Take a drive around 1981 Walnut Creek in this vhs tape recovered from the 2004 time capsule at City Hall. Hosted by Kathy Thomas with camera work of Charles Shepler of General Electric Cable of Walnut Creek.
OK - I'm handing my computer over to my mom, Kathy Thomas, who was the hostess of this informative, entertaining piece. I just had the privilege of watching her and my dad watch the piece together, and now I'm coaxing her into saying a few words about her thoughts and feelings seeing this 35 years after it was recorded - mom, take it away: Sitting here in Reno now I really enjoy the memories of doing this tape. I miss Walnut Creek, what a great places to raise our family (6) children. I"m glad so many people have enjoyed this trip down memory lane, and in hindsight, I"m really glad Charlie Shepler and I took the time we did to assemble this tour. Maybe it will encourage more people to do the same, for the sake of future generations. Cheers to all!
Tell your mom she was quite visionary prophesying 22 years in the future, now we are at the 37 year mark! Fist time to see this, recent transplant to town.
I enjoyed your mom's narration and sense of humor 🙂 When they drove past Bullocks I recalled how me and my friend walked down to see him speak, we were about 10yrs old. Broadway Plaza Parking Lot and the surrounding area was packed with people. President Ford's visit, the Liberty Bell, the Bicentennial were a huge deal. Our back yard bordered on Olympic Blvd. When I got home my mom told me she was out tending to plants along the back fence and she saw Ford's limo approaching from downtown, going towards Rossmoor. As he went by, Ford stood up through the sunroof and waved to my mom. 🙂 Turned out my mom had a better view of Ford than me and my friend did trying to watch him speak. 😂
I grew up in Walnut Creek in the 80's and 90's. It was a wonderful place for me and my family. Since moving out, I've lived in several major cities all over the world, but whenever someone asks me where I'm from, I always reply "Walnut Creek" with pride.
This made me so home sick. You can only handle so much Berkeley and San Francisco. Being a child and growing up in Walnut Creek sure was beautiful even if it was a bit boring. I recognize the bridge at the creek and the park and the bank building on Civic. My older sister took many classes in the building during Summer. I love Strawberry Creek in Berkeley but I wish I had time to visit the creek in Walnut Creek these are such treasures.
I was born 2006 in Walnut Creek and been living here ever since. I recognized every location but not the places. Crazy seeing it in the 80’s. The restaurant in downtown I work at wasn’t even built yet 😂
I saw the Beatles movie " Help" at the El Rey theater in WC. In the 70's the kids from nearby high schools used to "cruise" Main street on Friday nights just like in the movie "American Graffiti " . It's a wonderful place to live and grow up ....
{ wish you could have driven down Northgate Rd. (leading up to Diablo). IT has changed SO much, Mc Mansions and roll out lawns, creeping up the hillsides. No more horses. It was nice seeing Boundary Oaks as the tennis club swas my hangout early 80's. My GOD this was shot pre-Nordstroms! What a big deal that was coming in. Heather Farm looks practiczll barren!! Oh my that was fun! as I moved to WC late '79 attending Valle Verde Foothill and NG.
Is there any way to reduce the volume of the piano music on that tape? It's a lot louder than tit needs to be, even obliterating much of the dialogue on the tape.
Too bad to see the Security National Bank (6:00) torn down. I liked the vintage scroll work on the exterior. No sentiment to save old buildings here, like most of California.
The year is 2022 and there's still a guy leaning on the sign. Only now he really is drunk..... and most likely on fentanyl. Just kidding .... kinda. I grew up in Concord Navy Housing in the 80's. This is a great trip down memory lane.
2:18 "He's not drunk, he's been jogging. Everybody jogs. I wonder if they'll jog 22 years from now". I was born in 1988, growing up I didn't know jogging was a new thing.
Seeing walnut creek in its early days before all the other stores/homes got added look so different fr man. I wonder for everyone who first thought to move into this town, what did they think beforehand? Was it the area? Was it the people? The job opportunities?
Does anyone remember the section of the I680 freeway that was built really high up and that was demolished in like the late 90s We called it "The Tabaggon Ride"
that was a temporary bypass tucked under the BART Tracks, so CalTrans could modify all the freeway below. Its amazing to think that 2 lanes of cars used to fit in there.... and that was enough.... LOL!
Anyone know what make/model of car this was shot from? Lots of great vintage cars in this video, that were daily drivers of the day, but would be classics today.
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Perhaps some older residents of Walnut Creek can help me: my mother and I visited there in 1974 (I was 8 years old) from Australia while my father travelled to Dallas and Chicago for business. We stayed with a local family that we knew, and on the first night after flying into San Francisco, they picked us up and took us to dinner at a restaurant which *I assume* was in Walnut Creek, since it didn't seem to be very far from their home in the nearby hills. I remember there being a big fire pit in a sunken bar area - which, for a kid from Sydney in the 70s, looked like something out of a US TV show - and it may have been a steak restaurant. Any ideas where that may have been? Thanks in advance, and great video post - even 7 years after I was there, it's still largely how I remember it.
Michael McIntosh I didn’t grow up in “Dub-C” (yes that’s a nickname for Walnut Creek and no I don’t use it except just now!) but did nearby, and have lived on the border of Concord and WC for many years. Sorry, but unfortunately I’m not familiar with the restaurant to which you referred, I might have guessed Vic Stewart’s (steakhouse) which was housed in an old/renovated/relocated train depot on Broadway, but it didn’t open until 1989 so it wouldn’t fit the bill of your restaurant. Anyway, sorry again I couldn’t help, but at least wanted you to get a response to your question.
Dan W Good call, I bet you’re right...I totally forgot about good ol’ Peppermill with the dim purple disco lighting and look/feel of the Peppermill casino.
It’s 2021 and we are in a pandemic. 🤦🏽♀️. Has 1.25. Has now 5. We didn’t realize those were the good times. I’m from the Bay Area is nothing like that any more. We still 🏃🏾♀️ 😂
It's become the Rodeo Drive of CoCo County. nothing much but rich people. Locust street has closed down most of it's sports bars because of fights and Micro Breweries mostly now. They had a George Floyd Related riot in 2021 and then sadly Smash and Grabs over and over at the Broadway Plaza off of Broadway and Diablo Valley. I'm curious why she said the year 2003? Just happened to be the year we went to war with Iraq and pretty much The whole nation had heighten security after 2001.
It's so funny to hear someone that should know better say "Heather Farms (with an S) Park" instead of the correct "Heather Farm Park". That is one thing that hasn't changed.
