Mark Read/Pages From The Past
100 Years Ago
May 1922
– Mrs. Douglas, formerly in charge of the Community house, Novato, has bought the Novato hotel from Mrs. Davis and will take immediate possession. Mrs. Davis will retire from business.
75 Years Ago
May 1947
– A big army bus operated by the Western Ocean Division, U. S. Engineers, Sausalito caught fire at the Black Point highway bridge and was completely destroyed. The bus was on its way to Fairfield Airport loaded with key civilian personnel who were to be sent that evening by plane to the South Pacific. The bus driver stated that he was near the approach waiting for the bridge to be lowered when someone called his attention to a fire underneath his bus. He let the bus drift back to the Service station, or off the approach of the bridge in order to get after the fire. No sooner than the passengers had left the bus the gasoline tank exploded and the entire bus was enveloped in flames. All reserve fire extinguishers from the Little Cliff House and the service station were put into service before the Novato Fire Department arrived. The service station also caught fire and three pumps furnished more fuel and soon the entire front of the station was in flames. Shortly after the arrival of the chemical truck from Novato the big truck and two other trucks from Hamilton Field arrived and the fire was soon under control, saving the underground tanks.
– Little Jimmy Simontacchi, son of Mr. and Mrs. Allie Simontacchi, had his tonsils removed at the offices of Drs. Weseman and Johnson.
– Richard Nave of San Rafael, grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Nave of Novato, was elected president of the San Rafael high school student body last week.
– Luigi Guerra, 73, former Novato resident, was killed last Sunday night when he was struck by a car on the highway near Ignacio. Mr. Guerra, who was returning to his home in Petaluma from a visit in Napa, was struck as he waited for the transfer bus at Ignacio.
He was taken by Hamilton Field ambulance to San Rafael General hospital where he died at 10 p. m. Mr. Guerra was born in Switzerland, had been a farmer here for 30 years and retired to Petaluma six years ago. The deceased is survived by his wife, Angelina Guerra and three children, Julia and Americo Guerra of Petaluma and Lindo Guerra of San Carlos.
50 Years Ago
May 1972
– This crock marching unit outfitted in World War I uniforms will appear in the Western Weekend parade May 27. It’s the Nave Patrola, a comic marching group that includes numerous members of the Nave family and a number of Novatans. “We’re sort of an Italian joke,” explains Richard Nave, a member. In the front row are, from left, Novatans Bob Cefalu and Nook Ryan and Richard Nave. Other Novato members include Cal Crimm, Ray Hart, Wimp Wisley, Doug Murphy, Bill Tomsky and Dick Mallett. Nave members include Bill, Bob, Bob Jr., Rich Jr., Eddie, Paul and Lennie. The Patrola, organized last year, has already won some awards. The WW parade, called the Country Cousin Classic, is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. on Virginia Avenue and proceed down Grant Avenue to First Street, ending at Vallejo Avenue.
– Marin Color II, a complete home painting center, celebrated its grand opening at 700 Grant Avenue Saturday by giving away a Shetland pony. The pony, according to co-owner Dario Galatolo, was won by Ed Luperini, who lives at 399 Sunset Trail. Luperini, in turn, gave the pony to a family with several children. Galatolo and his partner, Larry Martin, also own the Marin Color Service in San Rafael. The new store features a complete line of paints, wallpaper, and accessories.
25 Years Ago
May 1997
– Twenty-six years of fishing and fun.
The first Novato Fish Derby was held in 1972 at Lee Gerner Park. In the next 26 years the derby has moved and grown, but the basic concept has always remained the same—a day of family fun that gives parents and children a chance to enjoy a common experience. However there have been changes.
In 1974, the site was changed to O’Hair Park and the dam was put into place a week before the event and remained until two weeks after the derby. The dam was a community effort, with 4 x 12 planks being delivered by the city from its corporation yard, lowered by a boom truck provided by General Telephone and muscled into place by a team of workers from PG&E. Novato Parks and Recreation Department workers. Scout dads and Novato Kiwanis Club members bagged to keep the timbers in place. Scouts filled several hundred bags at the site the night before, as well as doing creek cleanup.
A couple of years generated more excitement than usual when the dam “blew” and had to be rebuilt. The whole program was done under the pressure of moving and rising water.
In 1979, Troop 42, sponsored by the Novato Kiwanis Club, became an active force in setting up an overnight camp and providing onsite leadership with the addition of the under 6 area, reserved for the smallest of anglers. This was accomplished as an Eagle project for one of the Scouts and the activities added by that effort are still in place, including the fish-measuring ribbons for participants and direct promotion in all Novato elementary schools. In 1987, the single biggest change in the derby was provided by the California Fish and Game Department, which designated the O’Hair Park site as a state fishing area. Two great things happened. First, the dam was allowed to stay in place until the fall, giving rise to fishing all summer long for kids and adults and, second, fish and game provided its own fish drops in addition to the 1,000 trout the Kiwanis Club had purchased annually for the event. Trout were planted every three weeks all summer long. This was also the year the North Marin Water District and the Rotary Club of Novato joined to create a slot dam that was stronger and more easily constructed than the original dam. In 1988, the Kiwanis Club of Novato began serving a complete breakfast on derby morning.
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