Do You Remember When ...?

Are you interested in local history? Do you have photos of the railroad that used to run through the area? A group of Kentfield residents, aided by Marin County Librarian Laurie Thompson, is gathering information on the history of the town.

Thompson will offer a concise and colorful look at the history of the Kent Family and Kentfield on Thursday, April 12 at noon.

Albert and Adaline Kent and their son, William Kent, moved to Marin County in 1871 and settled in the Ross Valley at their home in today's Kent Woodlands in 1874. The town of Kentfield came to be named in their honor.

Location: Board of Supervisors Planning Chambers, Room 330, Civic Center Administration Building, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael. Call 415-473-7419 for more information.

Looking for other things to do?

• The Larkspur Heritage Preservation Board is looking for new blood. If you're interested in applying for a seat, stop by Larkspur City Hall on Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Board meets to discuss ways to recruit applicants.

• Journalist Lynn Sherr is hoping to stir up some excitement Thursday at 1 p.m. at Book Passage in Corte Madera when she drops by to talk about her passion: Swimming. In her new book, Swimming: Why We Love The Water, Sherr covers famous swimmers including Esther Williams and Olympic gold medalists. "She reveals the secret of buoyancy so that anyone can avoid the example of the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who lamented, 'Why can’t I swim, it seems so very easy?' When his friend, the biographer Edward John Trelawny, said, 'because you think you can’t,' Shelley plunged into Italy’s Arno River and dropped like a rock."