Happy Memorial Day History
May 31, 2011
In 1865, Henry C. Welles, a druggist in the village of Waterloo, NY, mentioned at a social gathering that honor should be shown to the patriotic dead of the Civil War by decorating their graves.
In the Spring of 1866, he again mentioned this subject to General John B. Murray, Seneca County Clerk. General Murray embraced the idea and a committee was formulated to plan a day devoted to honoring the dead.
Townspeople adopted the idea wholeheartedly. Wreaths, crosses and bouquets were made for each veteran’s grave. The village was decorated with flags at half mast and draped with evergreen boughs and mourning black streamers.
On May 5, 1866, civic societies joined the procession to the three existing cemeteries and were led by veterans marching to martial music. At each cemetery there were impressive and lengthy services including speeches by General Murray and a local clergyman. The ceremonies were repeated on May 5, 1867.
The first official recognition of Memorial Day as such was issued by General John A. Logan, first commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. This was General Order No. 11 establishing “Decoration Day” as it was then known. The date of the order was May 5, 1868, exactly two years after Waterloo’s first observance. That year Waterloo joined other communities in the nation by having their ceremony on May 30.
In 1965, a committee of community leaders started plans for the Centennial Celebration of Memorial Day. The committee consisted of VFW Commander James McCann, chairman, American Legion Commander Oliver J. McFall and Mayor Marion DeCicca, co-chairman, along with Village Trustees, M. Lewis Somerville, Roscoe Bartran, Richard Schreck, Tony DiPronio, and VFW Vice-Commander, Kenneth Matoon. Their goals were: “to obtain national recognition of the fact that Waterloo is the birthplace of Memorial Day through Congressional action” and “to plan and execute a proper celebration for such centennial observance.”
In May of 1966, just in time for the Centennial, Waterloo was recognized as the “Birthplace of Memorial Day” by the United States Government. This recognition was long in coming and involved hours of painstaking research to prove the claim. While other communities may claim earlier observances of honoring the Civil War dead, none can claim to have been so well planned and complete, nor can they claim the continuity of observances that Waterloo can.
The Centennial Celebration that year brought dignitaries from government, military, veteran’s organizations and descendants of the original founders of Memorial Day. A once luxurious home on Waterloo’s Main Street, built in 1850, was purchased from the county and restored. Now the Memorial Day Museum, it houses artifacts of the first Memorial Day and the Civil War era.
Memorial Day is commemorated each year in Waterloo. The parade, speeches, and solemn observances keep the meaning of Memorial Day as it was originally intended to be.
Please visit theWaterloo, NY web site for details on the celebration for 2005.
Club Fox with Sophie in Redwood City
May 27, 2011
Sophie B. Hawkins emerged in 1992 with a fierce bidding war for her debut album, Tongues & Tails. The Columbia Records release quickly went Gold, earned her a Grammy Nomination for Best New Artist, and fired a single, “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover”, into the Top Five.
Another Gold album, Whaler, followed two years later along with the single, “As I Lay Me Down” that would chart in Billboard for a record-breaking sixty-seven weeks.
Come and see her on June 18th at Club Fos in Redwood City. Venue is for 21 and up. Please call for more information at 650-FOX-7770. Tickets are $26.00.
Cheesballs at the Fox Theatre Tonight
May 27, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/embed/ufVT9ZF0qAM?rel=0
Check out the CHEESBALLS tonight at Club Fox tonight. A fun party band from our Bay Area…. If you want fun and entertainment this is for you. Over 21 please.
Music at the Adult Community Center San Carlos
May 25, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
Join us for a great homemade luncheon with marvelous talented musicians on June 10th in honor of Father’s Day. Tickets are $10 before June 6th and $12 after. Bruce is our chef and he serves up a storm. Robert Meade is our tenor, he will be accompanied by Ron Borelli, our accordianist and Annemarie Ballenger, soprano. Wonderful talent, please come to the center or call and RSVP.
