Today! Free summer fun will be had by all at the 15th Annual Art & Garden Festival

Don't miss this great event today from 11am to 5PM in downtown Petaluma. While it is THEE place to be for art and garden enthusiasts who will enjoy local crafters, artisans and gardeners, it’s also a great place for friends and families who simply want to enjoy live music (on two stages), local wineries and breweries, restaurants and fine food purveyors offering their tastings (you have to purchase a tasting package to enjoy the libation and food). Bands will be a local variety to include Soul Section, Foxes in the Henhouse, Hot Grubb, and Kevin Durkin & Friends. Artists of all ages will be demonstrating their skill at chalk art. 

Emmi acquires American artisan cheese maker Petaluma based Cowgirl Creamery

From Food & Beverage:


Dairy company Emmi has entered into a merger with cheese maker Cowgirl Creamery and the associated Tomales Bay Foods, which will allow it to strengthen its position in sustainably produced speciality cow’s milk cheeses.

In addition, Emmi said that it would benefit from the strong voice of the Petaluma, California-based company in the American artisan cheese community.

Go to http://bit.ly/EmmiAcquiresCowgirlCreamery to read the rest of the article.

St Francis Winery CEO Christopher Silva Born in Petaluma into a deep-rooted Swiss-Italian dairy family

St. Francis Winery CEO Christopher Silva a lifelong learner, By Chris Smith Press Democrat

Photo By Christopher Chung, Press Democrat

Born in Petaluma into a deep-rooted Swiss-Italian dairy family, Silva was 15 and bike-delivering The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa’s Town & Country neighborhood when he set his sights on becoming a grocery bagger at the small-chain gourmet supermarket on Fourth Street.

That certainly goes for his late grandfather, Petaluma dairyman William Cassina. “He always said, ‘Every job is important. Respect everyone who works,’” Silva said.

For the rest of the article go to http://bit.ly/StFrancisWinery

Get Ready For The Great #Petaluma Chili Cook-Off

On Saturday May 9, 2015 over 1500 people will converge on Behrens Park, Herzog Hall at the Sonoma Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma for the 18th annual Great Petaluma Cook-Off, Salsa and Beer Tasting event starts as usual at 1 pm.. Will you be there too? You will not only experience great food, beer, and entertainment, but you will also be supporting over 1200 kids in the Cinnabar Theater (a non-profit) Children’s Programs. Want to know how to double your donation? Ocean State Job Lot Foundation will match your donation made between now and May (a grant that they have been providing over the past 10 years each year raising the bar). Tickets are free for kids under 5, $10 for ages 5-11, $25 for adults, or $40 with beer. To purchase a ticket, or for more information, call 707-763-8920 or visit GreatChiliCookOff.com. You can also purchase your tickets at the gate on the day of the event.

Entertainment expected this year at the popular Stony Point band with opening act from Don’t Tip The Tweetster (Ska Band) followed by Sister Sirens and Zyphire Belly Dancers, then the Hip Hop Dancers from the Fierce Dance Company. Also The Amazing Caine will be walking around dazzling guests with his illusions and magic.

Click here to see a list of long time supporters and breweries and WHY THE STAKES JUST GOT HOTTER for this year Grand Champion.

#Petaluma’s Kitsbow Chosen 1 of 15 Companies That Make Clothes You Can Feel Good About Wearing

We thought it was appropriate considering in the previous weeks there were thousands of high school mountain bike riders competing in Petaluma this weekend to highlight a Petaluma clothes manufacturer Kitsbow who makes mountain bike wear. They were featured in an article yesterday by Outside Online Magazine highlighting 15 companies they call progressive and making sustainable clothing that looks as great as it wears. We only feature the Kitsbow product below, but if you want to see the other 14 companies highlighted please click on the article link below.

From Outside Online by Will Palmer:

The 21st century seems like a mess so far. Gridlock in Washington. Rising seas. Corporate domination. Kardashians. But if you’ve been paying attention, you know that there are positive things happening all over the place as well, and with accelerating frequency. Consider the clothes you wear. While mass-produced, polluting sweatshop apparel isn’t going away overnight, there are people all over the world—from Portland to Brooklyn to Addis Ababa and, yes, China—who are trying to make style sustainable.

