RoundUp: Play and protest
Toy stories, more on Woodmark, the Peace Wall honorees, Women's Equality Day, and more
On Friday night, I (Dale) moderated a panel on “The Art of Play” at The Sebastopol Center for the Arts. The panelists were:
Adriel Ahern, Children’s Librarian at the Sebastopol Regional Library
Dan Klitsner, an industrial designer and inventor of the Bop It
Michael McGinnis, an art professor at SRJC for over three decades, and the inventor of the 3D labyrinth game, Perplexus
The “Art of Play” exhibition at SebArts ends today (September 7). (Laura wrote about it here.) The panel discussion took place in between two walls of the exhibit that featured the outline of a mural by Amanda Lynn on which anyone could color or draw. A lot of people accepted the invitation to add their own creative touch.
About 40 people attended the panel, which covered the importance of play for children and adults, the different types of play and how play can help us find out what we really like to do. Dr. Stuart Brown’s book, Play, suggested that each of us have our own play history, and that history can be valuable for adults to recall.
Dan Klitsner commented that he has found that people who really love what they do at work often discovered it when they were eight years old or so. He talked about growing up in a family of actors and how he remembers the family gathering together to play games, which he loved.
Adriel Ahern said that she was a book nerd growing up but once saw a woman playing a guitar and reading to three-year olds who were so enthralled by her. That sparked her interest in becoming a librarian but she worked checkout in grocery stores in San Francisco before finally getting her library accreditation through San Jose State. She said that the library is no longer the quiet place for reading alone. It can be noisy, and that’s okay, with kids playing games, reading aloud or even singing.
Michael McGinnis grew up in a family with eleven siblings, and he remembers playing with them, not his parents. He said that he never won a game against his siblings. He developed an interest in art, studied it in grad school and started teaching at SRJC 38 years ago, while admitting that it took him many years to become the kind of teacher that his students needed.
Dan Klitsner’s Bop It is one of those rare breakout toys that ends up with a long life of its own. Dan explained that he had the task of re-designing a TV remote for a client, and he had the idea of making it more tactile, with a head like a hammer and knobs that turned. The client was not interested in his prototype, but Dan eventually figured out that it could be a toy that told kids what to do — bop it, twist it, pull it. Bop It was released in 1996 and just this week the recording artist Lizzo published her song “Bop It” (explicit lyrics). In the exhibit, there’s a transparent version of Bop It, signed by The Simpsons creator, Matt Groening, whom Dan met at the TED Conference. Groening said that he hated Bop It but later told Dan to look for an upcoming episode of The Simpsons, which featured it. (You can watch it here on YouTube.)
Dan said that “a good toy animates the player.” He explained that “it’s not what the toy does that’s interesting; it’s how the player acts while playing it.” He brought up the idea of interactivity in play. “We don’t need flashing lights for interactivity,” he said. “Playing cards is one of the most interactive things you can do as a family. It’s the other people you are playing with.”
If Bop It is a rather simple toy, Michael’s Perplexus is a much more challenging marble maze in 3D. McGuiness said that he had the idea in his head long before he was able to figure out a way to build it. He worked with Dan to realize the idea and bring it to market. Perplexus has also had a long life as a toy.
While there are many traditional forms of play that kids today enjoy, a newer form of play has become problematic for parents—video games. Adriel sees this at the library.
“On Thursdays, when the Waldorf schools in the area get out early, the library gets a lot of kids in to play video games,” she said. (Waldorf discourages the use of screens in favor of more tactile, hands-on interaction.) She recognizes that the students playing video games in a group is different from playing alone. “It checks all the boxes for play,” she said. The kids are noisy because they are interacting with each other. Adriel has a 16-year-old son who also loves video games but she does not. Her son argues that video games are complex, interactive and imaginative stories and while Adriel thinks he makes good points, she still wants him to read more.
The topic of video games struck several parents in the audience, who are struggling to find the right balance between giving permission and restricting play. Dan said that he himself likes video games. “I get addicted to them, and I just need to stop playing,” he said. “They’re so-oo good.” One parent said she wished that her son could play a video game just with his friends online, but there are adult strangers in the chat rooms. Another said that she allows her children to go to the playground on their own, but his friends are not at the playground because they are playing video games and her son is there alone. One mother, an artist, said that her 15-year-old son was so creative as a child but now will not do anything that’s creative; he just wants to play video games. All the panelists commented on how play and creativity seem to come naturally to young children but, for whatever reasons, many seem to lose the gift as they become teens.
Serafina Palandech, the executive director of the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, commented that on her recent trip to Europe, she noticed that more art museums were incorporating interactivity and offering things to do for children, transforming the passive experience of looking at art. Like the two walls in the “Art of Play” that say “Color me,” children and adults are looking for opportunities to engage and enjoy playing together.
Outside SebArts, there was a brightly painted fan that offered an opportunity to doodle in dust.
More on the Woodmark evictions
Tenants will protest in front of Woodmark at 10 am this morning
Tenants are staging a demonstration in front of Woodmark this morning at 10 am to protest the mass eviction going on there.
A letter about Woodmark
We heard from many tenants at Woodmark this week and from several of the older tenant’s grown children in Sebastopol, including this one, which we felt really captured the pathos of the situation:
Dear Editors of the Sebastopol Times,
I read your recent article about the Woodmark Apartments situation—specifically the suggestion that tenants are being relocated into other low-income housing options. That statement is profoundly misleading.
