The Burlingame Voice

Historical Find from La Pinata

Things have been quite serious here at the Voice over the last few months.  It goes with our mission to "inform and empower the Burlingame community", but we do have a lighter side.  So here is the first of two posts that are a bit like a light summer breeze blowing through the blog.

A friend with a great eye and a sense of B'game history rescued this La Pinata ashtray as it was on its way to the trash.  He knew that many people remember La Pinata fondly.  In fact, we were still a paper-based Burlingame Voice when it closed and we interviewed customers on the last day.  The fondness for the restaurant extended to their cheeky ashtrays.  I won't translate it for you--but if you do, you'll know how fun it is.  Many thanks to the guy with the great eye!

 

Cow Palace History

Let's keep the local historical thoughts flowing today courtesy of Bob Greene and his Wall Street Journal piece on the Cow Palace.  His main point is how quaint historic arenas are that do not draw the attention of corporate naming sponsors a la Oracle, Chase, AT&T or SAP.  But along the way he gives some nice local history which I will excerpt

Amid the cacophonous cheering at the corporate-arena National Basketball Association Finals, think a kindly thought about the Cow Palace just south of San Francisco.  But the sturdy old Cow Palace, where the Warriors played until 1971, still hosts rodeos and livestock shows.

The Cow Palace represents a lost American age when there was a certain charm to the idiosyncratic localness of hometown sports arenas. It opened its doors in 1941, and its major client was a livestock exposition. Its name was derived from a critical newspaper article, published when its construction was beginning in the midst of the Great Depression, which asked: “Why, when people are starving, should money be spent on a palace for cows?”

Over the years the Cow Palace was stocked with stars—not only the Warriors, but Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Rolling Stones, the 1956 and 1964 Republican National Conventions, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. When the era of glittering corporate-branded arenas commenced later in the 20th century, though, the Cow Palace was left behind.

At least it still stands and has clients. Other grand old big-city arenas are a memory.  As for the Cow Palace, has any thought been given to spiffing up its image by finding a corporate underwriter? Lori Marshall, the venerable arena’s CEO, told me: “I have only been at the facility for four years; however, to my knowledge we have not had any inquiries or inclination to sell naming rights.”  Probably just as well. If there’s anything that cows should be leery of, it’s branding.

I saw my first Sharks game at the Cow Palace as they awaited completion SAP arena.  And it has hosted a number of great rock shows beyond Elvis and the Beatles including U2 and ZZ Top.  As the historical and very local character of the mid-Peninsula gets hollowed out by over-development, we need to cherish the bits that are remaining.  It's hard to look at the new Facebook building crashing onto our bayfront without reminiscing about the drive-in.  Or pondering the demise of the last independent gas station in town with its quirky mannequin sitting in an old British sports car.  What is your favorite lost local landmark?

Herb Caen: Memorial Day 1949

Herb Caen's column helped introduce me to the Bay Area in 1981.  I loved his daily columns and later his book Baghdad-By-The-Bay from 1949.  Here is a excerpt of Chapter 13 for Memorial Day

You think about things like this today.  About the kids who bought a one-way passage to North Africa and Tinian, Normandy and Attu.  Especially the kids from San Francisco, because you're back and they're not, you were lucky, they weren't--and who knows why it was like that?

You can't help thinking about the guy from the Sunset who stopped a sniper's bullet at Saint Lo, and the paisano from North Beach who cashed in at Guam, and the boy from Pacific Heights whose last C-47 mission over the Hump ended in a question mark.

I was thrilled to read about the C-47 that led the D-Day invasion being found, restored and flown to Normandy for the 75th anniversary.  Check it out here.

Nearly 75 years ago, on June 6, 1944, That’s All, Brother led the main airborne invasion of Normandy. Piloted by Lt. Col John Donalson, the plane led over 800 C-47s that dropped over 13,000 paratroopers into a battle that changed the course of mankind. Our mission is to bring this great airplane back to the skies over Normandy for the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

My Dad flew C-47's during the war and pulled gliders full of paratroopers behind.  Here's remembering all of our vets and the other loved ones who have passed on to the other side.

Spring Brings Fun to B'game

Spring is here and not just going by the calendar.  Flowers are blooming, hummingbirds are humming and pollen is everywhere.  Spring's arrival also heralds more community activities like music, plays and art which we desperately need.  I'll just mention a few that come to mind over the next two weeks.  We will never garner our own section in the Pink Section but it's a start.  Feel free to add a comment with more that you like.

The 33rd annual Silicon Valley Open Studios event returns to Burlingame on May 4th and 5th.  Details of this free event are here that describe the art studio locations in B'game and surrounding areas.  There are three artists participating plus the full Peninsula Museum of Art studios (with 28 artists) at 1777 California Dr.

St. Catherine's annual play is also a lot of fun and this 23rd iteration promises to deliver the same.  It runs May 10-11 and 17-18 at 7:30 pm with Singin' in the Rain as this year's program.  Staying very local, the Burlingame Historical Society's quarterly meeting will be on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 in the Lane Room.  These are always well attended and interesting especially since this meeting will focus on the old Post Office--it's history and some of it potential future.

A great example of entertainment we need more of comes to the Burlingame Womens Club on May 9th when Il Sapore is sponsoring a night of food, wine and Italian opera with Pasquale Esposito.  Given our lack of clubs with space for a larger production, it's great to see the Womens Club be used to assuage the entertainment drought.  You can get tickets here.  One venue that has been quietly ramping up music is the Vinyl Room.  Aside from the salsa and comedy nights, Friday nights (starting early around 6:30 or 7pm) have become a reliable rock 'n roll gig.  The bands are usually local drawing a local crowd that knows them already.  Here is last week's show by Up and to the Right.

