• Dates: June 10 – July 5, 2026 (Closed Mondays & Tuesdays).
• Location: 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar, CA.
• Theme: "Once Upon A Fair".
• Hours: Generally 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Find the Fair details at the San Diego Fair web site.  

Stay tuned for more detail soon.

We finished that work with time to spare and began working on this year's gallery for the 2025 show.  Many were the comments about how bare the halls of their home looked over the last few days while the prints were down and the walls repaired for this. A year increase in prints. 

Tuesday morning arrived, and we returned ready to complete the new work on the walls and prepare for the open house.   In a few hours, there were going to be 50-60 family members for the veterans featured in this year's show.  We made quick work and started hanging the 2025 show to joyful comments from staff and residents.   Now the home felt again like the home that Calvet Redding provides for its honored residents.   

The open house started at 2 pm. There were a few words of thanks to me and from me to the staff, and a request to make this an annual event.  I was able to thank the residents who shared their stories of service to our country.  The staff provided a celebration with treats and drinks befitting these heroes and their family visitors.  My heart was rewarded again from many comments and hits from residents and family with expressions of gratitude for the service that the Veterans Portrait Series provides.  But I receive twofold what I put out there when it comes to continuing this work. 

Each veteran received a personal 11x14 print as a thank you for their service and for the opportunity to include them in the project and feature their service to our country. Many of the residents also took photos with me and their proud printings hanging in the main halls of the home. 

Thank you to all the staff at the California Veterans home at Redding, the family members in attendance, and the heroes whose stories are not preserved for the future. 

Redding Show

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CBS News Veterans Voice

Mickey 

We meet and had a meeting to talk about the scope of this years work.  We made arrangements to first capture six WW2 Veterans who had not participated in the shoot back in 2018.  This was supper exciting for me.  Six in one day that was like they say "fish in a barrel."  

I was also asked if I was statring to capture Korean War Veterans, as the population at Calvet Chula Vista had grown and the home was looking to update the display prints that were still hanging in the lobby from our first shoot back in 2018.  We scheduled a week for the shoot becuse they thought they might have up to 30 Korean War veterns who might like to participate.  I returned and we shot for three days and captured many veterans who served durring the Korean War in deployments all over the world.

Cal Vet came out durring the Korean War vet shoot and has done a story about the days on site.  They have reliced it on their news web site The Connect.  Here is a link to it on their web site.  PICTURE THIS: PORTRAITS OF KOREAN WAR ERA VETERANS TO GRACE CHULA VISTA HOME writen by Jeff Jardine and his photographer Anna.

Some BTS images from the shoot from my good frind adn new Cal Vet helper and former shipmate Bill Purcell thanks for all your help Bill. 

getting a good angle 
my photo yoga pose.
What great stories these veternas shared 
all take a helping hadn where ever I can get it. 
A couple of veternas at Calvet CV. Married for over 60 years.  
Family makes the world go round.  
An interview with Mrs Toni.





 

I am pleased that they enjoyed viewing the images as much as I enjoyed making them. 

Here are a few images from that open house. 

Sadly I was not able to attend the open house but the showing will be open for a few months so if you're in the area stop by. 

Thanks, KUSI‘s David Pradel. The piece looks great. You are a pro.
Copy of the story on Youtube

David Pradel

We had over a dozen of my World War 2 Veterans come out and another 6-7 families of my veterans subjects.

The store counted 75 people at the show this evening. I am humbled by the support for the project, and it’s future. Thank you to everyone who came out tonight. The prints will be up through the month if you get a chance.

Reporter: Ciara Encinas 

Videographer: Mike Kenny   

Link to the two pieces and the 5 PM news piece. 

https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/veteran-captures-the-stories-of-san-diegos-wwii-heroes

Thank you for your time this morning helping me advance my project. 

Thanks again to Nelson's Photo new ownership for supporting my project and this print show.  

We are expecting many of the heroes pictured here to be in attendance.

Open House is Veterans Day
Nov 11 2022

in the Point Loma Plaza
3625 Midway Dr J, San Diego

Open house time 
5 PM - 7 PM

The Veterans Portrait Series will be featured this Sunday, Sep 4th, on the 

Sunday Today with Willie Geist

Please see your local TV provider for NBC times and channels. 

Link to the Today Show on YouTube

A short time ago, NBC Today Show Harry Smith came to the studio in San Diego to discuss my Veterans Portrait Series.  He then joined me on Location at Sunrise Senior Living in Mission Viejo. 

For the portrait shoot of two American heroes, WW2 Veteran SM3 Joe Eagan, US Navy, and WW2 Veteran SSGT, Pauline (Polly) Hurley, US Army, both residents of Sunrise. 
See their portraits 

It is exhilarating to have the project and all the incredible veterans featured in the news.
I'm excited to see it on the news, and I hope you join me on Sunday or watch it online.

https://www.today.com/sunday-today

Sincerely,

Mickey Strand

Setting up for the interview in the studio
The Lights were impresive
The Multi monitor and HD is very cool

Harry with Polly

Interviewing Joe Eganthe Photo session 
Some of Pollys session

Veterans Portrait Series- World War II Veterans

I was blessed with another WW2 Veterans Portrait appointment in the studio this one was with Joe Gonzolez and as a bonus, Pam Kragen of the SD Union-Tribune came to do a feature on my project.

It was featured in the Sunday paper in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

I picked up a copy in the rain with Mary Sunday Morning. WOW!!! So cool. 

The story was also picked up and printed on Munday by the Los Angeles Times 

The story was put out on the news-wire and also picked up by Stars and Stripes.
Maybe some friends serving overseas got to see it.

I have been told that the story has been picked up a few more times: 

Here is a list of a few links, I'm grateful the word about the project is getting out:

My Droll

Rally Point

Body Medical

The Daily Advent

Hotels California

Grand Haven Tribune:

Moeara News

Thank you to Pam for keeping the ball rolling for VPS. 

In Febuary of 2019 I was invited to photograph and interview members of the greatest generation at the Cal Vet home in Ventura Ca.   

I drove up and set up and spent the night at a friends home in Ventura. The next day we interviewed 7 amazing folks that served our country during WW2. 

The following images are some behind-the-scenes images from the day of photographing and interviewing, and the day we visited to hang the lovely 16x20 framed prints of the final images. 

The folks were lovely and the stories flowed for both my project and the folks that have been joining me from the Eisenhower Foundation and Library.  We have been video interviewing these incredible warriors for a photo exhibit at the same time.

Enjoy 

The visit:

Show Day:

A big thank you to Mr. Bob Harris the Executive Director of the Gold Coast Veterans Foundation https://gcvf.org/ for eh donation that helped pay for the frames and the prints for the Ventura CalVet home. The GCVF is building Vetern treatment and housing for Veterans in need and dealing with their past service burdens.  

Thank you to all who served: 

Here is my original post for Don that was made about this Veteran I meet in Los Angeles back in 2019. 

Google 360
The show was up for a few days and on Friday it was documented by Google 360 for inclusion as a navigatable feature of the google maps for the Photo Centre.

Walk through my 2019 exhibition with this Google 360 walk-through the show. 

I am excited the center waited until this show was hung before allowing Google access.
Enjoy the show.

Behind The Scenes 

Here are some images from printing the show through the open house and a few BTS of hanging the show.