In reality, there is no rehousing happening. My elderly father, a retired senior surviving on a modest Social Security income, is one of those being forced out with nowhere to go. The idea that arrangements are being made is already proving false. People like my dad are facing homelessness—not being offered new homes.
What is happening here is deeply shameful. Seniors with limited resources and no broad support network are being evicted—not supported. This is not just irresponsible—it’s antiquated, possibly criminal negligence at best, and outright cruelty at worst.
The blame lies squarely with Woodmark’s management—not with families already struggling to keep their heads above water. Instead of protecting displaced residents, management seems to be complicit in further endangering them. Your coverage must reflect this. The reality deserves to be told: these aren’t empty apartments waiting—with rehousing options ready—as the article suggests. These are people, and many of them are truly running out of options.
Thank you for your coverage—but please, help us amplify our voice. More vulnerable people in our community are watching—and we need their attention turned toward real solutions before it’s too late.
[Name withheld to protect her father’s identity]
Our article didn’t actually suggest the tenants were being “relocated”—one of the farmworker advocates in the article said that, and no doubt he believes it. The article itself made it pretty clear that 46 low-income families and individuals are about to be tossed into the open rental market, with only the leaky lifeboat of an incentive payment if they move quick enough. Some tenants have been referred to two other affordable housing complexes—the Cedars and the Redwoods—but it is unclear yet how many openings are available there and how “affordable” they really are. We’ll be looking into that this week.
For more insights from our readers about the Woodmark evictions, please see the comments on our article.
Peace Wall ceremony at the plaza on Saturday
On Saturday at the plaza, the ceremony for the Peace Wall was held. As described in Rollie’s preview article, four new honorees were added: Alice Waco, a co-founder of Sonoma County’s Peace and Justice Center; David Hartsough, a Quaker who was engaged in nonviolent resistance against all U.S.-involved wars since Vietnam; Bob Alpern, a director of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Social Justice; and Gerry Condon, an active member of Veterans For Peace.
The originator of the Peace Wall, Michael Gillotti, played his guitar at the ceremony. Bob Ahern, a 97-year-old honoree, addressed the group of 150 people.
Recognizing Women’s Equality Day
On Aug. 29, Sebastopol Mayor Stephen Zollman presented Amy Nykamp, president of National Organization for Women - Sonoma County, with the Women's Equality Day Proclamation that he had signed at the council meeting on August 5. There were many “whereas-es,” but Nykamp said her favorite section of the proclamation was where it states, “[we are] recommitting to gender equality in the City of Sebastopol, including equal pay for equal work, and accelerating actions for the overall progress of women."
Sebastopol Pickleball Association
Sharon Harms wrote to us about the Sebastopol Pickleball Association (SPA), a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established in 2024.
We are a group of West County individuals who have been playing for a number of years and we are passionately trying to create more pickleball courts in Sebastopol. Currently, the opportunities to play are very limited because of lack of courts and availability.
Ray Chinn is President and Joelle Hoffman and Ann Carlson are Vice Presidents. Sharon is a board member. Email the group at is info@sebastopolpickleball.com or visit their website for more information.
Sebastopol Police Logs, August 25-31
The following are crimes excerpted from Sebastopol Police Department daily crime log entries and listed at the time the alleged violation was reported.
MONDAY
11:24 a.m. Grand theft (felony) at Petaluma Avenue. Cleared by circumstances beyond police control.
1:14 p.m. Failure to appear after promising in writing (misdemeanor), at Laguna Park Way. Suspect arrested.
4:05 p.m. Battery on a person (misdemeanor) at North Main Street. Charges unfounded.
8:40 p.m. Vehicle theft (felony) at West Street. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
TUESDAY
12:41 p.m. Petty theft from a building (misdemeanor) at South Main Street. Referred to District Attorney for review.
12:52 p.m. Knowingly receiving stolen property (misdemeanor) at Laguna Park Way. Suspect arrested.
6:59 p.m. Inflicting corporal injury on a child (misdemeanor) at West Hills Circle. Charges unfounded.
WEDNESDAY
2:14 p.m. Shoplifting with two or more prior convictions (felony) at North Main Street. Pending further investigation.
FRIDAY
2:34 p.m. Possession of unlawful paraphernalia and disobeying a court order (misdemeanors) at Henon Drive. Suspect arrested.
SATURDAY
10:40 a.m. Failure to appear after promising in writing (misdemeanor) at North Main Street. Suspect arrested.
SUNDAY
1:57 p.m. Failure to appear after promising in writing (misdemeanor) at Bodega Avenue. Suspect arrested.
OTHER POLICE ACTION
The Sebastopol Police Department also recorded 135 events requiring police action during the period, such as lost animals, assisting citizens, parking violations, foot patrol, traffic hazards and reckless driving.
Good to see coverage of pickleball in Sebastopol. Play occurs at the courts by Brook Haven School outside of school hours. Check out Playtimescheduler.com to view playing times and participation. For free lessons, come to Finley Community Center in Santa Rosa on Wednesdays and Fridays from 8-9 AM. I an others enjoy teaching the sport!