Sun 3 Jul 2011
Tomales’ party in the park
Posted by DavidMitchell under History, Marin County
1 Comment
Hundreds of people showed up Sunday when Tomales’ Community Services District held an Independence Day party in the town park. A variety of fundraising booths sold fare that ranged from German to Mexican to East Indian. There was music, crafts for sale, a silent auction and raffles.
The weather was the best it’s been in weeks, with children and dogs having at least as much fun as adults.
Entertaining the throng was the group Hill Williams with Pammy Lowe.
Tomales residents have spent the last 35 years developing the park. At first, they leased the land and then acquired it in 1992 with help from the Trust for Public Land. Eventually, it was deeded to the Tomales Village Community Services District. With development of the park beginning in 1979, the town landscaped the site and built restrooms, a gazebo, and this play structure.
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Beth Koelker (at left) spent much of the afternoon selling fundraising raffle tickets.
It is perhaps best known for a hoax in which it recreated Sir Francis Drake’s 1579 “plate of brass,” which claimed this area for the queen of England. The Clampers’ plate was discovered in Marin County during the 1930s and for 40 years was assumed to be authentic.
Only after it was shown to be a forgery did it come to light it was a hoax perpetrated by some Clampers decades earlier.
The shack contains numerous tarantulas in bottles and terrariums.
Elfstrom, who unhesitatingly picks a tarantula out of a terrarium to display it, said the spider’s bites hurt because its fangs are big.
However, he added, the amount of venom from a bite is about the same as what one gets from a bee sting.
The hairs on the tarantula’s back, he said, are also a defense mechanism and can irritate the skin of would-be predators.
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does anyone know how to get in touch with Henry Elfstrom of the Spider Shack. He and I were good friends in high school.