Chocolate History in B'game

Monday night a jam-packed Lane Room audience, drawn in by the promise of a chocolate tasting, heard Amy Guittard talk about the history and quality of her family's business.  Amy is a fifth-generation Guittard and current Director of Marketing at the long-time Burlingame business that provides the sweet smells that often waft through our little burg.  Amy started the history lesson with her great-great grandfather Etienne who realized there was opportunity amongst the gold miners for something other than picks, shovels and whiskey.  She then walked the Historical Society membership through the early days in EssEff and the eventual move to B'game in 1955.  As their website notes

Guittard remained on Main Street until selling the property to the city to make room for the Embarcadero Freeway. It was at that time, that Horace A. moved the company to Burlingame, California

The audience got an education in the growing of cocoa around the world and the stringent quality control and product development that is on-going at Guittard.  The public only sees a small portion of the company's output since a lot goes to other consumer brands like See's and to chefs around the world.  I was struck by how similar a rigorous tasting of chocolate is to wine tasting.  Here's Amy with the step-by-step Chocolate 101 lesson

 

Welcoming Anson Back to B'game

The unveiling of the new bust of Anson Burlingame in the downtown library Friday night was quite the affair.  More than 100 people attended to hear an excellent recap of Anson's career (delivered by Dr. George Koo and David Chai), some words about his family from family member and recently arrived Burlingame resident Lisa Lillelund along with a few politicians.  Sculptor Zhou Limin spoke about his inspiration for creating the bust and we heard a few words about the Burlingame Foundation from its president, Dr. Walter Christman.  All in all great event and a wonderful way to welcome Anson (and his descendants) back to B'game.  Here are Lisa, Dr. Koo and the unveiled bust with the US and Chinese flags of the period.  The program was also streamed to China for added viewers.

Veterans Day 2018

Today is the centennial Veterans Day when major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. That is when the Armistice with Germany went into effect.  Then in 1954, at the urging of major veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day.  It's a day of remembrance as it is called in Europe, so let's do that.

I finally got down to the County Historical museum in Redwood City to see the WWII exhibit and it is highly recommended.  The theme is the war's impact on the Peninsula and there are several mentions of Burlingame residents and local places like Coyote Point.  It has been on display for about two years and is very worthwhile; you have until January or so to see it.  Here is one local airman (Allan Brown's) uniform that is on display.  Remember we shall.

Walking Through B'game History

The Historical Society put on a fun tour through three parts of B'game yesterday.  I only caught the Burlingame Ave. tour given by Joanne Garrison and Jennifer Pfaff which started at the train station and took about 50 people past the new Greetings mural, down the Avenew, past the library and stopped at City Hall.  The crowd got an hour and fifteen minute whirlwind introduction to a number of prominent architects from B'game's formative years including A. Page Brown, Geo Howard, William Weeks, W. H. Toepke & Havens, Col. Norberg, Charles Weeks, and William Whifler.  The combination of some of their life histories while standing in front of some of their designs made for a delightful afternoon on a busy Sunday on the Ave.  Hopefully a few new members signed up as a result.

Millbrae Preservation Heroes

Here at the Voice we grab onto any positive preservation news we can find.  Yesterday's Daily Journal had a piece about the oldest home in Millbrae that fits the bill

Millbrae’s oldest house has new owners interested in preserving its historic charm, assuaging fears that the classic Victorian would be lost to redevelopment.  “We have got to give it the love and attention that a property of this vintage needs and deserves,” said Dean Woo, whose family closed on the house in late 2017.

The home at 1 Lewis Ave. was built in 1865 for former state assemblyman Alfred Green and put on the market last year without any protections requiring the structure to be maintained.  But Woo, 37, and his wife Helen said they fell in love with the home’s unique appeal, and are planning to maintain its original integrity and architecture.

Such a sentiment grants peace of mind to members of the Millbrae Historic Society, who worried while the home was up for sale that it would be purchased, razed and rebuilt like so many other classic homes along the Peninsula.

You can click through to the original article to read about how the Woo's intend to pull this off architecturally and financially, but here we'll just say "WooHoo"!  Nice job.

Burlingame Voice Blog is 15 Years Old Today!

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.

Some might say that Russ and I have frittered away more than a few hours on the Burlingame Voice, but it's our time to waste if we like and we find it cathartic.  We also get enough positive feedback from sources known (and unknown) that it feels worthwhile.  Ever since the days of the hard copy Voice hand-delivered to porches across town, he and I (along with various compatriots along the way) have provided an informed, vocal and intensely local opinion about events.  The move to on-line back on July 25, 2003 saved the time of designing and delivering the paper version and offered an opportunity to increase the reach and frequency and reduce costs.  The platform costs $14.99 a month which is much cheaper than a therapist!  You can check out those first few posts here.

The categories shown on the right hand frame have expanded over the years to 46 ways to find what you are interested in at the moment or relive some event or controversy of the past.  Try doing that on NextDoor, the newspapers or the City website!

When all is said and done, the Voice blog is a means for us to not suffer the fate Pink Floyd bemoans in Time

Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines

If one is to "scribble lines" they might as well be a full page worth!  Thank you, dear readers and commenters.  Onward to another 15 years!