RoundUp: Harvest is on
Suddenly it's full-on fall...how did that happen?
While you sleep
I usually drive to work in the very early hours of the morning, when the sky is still black as midnight. Now that the grape harvest is in full swing, the vineyards between Forestville and Sebastopol are dotted with pools of light. West County photographer Paul C. Miller caught this beautiful photo of a vineyard worker at Hartford Family Winery in Forestville, where the harvest started at 1 am.
Hidden Forest Nursery has been sold—and saved!
Mike Boss of Hidden Forest Nursery, a green island of botanical wonders in South Sebastopol, has been looking for a buyer for this amazing property for several months now. Looks like he found one:
Dear Hidden Forest Friend,
I am delighted to announce that as of Monday, September 9, 2024, the Hidden Forest Nursery was sold–and saved!
I deeply appreciate every single one of you who supported the Hidden Forest Nursery and Botanical Reserve during my time at the helm–purchasing plants, sharing our story, donating money or time, or reveling in the beauty of nature. I cherish every moment spent sharing knowledge, connecting with you, and helping plant lovers grow their dreams.
I hand the reins to the new owner Wendy Sandoval, and her mom, Ame Lockwood, who will soon be joined by Wendy’s two college-age daughters. I could not have hoped for a better buyer, as they plan to continue running the nursery and keep the forest open to all! I am pleased to tell you that they are also planning to keep our wonderful employees on board, and I will be here for a bit, at least during a transition period.
I hope that you will stay abreast of happenings here in the Hidden Forest and support Wendy and her family in ongoing goals of providing unusual and super-cool plants that are not readily available at nurseries in the area, and preserving and improving this magical gem of Sonoma County.
The nursery will remain open during normal hours. Wendy will be here most of these days, and I encourage you to come by and meet her!
Your friend in the forest,
Mike Boss
Did you see a collision involving a pedestrian near the Lucky’s Shopping Center on September 18? If so, the Sebastopol Police would like to talk with you:
We’re seeking the community’s help regarding a hit and run collision that injured a pedestrian on the 800 block of Gravenstein Highway North on 9/18/2024, at approximately 7:45 PM.
The suspect vehicle was described as a newer white Volvo with a roof rack/storage unit. The vehicle possibly has damage to the front right headlight area.
If you have any information that would be helpful in this investigation, please let us know by calling (707) 829-4400 or send us a message via Facebook or Instagram and refer to case #24-0695. We appreciate your help with this matter.
Maisie’s Go-Fund-Me Update
Thanks in part to the many Sebastopol Times readers who donated to Maisie Boland’s GoFundMe, Shawn Boland reports that they have surpassed their $200,000 goal. Maisie, a recent Analy graduate, was injured when a car she was riding in crashed and rolled. Her back was broken in two places. She was in her first semester at Chico State. Maisie was recently transferred from the hospital in Chico to the Santa Clara Valley Spinal Rehab Clinic. Now the real work begins. You can still donate here.
Fall comes to the laguna … and with it, fall birding
Beginners Fall Birding at the Laguna Uplands Preserve with Miles and Teresa Tuffli
Wednesday, Oct. 9, 8:30 am to 10:30 am at the Laguna Uplands Preserve, 6700 Palm Ave, Sebastopol, CA. FREE. Registration Required.
Calling all new birders and bird-curious folks! Are you new to birdwatching or just curious to try it out? Then join the Tuflis for a beginners birding walk, exploring the Laguna Uplands Preserve in Sebastopol. Slowly meander along the mostly flat trail as it winds through open oak savannah, grasslands, and down to the Laguna floodplain.
These amazing birding events, which are free, always fill up before they make it into our Monday “What’s Happening This Week” column. So we’re giving you plenty of notice to register for this one.
Sebastopol Police Logs, September 9-15
The following are crimes excerpted from Sebastopol Police Department daily crime log entries and listed at the time the alleged violation was reported.
TUESDAY
10:14 a.m. Passing a fictitious check with intend to defraud (felony) at South Main Street and Palm Avenue. Referred to an allied agency.
10:52 a.m. Identity theft (felony) at West Street and Wilton Avenue. Referred to an allied agency.
2:31 p.m. Disorderly conduct involving alcohol, violation of probation, and disobeying a court order (misdemeanors) at Gravenstein Highway North and Hurlbut Avenue. Suspect arrested.
FRIDAY
2:05 p.m. Threatening to commit a crime with the intention of terrorizing (felony) at Analy Avenue and North Main Street. Investigation suspended. Leads exhausted.
3:01 p.m. Vandalism involving defacing property (misdemeanor) at Live Oak and Healdsburg avenues. Referred to the district attorney for review.
SUNDAY
7:20 a.m. Causing a property fire (misdemeanor) at Gravenstein Highway North and Danmar Drive. Pending further investigation.
8:25 p.m. Served a misdemeanor arrest warrant for an outside agency at Gravenstein Highway North and Hurlbut Avenue. Suspect arrested.
OTHER POLICE ACTION
The Sebastopol Police Department also recorded 129 other events requiring police action during the period, such as lost animals, assisting citizens, parking violations, foot patrol, traffic hazards and reckless driving.
The week of Sept 16-21
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Sebastopol Times hit 900 paid subscribers today
Another landmark! Every paid subscription gets us closer to our goal of paying our way (i.e., paying our reporters and the rent on our small office) through subscriptions alone. We now have 3,614 subscribers overall, 900 paid. If you are reading our paper for free and you can afford $60 a year (or $6 a month), please consider becoming a paid subscriber.
Sonoma Horticulture, aka, Hidden Forest; pleased that a new owner has volunteered to prolong this resource.
Palo, the previous owner sold because of poor health. Armando has been the brain and brawn of this institution since the previous sale. (A few years ago I bought a rhododendron Polar Bear he grew from seed. It’s now 10’ tall.) Without his historic knowledge the identity of the specimens would have been lost.
Hopefully the new owners revere and will duly reward this person as the business asset he is.