How was your 2024? It seems Marin made the most of its 366 days, so let’s remember some of the county’s significant developments of this year.
Upgrades to San Rafael’s Third Street
A revamp of the east-west thoroughfare wrapped up in January, unveiling new protected bike lanes, repaved roads, increased lighting and numerous safety and infrastructure improvements. With the help of multiple agencies, funding from Transportation Authority of Marin’s Measure A/AA funds and a federal grant, the project updated the crucial corridor, spanning Grand Avenue to Second Street.
Reservoirs Spilling
Heavy rains hit Marin at the start of the year, filling up all seven of Marin Municipal Water District’s reservoirs — nearly 80,000 acre-feet of water. North Marin Water District’s Stafford Lake Dam was also overflowing. The wetter than average winter resulted from El Niño, a weather event when warmer ocean surface temperatures create increased rain across the southern United States.
Innovative Surgery at MarinHealth
On July 24, Dr. Allan Conway and the MarinHealth vascular surgical team used an AI-equipped surgical platform called Cydar Maps to perform a vascular surgical procedure for aneurysm repair. The technology creates a personalized 3D map of a patient’s anatomy, aiding in pre-surgical planning, real-time image guidance during surgery and an automated post-op evaluation of outcomes.
The Inaugural San Quentin Film Festival
In recent years, San Quentin has been transforming to prioritize rehabilitation, education and vocational training. Exemplifying this change, it became the first prison to host a film festival this past October. SQFF brought industry professionals to the prison and crafted a two-day program of feature films about the carceral experience and shorts by currently and formerly incarcerated filmmakers.
Rare Whale spotted off Point Reyes coast
Just 3 miles off the coast of Point Reyes National Seashore, ecologists Jan Roletto and Kirsten Lindquist were surprised by a North Pacific right whale during their survey for Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies. Once numbering in the tens of thousands, population estimates put the species at fewer than 500 individuals today, and just 30 of them in U.S. waters from California to Alaska.
Sequoia Cinema Reopens
May saw the reopening of an institution, when the 95-year-old Sequoia Cinema welcomed movie fans back after a months-long hiatus. Newly owned by the Marin-based California Film Institute, the theater reopened with a blast from the past — featuring a schedule of old films like Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, as well as nostalgic $1 ticket prices.
New Arts Venues
Local art museum MarinMOCA opened a second location with their San Rafael exhibition space, debuting with the exhibit Opening the Mountain (on view until Dec. 21). The Marin Center finished its renovation of the Showcase Theatre in October — upgrading seating, sound and accessibility thanks to a federal grant, while eying new improvements for its Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium. And Point Reyes Station took to the streets for a new First Fridays Art Walk in June… following in the footsteps of many other Marin communities.
Farewell to our Neighborhood Rockstar
Sadly, we said goodbye to local music lover and community member Phil Lesh this October. Lesh shaped Marin’s music landscape — not just as founding member and pioneering bassist of the Grateful Dead, but as the owner of Terrapin Crossroads, the San Rafael music venue open from 2012–2021. Earlier this year, Lesh played with his sons at the Sunday Daydream concert series, with two performances at McNears Beach Park.
Share your favorite 2024 moments with the hashtag #Marin2024 and tag us @marinmagazine on Instagram.
