NEW RELEASE* Event Date: Saturday, October 9, 2004 California Archives Week - Open House Californians Celebrate Fairs, Festivals and Fun” SACRAMENTO, CA – Save Saturday October 9th to celebrate California’s rich documentary heritage at a kickoff of Archives Week at the California State Archives Open House from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m., 1020 O Street. The program is co-sponsored by the California State History Museum. The OPEN HOUSE program will include the rare exhibition of the original 1849 California Constitution; speakers and videos, behind the scene tours of the Archives, and a special exhibit on Californians Celebrate Fairs, Festivals and Fun. The original” California Constitution will be removed from its high security vault and placed on exhibit for this special event. *To download a digital photo of the original 1849 California Constitution go to: http://www.ss.ca.gov/archives/images/consteng2.jpg http://www.ss.ca.gov/archives/images/consteng1.jpg Californians Celebrate Fairs, Festivals and Fun is a special exhibit showcasing collections from the California State Archives. Californians have been organizing and attending fairs since the beginning of statehood. These include agricultural fairs, county fairs, state fairs and international expositions, such as the California Midwinter International Exposition in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in 1894; the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915; the San Diego World’s Fair in Balboa Park in 1915-1916; the California Pacific International Exposition in 1936; and the Golden Gate International Exposition at Treasure Island 1939-1940. The Root Cellar Genealogical Library will be open as well as the California State History Museum featuring the "Remarkable Women’s Exhibit" and the exhibit 'Together We Speak: Sharing Stories In the Central Valley.' About the California State Archives:California’s first legislature, meeting in 1849-1850, empowered the Secretary of State to receive “…all public records, registered maps, books, papers, rolls, documents and other writings… which appertain to …the political history and past administration of the government of California….” The California State Archives continues to serve in the spirit of those early instructions, providing a repository for the state’s permanent governmental records as well as other materials documenting California history. The California State Archives occupies a state-of-the-art facility one block south of the State Capitol. Completed in 1995, the 170,000 sq. ft. building was designed to meet the space needs of the Archives for the next 50 years. Six floors of environmentally controlled stacks, including several specialized vaults house the Archives’ growing collection. The new building also has greatly expanded and improved facilities for the preservation and reproduction and research use of archival materials. The State Archives is open for public research Mondays through Fridays 9:30 am – 4:00 p.m. and on the first Saturday of the month from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Iris Carter Jones -- Iris Carter Jones