Community Guide 2017
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50th 1 Anniversary Community Guide 2017 Copyright © 2017 San Geronimo Valley Community Center All stories, articles, photographs, images, and poems are copyright of their respective creators as indicated herein, and are reproduced here with permission. Printed in the United States of America by McNaughton & Gunn Printed on recycled paper Publisher: San Geronimo Valley Community Center Editor: Barbara S. Brauer Photo Editor: Anne McClain Design & Production: David Russ Cover Design: Anne McClain Page Footers: Anne McClain, Molly Edwards, Fred (Lee) Berensmeier Lagunitas School Map: Anne McClain Valley Map: Fred (Lee) Berensmeier Spanish Translation: Victor Reyes, Nicole Ramirez Advertising Sales: Larry Rippee Funding: County of Marin Community Service Grant; Marin Municipal Water District; and San Geronimo Valley Community Center Community Guide Editorial Committee: Barbara S. Brauer, Chair, Jean Berensmeier, Dave Cort, Don Holmlund, Anne McClain, Alexander McQuilkin, Larry Rippee, Diana Rocha, David Russ, Suzanne Sadowsky, and Margo Schmidt Proofreaders: Jean Berensmeier, Barbara S. Brauer, Roberta Floden, Michel Kotski, Anne McClain, Suzanne Sadowsky and Margo Schmidt Acknowledgments We owe a deep debt of gratitude to all the many community members who shared the stories, photos, and memories that so enrich this Community Guide. We would particularly like to thank the following individuals who responded so gener- ously to our requests for materials: Bob Baker, John Beckerley, Jean Berensmeier, Paul Berensmeier, Frank Binney, Lau- rence Brauer, Cyndi Cady, Alan Charne, Anita Collison, Dave Cort, Marian Cremin, Susan Gregg Conard, Liza Crosse, Elaine Patterson Doss, Jim Fazackerley, Anne Faught, Gerald Fleming, Hank Floyd, Chuck Ford, Terry Garthwaite, Andy Giddings, Molly Giles, Curtis Havel, David Hoffman, Don Holmlund, Megan Isadore, Wendi Kallins, Dahlia and Jack Kamesar, Michel Kotski, Amos Klausner, Richard Lang, Lenna Matzen, Stefanie Marlis, Judy Cooper Martin, Ken Mas- succo, Marty Meade, Martha McNeil, Amy Morse, Fred Mundy, Rebecca Ng, Judy North, Peter Oppenheimer, Cindy Purkey, Nicole Ramirez, Ramon Ramirez, Diana Rocha, Dennis Rodoni, Art Rogers, Grace W. Rogers, Paloma Russ, Suzanne Sadowsky, James Sanders, Margo Schmidt, Connie Smith Siegel, Newall Snyder, Jennifer Olson Spindell, Jim Staley, Aneice Taylor, Jasper Starfire Thelin, Kira Thelin, Sara Tolchin, Grace Dickson Tolson, Petra Toriumi, Amy Valens, Tom Valens, Judy Voets, Carol Whitmire, Bruce Wick, David Wilson. Our sincere appreciations go out to the Community Center’s amazing staff and Board of Directors for their help and support. Please note: It was our goal to offer the most useful, inclusive, and accurate information possible. The committee extends its sincere apologies for any inadvertent omission or error. Dedication On behalf of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center Board of Directors the golden 50th anniversary Community Guide is dedicated to Barbara Swift Brauer and Anne McClain. Because of the perseverance, persistence, skill, kindness and wisdom of these two remarkable volunteers, you hold a gem in your hands. 2 SGVCC Community Center Guide 2017 Contents Welcome 4 Chapter 4: Our History from the Beginning 72 A Unique Community 4 Valley Coast Miwok History 73 Preface 5 History of the San Geronimo Valley 1844–2017 74 A Treasure Trove 5 Nicasio History 82 A Note Regarding Photographs 6 Trains—the Lifeline of the Valley 1874–1933 84 Introduction 7 Lagunitas School District: A Brief History 88 Our Community’s Faith Organizations 94 Part I: As We Are Today Homegrown Hero —Gary Giacomini 96 Samual P. Taylor Park: More Than You Ever Knew 98 Chapter 1: The San Geronimo Valley Community Center 8 Profile: David Wilson 100 Programs of the SGV Community Center 9 Profile: Steve Kinsey 102 Calendar of Celebrations 13 San Geronimo Valley Music History: 1966–Present 104 Honorees of the SGVCC Gala Benefit 14 The Red House, Forest Knolls 108 Center Permanent Art Collection 17 Profile: Peter Lind 109 Maurice Del Mué Mural 20 Protests in the Valley 110 An Epic Tale . The Journey to the San Geronimo Profile: Phil Arnot 114 Valley Community Gym and Loft Teen Center 22 Valley in the 1940s & 1950s: Grace Dickson Tolson’s The Valley Games 24 Memories of the Valley 116 Deb Hubsmith: A Ball of Energy 26 Idyllic Childhood Years 118 The Swimming Pool at Forest Farm Summer Camp 122 Chapter 2: Community Organizations and Services 28 Forest Knolls Doggie Olympics 126 San Geronimo Valley Organizations 30 Profile: Ronald Peter Marden 127 Nicasio Organizations 35 Valley Scenes 130 Volunteering in the Community 38 Edie Robinson Awards 40 Part III: Guide to Resources Annual Events in the Valley & Nicasio 41 Chapter 5: Resources for the Community 132 Valley Map 42 Property Owners’ Guide to Working with the County 133 San Geronimo Valley and Nicasio Post Offices 44 Septic Systems: Proper Care and Concerns 135 KWMR 44 Living