We will be serving:
Summer Salad
BBQ Steak
Baked Potato
Vegetables Normandy
Dessert
Wine or Cider
Coffee or Tea
San Carlos Adult Community Center
601 Chestnut Street
San Carlos, CA 94070
(650) 802-4384
Belmont Tightens Up with Seat Belts
May 22, 2011
Beginning Monday, the Belmont Police Department will launch intensive enforcement of seat belt laws as part of a national “Click It or Ticket” campaign.
A first-time ticket costs — at a minimum — $142, and at least $445 for a child under 16, according to the Police Department.
More than 140 local law enforcement agencies as well as the California Highway Patrol are participating in the campaign, which starts Monday and continues through June 5.
Passengers riding in a car at night are among those least likely to buckle up, police say, which makes them the most likely to die in crashes when unrestrained. Nationally, of those killed in nighttime crashes in 2009, 62 percent were not wearing a seat belt. Due to that fact, Belmont police say they will focus their efforts at night.
Authorities say California’s current seat belt use rate is at an all time high at 96.2 percent, which is due in part to the Click It or Ticket mobilization. The campaign is credited with increasing the state’s adult seat belt usage from 92.5 percent in 2005 to 96.2 percent in 2011.
In 2009, seat belts saved approximately 12,713 lives nationwide. In California, it’s estimated that 320 people who were killed in 2009 would be alive today if they had been wearing seat belts, police say.
California’s Click It or Ticket campaign is paid for by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Save your life and your money, buckel up!
Celebrating 60 Years with St. Pius in Redwood City. Have Fun!
May 16, 2011
This is an awesome event for the Parish and the Commmunity of Redwood City and surrounding areas. I started out at St. Pius when I first moved here and bought my first home here. What a wonderful community of people. St. Pius is a wonderful and caring community of folks of all ages… Please come and enjoy!
This huge festival includes something for everyone – children’s games, arts and crafts and entertainment. Bring the entire family for a far-out day of professionally run rides or test your luck at numerous activities. Great food and drink is available while you are entertained throughout the event. Fun, food, and laughter – the recipe for a great weekend!
Help us celebrate our Parish’s 60th anniversary by stopping by St. Pius at 1100 Woodside Rd. (Woodside Rd. and Valota) in Redwood City on June 3rd (6-10pm), 4th (1-10pm) and 5th (1-8pm). For detailed information you can see http://stpiusfestival.blogspot.com. This event is Free and Open to the public. Small fee for games and activities.
Activities:
Booths: Basketball and Baseball toss, Radar gun, Bounce house, Slide, Dime pitch, Dip bowling, Frog Jump, Jingle Board, Newspaper Toss, Salame Throw, Pan Games, Face Painting, Spin Art, Karaoke, Sports Booth
Silent Auction, Raffle
Food: Full bar, margaritas, pizza, garlic fries, Caesar salad, root beer floats, sundaes, Pasta dinner, Rib dinner and more.
Friday, June 3rd – Rib Dinner ($15 half slab)
Entertainment – Live Band – “Ticket to Ride”, a Beatles Cover Band
Saturday, June 4th – Pasta Dinner
Entertainment – Live Band – “Graveyard Tan”
Sunday, June 5th - BBQ Chicken Dinner
Event URL: www.stpiusfestival.blogspot.com
Contact Person: Laura Vargas or Quetzal Grimm
Contact Phone Number: Laura 650-400-8298, Quetzal 650-434-4330 Email: Laura Vargas lauvar@comcast.net or Quetzal Grimm quetzal@apr.com
For more information: See http://www.stpiusfestival.blogspot.com
Edgewood Park Wildflowers and Trails Redwood City
May 15, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve is famous for its spectacular spring wildflower displays. Docents offer free wildflower walks every Saturday and Sunday starting at 10:00 am through the first weekend in June. The approximately three-hour walks through grasslands, chaparral, coastal scrub, and foothill woodlands, wet lands. You can see 50-100 plants in flower, the Bay checkerspot butterfuly, many plant species as well as a habitat for foxes, coyotes, racconns, and deers. Visitors can complement their docent led walk by visiting the new Education Center located near the main entrance and featuring interactive exhibits that explain Edgewood’s connection to the surrounding landscape and its history.
