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Vol. 17, No. 50
YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Lifted lights returned
December 13, 2019
Welcoming The Season
Delivering Christmas
by Dawnmarie Fehr
Check out last-minute gift ideas, holiday events and more in ‘Tis The ONLY Season special section. Page 1B
Correspondent
DOWNTOWN BRENTWOOD
Discovery Bay was the victim of thieves last month when new LED ambience lights were stolen from the town’s main entrance on Discovery Bay Boulevard and Highway 4. The lights — about 500 of them — cost $15,000 and were installed in October as part of a project to spruce up the town. They’re meant to be amenity lights and can be set to reflect current holiday or seasonal colors. The lights are on a wire that runs through brackets affixed to the tops of the walls on either side of the entrance. Sometime over Veterans Day weekend, the see Lights page 22A
Across From City Park
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Photo by Tony Kukulich
A
wet and rainy night didn’t stop Santa and his helper from spreading holiday cheer during the Discovery Bay Parade of Lights annual event. The popular celebration, now in its 17th season, drew hundreds to event that featured dozens of floats and crowds of participants. For more about the event, see page 3A. To view a video and a slideshow of the event, visit www.thepress.net/multimedia
Brentwood Union School District middle school teachers recognized with state honors. Page 5A
Davis Camp – a piece of East County history New Coach by Tony Kukulich Staff Writer
Sitting largely unnoticed alongside Brentwood Boulevard is a nondescript building, boarded up and falling into disrepair, with little left to indicate the central role it played in the lives of many families who moved to Brentwood during the early part of the last century. Descendants of families who passed through those nowshuttered doors and shopped in what was once a grocery store and gas station are still common in East County. One man, Frank Davis, is the nephew of O.R. “Cal” Davis, who built that general store and camp that grew up around it: Davis Camp. “Cal Davis came on out to California because we were all
Photo by Tony Kukulich
Frank Davis, seen here with his wife Hiwanah, shared his memories of growing up in Brentwood’s Davis Camp. Frank’s uncle, O.R. “Cal” Davis, opened Davis Camp in the late 1920s. starving to death in Oklahoma,” said Frank Davis. “The Depression hit. They were losing their
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work in the fruit fields. That’s what brought us out here.“ Davis Camp was situated along Marsh Creek, on the southeast corner of Brentwood Boulevard and Sunset Road. In the days before the Highway 4 bypass was built, Brentwood Boulevard was Highway 4, and the paths of it and Sunset Road have been moved in the years since the camp got its start. When Cal Davis arrived in the late 1920s, the property was used as a dump. Frank Davis explained that Cal Davis cut a deal with Contra Costa County to take over the property in exchange for cleaning the area. Using scrap materials, Cal Davis began building the Davis Log Cabin Grocery, small cabsee Camp page 22A
Holiday Joy
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The Brentwood Community Chorus is preparing for annual holiday concerts.
At Freedom
Former Final Four player Michael Moses takes over as Freedom’s new basketball coach. Page 15A Classifieds..........................19A Cop Logs.............................13A Education ............................4A Entertainment.................... 9A Food....................................... 8A Holiday Happenings..........8B Opinion...............................14A Adopt A Pet.......................10A Sports..................................15A
Triathlon Time
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Sign-ups are underway for the popular Discovery Bay Triathlon.