Roundup: Parrot's Feather
Marvin's BBQ opens; handmade teddy bears; school supplies for families in need; barn animals at the Sonoma County Fair
The parrot’s feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum) is found in the Laguna. The California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) identifies parrot’s feather an invasive aquatic plant, native to the Amazon region. It was introduced in America as an aquarium and pond plant and is is now found in slow-moving waterways. The parrot’s feather grows and spreads as a mat.
Marvin’s BBQ Benefits From PD-FD Contest
Marvin’s BBQ and Deli on Main Street held a ribbon-cutting ceremony this past week. In a short conversation, Marvin told the Sebastopol Times that he has his own style of BBQ. He is from Danville, Kentucky and travelled around picking up tips from others and eventually developed his own approach to BBQ.
The opening was well attended by local police and firefighters, who have been involved a little contest about which uniformed group will eat there the most. Police Chief Ron Nelson calls it a “friendly rivalry.” (Marvin started the contest when he kept noticing members of the two services coming in for BBQ. )
The tally as of Saturday was the Sebastopol Police at 18 and Sebastopol Fire at 14.
1000 Handmade Teddy Bears
Laura liked this story on Facebook from the Sebastopol Senior Center. Louise uses leftover scrap acylic yarn at the Legacy store to make teddy bears for children in the ER. Louise has made over 1000 bears to date. “It’s really amazing what a difference one person’s generosity and kindness can make,” said the post.
Back to School Supplies
President Tiffany Glann posted to Facebook that The Active 20-30 of Sebastopol (#63) is looking to help West County families through their annual Children’s Shopping Spree, which provides back-to-school clothing and a backpack full of supplies for children. You can nominate families in need using the the forms below:
English - http://forms.gle/kd9n68LNFtd1nm32A
Spanish - http://forms.gle/E3PQPiK6cXYyPiE9A
Animal Barns (4H, FFA) at the Fair
The agricultural roots of Sonoma County are found in the animal barns and livestock competitions at the Sonoma County Fair, which opened this past week.
The Sebastopol FFA’s Facebook page has photos of an impressive number of goats, sheep and steers that were shown and awarded prizes by West County student/members.
June Furlong is with the Canfield 4-H club and showed her reserve champion named Caterpillar in the 10-year-old age group.
The daughter of Jeff and Maggie from Sebastopol, June took first place in showmanship for her age group and won second prize in showmanship across all age groups. Congratulations, June.
Thanks to Ben Dougherty for the photos from Saturday at the Fair.
ICYMI…
Sara Gramm can't give up the kid part
Listen now (15 min) | Last spring, Sara Gramm was named the new superintendent of Sebastopol Union School District, which includes Park Side (TK-4th) and Brook Haven (5th-8th) schools. She succeeds Linda Irving, who had been in the role for ten years. Sara has been Assistant Superintendent since 2017.
Faces of West County: Rhonda Findling
Though a bit short, Rhonda Findling stands out in a crowd. For starters, her cropped, white, spiky hair, gives her away. Add to that, an energy and verve that belies that white hair and a fierce spirit that just won’t stop, and viola, you got someone you’ve just got to meet and get to know.
SebARTS kicks off its summer music program with an open house—and you're invited
Sebastopol Center for the Arts’ annual summer music series kicks off on August 6 with a day of festivities devoted to art, music and creativity. The open house runs from 2 to 6 pm, and the whol…
Will cranking up the gore result in more sensible gun laws?
Sebastopol architect Richard Pate has a lot of respect for the transformative power of art and its ability to change minds and shape politics. Appalled and frustrated by the ongoing plague of mass shootings, he began to wonder how he and others could use art to turn the tide.
Let's Play Pickleball
At 8 am on a Friday morning, with the fog lingering above Finley Community Center in Santa Rosa, there are 24 people playing on six Pickleball courts. By 8:30 am, as more players arrive, portable nets are moved into place to create two new courts. Some of the players are beginners getting their first lessons, while others are regulars who come out to pl…
Welcome to our new subscribers from the Rotary Club of Sebastopol. Laura and I enjoyed speaking to the club last Friday. Thanks to President JT Martin for hosting us and Rollie Atkinson for introducing us and giving a brief history of the original Sebastopol Times.