Happening soon: City officials to reveal artifacts from Hanford’s 1976 capsule
The 50-year-old time capsule that was supposed to have been opened on July 4, 2026, on the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States, is finally being opened Thursday afternoon by Hanford city officials, five days after its original date.
The time capsule, containing city memorabilia from the 1970s, was buried in front of the Hanford Police Department on Irwin Street in 1976 by members of the city’s bicentennial committee.
Public works employees removed the time capsule marker stone, exposing the red cylindrical capsule, around noon Thursday as the city prepared for its opening later in the day. The opening will take place at 5 p.m.
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“We’re told that there’s some cassette tapes in there, possibly a cassette player. Hopefully, it still works. Some documents from the time, things of that nature,” said Russ Sterling, director of Hanford’s Public Works Department, to The Fresno Bee. “It’s supposed to be a cylindrical object about 4 feet long. And we‘ll get it lifted out of there today and see what’s all in there.”
Sterling said the city paid $40 in 1976 for a local machinist to create the capsule.
“Before getting everybody out here, we wanted to lift it up and get it exposed so we can go off without a hitch when everybody gets out here,” Sterling said.
City officials said they heard from many community members for several days regarding the opening of the time capsule. Earlier this week, the city said the time capsule would be open Thursday and invited the community to take part in the special event.
“We appreciate everyone who reached out and shared their excitement about the time capsule,” said City Manager Chris Tavarez in a statement. “The community’s interest reminds us how meaningful this piece of Hanford’s history is.“
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This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Happening soon: City officials to reveal artifacts from Hanford’s 1976 capsule."
