At 1110 Old County Road, a short walk from the Belmont Caltrain platform, there's a small wooden building from 1910. Before it held Jolly's Old-Fashioned Teas Cream, it was the Chanticleer Ice Cream and Candy Shop. According to the shop, the building shows up in the background of Pop Tuttle the Fire Chief, a silent comedy filmed in the neighborhood. On Sunday, October 18, a free historic walking tour will stop there for ice cream and a screening of that film. It's one of the ways the City of Belmont is marking 100 years as an incorporated city.
The setting fits the occasion. Belmont incorporated on October 29, 1926. A San Mateo Daily Journal history column says the new city was trying to build a new image at the time. A greyhound track had opened in Belmont in 1924 and drew gamblers from out of town. The city could tax and regulate the track, but it could not shut it down. A century later, the birthday program leans on exactly that rowdy early era. The tour promises stories about speakeasies, gangsters, rock stars and Olympians. Most of the places involved are within a few blocks of Ralston Avenue and Old County Road.
The Track the New City Could Only Tax
The dog track explains a lot about 1926. Under California's "option system," a bettor didn't technically wager on a race. Instead, they bid to buy the dog, and courts ruled that legal. At one point San Mateo County had three tracks: Belmont's, one at Baden in today's South San Francisco, and one near the San Francisco line. That last one was so central to its area that a whole town, Bayshore City, was incorporated around it in December 1932.
California banned dog racing in 1939 and the tracks closed. Bayshore City lost its main taxpayer and its reason to exist, so it disincorporated. Belmont kept going, and this month it celebrates the 100th birthday Bayshore City never reached. Both towns had a dog track inside their borders. Belmont's track was already two years old when the city incorporated in 1926, but it was something the new city had to manage. In Bayshore City, the track was the whole reason the town existed.
Where the Stories Happened, and What Stands There Now
Only some of the early town survives as buildings. The Belmont Historical Society's publications place most of the rest on corners residents pass every week.
| The story | Where it happened | What's there in October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Belmont's first roadhouse | Angelo's Corners | The Wendy's at Ralston Avenue and Old County Road |
| Bootleg whiskey in the Prohibition years | The Belmont Hotel and Van's restaurant | Van's is named in the society's history; the walking tour covers the speakeasy era |
| Ice cream and candy in a 1910 building | Chanticleer Ice Cream and Candy Shop | Jolly's Old-Fashioned Teas Cream, 1110 Old County Road |
| Belmont's railroad depot | El Camino Real just north of Ralston Avenue | Removed in the early 1950s; Caltrain's Belmont station is at 995 El Camino Real |
| Flowers shipped east by train | Growers including a family raising large chrysanthemums on Redrock Hill | The hill was later quarried for Bayshore Highway fill |
| Water Dog Lake | A spring William C. Ralston dammed to irrigate his fields | Trails reached from the Hidden Canyon trailhead |
The table tells its own story. Belmont's first train came through in 1863, but the depot that served it is gone. So is the hill where chrysanthemums grew, which ended up as highway fill. Two Ralston landmarks are still standing: Water Dog Lake, with its trails, and Ralston Hall, the landmark mansion on the Notre Dame de Namur University campus. The Daily Journal reported that University of California Investments' purchase of the campus included plans to restore Ralston Hall and the Carriage House, and also included Water Dog Lake. No 2026 source confirms public tours inside the hall, so check before planning a visit. The City's trail-access notice for Water Dog dates from 2021, so check current trail conditions too.
October 18: The Tour Walks the Old Core
Volunteer historian Chuck Cotten's tour starts at 2:30 p.m. at the Twin Pines Senior Center, 20 Twin Pines Lane. It goes through Twin Pines Park and the downtown neighborhood to the train station, stops at Jolly's, and then heads back to Twin Pines Park past the historic homes on Waltermire Street. Topics include Belmont's early neighborhoods, flower farms and military history, along with the speakeasies and gangsters. The tour is free, but space is limited and you have to register in advance.
