The city of Soledad will celebrate its centennial all year round.

The city of Soledad celebrates its centennial today, Tuesday, March 9 with some creative Covid-safe festivities. There’s a cake contest at 2pm (streamed live via Facebook), a community desert grab n’ go at 3pm, and at 5pm a car parade down Front Street, ending at City Hall, followed by fireworks at 7:30pm. 

During the celebration, Soledad will honor its oldest residents or “Grand Marshals”—Jennie Aquino (100), Jack Franscioni (98) and Frances Ledesma (91)—and some of its pioneer families, the Bragas, De la Rosas and Ledesmas. 

Since Covid-19 has limited in-person interaction, organizers decided to do an art show the second Tuesday of every month to motivate youth and get them involved in the celebration over a rolling period of time. The festivities started in January with an art showcase featuring work by kids and teens showing what Soledad means to them. 

The city also invites everyone to participate in “Throwback Thursday” on social media, sharing images and moments of Soledad history.

"The party won’t end there,” Economic Development Coordinator Tencia Vargas says. It will continue the rest of the year. The community has been enduring difficult times, Vargas says, and the goal is “to give our residents something to look forward to year-round.”

During the summer, the city is planning a centennial program to get kids and teens involved in sports and compete, if allowed by Covid-19 protocols.

Soledad officials are also planning to throw a centennial festival and gala by the end of the year.