NEW: Special Limited Edition Positively #Petaluma Shirts – Only $5.00 With $1.00 Going to COTS

You asked for it – you got it! Many of our followers have asked for Positively Petaluma t-shirts. Well, here you go.

These limited-edition Positively Petaluma shirts portray our history with landmarks of our great city. It can be yours for as little as $5.00. A dollar from each sale will be donated to COTS. We would like to thank Scott Dennison owner of Zephyr Pacific Sportswear for sharing our passion to spread good news about our community and making them available to you at his cost.

• Perfect gift for the holidays?
• Stocking stuffer for your favorite Petaluma friend?
• Take it to the gym and do a few reps in one?
• Sport one while drinking a gnarly grog at your favorite bar?
• Wear it to one of your favorite Petaluma parades or events?
• Sleep shirt so you can count chickens and have sweet Petaluma dreams?

Purchase as many as you like. This may be the best way to help spread positive news about Petaluma while giving a little back to our community. Get one soon because there is a limited supply and we are only offering them through January 31, 2015.

How to get one? While you are out running errands, stop by Zephyr Sportswear at 210 F Street in Petaluma (on the Boulevard next to Pinky’s Pizza) and pick them up. Other colors may be available. Their phone number is (707) 769-1000 or cell number is (707) 484-1785.

                                                         Zephyr Pacific Sportswear

Take a selfie or photo of yourself (appropriate for all audiences) wearing this shirt at a Petaluma event or in front of your favorite Petaluma spot and we will post them in our social media feeds. Just email your photo to positivelypetaluma@yahoo.com.

Bixby And Mike Visit #Petaluma Animal Shelter With A Yuba Reception

Who is Bixby and Mike? Mike Minnick is making a journey with his dog Bixby (or as Mike would like to say, Bixby is allowing her human to take him) across the country.

Why are they doing this? Bixby has a websitewww.Wheresbixby.com, and he says:

         “Howdy! My name is Bixby and I’m a 4 year old rescue dog from Texas. Along with my Human “Mike” and our rubber safety chicken “Chicken Charlie”, we have emBARKed on an epic adventure bicycling around the country and raising awareness of the importance of supporting your local animal shelters.”

One of his stops was the Petaluma Animal Shelter. Kaye Chandler created and posted video coverage on Vimeo. In this video Bixby & Mike were greeted by the Yuba Bicycle crew.

Why was the Yuba Bike crew there? Bixby and Mike are traveling across the country on a Yuba bike. How cool is that? The bike they ride is built by a Petaluma company. Maybe Yuba can create a new line of bikes call the Bixby. If you have not heard of Yuba cargo bikes you have to check out their website.

Where did Bixby and Mike stay while in Petaluma? They stayed at the Petaluma KOA. He was advised about the storm. Mike said he doesn’t pedal in the rain he arranged shelter to stay dry during his visit.

Click here to see the video coverage,social media posts and other local articles covering Bixby and Mike’s visit.

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For a short time only, get this special limited-edition Positively Petaluma T-shirt for only $5.00 with $1.00 of each sale going to COTS.

Click here to get details on how to purchase.

10-Year Old Penngrove Boy Saves His Mother's Life in #Petaluma

Captain Dan Farren, Joe Kelly, and Firefighter Paramedic Shay Burke

This story reminded me of one that we recently reported about Lewis from Forestville who save his father’s life called ‘ Saves Lives Sonoma helps 13-Year Old Lewis Save the Life of His Father with CPR.’ Joe is a 10-year old from Penngrove and 5th grader at St. Vincent Elementary School. Joe under a tremendous amount of pressure would help save his mother’s life in a Petaluma parking lot.

A little after 7PM On December 15, 2014 Gabe Kearney, Vice Major, called the Petaluma Council meeting to order. He announced the first agenda item was Petaluma Fire Department to present a Citizen-In-Action Award. Captain Dan Farren and Firefighter/Paramedic Shay Burke approached the podium and started to play the 911 call.

Captain Dan Farren explained how on the evening of September 25th 2014 at Trader Joes in Petaluma Joe noticed something was not right with his mother. We interviewed the family and they told us that Joe assisted his mother to their car – and no matter how much Joe tried to help her nothing was working. She was nearly unconscious when he took her cell phone and called his father Dennis, a San Francisco Firefighter who was on duty at the time. Dennis immediately called Rancho Adobe Fire in Penngrove. The on duty captain called Redwood Empire Dispatch Communications Authority (REDCOM), which is the fire and medical dispatch for entire Sonoma County, and gave them what little information they had.

Click here to find out how Joe worked with REDCOM to get the fire and safety personnel to his location including video of the presentation with recording of the 911 call.

VIDEO: 80-Year-Old Heroes Saves #Petaluma Senior Mobile Home Park From Devastation

CBS San Francisco Bay Area recently covered a story on a group of Petaluma men who are declared heroes after when they won the battle to protect their homes in Thursday’s big storm.

The article goes on to say:

For 24 hours, rescuers saved residents as mobile home parks all over the Bay Area flooded, one after another.

The Leisure Lake Village Mobile Home Park, for seniors 55 and over, in flood-prone Petaluma didn’t need saving. It was hit hard, certainly, but it was not flooded. That’s because a group of men, who ranged from 75 to 80-years-old banded together and saved the trailer park themselves.

The men spent some 48 hours cleaning out clogged storm drains and making sure there was never a chance for rain to accumulate. They worked in shifts, walking the grounds, checking for standing water and from the looks of it, they succeeded.

