a community trash pickup organizer, though that’s still an essential part of its many functions. Those countywide cleanups rally roughly 5,000 people at more than 100 sites twice a year, amassing a staggering 50,000 to 100,000 pounds of trash plucked from the community. However, as the organization strives to push us closer to zero-waste living, it’s the educational component — for adults, children, and businesses — that is paramount, helping to make deep connections between our actions and their impact on the environment and our future in order to move toward that goal. In a video honoring ILACSD’s 70th anniversary, executive director Steve Morris shared his optimism for that ultimate outcome, saying, “I am hopeful that we become unnecessary at some point, that litter and waste and debris become a non-issue in the next 50 years.”   Deanna Murphy

The Country Friends also marks its 70th anniversary this year — seven decades of raising funds and awareness for San Diego County-based nonprofits with an emphasis on women, children, the elderly, military families, and persons with disabilities. Since its founding, the organization has raised $15 million through fundraisers that include an outdoor runway show and luncheon held each fall for the past 69 years at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. Now known as the Art of Fashion, this year’s show marked the organization’s 20-year-partnership with South Coast Plaza, the Costa Mesa shopping destination. The nonprofit also raises funds through its Consignment Shop on El Tordo in Rancho Santa Fe, an emporium filled with high-end, gently used items, and sponsors a holiday tea, spring luncheon, pickleball tournament, lectures, and other events throughout the year.   Andrea Naversen

On August 19, 1954, Rady Children’s officially opened and admitted its first 12 patients. In the 70 years since, the hospital has grown from a single 59-bed facility into a world-class healthcare network that attracts patients from around the globe for its innovation and research. The hospital has expanded its presence in Southern California, opening satellite locations throughout San Diego and Riverside counties. Rady Children’s also partners with other local healthcare systems to bring its nationally recognized neonatology care to hospitals across San Diego County. Looking ahead, Rady Children’s is reimagining its entire campus, starting with the construction of a new hospital tower that will double the size of the emergency department and house 140 pediatric, neonatal, and cardiothoracic intensive care unit beds. The seven-story, 500,000-square-foot Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Services Pavilion is set to open in 2027.   Mia Park

Formed in 1959, Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club’s mission is to serve various San Diego area causes including ending hunger and human trafficking, and helping the less fortunate, our brave soldiers present and past, and many others needing a hand. In partnership with the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Foundation, the club is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year and continues to step up for those in need with a commitment to making a difference through “Service Above Self.”   Mia Park

When the curtain rises on the 60th season of the San Diego Opera on November 1, the production will not only be familiar as one of the most iconic of all time — Puccini’s La bohème — but one that’s meaningful for the entirety of the company’s existence since its debut. La bohème was the very first production ever staged by the nascent company in 1965, which went on to feature on its marquee some of the most famous names in the art form, familiar even to those who may not be opera aficionados, including Placido Domingo, Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills, and Renee Fleming. The renowned Luciano Pavarotti graced San Diego Opera’s stage, but only once, for a 1980 production of…La bohème. The curtain nearly came down for good a decade ago when it was decided that the company should fold for economic reasons, but the threat of losing such an important institution in the San Diego arts landscape was unthinkable, and the opera persevered, triumphantly beginning its next season with none other than
La bohème.   Deanna Murphy

Omni La Costa Resort & Spa is marking 60 years as a world-class resort, having recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation. Founded by Las Vegas real estate developer Merv Adelson and partners, the resort was renowned as a playground for Hollywood stars from Lucy and Desi Arnaz to the “Rat Pack” and as a venue for championship golf and tennis tournaments. Its golf courses hosted the PGA and other top tourneys, attracting such pros as Gary Player, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson. The resort’s reimagined spa offers skincare, massage and body treatments with a holistic approach to health and wellness. The expansive property has more than 500 rooms and suites, five restaurants, eight pools, two golf courses, tennis and pickleball courts, an athletic club, and shops.   Andrea Naversen

