Attention Chili, Salsa and Beer Challengers It's Time To Enter The Great Petaluma Chili Cook-Off!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - THIS EVENT IS ON SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015 FROM 1-5PM (rain or shine) AND YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS IT.

Do you.........

                  Cook a mean chili?

                                   Make a killer salsa?

                                                   Brew a gnarly grog?
This may be your last chance to enter this great annual event. Sign up now because spots are ‘first come - first served’ and filling fast.

Click here for Chili and Salsa Great Entry Form. These forms are due by March 15th or until spaces fill.

Click here for the Beer Entry Form. These forms are due by March 31 or until spaces fill.

Are you a vendor or business that wants a lot of exposure. They have beer, soda’s and waters all squared away, but if you have art, service, food, or non-profit that is a good fit for this venue this is a great event to get exposure while supporting the Cinnabar Theater Children’s Program. Click here for the Vendor Entry Form.

Any questions send your emails to Laura Sunday at laurasunday@gmail.com. A lot of great information can be found on their website GreatChiliCookoff.com.

This is a short video of last years event. Enjoy and we hope we see you there.

Nominate a 'Good Egg' and Get #Petaluma Butter and Egg Days Applications In

The 2015 Butter & Egg Days Parade will be here before you know it so mark your calendar for April 25. Be prepared and nominate Good Egg.

GET YOUR NOMINATIONS FOR GOOD EGG IN BY FEBRUARY 25

The downtown association is working hard to get things tied up for the Good Egg nomination and ceremony but provided us with a copy of the form that will be used for this year.

The Good Egg Award is presented annually to a Petaluma citizen whose ‘egg-ceptional’ effort over time has helped preserve and contribute to the positive promotion of the city of Petaluma, its history and its people.

To nominate a “Good Egg”, send a nomination form or letter to: The Good Egg Award Committee, c/o Petaluma Downtown Association, 210 Lakeville Street, Petaluma, CA, 94952. All applications must be received by Wednesday, February 25 at 5 p.m.

Your letter should identify how your prospective Good Egg has helped to promote Petaluma and its history within the community and beyond. They may have done this by working to preserve Petaluma history, promoting Petaluma’s distinctive resources, or helping others to remember and honor historic Petalumans or Petaluma achievements. This needs to be someone who has contributed to the preservation or promotion of Petaluma’s history.

Click this link to download a 2015 Good Egg Nomination Form and print it out.

Click here to see a short video of John Crowley of Aqus Cafe who was the 2014 Good Egg.

HERE ARE IMPORTANT LINKS TO PETALUMA DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION SITE GIVING YOU INFORMATION ABOUT THIS YEAR’S PARADE.

General Information

Schedule of Events

Applications - Important! Every year they run out of space for entries in the parade. According to the site the earlybird entry is February 27, and the regular deadline is March 9 by 8AM.

Frequently Asked Questions

Photo Gallery & Positively Petaluma Video Playlist

Don’t know how to build a float? No sweat! Friedman’s Home Improvement will be conducting a parade entry workshop on Wednesday, February 18th from 5:30-7PM at 429 North McDowell Blvd in Petaluma to help you build an award winning float this year. Click this link to download the Parade Entry Workshop Application. They are due on February 14th.

Attention Pre-schools, Day Care Centers and Mothers Clubs. Don’t miss the Clover Kids Parade April 25th starting at 11:30AM. Click this link to download the Clover Kids Parade Application which is due by March 9.

We look forward to seeing you there. Thanks also to all the sponsors for this year’s event. It is very fitting that our parade is presented by Petaluma Poultry’s Rockie and Rosie.

Thank you for visiting our website PositivelyPetaluma.com where you will only find good news.

#Petaluma's First LumaCON Youth Comic Convention a Success

Over 1500 attended Petaluma's LumaCON the 1st Youth Comic Convention at Herzog Hall on Saturday, January 17, 2015.

The intention behind LumaCON was to promote reading and literacy for children and young adults. Smiling, Williams tells me, “It’s far exceeded our expectations, it’s made us think about next year. Everybody is having fun … and I know it’s been that way because the artists have such goodwill, good talent, and they’re here because they’re volunteering to do it and I think that shows.”

LumaCON had representations from a wide variety of fandoms, which included Doctor Who, Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Homestuck, among others. Looking around, visitors could see artists drawing, children crafting, and people cosplaying, dressed up in all manner of costume. Attendee Travis, who is decked out in a Star Trek uniform, says he is at to LumaCON, “to show my support for the community and to see what’s going on and to get kids reading and get myself more comic books.”

