What happened to the BIG Stories in Lafayette?
When I first arrived in 1982, Lafayette was quiet semi-rural town. It was known for its green hills and great schools. Hey, wait a minute. I guess things have not changed much. I’ll get back to that in a minute.
This morning I received an email from one of our members. Why he sent this to me, I will never know, but it is worth a look and a laugh. The subject is “guy catches really big catfish.” Check it out… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyaPytuKB1A. It reminded me of the stories I kept hearing about an alligator living in the Lafayette Reservoir. I think it made the 6 o’clock news back in the mid 70’s. Now that is a BIG story for Lafayette. Another big story was the rumor that the Beatles (after completing their last public appearance at Candlestick Park) took a helicopter ride across the bay and landed at the old heliport next to the Hillside Motel. Is it possible that the Beatles slept here? Further research indicates that they flew to L.A. that same night.
Well, I am going to start another rumor, right here, right now. And for the 3 of you who will actually read my BLOG, you will be the first to know. We can’t get the Beatles, but we have come pretty close. If you have been to the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival over the last few years, you may have been introduced to the SUN KINGS. This local ‘Beatles” cover band has become one of the Bay Area’s favorite bands. Yes, they will be back again this year. Not once but twice!
It is with great pleasure to announce THE SUN KINGS, performing at the very intimate Town Hall Theatre in a special performance “being for the benefit of the Town Hall Theatre.” Remember there are only 185 seats in our historic theatre. Tickets are $50 and $75. If you buy the Gold Circle $75 ticket, it includes a private “meet & greet” with the band, front row(s) seats, a private champagne reception and sit in during the “sound check.” There will be a special live and silent auction to participate in as well. http://www.the-sun-kings.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=XRL6wHzy7_s&feature=related
OK, back to our semi-rural city. So we have this Downtown Strategic Planning Process rolling on and perhaps coming to crescendo later this year. It hinges on things like the height of buildings, downtown housing, view sheds and vistas, landscaping and parking, new parks and preserving creeks. The Lafayette Chamber of Commerce has been following this process all the way. And it will be a battle to work out some of the differences that members of our community have on these issues. The chamber does support some growth without losing the city’s character. If you have not been involved in the process up until now, you might want to start paying attention. Future Planning Commission and City Council meetings will be deciding on what plan to support and implement that will set a course for development and planning over the next 20 years. For me, it has been almost 30 years in Lafayette. Some changes have taken place. I remember a story Earling Horn told me about the owner of Fleet Feet coming to town back in the early 80’s, looking for sites. He said he would not recommend Lafayette. Couldn’t even find a deli sandwich for lunch. Nothing going on here. I remember Mt. Diablo Blvd. as a really unattractive strip, surrounded by the beautiful hillsides. There is fear that Lafayette will change too much. We just went through a period of time where our economy could have produced major changes. What has been built in Lafayette in the last 20 years? A Library. A Veterans Memorial Builidng. The Mercantile. Town Center. That’s it! Now it’s up to our commissions and elected officials to find a balance between growth that will be good for the community while still preserving our semi –rural feel. 28 years later and we are still known for our green hills and great schools. And the Beatles are returning to Lafayette. Life is good… jay
http://www.thtc.org/ Town Hall Theatre
www.ci.lafayette.ca.us City of Lafayette (info on the Downtown Specific Plan)
