The Burlingame Voice

B'game Night: When trivia takes center stage

It was a standing room only crowd at the historic Burlingame Women's Club Wednesday night as newly minted 2024 Citizen of the Year Russ Cohen and past Citizen of the Year Mark "Mark at the Mic" Lucchesi led the crowd through more than an hour of entertainment and education.  The first ever Burlingame Trivia Night hosted by the Historical Society and some local partners saw attendees vacillate between nailing trivia answers and flailing away until Russ gave mercy answers.

It's one thing to know there are seven creeks in B'game.  It's quite another to know all seven names.  Same goes for the decorative sculpture above the door of the Old Post office that lives on in the new building--it's called "The Letters".  Nobody got that one!  Russ has a true skill with the microphone, a la Phil Donahue, that kept everyone engaged and entertained.  It's just one example of the many contributions to community spirit he has made and continues to make.  The Citizen of the Year nomination noted his work leading the Historical Society Museum refresh, donating poster designs (like the Pet Parade), serving as a city council member and, of course, co-founding the Voice as noted here.

In his acceptance speech last week, Russ quoted Mark Twain's obituary description of Anson Burlingame (they were friends) as one of his aspirations.  Twain wrote “In every labor of this man’s life there was present a good and noble motive.”  Mr. Cohen is well on his way to achieving that life goal.

The Dairy Boy was a featured question at Trivia Night.  The treasure chest of questions is deep enough for a repeat performance in the future.

 

Memorial Day 2025: Parading through H'borough

Just like two years ago as noted here, the light drizzle cleared, and the sun popped out right at 10am as the parade started.  The BHS band lead the way, but let's give equal time to the San Mateo Bearcat band and especially the kid who lugged the baritone sax the distance.  It's not like carrying the Sousaphone on one's shoulder.

It was nice to see the World Champion Iron Panthers robotics team and the robot in the parade.  You can read up on the win on the "B" here.  They came away with gold in a field of 601 teams from all over the world.

The procession was light on politicians compared to some years and unfortunately very light on veterans' groups.  But police and fire were well represented.  The BPD California Special Mustang cruiser was out as well as a very cool BPD horseless carriage that I haven't seen in a long time.

The County sheriff soap opera took another turn during the parade.  When the sheriff's department vehicle rolled by the sheriff was nowhere to be seen.  I might be mistaken, but I thought I spied her driving an all-black, unmarked SUV as the very last vehicle in the procession.  There without really being there? 

Peanuts and Vince Guaraldi in B'game

The B'game Historical Society had standing room only on Wednesday at the Lane room for a presentation about the history of the Mendelson/Melendez production company and the Charlie Brown TV specials.  Voice readers know the company is born and bred Burlingame and may recall when Lee Mendelson himself did a presentation back in 2013 here.

This time around Lee's sons, Sean and Jason, focused in on the music that accompanied the various TV specials.  The driving force behind the music was local composer and jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi who passed away in 1976.  After the sons did some archival digging in various places, the original tapes of the Peanuts music were located, remastered and repressed (on bio-vinyl no less!).  It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! is the current release.  Originally recorded in the famous Wally Heider Studios in EssEff, it was the twelfth Peanuts score by Guaraldi.  I won't attempt to tell the whole story that can be found in the liner notes, but Linus continues the proselytizing that began with A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965.

The story Sean told about how the Christmas special came about was pure local gold.  The TV sponsors (mainly Coca-Cola) had turned down another of Lee Mendelson's shows but offered him a chance to fill a Christmas slot if he could give them a script in a couple of days.  He rushed back to his partner Bill Melendez and to Charles Schultz who pulled the script together over a weekend.  Guaraldi put the music together and Lee added the lyrics on the back of a napkin.  The Coke execs were unimpressed, but Lee told them to let their families decide if they liked it and the classic was born.  That's the short version.  To get the long version, you hadda be there.

Podcast: Mark Lucchesi and I talk B'game (#103)

I'm honored that B'game podcaster Mark "Mark at the Mic" Lucchesi asked me back for another episode of Burlingame - It's a Small Town.  Over the course of about an hour we covered numerous topics that will be familiar to regular Voice readers and some new stuff too.  If you want to invest the time, around cocktail hour is recommended, then settle in with your favorite beverage and listen to the "Voice of the Voice".  The link to Episode #103 is here.

Thanks again, Mark.  He has me queued up for another one in a few months since there is always something to talk about in our Small Town^TM.

Fall Fest: Trains, Ponies and the Cybertruck

I strolled through the Howard Ave. Fall Festival yesterday.  I hadn't been in years, but when I saw the horse trailer parked near Isobune I decided to check it out.  The hurricane out in the Pacific made for a humid, partly cloudy stroll, but that didn't seem to diminish the crowd.  It felt as busy as Art on the Ave.  The little train was giving kids rides reminiscent of Rudy Horak's Holiday tree-lighting train.  It's nice to see that tradition continue.  The demonstration Cybertruck was also there like at Art on the Ave, and as if it isn't scary enough already, add skeletons.  But the biggest draw by far was the pony rides.  No need to go all the way over to Lemos Farm when the ponies come to B'game.  The line had to have at least 50 kids waiting patiently.  Kudos to the DBID for keeping tradition alive downtown.

