Late artist left indelible mark on adopted hometown of Benicia NEXT MONTH, BENICIA HISTORICAL MUSEUM will exhibit a collection of tile murals and other artifacts celebrating Guillermo Wagner Granizo, the artist who lived here during the last two decades of his life — and who left a legacy that is sure to endure for many […]
Von Pfister general store placed on National Register
One of city’s first buildings earns long-sought designation For decades, those interested in Benicia history have told the story of how Charles Bennett stopped at Edward Von Pfister’s general store in 1848 and announced that gold had been found at the mill site of his employer, John Sutter. The announcement touched off what became known […]
Benicia’s ‘meat shower’ mystery endures
19th-century event remains unexplained, but not forgotten In an occurrence that sounds like a Biblical plague story, meat — what seemed to be rancid, boneless beef — rained down on five acres of the Benicia Arsenal 164 years ago. How it happened is still the subject of speculation. Benicia Historical Museum curator Beverly Phelan believes it […]
Film chronicling creation of public artwork released
Benician’s documentary depicts work on city-commissioned ‘Wind, Water, Land’ When a work of art is put on display, it is the finished piece that the viewer sees. What happens behind the scenes — the hours of planning, design and trial and error — usually remains an untold tale. Fortunately for Benicia art lovers, when it […]
James Garrett: Who was the Panthers’ greatest player? The case for Kimble
ANOTHER HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SEASON IS ALMOST UPON US. The thought brings to mind the athlete I believe to be the best all-around football player to wear the blue-and-gold uniform of the Panthers during “The Golden Era” of Benicia High School football, the 1948 through 1960 seasons when the varsity team had a record of […]
Scenes from … Outside Lands 2015
OUTSIDE LANDS, Northern California’s biggest music festival of the summer, wrapped up Sunday. Above, Karl Denson of Tiny Universe; below, English band Hot Chip; and Sir Elton John. Photos by Greg Goodman/Special to The Herald
Cartoonist muses about demise of ‘HitchBOT’
A funny-looking robot that had successfully “hitchhiked” through its home country, Canada, as well as the Netherlands and Germany, started its journey from Massachusetts to the San Francisco Bay Area last month. Depending on who picked up “HitchBOT” and the route that person took, the robot might have passed through Benicia or other parts of […]
Council OKs grant levels
❒ Increase to arts groups agreed to by 3-2 vote, but panel ‘will have to vote again’ Benicia City Council agreed Tuesday that the city’s nonprofit organizations should get more money than recommended by advisory panels and city staff. But they split, 3-2, on how much those groups should get. If changing the amounts the […]
When PG&E was like MCE
THE RECENT DECISION OF BENICIA’S CITY COUNCIL to convert from Pacific Gas & Electric to Marin Clean Energy is reminiscent of earlier times. The Herald carried an article on Jan. 6, 1938 reporting that the utility applied for a franchise to deliver gas and electricity to the city. The proposal included a limit of 25 […]
Veterans to be honored at Capitol
Organizers say event is belated celebration of VE Day When Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allies on May 8, 1945, few in Benicia were awake to hear President Harry Truman’s announcement of the European victory. Few Benicians took to the streets to dance, as did the people in London, Paris and New York, “perhaps in […]