Belmont's Centennial Parade Rolls Down the Two Streets Where Its New Happy Hydrants Live

There is a fire hydrant near Belmont City Hall painted in honor of former state senator Quentin Kopp. It thanks him for a 1998 bill that let the city keep its decorated hydrants after state rules called for uniform colors. Belmont marked its 50th birthday with paint, and in its 100th year it is doing so again, one approved design at a time.

On Saturday, October 24, a vintage car parade opens the Belmont Centennial Fest. It starts on Alameda de las Pulgas, turns onto Ralston Avenue and ends on Sixth Avenue. Alameda and Ralston are also the only two corridors where the revived Happy Hydrant program allows painting. On its way to the car show, the parade passes the same stretch of road where the city has been approving new hydrant designs all year.

The 1976 Paint Job, and What Was Left of It

In a 2018 KQED Bay Curious story, local historian Denny Lawhern traced the hydrants to the early 1970s. The country was getting ready for the 1976 Bicentennial, and a national program called "Paint a Plug For America" was spreading from Indiana. Belmont was also nearing 50 years as a city, and residents painted more than 300 of its hydrants. Judy King, a longtime Belmont Historical Society volunteer, told KQED she gave out paint in "little baby-food jars of three colors, or 20 colors, or whatever you needed."

The collection nearly disappeared in the 1990s. After the 1991 East Bay Hills Fire, state law required hydrants to be painted in uniform colors that show water capacity. SB 1437 solved this for Belmont by letting the city mark capacity with color-coded reflector buttons and curb markings, so the painted hydrants could stay. Even so, Lawhern told KQED in 2018 that only about 50 to 60 of the original 300-plus were left. Most were worn, because upkeep stopped as the families who had painted them moved away. He hoped the city would repaint them for its 100th anniversary in 2026.

A Belmont Hills parent who walked past the hydrants every day put their appeal plainly to KQED:

"Belmont doesn't have an established downtown. So the hydrants made it feel like a community."

That explains why the city brought them back for the centennial and why the new ones are where they are.

Why the Revival Sticks to Alameda and Ralston

A September 2025 city parks newsletter said a centennial Happy Hydrants program would be announced shortly. The city runs the program with the district and has warned residents not to paint hydrants without permission. Under the district's policy, only hydrants marked on its map qualify. Those are district-owned, visible hydrants along Alameda de las Pulgas and Ralston Avenue. The 1970s hydrants stood in front of houses all over town. The 2026 versions are meant for the two streets most people drive every day.

The rules are tighter than the baby-food-jar era. The city provides or arranges the paint, a specific Benjamin Moore alkyd. The threads must stay unpainted, the hydrant has to work and stay visible, and black paint is limited. Each design needs city approval and an operational review by the district.

Progress has been gradual:

• October 31, 2025: first application deadline
• January 30, 2026: the city's weekly news reported that first-round artists had finished their hydrants
• May 6, 2026: the Parks and Recreation Commission backed designs for two more hydrants
• July 22, 2026: the commission backed one more design

Citizen Portal's account of that July meeting says the design is called "Century in Bloom." It draws on native plants, animals and local history, and its hydrant is just past Ralston near Old County Road. The design went to Mid-Peninsula Water for final approval. The city has not published a final count of painted hydrants. Its August 3 parks newsletter said applications would stay open all year.

The centennial also offered one painted utility box, at Ralston Avenue and Sixth Avenue. On Saturday, that is the corner where the parade turns toward the car show.

Saturday Covers the Same Ground

The city's October 2 press release and centennial FAQ give the day's schedule.

The press release gives the starting point as Chula Vista Drive and Alameda, which is the church's corner. For anyone not riding in the parade, the best places to watch are along Alameda and Ralston, the same stretch where the new hydrants are going up.

Park Boosters will sell beer and wine from Alpha Acid. The food truck list, which may change, includes Jolly's Old-Fashioned Teas Cream, Kona's Ice, Travelin Tom's Coffee, Jika's Kitchen, Respectable Bird, Sam's Chowder Mobile, Jaylis Cocina and Me So Hungry Too. Bands on the schedule are Drini and the Wild Cats, Trevor & The Long Haul, New Shoes Blues Band, and Alameda de Las Pulgas, which plays during the time capsule ceremony. You can bring your own food and non-alcoholic drinks. Opened alcohol from outside is not allowed in the park. The city will set out a few tables and recommends bringing chairs or blankets.

The Rotary Club of Belmont & Redwood Shores donated the time capsule memorial. A city survey in March said a penny would go inside and asked residents to pick the rest. The History Room opening is the easiest way to see the old hydrant photos. KQED reported that three large photo albums there record the original project.

What Closes, and When

The closures cover more ground and more hours than the festival itself:

• Twin Pines Park: closed from Friday, October 23 at 5 p.m. until Sunday, October 25 at 8 a.m.
• Parade route, Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Alameda from 1040 Alameda to Ralston, and Ralston from Alameda to El Camino Real
• Sixth Avenue from Ralston to O'Neill: closed all day Saturday
• Drone show zone, Friday 7 to 8:30 p.m. for practice and Saturday 6 to 8 p.m.: parts of Sixth and Emmett, plus Waltermire Street from Sixth to the Safeway entrance, closed to cars and pedestrians

If you plan a Saturday evening stop at the Waltermire Safeway, go before 6 p.m. or after 8. Parking is limited. Options are the Caltrain lot, the NDNU lower lot near the Taube Center, NDNU's East Lot, and nearby streets. The city asks people to carpool, bike or walk if they can.

The Actual Birthday Is the Following Thursday

San Mateo County LAFCO lists Belmont's incorporation date as October 29, 1926. That is five days after the festival. The rest of the city's calendar fills the gap:

1. Wednesday, October 28, 5 to 7 p.m.: the free Belmont Boo Bash at Twin Pines Park, with trunk-or-treat, a haunted house in the Manor building, live music and food trucks
2. November 2 through December 7: Letters to Santa drop-off at the Parks and Recreation Office, 30 Twin Pines Lane
3. Saturday, November 7, 1 to 4 p.m.: a free Diwali Celebration at Twin Pines Senior & Community Center, 20 Twin Pines Lane
4. Sunday, November 8, 1 to 4 p.m.: the next regular History Room opening

The city is also counting toward 100 resident-hosted gatherings this year, such as a dinner, a walk or a block party. If you email [email protected], the city will count yours and arrange pickup of a party bag while supplies last. Centennial pins cost $4, hats $15 and shirts $25 at city events or at the Parks and Recreation Office, card or Apple Pay only. The Centennial Stories podcast is on Spotify.

Hydrant applications are still open for 2026. Approved designs are limited to district-owned hydrants on Alameda de las Pulgas and Ralston Avenue.

Belmont is celebrating its 100th along the streets I drive with clients every week. If you'd like to talk about what that stretch of Alameda and Ralston means for your own plans, Rick Lei is happy to sit down over coffee after the parade. Let's Connect.