Some memories of Mill Valley in the late 1940s and early 1950s (Gene Heyman):

It was fun to read people's memories of early Mill Valley. Here are a few more:

During early elementary school years, my family moved back and forth between MV and SF several times. During first grade, we lived in Tam Valley and I took the bus to Old Mill School. Most of my school memories are of the bus ride. Pat the bus driver liked to sing and would lead his charges in what are now old favorites, like Danny Boy and Four Leaf Clover. Every day—and both ways—the son of the family that owned Varney's Hardware Store stood on Miller Avenue, near the lumber yard, counting cars. He had a serious neurological problem, but no one seemed to mind his unusual manner. School itself is pretty much a blur, except for playground events, such as fights (usually featuring Dennis Crain) and discussions of "secret code" rings that you could get for 25 cents and a cereal box top. There was a cafeteria that once a week served great "Sloppie Joes,"

Like Sita, my early memories of Mill Valley include the Sequoia Theater. When I was in the 1st grade, I would go practically every Saturday. The program included 3 or 4 serials—the favorite was Our Gang Comedy (Spanky, Alfalfa, etc)—cartoons, a sing-a-long, and then a main feature, usually a western. I think a lot of the serials and perhaps even the movies too were from the 1930s. (Another and much later Sequoia Theater memory was going to see "Rock Around the Clock." Some of the older girls danced in the aisle when Bill Halley and the Comets played.)

After a brief sojourn in SF, we came back to Marin, moving into a house on Laverne Avenue in Homestead Valley. Homestead Valley had a few its own traditions, including a rivalry with kids from Mill Valley ("uptown" to us). Once a year there was a tackle football game between boys from Homestead and boys from "uptown". It was called the "Mudbowl," and we played in a corral that was near the Calls's house (Hughes and Volinda, parents of Louie, Phoebe, Alex, and Nora). The game took place during Xmas vacation, and with the December and January rains, it lived up to its name.

As to Zorch Cows: We went to the Miller Avenue Market for ours. They had a soda fountain in the market.

Another sports memory is the semi-professional baseball teams played at Boyle Park on summer Sunday afternoons. We rode our bikes to the park to see the games. There was a rumor that one of the Mill Valley pitchers used to pitch for the Yankees. That memory appears to be stronger than any particulars of the games.

Like others I also have memories of Moshers, the train, the old bus station, paper drives, Esposties, Meir's bakery, and walking or riding bikes everywhere. However, until high school, downtown Mill Valley, and especially the El Paseo, remained a somewhat exotic, far-away place.

Gene M. Heyman, PhD