with Propane 136 Emergency Notification System 44 Planning for Emergencies in the San Geronimo Valley 138 Community Email List 44 MMWD’s Legacy and Future: Conservation and About Lagunitas School 45 Efficiency 140 Marietta Larsen Memorial Nature Preserve 45 VERG—San Geronimo Valley Emergency Readiness Lagunitas School Map 46 Group 141 Valley Population and Housing 48 Wildfire Preparedness in the San Geronimo Valley 142 Sports in the Valley 52 Medical Emergencies 144 What’s in a Game? 53 Mental Health/Mental Illness 145 Profile: Ramon Ramirez 57 Lyme Disease 146 Wood Smoke, Public Health and Woodstove Part II: Looking Back: Histories, Stories Replacement Rebates 147 and Profiles Chapter 6: Guide to Our Natural Environment 148 Chapter 3: How We Became San Geronimo Valley Open Space Preserves 149 “The Heart of the Valley” 58 Willis Evans Canyon 151 History of the SGV Community Center 59 Map of Valley Open Space 152 Interview with Founder Jean Berensmeier 64 Living with Wildlife Neighbors 154 About the Resource Guides 67 Pets in the Valley 156 Kate Wolf: Looking Back at You 68 Fun Facts 157 Do You Remember? 71 Directory of Advertisers 160 Por Nuestros Lectores en Español 171 50th 3 Anniversary Community Guide 2017 Welcome! On behalf of the Board of Directors of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center, I would like to welcome you to this 50th anniversary issue of the Community Guide (formerly Resource Guide) and the rich legacy it represents. If you are new to the San Geronimo Valley and Nicasio, and this is the first Guide you’ve seen, you are in for a treat! The first time I saw the Valley Resource Guide, having just moved to Forest Knolls from NYC, it was the “Millennium 2000” issue. I opened it thinking it was merely a telephone directory. After several hours of amazed reading about everything from Miwok History to advice on water-saving toilets, I felt informed and illuminated about the rich past and dynamic present of this beautiful place we live in. Over the years, that millennial Guide’s corners, and those editions that followed, have grown soft with use, margins filled with jotted notes; to this day we still refer back to them for tips and infor- mation. The Board and Staff of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center are extremely proud and grateful to again coordi- nate and fund the publication of this latest edition of the Guide. We are deeply thankful to the team of volunteers who’ve devoted countless hours and energy to the creation of this special anniversary edition. As we approach our 50th year, the San Geronimo Valley Community Center Board of Directors is dedicated more than ever to ensuring that the Center and its programs are able to continue our mission well into the future. This anniversary Guide is an apt reflection of that effort. This new Guide, like those before it, is bursting with information and resources, fresh stories and fascinating history about the San Geronimo Valley and Nicasio you may have never heard. I’m sure you’ll delight in opening the pages of this Guide and the gifts and surprises within. No doubt, your copy too will grow soft and dog-eared. Use it well, and enjoy! Sincerely, Marian Cremin, President San Geronimo Valley Community Center Board of Directors A Unique Community Our community is not only beautiful for its landscapes and diversity of thought, but also for the abundance of resources available to our residents. I am proud to serve all of you as your County Supervisor at the Board of Supervisors. The San Geronimo Valley is a unique and wonderful community, and all of you using this Guide exemplify what it means to be a community member. It is important, now more than ever, to continue to engage and be active in your surroundings. This Community Guide will provide you with the necessary information to be a successful resident of the San Geronimo Valley. If you need help or have questions, this Guide will lead you in the right direction. This newly updated 2017 Community Guide is how the San Geronimo Valley demon- strates to our residents that we care. Remember, it will be a community effort to meet the needs and challenges of each new generation. As your Supervisor, I will always fight for all of you and be your resource. Warmly, Dennis Rodoni District 4, Marin County Supervisor 4 SGVCC Community Center Guide 2017 Preface by Barbara S. Brauer, Editor more than one person acknowledged), tangible and tactile. Asking ourselves to choose between an online or print for- How does one go about creating a collection of stories, mat, we all agreed that there is something satisfying about histories, profiles, photos, and miscellany inclusive and rich holding a book in our hands, settling in to read and brows- enough to convey the vibrancy of the San Geronimo Valley ing through its pages. and Nicasio communities? Very thoughtfully. So here is the print edition of the Community Guide, We began with the realization that the San Geronimo with all its benefits and drawbacks, with an online edition.