Facebook: Alamo Today & Danville Today News | editor@yourmonthlypaper.com September 2021 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 1
& SEPTEMBER 2021
EVERYBODY LOVES A PARADE
9-11 REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY
By Jody Morgan
Danville’s 2021 parade steps off on September 4th, rather than the Fourth of July, breaking with longstanding tradition but also honoring an important time in town history. From September 4-7, 1958, Danville commemorated the 100th Anniversary of the town’s founding, culminating in a parade down Hartz Avenue. Anyone familiar with Parade Grand Marshall, Congressman John F. Baldwin Jr, (R), Danville’s most recent parades grandson of valley pioneers R.O. Baldwin and Mary Cox, ride in style in might assume the festivities the 1958 parade. Photo courtesy of the Museum of the San Ramon Valley. drew similar crowds. Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of San Ramon Valley in partnership with the Town of Danville since 1975, the popular 4th of July parade regularly draws a crowd of 30,00040,000. The entire population of the San Ramon Valley was only 12,702 in 1960. Nevertheless, the four-day Centennial Celebration advertised as “Hay Days” was geared to bring as many visitors to Danville as possible. The entrepreneurial aspirations of Russell Glenn are credited with getting plans underway. Dolores Fox Ciardelli writes in the 2008 Sesquicentennial Keepsake Edition of the Danville Weekly: “At that time, Russell Glenn, owner of the Danville Hotel, was lobbying to make Danville look like an old Western town, and started a group called the Danville Confederacy to make it happen." In his second term as President of the Danville Chamber of Commerce, Tom Ohlson enthusiastically endorsed the proposed Hay Days festivities. The 1958 Centennial Edition of The Valley Pioneer notes: “Ohlson has gained the admiration of not only the residents of Danville but the vast majority of animal life in the area -- he is a veterinarian during the working day!” As the only veterinarian practicing between Walnut Creek and Pleasanton in what was still primarily a ranching and farming area, Ohlson was a very busy man. Asked by Ciardelli in 2008 to describe plans for Hay Days, Ohlson recalls: Russell said, “Let’s have a celebration -- we’re 100 years old! We had a professional carnival for four days and at the end was the parade.” A beard contest caused Ohlson to grow and sport whiskers for three weeks. The Aquacade at the San Ramon High School pool on September 4th was followed by an old-timers’ bathing suit fashion show. Kids Day the following day included a pet parade. Saturday, a Junior Horsemen’s Show was held at Humphrey Ranch on Stone Valley Road. That evening, Miss Pioneer Belle was crowned, and a street dance with music by Murray Peterson’s orchestra followed. The Centennial Parade started at 1PM on Sunday and was capped off by the old timers’ flag raising ceremony. A 3PM barbecue steak dinner
See Parade continued on page 14
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The Exchange Club of San Ramon Valley will be hosting their 20th Annual 9-11 Remembrance Ceremony on Saturday, September 11th to honor the firefighters, police, and military first responders to the 9/11/2001 attack on New York. The event will be held at the All Wars Memorial at Oak Hill Park, located at 3005 Stone Valley Road, Danville. The pre-program flyover and Procession of Scouts with American Flags begins at 4:20PM, followed by the program from 4:30-5:30PM. The MCs of the event will be Tim White, SRV Exchange Club President, and Karen Stepper, past President. The keynote speaker will be Major David Yuers. Major Yuers served as the Air Force Reserve Deputy Director and Operations Officer for the Joint Reserve Intelligence Support Element for United States Strategic Command, based in Phoenix, Arizona. Prior to that, he worked directly for the Air Force Chief of Staff at the Pentagon. This event will feature other prominent guest speakers, joint Police and Fire Department Honor Guard, and the Monte Vista High Chamber Choir. For questions please contact Karen Stepper at 925-9988865 or coachstepper@yahoo.com.
AUTOS OF ALAMO
Alamo’s Eighth Annual “Autos of Alamo” Car Festival will be held on Thursday, September 8th from 4PM to 8PM in Alamo Plaza located at 150 Alamo Plaza, Alamo. Please stop by the free event for live music by the “Tune Riders,” and enjoy locally-owned vintage, classic, custom, hot rod, muscle cars, and more from the years of 1980 and before! A few exotic cars may be on display as well. Would you like to show off your car? Auto registration is only $25 and includes a “gift bag” of special items. Please preregister by calling (925) 247-8081 and plan to arrive before 3PM to be guaranteed a space.
The Editors Serving the communities of Alamo, Diablo, and Danville
Volume XXI Number 9
3000F Danville Blvd. #117 Alamo, CA 94507 Telephone (925) 405-6397 Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com
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Volume XII Number 9
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