On Saturday and Sunday August 8th-9th Playland-Not-At-The-Beach is proud to present historian Jim Smith sharing the history of San Francisco’s seaside amusements before they became Whitney's Playland with our Chutes at the Beach Weekend! Through amazing photographs from a collection owned by Laurie Hollings (artistic designer of Frontier Village and many Hollywood productions), Jim will show the progress of the Chutes from early removal of the sand dunes to putting in foundations, then building the earliest attractions and later transforming them into he rides and shows so many of us remember from the later years.

Historian James Smith, author of several books about the early history of San Francisco, will be showing this amazing collection of photographs taken during the building and operation of the Chutes at the Beach. He will be giving talks, answering questions and showing his one-of-a-kind photos! You’ll never get a chance to see them this up close, so don’t miss your chance! On Saturday, August 8th there will be two shows: at 1:00 and at 3:00 PM. On Sunday there will be just one show, starting at Noon.

In addition to all the amazing history, we’ll be offering actual Playland and Chutes artifacts for sale! We have Playland game chips available for only 2 dollars. We also have beautiful Ink Blotters featuring Chutes at the Beach from 1927. The owners of the Chutes gave these blotters to close friends and business associates as Christmas presents, and now you can own one too!

The special events of Chutes at the Beach Weekend are in addition to all of Playland's regular attractions. Guests pay one low price to enter and can stay all day: $10 for children and seniors, and $15 for general admission. Playland-Not-at-the-Beach is a nonprofit Museum of Fun. Designed and built entirely by volunteers, the 20+ interactive exhibits celebrate the magic and history of America's bygone amusements -- circuses, carnivals, magic, side shows, penny arcades, amusement devices, pinball arcades, haunted houses, and beautiful art everywhere. Our goal is to educate newer generations about the bygone days and allow those who remember Whitney's Playland and the Sutro Baths the opportunity to recapture the glorious sights and sounds of that marvelous era.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Playland will be closing at 1:30 pm on August 9th for a private event.

Playland-Not-At-The-Beach 10979 San Pablo Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530 Website is www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org (510) 932-8966 Cell Phone