Sixty years ago, an abandoned hog ranch in Bonsall was purchased and transformed into a summer camp called Rawhide Ranch. It went on to have many faces over the years, as a small elementary school, a retreat for dislodged children, a host to rodeos, and even as a two-year vocational college. For much of its early history, Rawhide Ranch was also a working horse ranch, horse training center, competitive Quarter Horse breeding facility, and tack shop. Today, Rawhide Ranch thrives as a cherished camp for children — a home away from home and an opportunity to change lives in powerful and positive ways.   Mia Park

A Kensington fixture for 55 years with a newer location in Del Sur Town Center, Ponce’s Mexican Restaurant has been owned and operated by the Meza family since 1969. Renowned for its casual Mexican comfort food and award-winning margaritas, the restaurant is also equally cherished its sense of community. Ponce’s is a proud supporter of Mid-City Little League, Students Without Limits, Business For Good SD, Del Norte High School, Dine Out for Life, Franklin Elementary School, YMCA, local artists, poets, musicians, and many more.   Mia Park

A high school shop class savant, Bob Taylor could handcraft nearly anything. He decided to focus on guitars. Half a century ago, he and two partners took over a hippie-ethos music store in Lemon Grove that evolved into Taylor Guitars, a worldwide phenomenon. Dozens of musicians — from Prince and Paul McCartney to Taylor Swift — strum his instruments. The company has sold two million acoustic guitars and owns 40 percent of market share.   Ron Donoho

A long line of elected officials declared September 28, 2024, as “Belly Up Day” to begin a sold-out 50th anniversary show with Jason Mraz. On stage to receive the recognition were Belly Up Tavern owners Steve Goldberg, Phil Berkowitz, and founder Dave Hodges, who opened the venue five decades earlier. Hodges chose the name Belly Up in response to naysayers who said the venture would fail. The small-town venue defied doubters and went on to secure a national reputation for excellence. Through the years, Belly Up has attracted international superstars such as The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, and Lady Gaga to its stage. “One of the things that makes the Belly Up special is how well we take care of bands, even if they’re the opening act,” says Chris Goldsmith, president of Belly Up Entertainment. “If we take care of bands when they are just up-and-coming, they tend to remember that, and when there’s an opportunity to come and play and do something intimate and small, they tend to want to come back here.”   Mia Park

Rooted in compassion for members of the community living with hunger and homelessness, Community Resource Center has been a trusted provider of essential services and assistance since 1979. From that beginning, the organization has expanded the breadth of those services as well as critical support for domestic violence survivors at its Encinitas office, Carol’s House Emergency Shelter, Therapeutic Children’s Center, and a 24-hour domestic violence hotline. Serving more than 7,000 people annually, CRC offers essential food and social services plus emergency housing, intervention, counseling and domestic violence prevention services, and financial and career resources for critical, wraparound support. Through the generosity of the very community it serves, CRC is able to continue its work to improve lives with stability, safety, and dignity. “As we celebrate 45 years of service,” says John Van Cleef, CRC’s CEO, “we extend our heartfelt thanks to our compassionate community — together, we bring hope and healing to our neighbors in need.”   Deanna Murphy

Lasting 40 years in downtown La Jolla can be challenging for a restaurateur, but George’s at the Cove, George Hauer’s namesake fine-dining gem, has remained an epicurean beacon behind culinary innovation and a willingness to bend to meet diners’ desires while never breaking from core tenets such as supporting local and celebrating seasonal ingredients. George’s has been a proving ground for many chefs who have gone on to accomplish great things, but it’s the one who stayed — executive chef and partner Trey Foshee — who continues to cement this prime Pacific overlook’s place in San Diego’s dining pantheon.   Brandon Hernández

Also celebrating 40 years is Busalacchi Restaurants, a beloved family business marking four decades of bringing Sicilian cuisine to San Diego and 30 years of business in Little Italy. Founded by Sicilian-born Joe Busalacchi Sr., the restaurants are run by immediate family members, dedicated to offering a genuine family touch. The next generation of Busalacchi brothers, PJ, Joey Jr., and Mike, now manage the day-to-day operations of the family eateries which include Barbusa, Lala’s, Nonna, and Café Zucchero in Little Italy.   Mia Park

