Growing Up in Fairfield, California

by Arcadia Publishing

Overview

A magic nostalgia ride awaits.

Life in Fairfield in the decades after World War II was an unparalleled experience. From cruising down Texas Street on weekends to catching a carnival in the Wonder World parking lot, fond memories of long-lost times haven't been forgotten. People flocked to vintage eateries like Joe's Buffet and Smorga Bob's, and played on the rocket ship slide at Allan Witt Park. Roller Rinks like the M&M Skateway hosted not just skaters, but dances featuring Fats Domino and Roy Orbison. Commuters hopped aboard the FART bus to save on gas, and frequenting Dave's Giant Hamburgers was a rite of passage.

Longtime Daily Republic journalist and accidental historian Tony Wade takes a deep dive into the Fairfield of yesteryear.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467149105
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	09/06/2021
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 5.70(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Tony Wade came to Fairfield in 1976 when he was twelve and never left. He attended Grange Intermediate, Armijo High School and Solano Community College. In 2006, Wade began writing columns for the local newspaper, the Daily Republic. In 2011, he became an amateur historian when he began the "Back in the Day" columns for the Daily Republic. He is the elder brother of longtime Daily Republic columnist Kelvin Wade and lives in Fairfield with his wife, Beth, and their Chiweenie, Chunky Tiberius.

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Acknowledgements 15

1 Back in the Day: A Flyover History of Fairfield 17

2 Up in the Morning and Out to School 25

3 What Do You Do for Fun around Here? 50

4 Famous Fairfielders and Famous Fairfield Visitors 71

5 Solano County Seat Landmarks 89

6 Uniquely Fairfield Stories 111

7 Let's Eat! 141

8 Fairfield on Film: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly and…Well, the Dirty 163

9 Removing the Rose-Colored Glasses 173

10 Where Is Fairfield? 180

Bibliography 183

Index 185

About the Author 189

Editorial Reviews

"'Back in the Day' writer Tony Wade, describing himself as a 'humorian' and 'accidental local historian,' writes a lighthearted nonfiction work, 'Growing Up in Fairfield,' a breezy glimpse of his hometown, with social media user input, during the latter half of the 20th century…In short, Wade's prose and conversational approach make it a fun, breezy read that is hard to put down, and, for those of a certain age in Fairfield and elsewhere in Solano County, the question that comes to mind might be 'Why didn't I know about this?' followed by 'Thank you, Tony, thank you for stirring my memory.'" The Reporter - Richard Bammer, The Reporter

"It's not a dry history book. Yeah, you'll get the history of Sem Yeto and Gen. Mariano Vallejo and the Chief Solano statue. You'll learn about Captain Waterman and how Fairfield was founded as well as how we replaced Benicia as the county seat. But the real meat of the book covers the nostalgic Fairfield that we all remember, know and love." Daily Republic - Kelvin Wade, Daily Republic

From the Publisher