Family

All in the Family

Marin County, “a great place for families” — it’s not just a real estate tagline. Just ask Gil Dowd senior, seated front and center, who recently celebrated his birthday surrounded by his clan. Their venue of choice for casual-get-togethers is Ricky’s Place in Novato, where, his daughter Kristen says, “the kids can swim, while the adults can have a cocktail and eat in peace.” Gil, a retired physician and his wife, Molly, née Molly Duggan, a graduate of Dominican College in San Rafael, live in Bel Marin Keys near their daughter Kristen Addicks, her husband Rick, a firefighter in Ross, and their two kids, Casey and Mairead, both Novato Charter School students. Just down the street lives Gil III, an extreme athlete who keeps in shape tracking down his three kids, Rachael, who attends Rancho Essentialist Elementary School; Annalise, a Hill Middle School student; and son Bryce, a sophomore at Novato High. Sister Kathleen lives in Kent Woodlands and her schedule as a midwife complements that of husband John Belzer, a Mill Valley native who is now an orthopedic surgeon. Their daughter Annika attends Redwood High next fall, son Conor is at Kent Middle School and youngest son Julian heads to Basich in the fall. Also in attendance were Gil’s nephew Luke Chambers, who grew up in San Rafael and met his wife Erica while working in Ecuador. Paul Belzer and wife Tiffany joined the group from San Mateo with kids Jack, 8, and Ava, 5. Not pictured are Carla Addicks and her husband Gary Jones, a former commodore of the Sausalito Yacht Club, who now live in Napa.

Staying active

In this recreation-loving neck of the woods the instruction starts early. Whether it’s dribbling a soccer ball, trimming a jib or finessing a kick-turn that’s on the agenda, Marin’s kids have access to some of the best coaches around. Here are just a few inspirational people and organizations that have provided memories and skills to last a lifetime.

Baseball: As Hall of Famer Bob Lemon once said, “Baseball was made for kids, and grown-ups only screw it up.” We think what he meant in spirit was that youth baseball is as good as it gets. The lifelong friendships, bases stolen, pant-knees soiled and memories of playing on a Little League team are the stuff dreams are made of. Thanks to the Little League organization (and many hours donated by parent volunteers), boys and girls of Marin from Sausalito to Point Reyes to Novato get to revel in the glory of the game. To find a Marin team visit westmarinlittleleague.org, hometeamsonline.com, rossvalleylittleleague.org, millvalleyll.org, tiburonll.org or eteamz.com

Soccer: Ever since captaining the first western U.S. youth soccer team to win a national championship, Dave Fromer has shared his passion for youth soccer, mentoring over 60,000 kids to perfect the angle of their kick. Throughout 48 years of coaching Fromer has influenced countless future pro athletes as well as his own children, Reed and Rachel, both currently soccer coaches to their own children. This year marks the 27th year of Dave Fromer’s summertime Marin Soccer Camps.

Swimming: The Marin Swim League, with 10 teams, has been around for decades, training and encouraging waterbabies ages 5 to 18 to hone their aquatic skills. More serious than most recreational leagues, MSL has fostered many competitive swimmers, including Ben Wildman-Tobriner, the current American world record holder in the 50 freestyle. Many go on to do competitive collegiate swimming, and most everyone has a great time and learns the lifelong skills of swimming and what it takes to be part of a team. marinswimleague.org

Recreational Centers Throughout Marin: Belvedere-Tiburon Recreation, 415.435.4355, btrecreation.org ★ Community Resource Center of West Marin, 415.663.8361, west-marin.com/area/wmw.vol.htm ★ Corte Madera Parks & Recreation, 415.927.5072, ci.corte-madera.ca.us/recreation_dept/index.html ★ Fairfax Parks and Recreation Commission (PARC), 415.453.1584, town-of-fairfax.org ★ Homestead Valley Community Association, 415.388.0137, homesteadvalley.org ★ Larkspur Recreation Department, 415.927.6746, ci.larkspur.ca.us ★ Marinwood Community Services District, 415.479.0775, marinwood.org ★ Mill Valley Community Center, 415.383.1370, millvalleycenter.org ★ City of Novato Parks, Recreation & Community Services, 415.899.8200 cityofnovato.org ★ Pickleweed Park Commmunity Center & Library, 415.485.3077 Ross Recreation Department, 415.453.6020, rossrecreation.org ★ San Anselmo Parks & Recreation Department, 415.258.4640, townofsananselmo.org ★ San Rafael Recreation, 415.485.3333, cityofsanrafael.org ★ Sausalito Parks & Recreation, 415.289.4152, ci.sausalito.ca.us ★ Stinson Beach Community Center, 415.868.1444, stinsonbeachcommunitycenter.org ★ Strawberry Recreation District, 415.383.6494, strawberry.marin.org

