Portola Valley Update July 18, 2025

This Week's Update

• News Release - Portola Valley Town Manager
• Save the Date; Neighborhood Cleanup August 23
• ☀️Summer Safety Tips: Stay Safe While Enjoying the Sunshine
• Adopt a Puppy this Summer from Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA!
• FREE Historic Walking Tours Throughout San Mateo County This Summer
• Upcoming Town Events

News Release - Portola Valley Town Manager

Save the Date; Neighborhood Cleanup August 23

Mark your calendars and Save the Date for the next Neighborhood Cleanup!

Saturday, August 23, from 8 AM to 11 AM (no items accepted after 11 AM)

This event is free for Portola Valley residents - you will need to bring a copy of your GreenWaste garbage bill or the mailer insert as proof of residency. Hazardous materials are NOT accepted.

☀️Summer Safety Tips: Stay Safe While Enjoying the Sunshine

As the sun shines brighter and the days stretch longer, summer offers endless opportunities for out door fun- beach days, backyard, road trips, and more. But with the warm weather comes a need for increased caution. Whatever activity you prefer, American Red Cross has excellent summer safety tips for you and even our four legged friends. Learn more about Grilling Safety with the tips below.

Adopt a Puppy this Summer from Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA!

Have the dog days of summer got you down? We have just the remedy. Come adopt a puppy and turn that frown upside down! Looking to fill in your summer plans with your family? Did you know that any day of the week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. you can visit sweet, adorable, adoptable dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, birds, bunnies, Guinea pigs, snakes, bearded dragons, turtles, and more at Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA?

If you’re thinking about adding a furry family member, come visit our adoption center! We have puppies, kittens, dogs, cats, and small animals ready to find their way into new homes and staff who will ensure you are matched with an animal to fit your lifestyle. An added bonus is that cats and dogs have already undergone costly vaccination, microchip, and spay/neuter procedures before they are placed up for adoption, making pet ownership so much more affordable. Best of all, throughout July, puppies up to 12 months old have $0 adoption fees. Find puppies and other dogs currently available for adoption at phs-spca.org/dogs.

FREE Historic Walking Tours Throughout San Mateo County This Summer

Complementing its Victorian Days at the Old Courthouse, the San Mateo County History Museum is offering FREE walking tours throughout the Peninsula this summer. From Daly City to Pigeon Point, visit cemeteries, museums, stables, downtown sites, interesting residential areas, a historic railroad depot, a jail, a slot machine collection and a lighthouse.

For more information about the walking tours, go to www.historysmc.org/victorian-days-walking-tours/.

Victorian Days is also a FREE event and features family activities that inform youngsters about life in the nineteenth century. It takes place from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 9.

Below is a list of the walking tours as of June 11, 2025. Please note, many of the tours require reservations.

Victorian Days Walking Tours 2025

South San Francisco – Saturday, July 19 from 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

The South San Francisco Public Library History Room will host a walk down Grand Avenue, sharing architectural details about historic buildings and stories about the people who built the city at the turn of the century. We will see the hotel that housed the earliest workers in the booming industrial town, the house that served as the City’s first hospital, and a dozen other historical sites. The tour begins at the library with a video about the city’s history. There is free parking behind the library; enter on Miller Avenue.

RSVP: Due to limited space, you must RSVP to 650.877.8533 or martinezev@plsinfo.org.

Difficulty Level: Moderate. Most is on a slight decline, 2 blocks are steeper.

Address: Grand Avenue Library, 306 Walnut Ave., South San Francisco.

Colma – Sunday, July 20 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Join us for a one-hour walk through the Japanese Cemetery. You will learn about its founding, the stories of some of its famous underground residents and monuments to honored groups, and the unique style of the cemetery. This will be followed by a brief walk or drive to the Colma Historical Museum and a light buffet at 1500 Hillside Blvd. (Easy parking on the street and at the museum’s parking lot.)

RSVP: cha@colmahistory.com or 650-757-1676 with your name, # of people, & contact number.

Difficulty Level: Easy. There are a few steps to enter the cemetery Columbarium.

Address: Japanese Cemetery entrance, 1300 Hillside Blvd., Colma (easy parking on street).

Pacifica – Saturday, July 26 from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

The Pacifica Historical Society will lead a historical walk of the Sharp Park district. Pacifica’s history includes the villages of the Ohlone people, the place where the Portola expedition camped, the coming of the Ocean Shore Railroad, speakeasies, rum runners, the building of a castle and a pier, historic homes, and stories of individuals who left enduring legacies on the coast. Find out how Pacifica became a city and how it got its name, and visit our museum after the walk, where refreshments will be served.

RSVP: Required at info@pacificahistory.org or a message at 650-355-1909.

Difficulty: Easy. ADA accessible sidewalks.

Address: Coastside Museum, 1850 Francisco Blvd., Pacifica.

Half Moon Bay: Burleigh H. Murray Ranch State Park – Sunday, July 27 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Join us on a leisurely two and a half mile, two-hour hike along Mills Creek at Burleigh H. Murray Ranch State Park. Enjoy one of our area’s hidden treasures as you learn about the lives of the first pioneers and farming families.

RSVP: Required at https://bit.ly/4caShHi.

Difficulty Level: Moderate. Mostly flat, unpaved dirt road.

Address: Burleigh H. Murray Ranch State Park, Half Moon Bay (Murray Ranch Access Road off of Higgins Canyon Road).

San Bruno – Saturday, August 2 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Join San Mateo County Historical Association President Mitch Postel in an exploration of San Bruno’s historic business district. Starting at the intersection of San Mateo Avenue and El Camino, the walk down San Mateo Avenue includes the original EIMAC building where vacuum tubes were produced for broadcast and radar transmitters during World War II. The tour will feature a stop at the Welch Family’s private slot machine collection, a rare treat in itself.

RSVP: Not required.

Difficulty Level: Easy. Note the private slot machine collection is not ADA accessible.

Address: Intersection of San Mateo Avenue and El Camino Real (in front of apartments at 400 San Mateo Avenue).

Woodside – Saturday, August 2 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Tour the Woodside Town Center with Woodside History Committee members. Starting at the Woodside Community Museum, view important Woodside commercial district buildings including Independence Hall and the Pioneer Saloon. The tour lasts about 30 minutes. Tours will be offered from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

RSVP: Not required.

Difficulty Level: Easy. Sidewalks and parking lots, slight slope.

Address: Woodside Community Museum, 2961 Woodside Road (behind Village Pub).

Woodside: Folger Stable – Sunday, August 3 at 10 a.m.

Tour the Folger Estate Stable Historic District at Wunderlich Park. Learn about the history of the main stable, Carriage House, Chinese built stone walls, the blacksmith barn and dairy house. Take a trip back in time to learn about the agricultural uses of the property, the development of the Folger Coffee Company, the architectural legacy of the estate, and the influence of horses to the American West and Woodside history.

RSVP: Not required.

Difficulty Level: Moderate. The tour is mostly on flat pavement, bricks or cobblestones, there will be portions on uneven terrain and a couple of short hills. The route will be modified based on the group. For questions, contact fhwp2961@gmail.com.

Address: Wunderlich County Park, 4040 Woodside Road, Woodside. Parking is limited. Meet at the picnic area adjacent to the parking lot.