Visitors had the opportunity to listen to panels and discussions, buy comics and art from local artists, and partake in the live-action role-playing, in which participants battle using padded swords and shields. People had only good things to say about LumaCON and seemed hopeful for a reoccurrence next year.

Click here to see a video showcasing this event. Maybe you will see someone you know.

Sonoma County Celebrates "The Birth of an AVA - #Petaluma Gap"

Petaluma families have been making wine since the mid 1900's (some sources say for over 150 years) but 2015 marks the birth of its own AVA.

Recently the Petaluma Historical Museum and Library had a fantastic display of our city’s viticulture history. Kaye Chandler did a great job in capturing the display on video (which can be found on the next page of this article). Over the years our town’s rolling hills have evolved into what now is starting to look like the Sonoma or Napa Valley. After reviewing Kaye’s film you realize that Petaluma families have been making wine since the mid 1900s (some sources say for over 150 years).

While we have a rich history in viticulture, 2015 marks the birth of a new American Viticulture Area (AVA), The Petaluma GAP. An AVA is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Trade Bureau and United States Department of Treasury. The geographic features that distinguish the Petaluma GAP is the wind and the fog. The “GAP” refers to the wind gap named after a coastal mountain opening that stretches east from the Pacific through the town of Petaluma and then roars south to San Pablo Bay which makes this AVA ideal for growing certain grapes (Pinot, Chardonnays & Syrah). The AVA designation allows the wine makers to label their bottles indicating the grapes in the wine came from this region.

On Friday, January 30 from 6-8PM located at the Healdsburg Pulblic Library the “The Birth of an AVA – Petaluma GAP” event will be hosted by the Wine Library Associates of Sonoma County and the Petaluma GAP Winegrowers Alliance. This is a great opportunity to have some wine and learn about the region. Tickets are $35 per person but only $25 for Wine Library and Alliance members. You can reserve tickets by calling (707) 433-1660 or purchasing tickets on Eventbrite.

Click here to see more information an the Kaye Chandler’s video on Petaluma Viticulture History & Heritage: A Celebration of Wine & Community

#Petaluma's Shelina Moreda Starts 2015 with a WIN in Qatar!

Shelina Moreda strung together her fastest laps so far to WIN the second race of Round 4 in the Losail Asian Roadracing Series, on her QMMF Racing Team motorcycle, in Qatar. Her first win at an overseas race starts the New Year off with a bang! Finishing a solid 7 seconds ahead of 2nd place, who is the current points leader.

Qualifying 2nd in her class, the LARRS series, she was gridded on the 8th row, 23rd overall on a grid of 41 including stock 600cc motorcycles and 1000cc superbikes, all racing in the same wave. This was one row behind the first qualifier in the LARRS series, who qualified 21st overall.

In the first race of Round 4, Shelina had placed 2nd on the podium. She said "After the start during the first race, with the 1000s darting between and putting space between the leader and I, I knew I had to do some work right from the start of the second race in order to contend for the win. Going in to Turn 1, about three 1000's were between us and I had to work hard to get out front right away in that first lap. I passed as many bikes as I could right off the bat and then worked to put space between myself and 2nd place".

In the end it worked out, Shelina held 1st from the middle of the 1st lap until the end of the race. She moved up to 15th place overall, and put in consistent fast laps in the 2:13s, her personal best set of laps at Losail.

Shelina's recap of the event went, "I WON! Representing the USA from the top step today! Strung together my fastest laps ever on the Qatar circuit, put in some work, and turned it into a great race! I love our national anthem any day of the week, and especially hearing it played just for me. Thanks everyone for believing in me and cheering me on!! Today it all came together and I'm stoked!".

She also mentioned that this season's bike setup "still has a lot to be desired, so if we can get that right, I will go even faster. Big thanks to Evan Steel Performance for being right there for me, even from the other side of the world, to help with setup. To my QMMF Team mechanic Agus for continuing to work with me to figure the settings out. I also really appreciate the support from [fellow QMMF Team Racer and current QSBK Champion] Alex Cudlin and all of his help and advice".

She credits a large part of feeling comfortable on the R6 again to her recent training. "I see a big difference in my bike handling since I have been training with Kurtis and Kenny Roberts in the dirt, and Steve Rapp on the Tuned Racing Roadrace bikes. I was excited to call them all up and tell them what pieces of the puzzle I was able to put together for this race. I am also looking forward to learning more from them".

