Mike Read/Pages From The Past
100 Years Ago
January 1924
– The Novato district is Marin county’s leading poultry section. Figures recently compiled from the records show the following interesting increase: 1918 – 4837 cases; 1919 – 7109; 1920 – 12,866; 1921 – 23,547; 1922 – 28,341; 1923 – 31,150 cases received to November 28th. A more than 600 per cent increase in six years. Novato poultry producers have high grade chickens. At the Poultry Utility show in Petaluma in August last, 88 per cent of those exhibiting won prizes. In the Farm Bureau egg laying contest in Petaluma, a Novato pen won first honors this last year. Novato people are not to be outdone by their chickens. They have recently completed a Community House at a cost of over $30,000, which gives us one of the most modern and complete structures of its kind in the State.
– May Ban Public Dances. – The New Year’s party given by the Novato band promised to be a very pleasant event. The concert preceding the dance was pronounced excellent. The crowd was orderly and joyful before midnight, and the liquor and rowdyism were much in evidence. The management wishes it understood that the Community House cannot be used in this manner. There will be no more public dances until guarantees can be given that decent people will be protected from contact with hoodlumism.
75 Years Ago
January 1949
– Madge and Arthur Carlson’s Cielo Rancho Coffee Shop near Hamilton Field, is now open for business. The restaurant has a fountain and dining room and facilities for serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as featuring a “teatime” from 2 till 5. They will also cater to luncheons and banquets. The coffee shop is very attractive with high ceilings and large plated glass windows. There are plenty of parking spaces available to patrons. The Cielo Rancho Motel, which opened, has Massachusetts Rock Maple furnishings. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bianchi and Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Guiremand own and operate the motel as well as running a little shop for the convenient of travelers, called the “Store of Forgotten Items”. Also in the building is a real estate office which will be leased by Mr. John Pryor. L. Bormolini and Son of Novato constructed the building.
50 Years Ago
January 1974
– There’ll be a four-way race for the two open seats on the city council March 5 thanks to the last day filings of two more contenders. They are David Milano, owner of the Aaero Heating and Sheet Metal company here, and Edward Brooks, a design’ engineer for H. Koche and Sons of Corte Madera Incumbent councilman Wayne Sartain and city planning commissioner- Gail Wilhelm had announced their candidacies earlier. The other incumbent up for reelection, George Quesada, chose not to run again.
– A and P Realty opened quietly last week at 1118 Grant Avenue and will have a grand opening about January 15, according to manager Paul Wilhite. Wilhite was formerly with Henry Hick and Associates. The firm, located in the former office home of Elsie Anderson, notary public, is co-owned by Wilhite and Alene Sousa of Lodi Hence the name A (Alene) and P (Paul). They will specialize in ranch properties but also be involved in residential, industrial and commercial properties, according to Wilhite. Mrs. Anderson will also be selling for the firm and the “doors are open to anyone else who cares to join us,” Wilhite said “However the sales force will be limited to five,” he added.
– John Angeloni of Nave Motors, Dodge dealer here, will soon be expanding his lines to all of the Chrysler division autos. He reports he signed a contract last week and expects delivery of Chryslers, Plymouths and Imperials “in about 30 days.’ The new lines will be absorbed within the present facilities at 1029 First Street. Nave Motors will also become the authorized agent for repair of those types of cars.
25 Years Ago
January 1999
– Cynthia Murray was sworn in as Marin County’s newest supervisor Tuesday morning and promptly declared that Marin County and the 5th District “can have high-paying jobs and lots of open space….and can preserve wetlands and have lots of places to grow.” Murray, who served on the Novato City Council for seven years, was sworn in by Marin Superior Court Judge Vernon E Smith—a fellow Novato resident. Her new job pays $59,904 a year plus a $450 monthly car allowance and free gas. Supervisors oversee about 2,000 Marin County employees. And while the opportunities to shape the county are fulfilling, the job invariably includes its share of headaches.
– To sculptor Randall Pottenger, the saga of Building 500, the Headquarters Building at Hamilton Field, is no less than the transformation of swords into plowshares. The stately old building, where the logistics of transporting soldiers, planes and armaments were plotted and planned, is about to become the home of artists. “The Indian Valley Artists will get the office space and gallery space at 40 cents a square foot, which just covers the gas and electric bill. In exchange for getting the building, the IVA will manage the gallery space and art program. The studio space will be rented for $1.30 to $1.40 a square foot. The IVA has also agreed to allow a small cafe to go into the building.
– It was a short-lived retirement for past and future Novato City Councilmember Ernie Gray. In December 1997 Gray retired from public life after serving 20 years on the council. Tuesday night he was reappointed to the five-member board. Gray will serve the year remaining on Cynthia Murray’s term. Murray resigned in December 1998 to assume a position on the Marin County Board of Supervisors.
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