Cultured Kids

It was no surprise to educators or parents when a study commissioned by the William and Flora Hewlett and the Ford foundations found that a vast majority of California K-12 schools fell short of state goals established in 2001 for teaching the arts in four areas: visual arts, music, dance and theater. Luckily, in Marin we have outstanding supplementary programs–if you know where to look.

Visual Arts: Ten years ago Lisa Jones opened the doors of her Masterworks Children’s Art Studio (masterworkskidsart.com), geared to kids with a strong desire to learn fine arts. Her teaching combines a focus on the masters throughout history, from the prehistoric Venus of Willendorf on up to modern times, with the concrete fundamentals of drawing, painting, perspective and color theory. Other programs of note: Busy Little Hands in Larkspur Landing, a new studio for ages 2 to 11, was recently nominated for Nickelodeon’s 2008 Parents’ Picks Awards. And Doodlebug in San Anselmo, a perennial favorite for birthday parties, also offers serious art classes (doodlebugmarin.com).

Dance: Marin Ballet (marinballet.org) opened its doors in 1963 at the home of founder and internationally acclaimed dancer Leona Norman. These days company alumna Cynthia Lucas is at the helm, and the school serves about 450 kids all year with more than 100 classes per week. Spring and summer performances are held at its own theater, and its rendition of Nutcracker is an annual favorite at the Marin Center. For other dance disciplines and styles, Roco Dance studio (rocodance.com) and Happy Feet Dance School, both in Mill Valley, have loyal followings, as well as alumni who have become professional dancers.

Music: While not every student in Marin can be in San Domenico’s award-winning Virtuoso Program, they do have access to the man behind the music, composer George Thomas. Thomas is also maestro for the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra (marinsymphony.org), open by audition to all budding classical musicians. MSYO starts with the Crescendo program for tots and branches out into vocals with Marin Chorus, known for its holiday performances as well as a youth orchestra. Kids following a different musical calling are welcome at the hip-hop recording studio The Myc (themyc.com), pronounced “Mike,” in San Rafael. For piano lessons at home, look to Claudia Newberry (claudia-newberrry.com); for guitar try Tiburon’s Eric Schoenberg at (OM28.com), or consult local music stores Magic Flute (themagicflute.net) and Amazing Grace Music (amazinggracemusicmarin.com) for recommended teachers.

Theater: Since a full-time drama department is not usually part of an academic budget, many of our schools are fortunate enough to be able to “outsource” the drama teaching: groups like Marin Shakespeare (marinshakespeare.org) and Marin Theatre Company (marintheatre.org) offer after-school theater programs countywide, as well as summer programs to continue the magic.

Family Quick Picks

Marin family car: It could well be a toss-up between the new Toyota Highlander, Acura MDX and Honda Odessy minivan — but in a county known for outdoorsy livin’, the Volkswagen Eurovan Weekender has to take the prize for best all-around family car. The pop top that opens to a full-size bed provides an easy anytime, anywhere nap spot, and the under-seat refrigerator keeps all types of beverages cool. Ready to buy? Check ebay.com or Craigslist, because after the last shipment of the 2003 model rolled in, Sonnen Motorcars has not been able to keep any in stock.

Family-friendly restaurant: San Anselmo’s new Playdate Café. The word about this place is, what took so long! While the $8.95 (per kid) admission fee to the play area can add up, moms, dads, nannies and grannies seem to be chalking up the extra expense as the price of sanity.

Kid-friendly mall: The Village at Corte Madera. A conveniently shaded, safe play area and lots of kid-focused retailers and kid-specific entertainment on the roster makes this Marin’s top retail tot spot.