Shelina Moreda would like to thank the country of Qatar and the Circuit of Losail for welcoming her "to race in this awesome place". She would also like to thank her sponsors: QMMF Racing Team, She’z Racing, AXO, Arai, G&B Motorsports, Go Pro, Impact Safe-T-Armor, and Tom Morgan.

Shelina is actively building partnerships for her 2015 season in both the USA and overseas. If interested in more information or in becoming a part of Shelina Moreda's race program, contact her through www.ShezRacing.com

Shelina puts on Girlz MotoCamps, an all-female motorcycle skills course, to improve riders skills through her training program. To find out more information on these camps, go to www.GirlzMotoCamps.com

For more information about Shelina check out our interview of her Herding cows on motorcycles to pro racing internationally: An interview with Shelina Moreda

Second Look Sunday: A Positively Petaluma Weeks In Review

Over the last few weeks many of the stories below were created by us, or scattered over several different media and social media sources. The Petaluma Magazine was created to collect them all in one place with easy navigation either by a click of a mouse or swipe of your finger on your smart devices. The Second Look will be a reflection of some of the posts from the previous weeks.

1000’s are enjoying their free subscription with thousands of positive articles including these highlights from the last few weeks:
BioPod Classroom: Restoring A Section of Walker Creek Watershed
Bistro 100 Keeps it 100 in Downtown Petaluma
City Sports Opens Petaluma Club
Highland Takes Reins At Petaluma Educational Foundation
Petaluma's Double 8 Dairy makes world's first buffalo milk gelato
Crab and A Cappella - Saturday, January 31st, 2015
Video: LumaCON's First Comic Convention a Success
Petaluma Celebrates "The Birth of an AVA - Petaluma Gap"
Petaluma's Tara Firma Farms Connects with the Community
Teen Face: Petaluma rower 'firing on all cylinders'
Positively Petaluma Welcomes Visual Journalist Ashley K. Collingwood
Video: Petaluma's Laurie Figone Appears on Good Day Sacramento
The Magic of Mentoring Youth - Mentor Me
Nominate a 'Good Egg' & Get Butter & Egg Days Applications In
Ends January 31! Have Fund, Get Recognized, and Support Your Community
'Farm to Fourchette' comes to Petaluma
Congratulations to Petaluma's Shelina Moreda Winning For the United States
Petaluma Eats! at Sugo Trattoria by Houston Porter
Petaluma Pete's Video Entry to NPR Music's Tiny Desk Contest Entry
Positively Petaluma Introduces Petaluma Eats! and Welcomes Houston Porter
Community Steps Up To Improve Petaluma's Walnut Park
Need Something to do this Saturday Night? Check out ProXhibition Closing Reception.
State is the Norm for Larsen
Video: Petaluma's TWit.tv Raises Over $60,000 for UNICEF with Special Guest Petaluma Pete
Making Music for Music Education: Concerts Will Help
Young Kayaker is a Quick Study

Other posts can be found on our home page. Also check out the sidebar Categories, Archives and Tag Cloud. Thanks also for "Like"ing us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.

Thank you for following, recommending and sharing this post and website.

#Petaluma's Tara Firma Farms Connects With The Community

Opening in 2009 with a focus on rotational grazing and sustainable farming, six years later it is going strong with weekend public tours.

The tour begins at the farm’s small store, which is filled with produce from local organic farms and meat from Tara Firma, before proceeding to walk visitors across the farmland, stopping to see the baby chicks and pigs, while giving the public the opportunity to ask questions about the farm. The baby chicks and pigs are a great draw for children and the information on the tour gives both kids and adults a chance to learn about the process of food and sustainable farming. Visitors also learn that the farm has a membership program, which people can join in order to sign up for various food delivery packages all over the bay area and become more connected to the farm.

After the tour Tara Firma member Jim Bloom tells me, “It’s amazing how much we’ve destroyed our food culture through over-processing and it’s horrible, so finding folks like this is amazing. The tour’s been fantastic. It’s really great property, it’s great seeing how they produce, and getting out here.”

Click here to see more information on Tara Firma Farms with more recent photos and a short video.

Ends January 31! Have Fun, Get Recognized, and Support Your #Petaluma Community

Have fun and get noticed for spreading the good news in Petaluma while supporting your community. Submit photos wearing our shirt.