Legal in all 50 States: The Voice blog turns 21

As I said last year on our 20th anniversary, the cathartic exercise continues--for me and hopefully for most of you.  As we watch the slow decline of our local control and rights driven by Sacramento and Redwood City (i.e. the county supes, ref:  La Quinta Inn Millbrae fiasco), having a place to track issues and memorialize facts and positions is ever more important.  Never forget this quote.  “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana, The Life of Reason, 1905.

The Eagles had this to say about turning 21 

21 and strong as I can be
I know what freedom means to me
And I can't give the reason why
I should ever wanna die

 

You got no cause to be afraid
Or fear that life will ever fade
'Cause as I watch the rising sun
I know that we have just begun

 

Onward to another year hoping our B'game community and quality of life will not fade....too much.

Jazz at the Grill

Broadway Grill continues to be a beacon of live jazz in B'game.  The Monday night jam at Max's Opera on the Bayfront hosted by KCSM DJ Chris Cortes is good too, but the Grill has much better food and ambiance.  Wednesday night saw recent Grammy winner Jamie Davis bring a swinging quartet to the restaurant.  That swelled to a sextet after another tenor sax player and trumpeter sat in for the second set and other notable guests took a turns at bass and guitar.

Davis is the vocalist for the Count Basie Orchestra which just won a Best Large Jazz Ensemble Grammy last month for their latest album.  Great stuff and you can't complain about the (non-existent) cover charge.  Check out the Grill's music calendar here.  Music is generally happening three nights a week or more.

ลาก่อน Narin Thai: 30 years of excellence

ลาก่อน is Thai for "goodbye".  As of tomorrow, that is what we will be saying to Martin and Crystal, owners of Narin Thai on Park Rd.  After thirty-plus years of excellent food, excellent service and excellent prices, they are retiring.  Narin is the quintessential Mom & Pop business.  Martin cooks and Crystal handles the front.  That's it--just the two of them for lunch and dinner six days a week for more than thirty years.

I can try to tally the number of Spicy Basil Chicken and Yellow Curry Prawn dishes I have had.  Thirty years is 1,500+ weeks--with weekly ordering, it's probably about 2,000 Spicy Basil Chickens, since I ordered two at a time.  I generally called ahead to see if the fantastic brown rice was available that day and if not; Crystal would whip it up for me.

ขอบคุณ Crystal and Martin--Thank you.  Truly a "Best of Burlingame" business.

Backhaus: Sweet introduction

According to the show of hands local realtor Raziel Ungar asked for at Friday's hosted event at Backhaus, I am one of the last people to clue into our newest bakery.  That's probably because most people are having lunch around the time I am finishing breakfast and from what I hear, Backhaus can be sold out by then.  Raziel is one of the most active realtors in town and loves to bring his clients together for events like movies and pie giveaways.  His latest event brought about 100 people to Backhaus for a talk and tasting with co-owner Anne Moser.

Anne gave us the story of how she and her husband Robert started baking at home, then moved to Kitchentown, onward to the B'game Farmer's Market and the CSM market, then to a space on 3rd Ave in San Mateo and now to a larger, more flexible space here at 261 California Dr.  The space was our first movie theater, George Roy's Photoplay that opened in 1913, according to Russ Cohen's article in this quarter's Burlingame Historical Society newsletter.

After extensive, and I mean really extensive, Q&A that Anne handled with ease, Raziel asked for a show of hands as to who had bought bread and pastries from Backhaus at each step of the journey.  When he finally asked for a show of hands as to who was a first-timer on Friday, I was in the tiny minority that raised their hands.  Raziel is a big supporter of Copenhagen as well and his annual pie event at Thanksgiving is a B'game tradition.  Baking sounds like an arduous task since each day starts at 3am so that the goods are ready for the 7:30 opening.  After tasting the Country Bread at the event, I may have to get up early to snag some.  Here's Raziel and Anne making the pitch.

Remembering John Webb: Voice co-founder

It is with a heavy heart that we relay the unexpected passing of a Voice original, co-founder John Webb, on January 2nd.  The early days of the Voice can be a little fuzzy in the memory department, Russ and I reminisced about them on Mark at the MIc's podcast here, but my memory of John and his now-deceased wife Denise are quite sharp.  John wrote one of the early pieces for the printed Voice and I recall his level-headedness and strong love for B'game.  The level-headedness probably came from, or certainly contributed to, his long service in law enforcement.

Living right across from McKinley, John directly felt the pressures on our town that started the Voice effort.  At our early meetings, he was passionate without being over-the-top.  That was a valuable rudder in the early days.  You can read more about John from his obituary on Legacy.com here.  RIP.