After Belmont's 100th Birthday Party, the Rest of the Centennial Year Moves to Twin Pines Lane

Three addresses on Belmont's Twin Pines Lane show up again and again on this fall's City calendar: 20, 30 and 40. Number 20 is the Twin Pines Senior & Community Center. Number 30 holds the Parks and Recreation Office and, at the back of the Manor House, the Belmont Historical Society's History Room. Number 40 is Twin Pines Lodge.

The big Centennial Fest on October 24 spread across Alameda de las Pulgas, Ralston Avenue, Sixth Avenue and the park. The City planned a car parade, a time capsule ceremony, two stages of live music and a 7:30 p.m. drone show over City Hall. What comes after is quieter, and more of it happens on that one lane than anywhere else in town. From now until the City's December recap, the dates on Twin Pines Lane are a short walk from each other.

The November and December calendar, by address

Four of the nine entries are on Twin Pines Lane. Two more are at one fire station on Granada Street. The City's own centennial schedule lists no centennial-branded event for November. December has just one entry, a "Centennial Recap" with no date or details yet. So in November, the centennial shows up in the regular calendar: the community center, the History Room and the Parks office keep their usual programs going through the end of Belmont's 100th year.

The History Room has one Sunday left in 2026

This is the date most likely to slip by. The Belmont Historical Society opens its History Room from 1 to 4 p.m. on set Sundays. This fall and winter the list was September 13, October 11, November 8, and then January 10, 2027. There is no December open day. That makes Sunday, November 8 the last open afternoon of the centennial year.

Most of the collection is only available in person. The Society says some of its archive is digitized, but most of its photographs, articles and oral histories are kept in the History Room and can be browsed during open hours. The room is at the back of the Manor House in Twin Pines Park, and the accessible entrance is at the front of the building. Two books by local authors about Belmont's past are for sale there: Belmont by McCarthy and Heritage of the Wooded Hills by Dewing.

The Society also has a new role this year. It was founded in 1987 as a nonprofit, and in 2026 it became an affiliate of the City's Parks, Recreation and Culture Department. That helps explain why so much of the centennial ended up on this lane. The Historical Society's archive and the City department running the celebration now share a street address. For guided tours or history questions outside open hours, the Society directs people to the contact details on its site.

If November 8 doesn't work, the City's centennial page links to its 100 Years of Belmont Memories podcast on Spotify. You can listen to it any time.

November fills the community center and the Parks office

The weekend before the History Room opens, 20 Twin Pines Lane hosts the free Diwali celebration put on by the City and Belmont Library. It runs Saturday, November 7, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Twin Pines Senior & Community Center, with music, dance, crafts and refreshments. The City's October 16 newsletter promoted Diwali alongside Centennial Fest. With Diwali on Saturday and the History Room on Sunday, that is a two-day weekend at neighboring buildings.

Next door, 30 Twin Pines Lane becomes a drop-off point. The City's Letters to Santa program runs from November 2 through December 7. Letters can be dropped off at 30 Twin Pines Lane or mailed to Belmont Parks & Recreation. The Parks and Recreation Office there also sells the centennial merchandise during regular business hours: pins for $4, hats for $15 and shirts for $25. You can also buy them at community events or through the online shop linked from the centennial page.

The one November date off the lane is on Ralston Avenue. Session Zero, the game shop at 1940 Ralston Avenue, lists a Family Game Night for Sunday, November 1, from 4 to 8 p.m. The City's business spotlight describes the shop as having public gaming tables, a game library and private rooms.

December leaves the lane, then comes back

December starts at Twin Pines Lodge. The Winter Wonderland Workshop at 40 Twin Pines Lane runs Saturday, December 5, from 9 a.m. to noon for kids ages 5 to 12. It includes ornament-making, cookie decorating and letters to Santa. That is two days before the Letters to Santa drop-off closes at number 30, so a letter written at the workshop can go straight next door.

After that, the season moves to Granada Street. On Thursday, December 10, Fire Station 14 at 911 Granada Street hosts two Santa events back to back. A sensory-friendly session with therapy dogs and crafts runs from 5 to 5:30 p.m. Santa at the Firehouse & Toy Drive follows from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Guests are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy.

The Belmont Police Santa Parade follows on Thursday, December 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. The City's holiday events page says the route will be shared later. The Centennial Recap is the last item on the City's centennial schedule. With no date or location announced yet, the centennial page is the place to watch for it.

What the Fest left near City Hall

Some of the centennial year stays put after the events end. At a September 1 meeting, City staff described a small new plaza near the City Hall flagpole. According to Citizen Portal, the plaza combines the City's Chatty Bench project, benches meant to encourage conversation among seniors, with the centennial time capsule site. It has plantings and a rock plaque, and two capsules are to be buried there: one to be opened in 2076 and the other in 2126. The City says the capsule contents were chosen through a community survey earlier this year.

Two centennial art programs mark streets nearby. The Centennial Happy Hydrant program limits eligible hydrants to marked locations along Alameda de las Pulgas and Ralston Avenue. The Centennial Utility Box Art application covers a box at the corner of Ralston Avenue and Sixth Avenue. Those are the same two streets the October 24 parade used on its way to the car show on Sixth.

Getting to the lane this season

A few road and trail projects run through the same weeks as this calendar.

• Salson Trail. In an October 15 update, the City said crews were returning to the trail for final stabilization work over the following two weeks. The trail is closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during that work but stays open outside those hours, and signs are posted at access points. The trail is an unpaved fire road south of the Sugar Loaf Open Space area. It was damaged in the December 2022 and January 2023 storms and repaired in 2025. That two-week window ends around now, so check the project page and the trailhead signs before a weekday walk.
• Hill Street. The City's traffic advisories list part of Hill Street as closed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through November 2026 for the 900 El Camino development, with detours via Middle Road and Sixth Avenue.
• Repaving. The City's 2026 pavement project started the week of September 14. It covers Broadway, College View Way, El Verano Way, Korbel Way, Paloma Avenue, Phyllis Court, Sunnyslope Avenue and Prospect Street. Residents on those streets are asked to watch for notices and no-parking signs. The project page links to the current lookahead schedule for specific blocks.

For the Fest, the City suggested parking at Caltrain or the Notre Dame de Namur University lots near the Taube Center. The November and December events are much smaller, but Diwali and the History Room open day fall on the same weekend in neighboring buildings, so the same options may help on November 7 and 8.

For our team, local knowledge means things like knowing which Sunday the History Room opens and which streets are being repaved, and we're glad to share Belmont's 100th year with our neighbors. To talk through what's happening on your street, or anything else about life in Belmont, Heather Lin Real Estate Team is happy to help in English or Mandarin. Schedule a Free Consultation.