Belmont Turned 100. The History Room Opens One More Sunday Before January.

At 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, a band called Alameda de Las Pulgas played while Belmont put a time capsule into the ground in front of the Twin Pines Senior Center. The Rotary Club of Belmont and Redwood Shores donated the memorial, and the items inside were picked by residents through a survey earlier in the year. The evening ended with a drone show featuring artwork by Belmont youth, best seen from in front of City Hall.

The city's actual birthday came five days later. Belmont incorporated on Oct. 29, 1926, according to San Mateo County LAFCo, which put the 100th anniversary on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. The time capsule speaks to whoever opens it in the future. The record running the other way, from Belmont's past to the present, sits in the same park at the back of the Manor House. It opens to the public for three hours this Sunday, and then not again until January.

The archive keeps shorter hours than the party did

The Belmont Historical Society runs the History Room. Its open days for fall and winter fit in a short table:

Two of those dates have already passed, and so has the Society's special window at the Centennial Festival, 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 24. That leaves Nov. 8 as the only open day left in the centennial year itself.

The schedule is a big deal because so little of the archive lives online. The Belmont Historical Society says it has digitized part of its collection, but most of its photographs, articles and oral histories are kept in the History Room and can only be browsed during open hours. Two books written by local residents are also sold there: Belmont by McCarthy and Heritage of the Wooded Hills by Dewing.

The centennial year also changed who runs the room. In 2026 the Society became an affiliate organization of the City of Belmont's Parks, Recreation and Culture Department, and it now uses the email address [email protected]. Accessible entry is at the front of the building. For a group tour on a day the room is closed, the Society asks people to contact it directly.

Saturday puts the same park to work first

The day before the History Room opens, the lawn next door is busy. The City of Belmont and Belmont Library are holding a free, all-ages Diwali Celebration on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Twin Pines Senior & Community Center, 20 Twin Pines Lane, and the meadow beside it. The city lists music, dance, hands-on crafts and refreshments, and it has an interest form for performers who want to take part.

That puts the weekend's two events on Twin Pines Lane on back-to-back afternoons, with identical hours. The Senior Center that hosted the time capsule ceremony two Saturdays earlier hosts Diwali this Saturday. The Manor House behind it opens its archive on Sunday. The Society's Oct. 18 centennial walking tour also started at 20 Twin Pines Lane.

Listen first, then go see the originals

Some of the centennial was built to be heard. The city's 100 Years of Belmont Memories podcast has six episodes so far, titled Matt, Ed S, Dave I, Emily, Eric D and Terri Cook. Each is a conversation with a long-time resident about their experience of Belmont. If you listen to an episode on the drive over, the History Room feels less like a museum and more like the rest of the story.

There's a shorter option on the city's Historical Tour page. Three audio clips feature Belmont historian Karl Mittelstadt on the Emmett General Store, the American House Hotel and O'Neill's Landing. The city first made them for its 2023 City HALLoween decorations and later posted them for anyone to hear. The same page has a "Then & Now" photo gallery, with historical photos supplied by the Historical Society. It includes Angelo's Corners, Aunt Hattie's Bell, the Belmont Theater, the Belmont Train Station, Janke's Belmont Beer Gardens and the Belle Monte Country Club.

Here's how these fit with Sunday. The clips and the gallery show you which names to ask about, and the oral histories and photographs behind those names are in the History Room.

A two-day plan on foot

Twin Pines Park is a short walk from the Belmont Caltrain station, and the food stops below are all on Sixth Avenue, Ralston Avenue or Old County Road.

1. Saturday late morning: brunch at Farmhouse, 1301 Sixth Ave. Weekend brunch runs 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Saturdays dinner starts again at 5:30 p.m. According to the city, the current owner took over in December 2024 and kept the name.
2. Saturday 1–4 p.m.: Diwali at Twin Pines. Walk over from Sixth Avenue.
3. Saturday after the celebration: Falafelle, 1035 Ralston Ave. It's open Monday through Saturday and closed Sunday, so Saturday is the day to go.
4. Sunday 1–4 p.m.: the History Room, back of the Manor House. Give yourself the full three hours if you plan to go through the photographs.
5. Sunday afterward: Jolly's Old-Fashioned Teas Cream, 1110 Old County Road. The ice-cream-and-tea shop was one of the food trucks at Centennial Fest, so it ties the weekend back to Oct. 24.

On Old County Road, St. James Gate at 1410 Old County Road is another sit-down option. If you want something quicker, Tacos El Grullense C&D #4 at 575 Ralston Ave has been open since April 2023. Check each restaurant's website for weekend hours before you go.

The year still has a tally running

Things haven't finished since the drone show. City Manager Afshin Oskoui called the centennial "a celebration of our entire community," as quoted in South Bay Chronicle's Oct. 24 coverage. The city is still asking residents to carry some of that celebration themselves.

"For our birthday month this October, we invite everyone to take part, learn something new about Belmont, and celebrate the people and places that have shaped our city over the past 100 years."

The main way to take part is 100 Celebrations. The city's goal is 100 resident-hosted gatherings during the centennial year, whether a dinner with neighbors, a walk, a coffee or a happy hour. Email [email protected] about yours and it goes on the running count. The city will announce when the count reaches 100, and it is asking for photos too. Party bags with cups, napkins, stickers and small swag are available while supplies last. A Diwali picnic with neighbors on Saturday or a group trip to the History Room on Sunday would count.

The Parks and Recreation Office at 30 Twin Pines Lane sells centennial pins for $4, hats for $15 and shirts for $25 during regular business hours. It takes credit cards and Apple Pay but not cash. Unlike the separate online swag shop, those sales directly fund the city's centennial initiatives.

The city's centennial schedule lists a Centennial Recap for December but gives no date yet. The city's holiday calendar fills in the rest of December. The Winter Wonderland Workshop is Saturday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to noon at Twin Pines Lodge. Santa at the Firehouse & Toy Drive is Thursday, Dec. 10, at Fire Station 14, 911 Granada St., with a sensory-friendly session from 5 to 5:30 p.m. before the main event from 5:30 to 7:30. The Belmont Police Santa Parade is Thursday, Dec. 17, from 5 to 8 p.m., and the city says it will share the route closer to the date.

None of those December dates includes the History Room. After Sunday, Nov. 8, its next open afternoon is Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027, from 1 to 4 p.m.

My Belmont work is tied to these same streets, and it starts with how a house fits into a century of this city. If you're curious how your home sits in that story today, Caitlin Beanan can get you a free home valuation built on what's happening in Belmont right now.