Programs

 

Upcoming program -

PAHA Annual Celebration: Victory Party!

Wednesday, June 5, 2024
5:00 - 7:00 pm

El Palo Alto Room
Mitchell Park Community Center
3700 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto

Every aspect of life was dramatically altered during World War II. Neighbors banded together, fostering a strong sense of camaraderie and dedication to patriotic duty. Scarcity and shortages were the norm. Civilians supported the military effort by rationing essential items like food, recycling scrap, and buying war bonds

Palo Altans heeded the national calls for victory, adjusting their daily habits to include driving at "victory speeds" to conserve fuel, planting "victory gardens" to supplement their food supplies, and men wore simplified "victory suits" that used less fabric. A "victory cookbook" was even circulated to help families make do with the ingredients available under rationing.

Women, too, stepped into roles traditionally held by men, who had enlisted in the armed forces, taking up positions in factories and offices, which proved essential to maintaining the workforce.

We invite you to experience what Palo Alto was like during the war years. Touch and see artifacts, photographs, newspapers, and magazines of the day. Watch film clips and newsreels. Tune in to radio classics of songs that won the war and fireside chats with Franklin D. Roosevelt. Immerse yourself in firsthand accounts about life on the home front.

Join us as we remember the WWII years and celebrate Palo Alto's unmatched ability to unite for a cause.

FREE for members* plus one guest

*A $40 PAHA membership includes free admission to our annual event plus one guest.

Not yet a member? Sign up at Membership and Donations.

Space is limited and RSVPs are required.
Make your reservation before May 26th at Eventbrite.

War Bond Fundraiser at Fox Stanford Theater, 1942

Future Public Programs -

PAHA programs will resume in the fall. Please check back for more information.

Recordings and General Program Information

PAHA programs are recorded. DVDs of the programs can be checked out from the Archives at Cubberley Center, Room-7. Recordings of our programs, titled "Heritage", are broadcast on local cable public access Channels 28 and 30 on various days and times. They are simultaneously streamed on the Media Center web site www.midpenmedia.org - check web site for schedule.

If you missed the May 5, 2024 program, The 28th Centennial Plaque and Historic Preservation Awards, you can find the video at Vimeo.

Also on the Vimeo site you will find programs from past seasons, including the December 2021 program Life in the Frank Lloyd Wright Hanna House with Karen Holman and John Hanna, and PART: Palo Alto "Rapid" Transit with PAHA Historian Steve Staiger presented in January 2022.