Click here to learn more about what Outside magazine had to say about Kitsbow and its recommended and featured product, and a video recently released #obsessives spotlight on Petaluma bike maker Bruce Gordon.

#Petaluma Current Exhibits and Upcoming Events

Special Exhibits

• “Showing on the River,” 5^th Annual Juried Photography Show, through May 3. Riverfront Art Gallery, 132 Petaluma Blvd. North.   775-4ART.
• “Art Shapes the World: 4^th Annual Youth Arts Exhibition” through April 5.  Petaluma Arts Center, 230 Lakeville St.  See website for schedule of events & exhibits: Call 762-5600.
• “The Many Faces of Petaluma” Exhibit, showcasing Petaluma’s Ethnic & Cultural Groups, through April 26.  Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 20 Fourth St. 778-4398.
• “Focus on Nature” Exhibit through May 3. Four different views of Nature. Gallery One, 209 Western Ave. 778-8277.
• “Systems of Constructing” Exhibit, Opening Reception Griffin Map Design & Gallery on Saturday April 11th from 6-10pm and runs through May 2. 405 East D Street Suites D&F.

Upcoming Events

Mark Your Calendar for these great upcoming events:

4/19: 11^th Annual Petaluma Footrace

4/25: 34th Annual Butter & Egg Days Parade

4/26: Spring Antique Faire

5/9:  Great Petaluma Chili Cook-Off, Salsa & Beer Tasting

5/14-17: Salute to American Graffiti

5/23: Sonoma County Home Brewers Competition

5/31: Down Home Day at the Homestead

Built by the Hands of Many Petaluma Volunteers and Artist David Best: Photos of the Temple of Grace

We previously interviewed Petaluman David Best who is the architect, artist and builder of the Temple of Grace for the 2014 Burning Man on July 12, 2014 called #Petaluma’s David Best Builds 2014 Burning Man Temple In Petaluma. In that article we later added a video that we included below that shows the construction in Petaluma. Since then I have been looking for photos of the finished structure to share.

It was not until recently that we found some qualify photos in our Social Media searches by a photographer named Jeff Perkins. We would like to thank him for agreeing to let us use his photos so we could share them with you. We thank him for sharing his work.em with you.
Because they only constructed the structure in pieces in Petaluma, and then shipped and assembled them at the venue, not many were able to see the finished product unless you attended the event. So here is a small picture gallery for you.

Click here to see more photos of the structure and a video we previously posted on our website showing the construction in Petaluma.

#Petaluma Indie band Saffell launches new record

Saffell Sproul, the multi-faceted vocalist and pianist and band namesake, leads indie soulful rock band on the 12-track recording.

Local Vibe Music announced yesterday that Petaluma-based band Saffel released it’s new record The Devil’s On The Radio hit the airwaves and can be played on virtually any device. Several launch parties have been held to celebrate the new record. Don’t miss their release performance on Saturday, April 4 starting at 2PM at the Last Record Store located at 1899 Mendocino Ave. in Santa Rosa.

Click here for more information on this band and the release of their new record with a listing of tracks on their full length debut album.

Artist Andy Timmons visits #Petaluma's Mesa Boogie Factory

From the Mesa Boogie YouTube Channel, Andy Timmons is touring the San Francisco Bay Area in support of a soon-to-be-released Protocol III album with drummer Simon Philips. After an extensive tour of the Mesa factory during the day, Andy played through some amps (new and old) and the Mark Five: 25™ was at the top of the list. For this play through, Andy performed his take on the Beatles “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” from his 2011 release Andy Timmons Band Plays Sgt. Pepper.

Click here to see this video of Andy’s incredible rendition of this timeless Beatles song.

#Petaluma based NewCo Raises $1.7M in Seed Funding

This innovative company is disrupting the event planning model. They will use seed funding to expand staff, tech platforms, and new products

What does NewCo do? According to their website, they help you engage with the people behind innovative businesses in their native environment. You visit companies not stuffy hotel ballrooms which gets you inside to see the engines driving real change in your city.