You may remember the release of our Special Limited Edition shirts in December. Since then you have purchases nearly 300 shirts. Thank You! Our goal is to hand a check to COTS for over a $1,000 in February. The cost of the shirts are only $5.00 with $1.00 going to COTS. The shirts can be purchased at Zephyr Sportswear.

Have fun and get noticed for spreading the good news in Petaluma while supporting your community. Submit a photo wearing the shirt in Petaluma and we will post them in the month of February. Be creative! maybe you are a….

• Restaurant or Bar owner, host(ess), or worker
• Band or musician playing at a Petaluma venue
• Petaluma public works, police, firefighter or politician
• Team, athlete, or coach of a Petaluma sport.
• Traveler in a foreign country
• Participant at a Petaluma event or standing next to a Petaluma historical site or Landmark
• Petaluma business owner or entire company
• Volunteer for a Petaluma charity or docent
• Teacher or Student at a Petaluma school or away for college
• On a walk or hike at a Petaluma park or open space
• Fisherman or water sportsman on the Petaluma river
• Petaluma Author or Artist holding a copy of your book or artwork

Entries must be submitted by January 31st.  Please email them to PositivelyPetaluma@Yahoo.com.

Petaluma Eats! at Sugo Trattoria by Houston Porter

Although Petaluma has a lot of great restaurants, I always find myself returning to Sugo. Whether visiting for a business lunch, dinner before the movies, or just for some after-dinner sweets and a glass of wine, you will love Sugo. .

Having moved back to Petaluma in the mid-2000’s, I have tasted everything on Sugo’s menu, with the most memorable items being…well…everything. In fact, I always arrive at Sugo knowing exactly what I want, only to find myself seduced by menu items I had forgotten about, or new specials. It isn’t unusual for me to tell my partner to pick two things as I’m sure I’ll be happy with half of both. Sugo’s food is simply that good.

Some personal favorites…

Bruschetta Trio

You can’t go wrong starting out with the Bruschetta Trio…your choice of three different (and delicious) bruschetta combinations all for the very reasonable price of $7. This price has never changed, and I hope it never will. When I haven’t been in a while, or we are entertaining others, I order three different toppings. Otherwise I simply order the phenomenal prosciutto/fig/brie for the entire Trio.

Click here to see the entire mouth watering review.

Positively Petaluma Introduces #Petaluma Eats! and Welcomes Houston Porter

Positively Petaluma is one of the fastest growing websites and social media outlets in Petaluma. Since starting in June last year our stories have been sourced by local radio and covered on bay area TV news (not to mention thousands just like you sharing and retweeting). Last week we were listed in Patch.com‘s National Best of Patch Featured Local Voices and feature our stories in their National Daily Voices.

With this growth we have notice a trend. Petaluma loves food! In August 2014 KRON 4 news and North Bay Yelp called our city a “culinary destination.” From your great response to both our food industry and restaurants we are happy to introduce a new column called Petaluma Eats! In the coming months you will start seeing contributions from local “foodies.” This leads us also to welcome Houston Porter to our team of contributors.

Porter is a self-proclaimed Petalumaholic. If there is an event in our city you can bet he will be there especially when food is involved. He is a restaurant reviewer for Petaluma Argus Courier and an Elite Yelper. He calls Petaluma a nourishing place to live. His first featured post will be Petaluma Eats! at Sugo Trattoria.

Your feedback is important to us so if you have any comments or suggestions on things you would like to see on Positively Petaluma please send them to PositivelyPetaluma@yahoo.com.

“Cheese Factory” Celebrates 150 Years!

When growing up in the area, I always remembered our family visits and school field trips to the “Cheese Factory”. Taking the tour and watching the cheese making process is a lifetime and memorable experience. A great spot to ride your bike on country roads making it your half-way point-rest stop for a picnic with a glass of wine, cheese and french bread while watching the ducks swim in the pond.

This dairy started in 1865 during a time the civil war railroads were lined west to east and western immigrants started settling in Marin County to farm the rich coastal territory.

At his West Marin dairy farm just on the border of Petaluma, Jefferson Thompson built deliciously fresh cheese utilizing the dairy from his cows. Thompson could then deliver it to the dockworkers in the Bay Area by schooner. He soon gained recognition for his European style cheeses – smooth – Camembert ripened Brie and a basic treat named Petite Breakfast cheese – and launched a creamery that would ultimately be called Marin French Cheese.

Click here to learn more about how the Marin French Cheese company will celebrate their 150th Anniversary and see some historic photos of this dairy.