President “Barack Obama’s Wax Figure Arrives in San Francisco Aboard
FDR’s Presidential Yacht Potomac & “F-Line” Muni
San Francisco’s Wax Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf to welcome 44th President and his escort President “Franklin Delano Roosevelt”
www.waxmuseum.com
DETAIL: President “Barack Obama” (in wax) has arrived in the Bay Area aboard “Wax Force 1” and will make his official entrance into San Francisco and the acclaimed Wax Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf aboard Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Presidential Yacht, Potomac. The 44th President will be escorted by his predecessor, “FDR”, for the short trip aboard the National Historic Landmark from Oakland’s Jack London Square to San Francisco’s Ferry Building. Then, both presidents will board the historic “F-Line” Muni streetcar for the short trip down the Embarcadero to Pier 39 and a grand welcome, complete with “Hail to The Chief” at the Museum.
“The Presidential Yacht Potomac is a fitting conveyance for delivery of this wax representation of our new President, Barrack Obama, to San Francisco,” said Potomac Foundation Executive Director Marti Burchell. “The USS Potomac, used by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, represents a President whose administration was one of the most significant in our country's history. We hope the trip augers well for the new administration.”
The new figure of President Obama took approximately six months at a cost of $15,000.
The process of creating a wax figure begins with a clay head that is sculpted and utilized to construct a plaster mold. The mold is then filled with a mixture of molten bees wax. As the wax begins to harden, excess wax is poured from the center of the mold, creating a hollow wax sculpture. After removing the plaster mold, medical glass eyes are set in place, along with porcelain teeth. Human hair, including eyebrows and facial hair, are inserted one strand at a time. This process can take up to two months to complete. Layers of translucent paint are applied, creating skin tones. Hands, arms and sometimes entire torsos are also manufactured in wax.
Abour the USS Potomac and its History Cruises:
The Potomac operates narrated two-hour San Francisco Bay cruises with docents from May through November. Emphasis is placed on the effect Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration had upon the Bay Area and surrounding landmarks. Guests watch a 15-minute video in the Visitor Center prior to the cruise. The video provides a glimpse of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s use of the Potomac, emphasizing the impact of his administration on the country and the Potomac restoration story. While on board, guests may elect to take a docent led tour or self guided tour. Coffee, tea and bottled water are available.
The “Floating White House” was originally commissioned the USCG Cutter Electra in 1934. In 1936 it was renamed the USS Potomac and served as Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Presidential Yacht until his death in 1945.
More than a quarter of a million people have visited and sailed aboard the former President’s beloved "Floating White House," the USS Potomac, since it opened to the public in the summer of 1995. $5 million was spent over a 12-year period to restore the 165-foot-long vessel as a memorial to the president who authored the New Deal and led the United States during the Great Depression and the World War II years. Join us aboard this National Historic Landmark for a cruise on the Bay. www.usspotomac.org
About MUNI’s Historic F-Line Trolley and Railway Museum:
The San Francisco Railway Museum is a project of Market Street Railway, non-profit preservation partner of the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni). Market Street Railway, a 1200-member volunteer-based organization, receives no public money, using membership revenue, donations and sales proceeds from its museum to preserve San Francisco’s transit history. Market Street Railway and its volunteers have acquired or helped restore more than a dozen vintage streetcars and cable cars to add to Muni’s unique historic rail fleet, as well as mounting education and information programs to show today’s San Franciscans how transit made their city one of the most livable in the world. More information on Market Street Railway is available at www.streetcar.org.
About the Wax Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf
The museum started with 150 life-sized figures in front of black curtains on the first floor and opened as one of the largest wax museum in North America. Now the exhibit includes over 275 figures in elaborately staged scenes, with costumes, props and lighting, carefully constructed to authenticate people at the peak of their fame. Many scenes were designed and sculpted by Thomas Fong's son Ronald, who co-directed the family business in partnership with his father from its inception.
As one of the world's largest wax museums, the Wax Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf continues to show all aspects of life from the ignoble Chamber of Horrors to the inspiring Hall of Religion, including the historic Library of U.S. Presidents, the spectacular Recreation of King Tut's Tomb and the unique Palace of Living Art, where the world's most famous masters, and their masterpieces come to life through the magic of wax artistry. Among both foreign and domestic visitors, the most popular part of the wax museum tour is The Gallery of Stars. Artisans are busy continually producing a galaxy of brand new stars, such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who have joined such classics as Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne. For more information to go www.waxmuseum.com