Great place to experience nature and get some excerise in at the same time.
Giants Trophy in San Carlos
May 15, 2011
San Carlos is hosting the “San Francisco Giants World Series Trophy in Burton Park On June 20th. Don’t miss it from 3-5.
San Carlos Suffered Loss with Major Dead at 46
May 11, 2011
The city of San Carlos has announced San Carlos Mayor Omar Ahmad died after suffering a heart attack early this morning. He was 46.
Ahmad was elected to the San Carlos City Council in 2007. He had previously served as a member of the City‘s Economic Development Advisory Commission (EDAC). While on the City Council, Omar selected to serve as the Mayor of San Carlos in November by his fellow Council Members.
He was a well known entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, having been involved in the start up of a number of companies including the Discovery Channel, @Home, Trusted ID, Grand Central Communications, Napster, Netscape and most recently as the co-founder and CEO of SynCH Energy Corporation.
“Those of us at City Hall who had the opportunity to work with and get to know him are devastated by his loss,” said City Manager Jeff Maltbie. “Omar’s dedication to the citizens of San Carlos and his passion for democracy will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”
Ahmad also served on the San Mateo County Transit District Board of Directors and was the Vice Chair of the Peninsula Joint Powers Board. The Transit District has lowered the flags at all its facilities to half-staff in memory and honor of Ahmad.
Caltrain Board President Sean Elsbernd said Ahmad was everything anyone could want in a human being, a public servant, and a friend. He had a good sense of humor. He was absolutely dedicated to public transit and his dedication was matched by his commitment. He also had something you don’t see often – an ability and a willingness, an eagerness, really, to look ahead, to see what the future could hold and to plan and prepare for that future. He loved working on the problems of today, but he loved even more thinking about the possibilities tomorrow could bring. I will miss him dearly.”
SamTrans Board President Karyl Matsumoto said, “We are all devastated by Omar’s passing. He was kind and funny, warm and genuine and he believed in the work he was doing on behalf of the public. Omar was not afraid to ask the tough questions or make difficult decisions. He was committed to the people who ride our buses and use our Paratransit service.
SamTrans General Manager/CEO and Caltrain Executive Director Michael J. Scanlon said, “He made things better – by his courage, by his vision, by his creativity, and, perhaps most especially, by his sense of humor and fun. He was deeply supportive of the men and women who work in the public arena and respectful of the work they do and the working people he served have lost a true champion.
“We were all very shocked and saddened by the news this morning when we heard that the mayor of San Carlos had suffered a heart attack,” Lieberman said. “We lost someone who had a very, very strong sense of civic responsibility and community. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to his family and friends and to all of San Carlos.”
Weather in Belmont
May 9, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
The best time of year for Belmont weather is the spring. We are in a special spot between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay which keeps Belmont weather relatively cool in the summer and mild the rest of the year.
But what about the so-called microclimates we hear so much about?
For those of you who live and work in Belmont it may come as no surprise to find the temperature in one part of Belmont completely different from another. These so called “microclimates” exist all over the Peninsula but in some cities such as Belmont, they can be found within the city itself.
With the micro-climates…in the 1860’s, William Ralston picked an area in Belmont to build his home located near the downtown section of Belmont, yet secluded inland far enough away to be protected from the colder San Francisco Bay winds, this area today is known for its superior microclimate.
Other microclimates can be found elsewhere such as in the hills overlooking the bay. These higher elevations are affected also; by more exposure to the wind and their altitude. Referred to as the “lapse rate”—for every 1,000 feet in elevation, temperatures are around 3.5 degrees lower. So it stands to reason that a home up in Belcrest Gardens near Highway 92 would be cooler than a home in Sterling Downs; but it’s not just elevation that accounts for the differential in temperatures. Microclimates created by the shelter of a hillside, ravine or eastern exposure can create a protected environment free from the cool afternoon wind which can drop temperatures as much as 20 degrees in the course of just a few hour…
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