Also see TechCrunch article, NewCo, John Battelle’s Event Startup, Raises $1.7M From Obvious, True Ventures And More by Ingrid Lunden. Also see Newco’s website blog postNewco Announces Seed Financing by JBAT.

CLICK HERE to learn more and see a video about this new innovative and growing company and see the founder’s tweets announcing the seed funding.

Free Bookmobile of Sonoma County is proud to be an integral part #Petaluma Community Foundation Alliance

From the Free Bookmobile YouTube Channel posted on February 12, 2015. In late 2014, the Petaluma Community Foundation (PCF) created a Collaboration for Youth At-Risk, bringing eight local non-profits together to serve the needs of our children as they learn and grow. The Free Bookmobile of Sonoma County is proud to be an integral part of this alliance, and grateful to share resources and expertise with the other featured partners. Click here to visit the Free Bookmobile website.

Click here to see the Stronger Together Video about the Free Bookmobile's collaboration with Petaluma Community Foundation Partners.

Second Look Sunday: A Positively Petaluma Weeks In Review

Did you miss any of the past weeks good news stories in #Petaluma? No sweat! Here are a collection of the good stuff from the previous weeks

There are lots of great things going on in #Petaluma, you just have to dig for them.Positively Petaluma searches for and collects the positive information about our great city in one place: The Petaluma Magazine. 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:

• #Petaluma’s Gary & Jennifer Buffo launch BlickCar.com Smartphone On-Demand Service
• #Petaluma’s Cyan Launches Hyperscale Transport Platform
• Time-lapse Video: Ryan Peteresen Painting Wall Mural at Mentor Me #Petaluma
• Shipment of #Petaluma’s Enphase C250 Microinverter Systems Targets Expanding Commercial Solar Market
• #Petaluma Musician/Composer Chooses Chicken Farm Over Big City
• Attention Chili, Salsa, and Beer Challengers It’s Time To Enter The Great Petaluma Chili Cook-off!
• SMART expects delivery of first train in March - Renews #Petaluma’s Haystack Bridge
• Check it out! Now open Cocoagraph Confections & Pantry
• Two #Petaluma companies buy 155,000 sq. ft. for expansion
• La Dolce Vita Wine Lounge is hosting its Annual Oscoar Awards Party
• Introducing Work: Ready Apparel!
• Petaluma Eats! at Secret Kitchen
• In #Petaluma: Create Your Own Marketing Videos WORKshop Sat Feb 28th
• Buy Roses Local for Valentines Day! #Petaluma’s Neve Roses on KPIX channel 5
• PCA Releases #Petaluma’s 2014 Veteran’s Day Parade Video
• Petaluma Community Access is hosting a Screenwriting the Short Online Video Workshop, Saturday February 28

Other posts can be found on here on Petaluma Patch. Also check outPositivelyPetaluma.com and thank you for “Like”ing us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.

Thank you for following, recommending and sharing this post.

Cocoagraph Confections and Local Pantry announces Grand Opening in #Petaluma

Cocoagraph merges two of the most beloved and cherished items, photographs and chocolate! Check out the video of how it works.

Bringing art into a new medium, Cocoagraph founder Rae Vittorelli began making artisanal chocolate photographs and graphics, known as cocoagraphs, in 2011. Cocoagraphs are made with locally produced fair trade chocolate and can be custom ordered with any photograph, graphic, or logo. On February 2, 2015 Vittorelli opened her first retail location for Cocoagraph in Petaluma.

After Vittorelli graduated college with a degree in art, the economy was not doing well, so she worked outside her field and made sculptural cakes on the side. One of her cakes was for an art foundation and Vittorelli hung small chocolate paintings all over the cake using edible printing technology. She had fun with the project and since then she has taken what people do in the cake world and transferred it to chocolate. With time, Vittorelli modified her process and now, rather than transferring the images after printing them, she uses an edible printing system to print images directly on the chocolate.

CLICK HERE for more information and to see photos of their new store and a video showing how they make them.

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.

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

2 Elderly Ladies Save 87 y.o. Wheelchair Bound Woman From Fire

Yesterday evening Petaluma360.com YouTube Channel published this video and related article“Fire causes extensive damage to Petaluma home [on Melvin Street] w/video”. 

