Discovery Walkers braved the noise and dirt of Broadway! along part of the day's "Circle the Balloon Track" walk. We had a good workout, this walk is one of the longer Discover Walks, with fewer stops for talking, pretty much steady walking from 9:30am to 11:30am. Weather was bright but overcast, high clouds, a bit muggy. A good turnout of walkers, about a dozen or so. Stops along the way at C & Waterfront, the Balloon track "panhandle," Clark Slough, Washington & Waterfront, Washington & Broadway, Fifth & Broadway, back to C Street Market Square. These stops made it easy to visualize how the area will be so dramatically changed with this development. Several walkers were able to contribute news and information about the various properties bordering the Marina Center development area. Times-Standard photographer took some pix, maybe for tomorrow's paper? At the end of the walk, I spoke briefly with Marty L'Heurault of Old Town Carriage Company, and he reported that the Buhne Warehouse building is stored under wraps at the Eureka Redevelopment-owned lot across from the Wharfinger building, and that he was ready to set it back up again within six months or so! It will be a carriage house for his business which he can then expand to more horses and carriages. It will be sited at the vacant spot on the sidwalk side of the Fisherman's Terminal building.

For this first Discovery Walk after a break of over a year, it was great to see the familiar faces of regular Discovery Walkers and also many new walkers. The weather was perfect for walking, sunny but cool, with a very brisk breeze! I had prepared myself with a little research and so was able to share some stories about Halvorsen Park, Sam Sacco Amphitheater, Adorni Center, Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center and floating dock, the Eureka Boardwalk, Bayfront One development, the soon-to-be-developed Eureka Pier One and Seaport Village, the newly complegted C Market Square and Fisherman's Terminal, and the chilling tale of the demise of Eureka Ice & Cold Storage. Several walkers contributed additional history (and corrections!) to what info I had been able to find. We all enjoyed hearing from someone who had been a very good friend of Rob Halvorsen, and from someone who knew the Adorni family, and many who remembered Lazio's legendary restaurant. As always, it's great to hear people's memories that complement what I am able to find from local publications. What great stories.

That same day there was a presentation by local historian Jerry Rohde "Around the Bays in Early Days: A Brief History of the Humboldt and Arcata Bays," at the Humboldt County Library, which I announced before the walk, and I saw several walkers in attendance and I hope the HCL gained a few more members for their Friends of the Library group. I always try to make it very clear tha tI am not an expert of a historian and I like to refer interested persons to the HCL and especially the Humboldt Room, for local history, and if you ever see classes or lectures from our local historians, Jerry and Gisela Rohde, Ray Raphael, or Ray Hillman, you should GO!

Check out the HCL page for events: http://co.humboldt.ca.us/library/ and join the friends to suppport local history and local resources: http://co.humboldt.ca.us/library/support/

Do you have a waterfront related story or memory? Please share with us on this blog, and come along on the next walk, July 16, meet in front of the Wharfinger Center for a "Circle the Balloon Track (or Tract)" walk for an on-the-ground perspective of how the Marina Center development project will change the area and that big bend in the road where 101 aka Broadway splits into 4th and 5th streets.