One of our most popular events is back, with prizes that will knock your socks off! We’re looking for your most interesting, dramatic, surprising or hilarious photos of bygone El Cerrito, any time from the dawn of photography right up to 1996.

Think: vintage fashions (from bowler hats to poodle skirts to 1980s perms); buildings that no longer exist (shed a tear for Capwell’s and the Doggie Diner), and glimpses of everyday life (sports, work, hobbies, games, modes of transportation) that would look out of place in 2026. (Why does nobody play marbles on the sidewalk anymore?)

Entries will be accepted through September 15th. Simply email us a digital copy of up to five photos that you’d be willing for us to share online as well as in City Hall’s gallery space.

Don’t have digital copies? Stop by the Shadi Room on August 20th from 3:30-5 p.m. (or email us to make an appointment) — we’ll show you how to use our scanners to digitize your favorite shots!