My Dad would take us to see the fireworks every year. In our Pontiac wagon, he would drive up to the top of a dirt road which is now Spy Glass Hill Condos. We had a perfect view accross the CM creek of the display.
I'm sure you're right. The triangular traffic island where the burn was, is right in front of the Episcopalian church. Epiphany or Twelfth Night sounds about right too. The old volunteer fire dept. must have really had their hands full!
Both those annual events = many good times for me as a kid from Corte Madera Av., including the scrounging of firecrackers on the 5th of July. I think the tree burning was on Epiphany/12th Night. Did the Episcopalians start it? (or the C.M. pagan underground?:) Need to start a C.M. Square topic...(I so remember the deep voice of the guy who had the hardware store; and we got our bread and milk at Fred & Mary's on the other side of the square (where the wine bar is now), etc.)
I grew up on Elm Ave., Palm Hill, and I remember when I was very little, watching the fireworks from our back yard. We could just barely see them over the hill, though.
That little market belonged to my childhood best friend's grandfather. Mario Shenone and his wife, Clorinda. We used to hide in the refrigerator in back and spy on people. Same friend's father and uncle owned the hardware store.
Except for the poor old market, what a wonderful memory of a community tradition. I can't remember what we did with our old trees - other than probably taking them out to the old dump in San Rafael.
My memories of 4th of July were very fun. My Dad worked near Chinatown and always bought (legally) what seemed like a huge box of fairly safe fireworks. Lots of sparklers etc. And all of the families went out into the street and had a grand old time saluting America.
Our house was on Hickory Ave, on an up-hill lot, snuggled into the base of Palm Hill ( superb for cardboard-sliding!)So, from the uppermost back yard, we had a great view of Neil Cummins School, and the still being developed Corte Madera Town Park. The volunteer fire dept put on a passable fireworks show each 4th of July. Seems they got it right about 85% of the time, but when they blew it, the hilarity ensued. I saw some rather serious mis-fires, and shells exploding only 10 feet up, or even on the ground. Yow! On the morning of the 5th, all the kids in my neighborhood would scour the park and schoolyard for unburned bits of pyrotechnic wonderment. You could light this stuff with a match, and amaze your friends!
Another cool thing was the Christmas tree bonfire in the triangular traffic island on Tamalpais Dr., near Menke Park. Every one in town would cart their tree to the huge pile, and toss it on, until it was HUGE. I had lots of fun burrowing into the middle of the pile, and pretending I was in my fort, and emerging absolutely covered in pine pitch. Then came the big day. Tons of folks would turn out,and they'd torch the pile. 25 or 30 foot flames! I mean HUGE! This remained a Corte Madera tradition thru the early 60's, until the roof of Parkside Market was ignited one year.
Astounding, the stuff that we did back then, that could never happen now.
