Mayor McDow frames San Carlos's centennial as a launchpad for downtown revitalization and community programs

Mayor McDow delivered the 2025 State of the City address Sept. 22, framing San Carlos' centennial year as an opportunity to celebrate the past and invest in the city's future. The mayor highlighted a year of in-person events, volunteer-led centennial activities and an oral-history project that archived local interviews with the Library of Congress.

The address named several centennial highlights: Hometown Days parade events, a drone-show finale, the Centennial Grant Program to fund local nonprofit activities, and a new 6,000-square-foot mural on the 700 block of Laurel Street painted by local nonprofit Art Bias. "This year's celebration has been a testament to the collaboration and creativity of our community," Mayor McDow said.

The mayor introduced the San Carlos Stories project, produced with StoryCorps, which recorded 21 paired interviews that will be preserved in the Library of Congress. A short clip played during the event included an interview between longtime volunteer and teacher Dulce Morrison Finlay and her former student Dan Young, in which Young recounted reconnecting with Finlay after his mother's recent death.

Downtown redevelopment was a central theme. Mayor McDow described Laurel Street as "the living room of San Carlos" and previewed a pedestrianized mall, re-imagined plazas, and sustainable streetscape investments guided by the downtown streetscape master plan approved in April. Planned Harrington Park upgrades include a community stage, new restrooms and outdoor seating; a groundbreaking for park work is expected later in the year.

The mayor closed by thanking volunteers and nonprofit partners and said the state of the city is strong because of the community's civic engagement. She invited attendees to a November 15 showing of "Centennial Wrapped, a year in review" at Burton Park and to refreshments following the presentation.