We had our St. Raphaels 8th grade graduation party there one afternoon in 1963 and had a great baseball game with some of the other Bay Area schools that were also having a function. The day was marred though by a boy who drowned in the pool. The pool was packed with kids and he apparently told someone he was going to hold his breath on the bottom of the pool. Unfortunately no one saw him and he drowned. A very sad day for all of us.
I am kind of surprised that no one has written a post about the old Marin Town and Country Club that closed in the early 1970s in Fairfax. I only went there a few times as a kid, but it was an amazing place with swimming pools, dining rooms, tennis and basketball courts, and a baseball diamond. It actually was the site of the original homestead for Fairfax, as a prominent San Rafael doctor gave the land near the area t o his friend, an englishman named Lord Fairfax (for whom the town is named) as a wedding gift in the middle of the 19th century. Later in the early 20th century, it became "Pastori's." a popular resort and dining spot, and then in the 20s through the 40s, was owned by the Emporium and was set up as a club for employees of that store from SF. Finally a man named Max Friedman (I think that's his name ) bought it in the early 50s or late 40s, and for the next 20 some odd years, ran one of the most successful day time recreation centers in the bay area. I've talked to scores of people in the their 50s and 60s who used to come over to get away from the fog to enjoy the sun, the swimming pool, and the good times. A lot of young kids would meet there and have great times. Also, for awhile in the 1950s and early 60s, big bands would play at night at the bandstand, and local radio stations such as KYA would carry the music live. It's kind of sad now, because all of the buildings have gone into disrepair and I believe are low income housing, the pool is long since gone, and so are the tennis courts, and you're not even allowed to go onto the property. There's a crotchety landlord or manager living there who is a bit nuts I'm told. One of my neighbor's kids was down there on the property (it's at the end of Pastori Lane across a bridge running over the creek where there used to be lots of trout or salmon) and this nit wit manager or landlord actually rammed into the kid's car, with his truck, causing some damage, but fortunately, no injuries.. He then came out of his truck and literally threatened the kid and his friends with a baseball bat. One of the kids called the fairfax police on his cell phone. No charges were filed against either side (probably because the kids were trespassing), but unfortunately that's what going on there today. It would be wonderful if the local community somehow purchased the property for a park for the city, because even though Peri Park is nice, it's much smaller in size. Ten years ago, right when my wife and I moved here from the city, there was a ballot measure that if passed would have given the city of Fairfax some of the land to build a park, but that was provided that the landlord could build a bunch of luxury homes nearby. Fairfax residents resoundingly voted no, and although I'm like the rest of the "nimbys" here in the town some call "Mayberry on acid," I think it might not have been a bad idea if the measure had passed. At Fairfax kids would have a nicer park, and think what it would do to the local economy if they could revitalize the old Town and Country Club. Of course, that would also mean lots of traffic in the area (already a problem with so much recent development since the 70s!) The thing I remember most about the Town and Country Club is the high diving board where I took my first high dive into a pool. I was about 9 or ten at the time, and it was an exciting experience. I don't know if anyone out t here has seen the great film noir classic "Experiment in Terror," shot in 1961 and starring Lee Remick. Glenn Ford and Ross Martin (he was Robert Conrad's sidekick, "Artemus Gordan" in the 60s TV show the "Wild, Wild, West." This was a thriller about an mysterious killer and terrorist (Martin), who threatened to kill Remick's youngster sister (played by a teenage Stephanie Powers) if Remick didn't surreptiously steal 80 thousand dollars for him from the bank where she worked. Glenn Ford played the FBI agent assigned to the case, and the climactic scene took place during an actual Giants/Dodgers games at Candlestick Park, with shots of many of the players, the voices of TV announcer Vin Scully, and Giants' PA voice Jeff Carter in the background. At the end of the move, Ford shoots Martin dead on the field just after the game is over, as Martin is trying to escape the police. There are also a couple of scenes where Powers and her boyfriend are filmed swimming and diving into the water at the old Town and County Club! Great stuff!
