Today is the Solstice – the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. And while thousands of people marked the pagan event at Stonehenge today, a small group of devoted Noe Valley neighbors celebrated in a delightful and much more intimate way at Noe Valley’s Solstice Sun Crack!
That’s right, the Solstice Sun Crack - a narrow passage between 2 houses on Sanchez at 30th Streets that the sun shines through completely for just a minute at around 4:27pm on the summer Solstice (June 21 this year). Each year a dedicated group of neighbors come out to renew the paint on the sidewalk that marks the spot – and welcome the sun shining through the crack with drums, noisemakers, laughter and hugs.
This year a few dozen people of all ages showed up, plus a few pedestrians who got an unexpected treat. The Solstice Sun Crack is “hosted” by Jenny Badger Sultan, a longtime Noe Valley resident and artist who also created the blue bottle tree and painted the mural on 30th around corner with her family and husband, painter Henry Sultan.
Jenny welcomed visitors to the Solstice Sun Crack this year with fragrant burning sage. While records are sketchy, Solstice Sun Crack appears to have been celebrated at least as far back as 2002 and possibly much longer. Also, did we mention the whole event is awesome?
If you walk or run down Sanchez you’ll see the painted marker for the Solstice Sun Crack near the corner of 30th and Sanchez, next to the brightly painted school on the corner. It’ll be back in 2016 at 4:27pm on June 20.
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| Flowers and paint mark the spot |
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| Soon! |
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| Jenny bathes in the Solstice Sun Crack light |
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| 4:28pm |
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| Which side do you want to be on? |
Thanks for this article. I've run over that crack for years now and never knew quite what it was.
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