Novato in the 60`s & 70`s

Posted On: 3/18/2007 9:54:42 AM - By: J. Ventura

I remember highway 101 ran right through town, dividing Grant Ave into East & West.  The first things you came to on Grant Ave on the West side of 101 was Mrs. Knutes real estate office, then the fire station.  Across the street was Pinis` hardware.  On the East side I remember there was Goldsmiths saddle shop, Novato theatre, Zuninos shoe repair, and Mc Donalds jewelers.  Mom worked two streets over on Sweetser at Novato Lumber.  I remember when the Hell`s Angels would rumble through town on their way to the redwoods, all the parents would herd the children to "safety".  LOL  My how things have changed, most of their children now ride!  The Hi Fi was the place to go for a hamburger, fries and a shake.  You visited Santa at the fire station, one year it was my Grandpa who`s knee I was sitting on!  That bag of Christmas candy and the good smelling orange that Santa gave the children would be scoffed at today but we always looked forward to it back then.  Everybody in Novato would get involved in Western Weekend, I still laugh at the pictures of our family dressed in matching cowboy shirts and hats, Dad worked for BoBo`s construction and always drove a float in the parade, my God mother Babe Pronzini would ride her horse in the parade.  My uncles would bend the axle on a old junk car and spray paint it, and pull the muffler off then drive it in the parade.  There was the rodeo, the demoliton derby, the carnival.  That was the biggest function of the year in Novato back then (as far as I remember).  Novato Creek would flood and one year we had the fish in our fish pond from the back yard swimming around in the front yard!  Indian Valley Road still had ranches and Grandmas place was on Chamberlan Ave.  Novato was pretty rural back then.  It was a huge event when McDonalds opened in town.