This weeks adventure lead us to discover “Mr. Martinez”, John Sparacino. John was a lifelong resident of our little town and became the town’s first major, back in 1973. His impact throughout our community was so grand that we have a park dedicated to him, at the corner of Alhambra Avenue and Marina Vista Avenue. Like many of the original families in Martinez, John’s family were fishermen that lived in our thriving downtown area. Later on in life he and his brother owned a suit shop, Sparacino’s Menswear. He was a loyal volunteer to our community, and I believe we would have had some very deep conversations.
John always wanted to do what was right for our community, and with that, I don’t think that it is a coincidence that the park named after him sits in front of our communities transit center; allowing our residents to commute throughout the Bay Area with ease. I was surprised to find out how many transit options there are! You can take a train to the BART station, hop on a bus and get to several counties or play it old school with a taxi cab ride. Check out the other transit options here: http://www.cityofmartinez.org/services/transportation.asp
FUN FACT: Joe DiMaggio was born in Martinez. His boat “Joltin’ Joe” resides in our community to this day!