Photo by Scott Manchester/Argus-Courier Staff

Click here to see the video #Petaluma Fire Department Battalion Chief tells what happened.

In the article one of the victims said, “We all fell to the floor trying to move her, but we did it,” who added that they were surprised at how fast the fire started.

Fortunately the Fire Dept. was just a few blocks away when the fire started and were there almost immediately, and all parties were not hurt. Unfortunately the house has major damage.

Breaking News: #Petaluma #1 Most Caring Small City in America

According to the Movoto Blog written by Natalie Grigson:

Everybody knows that tiny towns are filled with some of the friendliest, most welcoming, and all around caring people in the whole entire world—most of whom wear bow ties, crisp suits, or long bell-shaped skirts, and hand out cookies to children in between their charity work and cancer research. C’mon, we’ve seen the movies.

But what about those places between 50,000 and 60,000 residents? Are they just as caring, you ask? Well at the Movoto Real Estate Blog the same questioning has been plaguing us, so we decided to put an end to our sleepless nights (and yours too), and create a list of the 10 most caring small cities in the U.S.

Here they are, starting with our winner and all around most caring place, Petaluma, California:

1. City of Petaluma, CA
2. City of Marietta, GA
3. Town of Chapel Hill, NC
4. City of Georgetown, TX
5. City of Charleston, WV
6. Village of Hempstead, NY
7. City of Harrisonburg, VA
8. City of Bradenton, FL
9. City of Oak Park, IL
10. City of San Rafael, CA

Click here to learn more about how they determined this and what sources they used. Also there is a gallery of the top 10 as well as a score sheet on how they factored Petaluma to be on top 10.

Positively #Petaluma Interview With Actor Adrian Grenier

An August 23 Facebook post by Adrian Grenier caused a big stir in Petaluma. His post garnered over 1000 “Likes” and several comments and shares by Petalumans. His status showed him with friends at our annual Taste of Petaluma with comment “Rockin’ #TasteOfPetaluma w/@catatomic @rbcsavage awesome delicious day”. This caused Positively Petaluma to want to find out more and share his experience here.

Adrian Grenier visited our town and attended our annual event while visiting family friends. The following interview was completed while Adrian was in Greece and would not have been possible without the help of Laura Sunday who hosted Adrian during his stay in Petaluma. Adrian is an actor, producer, director and musician most notable playing the lead role of Vincent Chase in the Emmy nominated HBO original series Entourage.

Click here to read the entire interview and learn more about Adrian’s stay in Petaluma including some of his favorite restaurants in town.

#Petaluma's Frances Rivetti Announces Her Soon To Be Released Book “Fog Valley Crush”

One of Positively Petaluma’s favorite blogs is Frances Rivetti‘s Southern Sonoma Country Life. She always has good news to share not only for #Petaluma but also our great Sonoma County. Yesterday she announced on her blog that she will be soon releasing her book “Fog Valley Crush”.

In her blog she states that her book is her “love-letter to this micro-region of farmers, food innovators, artists and dreamers in which I live and work.” She also indicates that her book will be a celebration and a sharing of Petaluma and surrounding countryside, an extraordinary place that is the last secret-corner of wine country. She credits her design team of Petalumans Elaine Silver (Petaluma Readers Theater), Nicky Ovitt and Lorna Johnson‘s as awesome, amazing and meticulous talents.

Click here is her teaser video for the book that was shot by camera man Gilles O’Kane and produced by her son, Rocco Rivetti (Red 14 Films).

Interview with #Petaluma's Gary Pihl Guitarist For Legendary Band Boston

Gary Pihl a native of Petaluma is a guitarist for the legendary band Boston and formerly played with Sammy Hagar and Night Ranger. Recently he completed an interview with Rustyn Rose of Axs Entertainment in Examiner article “ Boston brings Life, Love and Hope to Boise: Guitarist Gary Pihl sounds off”.

In this article Gary vividly recalls the first time he heard Boston’s music, and hails that 1976 debut album as life-changing.

Click here to listen to the interview, and see trailer videos of their recently released studio album Live, Love and Hope as well as a live video performance of one of the tracks from their new album.