Roundup: The colors of June
Sebastopol Pride March, Art at the Source, a reading challenge from the Sebastopol Library, farewell to a familiar face, and police logs
Sebastopol’s first (er, second?) Pride March
Councilmember Stephen Zollman is working with several business owners in town to organize a Sebastopol Pride March this week on Tuesday, June 4. The event will start at Many Rivers Books on the corner of Main and Burnett streets at 4:30 pm and will wind through town and end up at city hall in time for the official raising of the Pride flag by the city at 5 pm.
Zollman said this event builds on the Pride Stroll created by Serafina Palandech and other downtown merchants last year.
“I definitely want to give credit to the people who formed the Sebastopol Pride Stroll,” Zollman said, naming Palandech, Andrea Caron of Silk Moon, Myriah Volk of the Chamber of Commerce and Danielle Connor of Retrograde. “That event definitely highlighted and brought awareness to Pride, its history, and the ongoing struggles of its particular marginalized groups, but I definitely wanted to see if we could find a way to build off of that.
Zollman prefers the word “march,” rather than stroll. “For me, having an actual march—like there's been marches since 1969 with Stonewall—so it’s good because it brings together people that are wanting to uplift this particular community's voice, but then the whole bringing together of intersectional groups.”
By intersectionality, Zollman means “the fact that we stand in solidarity with all marginalized groups. Because we are not just queer, we're queer and we have disabilities; we’re queer and we’re BIPOC; we’re queer and we have low socioeconomic status,” he said. “So it’s to stand in solidarity with all currently marginalized parts of our community.”
Zollman also wanted to attract more attention to the raising of the Pride flag over city hall.
“Last year, it was nice doing the flag raising, but it was just the five of us and two people from the library. So I'm hoping that when it gets raised this year, there will be more people, some photographs and some clapping. And then that's it. People can take a break and then I'm encouraging people to come down to the council meeting at six o'clock where there’ll be a proclamation of Pride Month.”
When smoke gets in your eyes
We got several inquiries regarding the hazy air quality and that slight, but nerve-wracking smokey smell in the air the last few days. According to Supervisor Lynda Hopkins and Watch Duty, an app which everyone in Sonoma County should have on their phone, the cause is two prescribed burns near Lake Sonoma and at Pitkin Marsh near Graton.
First weekend of Art at the Source
You’ve probably seen the yellow signs all over town, leading you to the open studios of artists participating in Art at the Source, a production of the Sebastopol Center for the Arts.
The Art at the Source exhibit at SebARTS features pieces by every Art at the Source artist. The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. Plan your Art at the Source adventure by visiting the exhibit or by looking through the Art at the Source studio guide. This open studios event happens this weekend and next weekend.
Sebastopol Library offers Summer Reading Program (with prizes for kids and adults), plus free lunch for kids
The Sonoma County Library’s annual Summer Reading program began yesterday on June 1, and readers of all ages are encouraged to read at least 20 minutes each day and track their progress to earn prizes. Participants can record their reading using a paper log or the Beanstack app.
Prizes based on reading include up to three free books (and yes, that’s for adults as well as children) and raffle entries to win various prizes. This free program runs through August 10.
Adriel Ahern is running the summer reading program for adults and children at the Sebastopol Library.
“Five hours earns participants a free book,” she said, “and you can get up to three books, so up to 15 hours. At 15 hours, there's also a raffle that people can enter for some bigger prizes.”
Kids can collect a different sticker for their reading log for every week they’re in the program. “That's just a fun way to encourage people to get in the rhythm of coming to their library every week,” Ahern said.
In addition to the summer reading program, the Sebastopol Library is hosting a series of programs for kids on Thursday mornings at 11 am. “This includes Safari encounters, a magician, African Drumming with Onye, and other musical presentations,” she said.
Now that school’s out, it’s also time for the library’s free summer lunch program.
“Another thing that our library offers that we really like to promote is Lunch at the Library, which is available for children up to age 18 to get a free lunch,” Ahern said. “Monday through Friday, they can arrive here by 12:15 and anytime between 12:15 and 12:45 they can get a free lunch that is provided by Redwood Empire Food Bank.”
The free lunch program runs from June 10 to August 9.
High School also offering free lunch to all kids under 18
West Sonoma County Union High School District is offering summer meals to kids and teens. All kids and teens, 18 and under, can receive meals free of charge, no registration needed. WSCUHSD students enrolled in summer school will be offered free meals at the following times, as well, as a part of their summer school day.
Monday - Friday, Breakfast 8:10 - 8:25 am and Lunch 11:00 - 11:15 am at Analy High School Student Center A, 445 Taft St, Sebastopol. (They will be CLOSED ON Wednesday June 19, Thursday, July 4 and Friday, July 5 for holiday observations.)
Due to changes at the federal level, the following procedures will be in place for meal distribution: No meals to go - breakfast or lunch meals must be consumed on site. Students/children must be present to receive their meals – parents are no longer able to pick up meals for their children.