La Jolla’s St. Germaine Children’s Charity, which also celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, takes its name from St. Germaine Cousin, the patron saint of child abuse victims. Barbara Christensen and friends founded the organization in 1984, then named the St. Germaine Auxiliary to the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation. Its goal, says current President Janice Farnow, was to make sure that San Diego’s children are loved, nurtured, and safe. In 2006, the all-volunteer organization became a 501c3 nonprofit and changed its name to St. Germaine Children’s Charity. Since it was founded, the organization has provided $5 million in grants to agencies that offer care, shelter, and love for abandoned, abused, and neglected children. The Silver Tea, the nonprofit’s signature fundraiser, will be held December 10 (see page 42 for details).   Andrea Naversen

In 1989, roommates Chris Cramer and Matt Rattner opened the doors to Karl Strauss Brewing Company, which would become the county’s longest-operating post-Prohibition-era brewery. It’s at that red-brick Downtown brewpub that many San Diegans got their first taste of local, independent beers developed by Cramer’s cousin, former Pabst Brewing Vice President of Production, Karl Strauss. Thirty-five years later, Strauss’ namesake operation has grown to include nine SoCal locations and remains a trailblazer behind award-winning beers, creative (often beer-infused) cuisine, and top-notch hospitality.   Brandon Hernández

The iconic waterways of Venice inspired owner Sean Jamieson to create The Gondola Company, offering gondola rides in the canals in the Coronado Cays. For a quarter of a century, guests have enjoyed the ambiance of a romantic rendezvous on these authentic water vessels, guided by an experienced gondolier dressed in the traditional striped shirt and straw hat with a colored ribbon. The cruises are a peaceful and enchanting respite.   Ron Donoho

USA Today readers picked the San Diego Food & Wine Festival as the “Best Wine Festival” in the country for the past two years. After two decades, the festival’s bayside Grand Tasting on November 9 will feature more than 800 wines, beers, and spirits, served to 6,000 attendees. What started as a Downtown San Diego event has blossomed into a countywide celebration of local food and beverages, as well as an homage to Mexican culinary excellence.   Ron Donoho

I distinctly remember walking out of the final Padres game at Qualcomm Stadium in September 2003 with an odd sensation of being slightly adrift, the future unknown. But on April 8, 2004, when I joined more than 41,000 people to watch the Friars take on the San Francisco Giants for their first-ever game at their new downtown home, Petco Park, the only feeling I recall is complete awe that this beautiful stadium was ours. Twenty years later, Petco Park has hosted more than 50 million fans and still delivers the magic, from Padres baseball and A-list concerts to community events both on and around the field, and local, if-you-know-you-know eateries (not to mention the most deliciously tempting hot dogs in baseball at Randy Jones Grill). “Petco Park was built 20 years ago on the promise that it would be more than a ballpark,” says Padres CEO Erik Greupner. “Over the last two decades, our commitment and investment in activating the ballpark year-round through Padres games and non-baseball events has established Petco Park as the premier sports and entertainment venue in Southern California. Not only has Petco Park served as the catalyst for the redevelopment of Downtown San Diego, but it has become a powerful engine for our regional economy.”   Deanna Murphy

In 2005, Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman, Chad Butler, and Jerome Fontamillas — collectively the Grammy Award-winning band Switchfoot — dreamt up the idea of creating a meaningful way to express their gratitude toward the San Diego community that supported them in their youth while giving the next generation the same opportunities to thrive. That idea became the Switchfoot Bro-Am, which just celebrated its 20th anniversary, raising more than $2.75 million to date for local kids through the programs of their selected beneficiaries. Through funds raised at the annual Beach Fest at Moonlight Beach and an evening Benefit Party, Bro-Am’s 2025 goals include opening a new neighborhood school pantry with Feeding San Diego, championing a new Music Therapy Program inside Rady Children’s Hospital, funding a new Core Mariachi Program in Vista Unified School District with Save The Music Foundation, sponsoring more low-income students for afterschool dance programs and academic support at A Step Beyond, providing athletes with physical disabilities sports equipment, lessons, and travel grants through Challenged Athletes Foundation, and increasing enrollment and opportunities at Monarch School for children experiencing homelessness. “Even after 20 years, there’s so much more that can be done,” says Switchfoot drummer Chad Butler. “So much impact that we can have together, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”   Mia Park