Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias holds up a copy of the Fresno Chamber's newspaper from March 1992. Photo by Alex Scott
Written by Alex Scott
Mayor Jerry Dyer and city council members congregated Tuesday for the unveiling of a time capsule from 1992 in honor of the sesquicentennial.
The Central Pacific Railroad established the first rail depot on H Street in Fresno in 1872 — 150 years ago.
The capsule has been nested within the wall of City Hall for 30 years and was originally intended to be opened in March 2020, but due to the pandemic was delayed.
My favorite items revealed during the @CityofFresno time capsule unveiling! The Dancing Raisins!! Circa 1992 pic.twitter.com/JTW8rRWjdk
— SONTAYA ROSE (@SontayaRose) December 13, 2022
Inside the capsule were old newspapers, VHS and cassette tapes, old coins, and various other memorabilia from the time, including a figurine of the California Raisins, the local raisin marketing campaign that turned into a national phenomenon with a primetime special and Saturday morning carton.
In attendance were former Mayor Karen Humphrey and local historian Roger Taylor, who were both instrumental in selecting the items for the time capsule in 1992.
Once the time capsule was emptied, Mayor Dyer and multiple city council members refilled the time capsule with items from this year including two cans of beer from Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company, a COVID-19 Antigen Take Home Test and mask, a baseball signed by Council President Nelson Esparza and more.
The time capsule will be resealed and once again be kept in City Hall, waiting to be opened in 2052.