Longtime produce manager at Fiesta passes away
Don Homer Townsend, 79, of Windsor, CA, passed away on May 17, 2024. He was born on April 25, 1945. Don leaves behind his beloved wife, Myra Townsend, and his sons, Scott Townsend and Colton Townsend. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Shannin Townsend.
Don was a kind and gentle man that was always looking for someone new to talk to. If you were not careful you would miss his subtle sense of humor. He’s been known to get people laughing with just a few words.
Don spent over forty-one years living in Sonoma County, where he found joy in fishing, gardening, and working on various projects around his property. He cherished country life and the simplicity it offered him. Don's passion for planting vegetables each year was evident in his dedication to his garden.
A proud Marine, Don served his country with honor. After his military service, he had a successful career as a UPS and Freight Semi-truck Driver, as well as a Produce Manager at Fiesta Market. For over 34 Years, Don brought the freshest produce to Fiesta Market in Sebastopol.
Don loved many things, but his passion was fishing. As long as you could get a line in the water, all was good. Even if that body of water was 27 miles down a dirt road at 10 miles an hour.
He loved dogs all of his life, though there was one dog that exceeded being a ‘dog’ and became an integral part of the family, Sherry Baby. She went everywhere he did. Dinners, outings and vacations were all planned with Sherry Baby in mind.
His enthusiasm for life was infectious, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, June 9th, 2024, at 2:30pm at 458 Hidden Acres Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448. (Please carpool if possible.)
Don Townsend will be remembered for his dedication to his family, his service to his country, and his love for the simple pleasures in life. May he rest in peace.
The Sebastopol Times posts obituaries for free. They can be found in the Farewells section of our website. Send obituaries of Sebastopol residents (and others, like Don, who played a role in the life of our town) to sebastopoltimes@gmail.com.
Sebastopol Police Logs, May 20-26
The following are crimes excerpted from Sebastopol Police Department daily crime log entries and listed at the time the alleged violation was reported.
MONDAY
11:45 a.m. Vandalism of property (misdemeanor) at Morris and Johnson streets. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
3:02 p.m. Shoplifting (misdemeanor) at South Main and Burnett streets. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
TUESDAY
10:10 a.m. Vandalism valued at less than $400 and conspiracy to commit a crime (misdemeanors) at Bodega and Dutton avenues. Pending further investigation.
WEDNESDAY
7:23 a.m. Vandalism of property (misdemeanor) at Valentine Avenue and Pleasant Hill Avenue North. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
12:18 p.m. Shoplifting (misdemeanor) at North Main Street and Healdsburg Avenue. Suspect arrested.
4:56 p.m. Hit and run with property damage at Huntley Street and Dutton Avenue. Referred to District Attorney for review.
THURSDAY
9:11 a.m. Served a misdemeanor arrest warrant for an outside agency at McKinley and Morris streets. Suspect arrested.
1:42 p.m. Petty theft of motor vehicle parts and vandalism of property (misdemeanors) at Willow Street and Jewell Avenue. Suspect arrested.
2:53 p.m. Battery of a person (misdemeanor) at Gravenstein Highway North and Hurlbut Avenue. Pending further investigation.
7:01 p.m. Petty theft (misdemeanor) at Valentine Avenue and Zimpher Drive. For information only.
FRIDAY
12:12 a.m. Possession of unlawful paraphernalia and a controlled substance (misdemeanors), violation of parole (felony), and driving with a suspended license at Pleasant Hill Avenue North and Bodega Avenue. Suspect arrested.
10:26 a.m. Passing a fictitious check with an intent to defraud (felony) at Morris Street and Laguna Park Way. Pending further investigation.
1:26 p.m. Shoplifting (misdemeanor) at North Main Street and Healdsburg Avenue. Suspect arrested.
10:04 p.m. Possession of unlawful paraphernalia and a controlled substance, violation of probation and operating a vehicle without the required interlock device (misdemeanors) at Sebastopol Avenue and Morris Street. Suspect arrested.
SUNDAY
11:57 a.m. Possession of unlawful paraphernalia and contempt of court (misdemeanors) at Sebastopol Avenue and Morris Street. Suspect arrested.
OTHER POLICE ACTION
The Sebastopol Police Department also recorded 156 other events requiring police action during the period, such as lost animals, assisting citizens, parking violations, foot patrol, traffic hazards and reckless driving.
Week of May 27 to June 1
St. Vincent de Paul mulls legal action over Sebastopol's withdrawl from Gravenstein Commons project
Are you enjoying the work of our new reporter Ezra Wallach? Then become a paid subscriber!
Our new reporter Ezra Wallach is doing a bang up job. Though he’s only 23, he’s tough, skeptical, fearless and an amazing writer. But here’s the deal. Right now, his entire salary is being paid by Dale out of his own pocket. So if you’ve been enjoying Ezra’s work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. We’re going to hold on to Ezra as long as we can, but this guy is headed for bigger things. We’re proud to support him in his first fulltime job as a reporter. Upgrade to being a paid subscriber today.