Merced County Courthouse Museum will open “Promoting Merced: A County of Many Resources” exhibit on Thursday, March 19 at 5:00 p.m. This year is the centennial of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) in San Francisco. Over 18 million visitors attended this international exhibition from February to December 1915. Like many counties in California, the PPIE was an opportunity to attract potential settlers to Merced County. Through the publication of an engaging illustrated booklet, Merced County was presented as a place of opportunity, wealth, prosperity, and contentment. This century-old booklet is the source for the “Promoting Merced” exhibit. Featuring text and imagery from the era of the PPIE, the “Promoting Merced” exhibit will open on March 19 with a special PowerPoint presentation titled: “PPIE: California Welcomes the World” by Maxwell Norton and Charlie Galatro at 6 p.m. For more information about the exhibit, please contact the Courthouse Museum at 723-2401. The exhibit is free to the public and will run through July 19.