Click here to see the video that CBS did covering this story.

For compilation photos and videos of Petaluma storm go to this post Photos and Videos of Petaluma Flood.

From Garage to New Studio: Petaluma's Gretchen Andermahr-Iniguez Grows Her Pilates Business

You will learn how this Petaluma mother of three grew her Pilates business from her front living room to a larger Washington street location at 353 E. Washington Street (Near Mary's Pizza Shack). She is inviting you to check out her new studio at the Grand Opening on December 12, 2014 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM.

In our interview with the owner of the new LifeStyle Pilates, Gretchen said “I found Pilates in 2005 and have been hooked ever since.” That was the year she took her first Pilates class. However she was no stranger to health and fitness after working in that business now for over 12 years. She is a certified Personal Trainer through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFFA), a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), and a fully certified Holistic Health Coach.

This motivated her to start learning more about Pilates. She eventually earned a comprehensive certification from the Body Arts and Science International (BASI). Gretchen further researched safe pre and postnatal exercise, and exercise for people with injuries. While taking a tour of her new studio, one section provides for ballet bars. Gretchen told us “I am certified by Balanced Body Barre to teach Barre classes.”

She started out teaching at various studios in town and told us in our interview, “I decided to run my own business.” She purchased her first reformer and started providing private lessons in the living room of her home. It didn’t take long that she needed more reformers and space and moved to her garage. During the interview she started to get emotional reflecting on where she started and how far she has come.

After two years she moved into a small studio anchored with a family owned gym working her way up to five reformers in the 500 sq. ft. space located at 1310 Casa Grande Road. Word of mouth started to travel and it wouldn’t take long before she outgrew it. Within a few years again she was only limited by space to accommodate her growing clientele. This led her to find and relocate to her new 1400 sq. ft. studio which allows enough floor space for six reformers. She also has also grown to add two Certified Pilates Instructors working in her studio, Dalia Bravo and Julie Thayer. The new location is well centered in town and it took us less than ten minutes to drive door-to-door from the east side of Petaluma to her Washington Street studio.

Walking through the entrance of her new studio gives a warm and zen-like atmosphere with a cozy seating area.


This opens to a fitness room with six Pilates reformers, chairs, weights, power rings, bands, exercise balls, etc.



Toward the rear of the studio is a Barre workout room.



LifeStyle Pilates offers Pilates and Barre Fitness classes (for beginning, intermediate or advanced levels) and Health Coaching 7 days per week. Click here to see a schedule of classes and sign up online, or call (707) 338-0710 to make reservations. You can get more information on their websitewww.lifestylepilatespetaluma.com.

VIDEO: Flag To Flag Win For Alissa Geving's Final Heat and Crash In Main Event

Petaluma has become a popular place for the sport of racing. For some Petalumans it is a family tradition. This year we interviewed Chase Johnson who is a 4th generation race car driver in Johnson Chases For Checkered Flag: An interview with Petaluma’s Chase Johnson. 16 year-old Zack Anderson recently won the San Francisco Regional Super Touring U Championship (see Press Democrat article, Petaluma teen racer fast, calm on track) just last month. Whether you prefer two or four wheels our city is a playground for those who desire to go really fast for fun, as an amateur racer, or even go pro with Motopia motocross park, Petaluma Speedway, and Sonoma Raceway in our territory. For others it can be a major step into the business of racing like TGR – Aston Martin Racing.

When you think of racing you also think that it’s a sport dominated by men. However you may remember our interview with Shelina Moreda Herding cows on motorcycles to pro racing internationally: An interview with Shelina Moreda which led the televised interview by KTVU’s Ken Wayne in their report Petaluma Bay Area Woman Set to Make Racing History.

This week we found a recent video showing another very talented racer, Penngrove’s Alissa Geving and her Chicko-Motorsports #3 Car. Geving is a Petaluma Speedway All Pro Sprint Car Track Champion and became the youngest female driver in the nation to win two winged-sprint titles at the age of 16. At 15 her very first sprint win was right here in Petaluma.

Click here to see both videos of her final heat and main event at the 2014 Adobe Cup at the Petaluma Speedway.

Kombucha Maker Revive Brands Expanding In #Petaluma

Sean Lovett, car enthusiast-environmentalist-brew master and founder of Revive Brands, a maker of the popular kombucha drink in Windsor. What does this have anything to do with Petaluma? This fast growing company that is tripling in size and moving their facility to Petaluma in 2015. Better yet, no new building will be required to accommodate them. They will occupy a 50,000 sq. ft. vacant production bakery in Petaluma.

In a North Bay Business Journal article posted just yesterday by Jeff Quakenbush, Kombucha maker, bakery plan big Petaluma expansion, tells about the 90 jobs that will be bound for our city and expansion of the specialty-food industry.

Lovett is a business owner that feels he can do things in different manner. It is a lot more work to have a more sustainable product, and says that his customers do care about the environment. He has built a two-way packaging system that allows consumers to return their bottles at exchange locations drop off posts so far at AJ’s Fine Food and Whole Foods locations in Arizona and Colorado as well as many locations across northern and southern California. Their website says “Revive Brands a sustainable driven kombucha company that brews, ferments and bottles our deliciously refreshing kombucha in Sonoma County, California. It is our passion to lovingly create drinks that not only make your body feel good but that your mind and soul can feel good about supporting.”

Click here to see the video of Sean and his company.