On the day when the Liverpool Lad would have become a septuagenarian, fans will visit Central Park's tranquil Strawberry Fields and attend a nearby benefit concert in Manhattan.
The memorial to the slain ex-Beatle and peace activist includes a mosaic donated by the city of Naples, Italy. A plaque lists 121 countries that endorse Strawberry Fields as a Garden of Peace.
The 2.5-acre site is named after the Lennon song "Strawberry Fields Forever," which observes that "living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see." The birthday celebration got started on Friday in England, where Google UK released a video "doodle" to a Lennon soundtrack.
On the eve of his 70th birthday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has dedicated a time capsule in honor of Lennon containing several CDs, DVDs and books and two notes written by widow Yoko Ono. The stainless steel capsule dedicated Friday will be kept in the Cleveland museum's archives at a nearby college campus. The capsule is scheduled to be opened in 2040, on Lennon's 100th birthday. Lennon was killed in 1980 outside the New York City apartment building where he lived.