The City dates Pop Tuttle the Fire Chief to 1923, while Jolly's dates the building's appearance in it to 1922. Either way, the film was shot while the dog track was still a few years away and incorporation hadn't happened yet. That makes it one of the earliest moving pictures of these streets.
If you want to dig further, the Belmont Historical Society's History Room in the Manor House at Twin Pines Park is open 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 11, and Sunday, November 8. The City's Centennial Stories podcast on Spotify has conversations with long-time residents.
October 24: The Fest, Hour by Hour
The City's signature event takes over Sixth Avenue and Twin Pines Park on Saturday, October 24, five days before the actual anniversary.
- Noon to 3 p.m. Intermittent street closures along the parade route.
- 1:30 p.m. A vintage car parade leaves Chula Vista Drive and Alameda de las Pulgas. It heads north on the Alameda, turns east down Ralston, then turns right onto Sixth Avenue. It's invite-only, with up to 50 cars carrying city staff, elected officials and community partners. It ends with a car show on the 1000 block of Sixth Avenue near City Hall.
- 3:30 p.m. The time capsule ceremony in front of the Twin Pines Senior & Community Center. Contents came from a community survey earlier this year, and the City says it will publish the full list closer to the event. The Rotary Club of Belmont & Redwood Shores donated the time capsule memorial.
- Afternoon into evening. The festival in Twin Pines Park, with live bands on two stages, including EZ Motion and Trevor & The Long Haul.
- 7:30 p.m. A drone show featuring art by Belmont youth. The City says the best view is in front of City Hall, though it can also be seen from clearings and parking lots around the park.
The lineup has a historical echo. Jolly's, back in a building where ice cream was sold more than a century ago, has a food truck at the festival. Alpha Acid Brewing, a taproom at 121 Industrial Road that Kyle Bozicevic opened in 2014, is pouring the beer. Park Boosters is selling wine. The other listed trucks are Kona's Ice, Travelin Tom's Coffee, Jika's Kitchen, Respectable Bird, Sam's Chowder Mobile, Jaylis Cocina and Me So Hungry Too, and the City notes the list may change. You can bring your own food and non-alcoholic drinks, but bringing opened alcohol into the park is illegal. Seating will be limited, so bring chairs or blankets, as you would for Concert in the Park.
Parking will be tight. All of Twin Pines Park and Sixth Avenue will be closed to cars, and the City suggests parking at Caltrain, at NDNU or on nearby streets, or walking, biking or carpooling. The FAQ doesn't mention a shuttle.
The Rest of the Birthday Month
The fest isn't the only event. Music & Open Mic Night runs October 17, 6 to 9 p.m., at Twin Pines Manor, 10 Twin Pines Lane, and admission is free. Belmont Boo Bash is Wednesday, October 28, at Twin Pines Park, with Trunk or Treat, a haunted building, music and food trucks. The official calendar lists it as 5 to 7 p.m., while the City's October 2 bulletin says 5:30 to 7 p.m. Boo Bash falls the night before October 29, the 100th anniversary of incorporation.
City Manager Afshin Oskoui framed the month as a chance to "learn something new about Belmont, and celebrate the people and places that have shaped our city over the past 100 years." The City is also asking residents to host 100 celebrations of their own, like a neighborhood dinner, a walk or a block party. Email [email protected] to have yours counted and to pick up a party bag with cups, napkins, stickers and small Centennial items while supplies last. Centennial pins are $4, hats $15 and shirts $25 at City events and at the Parks and Recreation Office, 30 Twin Pines Lane. Those sales fund Centennial programs directly, and the office takes cards and Apple Pay but not cash. The City's initiative calendar lists a Centennial Recap for December but doesn't give a date.
Many Belmont homes sit on streets with history like this behind them, from Old County Road to the blocks along the old rail line. If you'd like to know how your own corner of Belmont fits into the city's first 100 years, and what that history means for a home there today, Peninsula Realty Partners is glad to talk it through. Get an Instant Home Valuation or Schedule a Consultation with Savannah Wieser.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
