Who has a big birthday bash this year?

About six months ago, when I first started looking at the year “2026”, I wondered who, back in 1926, had made some or any bold predictions about what the future would be like 100 years later.  Interestingly enough, I found some really bold predictions. A man named James Douglas was the Editor of the Daily Express, a British Journal of some sort.  He made all kinds of wild predictions.  He predicted that 100 years into the future (meaning now), there would be permanent peace between nations!  Wow.  If only.  He also said cancer would be cured – that would be nice. He predicted that we would be able to communicate from as far away as 4,000 miles and that wireless photography and radios would be available to all (sounds like an iPhone to me). He also said that technology would be so advanced by 2026 that we would only work four days a week (I’m on his side on this one). He also predicted that women’s fashion was going to change…and become more modest!  Well, he tried.  Give him an “A” for effort.

It is also fun to see who is making bold predictions today about our future.  With technology moving so quickly, it is easy to find prognosticators.  Elon Musk recently predicted that by 2030, more Tesla Optimus robots would be doing surgeries than actual human surgeons (hard pass for me). Jeff Bezos predicted that by 2045, we will have millions of people living in outer space (I’m happy in my suburb, thanks). Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, predicted that AI will create more millionaires in the next five years than the internet created in its first 20 years (that actually seems very plausible).


2026 is also a significant year here locally, as it marks a significant birthday for two very impactful organizations.  In 2026, Dea Hurston New Village Arts is celebrating 25 years of live theater. Kristianne Kurner, the Founder and CEO of New Village Arts, has created a collaborative and inspiring home for performing and visual artists.  Their first production was performed at The Granary in Magee Park, and right from the jump, they earned critical acclaim. For the next five years, New Village Arts transformed the Jazzercise corporate headquarters into a theatre space several times a year.  In 2006, NVA moved into its current home in Carlsbad Village, which was once the Bauer Lumber Building. Their 25th Anniversary Gala will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2026.  Visit newvillagearts.org for more information about their gala or their current season of shows.

Also celebrating a major birthday this year is Kids for Peace. Kids for Peace is 20 years old in 2026. In 2006, Jill McManigal, a mother of two young children, and Danielle Gram, a high school honors student, met at a neighborhood party. Inspired by a “Peace” button Jill was wearing, the two engaged in a conversation about their wishes and hopes for our world. They quickly realized they shared a vision of bringing children together to lead the way for a brighter tomorrow for all. Within weeks, Kids for Peace was born. From humble backyard beginnings, the Great Kindness Challenge was launched at three elementary schools in Carlsbad. Today, over 19 million students from 121 countries are part of the Great Kindness Challenge annually. Kids for Peace now has over 67 chapters worldwide. We at the Carlsbad Chamber were excited to partner with them in 2021 as we jointly launched Kindness Certified Companies as a corporate kindness initiative.  Today, over 200 companies locally are Kindness Certified. March 21, 2026, Kids for Peace hosted a 20th Anniversary Gala. While the event was completely sold out, there are still ways to support them.  Go to kidsforpeaceglobal.org and find out more.

While high-profile media and technology leaders make their bizarre predications about the future, most of which won’t come true (speaking of, did you ever see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes…glad they were wrong about 2026), let’s celebrate true leaders like Kristianne and Jill who are making this world and our community a better place.