RoundUp: The old, the new, and the future
Iggy's Burger comes to the Barlow, the post office gets some love, and the library needs your help
Cock Robin becomes Iggy’s Burger
A bird wearing a top hat and tails, the Cock Robin has left town, perhaps flying back to the Chicago area after staying for about a year in this town. Taking its place in The Barlow is Iggy’s Burger, whose sign has a dog wearing a burger on its head. The promotions say that Iggy’s Burger, which opened this month, represents “new ownership, new menu and new restaurant.” Sebastopol is the second location for Iggy’s Burger, which is a family-owned business that started in Healdsburg.
In October 2024, the Sebastopol Times reported on Cock Robin’s sign cock up. The signage for the hamburger joint had been put up without prior approval by the city, and it did not comply with the design guidelines for the Barlow. Despite a warning letter from the city, the signs remained unchanged. The front-facing signs with Cock Robin on them were taken down in December and have not yet been replaced.
On Saturday, employees Myriam, Daniel, Chris and Brian, some of whom had worked at Cock Robin, were preparing the restaurant for lunchtime. Daniel said that the new menu would merge some of the best of Cock Robin with new items.
As Heather Irwin wrote in Sonoma Magazine, Ignacio “Iggy” Garat is transforming “the burger-and-fried-chicken shop into… well, another burger-and-fried-chicken shop, this time with a sweet twist: ice cream.” Iggy’s Burgers will have an Angela’s Organic Ice Cream shop, just as it does in Healdsburg. (Angela is Iggy’s mother).
Iggy’s Burgers features organic beef cooked in beef tallow. Interestingly, this week new federal dietary guidelines added beef tallow to the list of healthy fats. (See realfood.gov). However, the guidelines don’t recommend regularly eating fried and other highly processed foods.
Sebastopol Post Office’s magnolia gets a trim
A Sebastopol Times reader, who asked to remain anonymous, reports that the large, beautiful magnolia in front of the Sebastopol Post Office got a trim over the holidays, thanks to the generous efforts of Davey Tree Expert Company, which donated their services. Our reader gave a shout-out to Davey’s North Bay District Manager Patrick Mounce and tree-trimmers Jason (foreman) and Mitch. The point of the tree trimming was to reveal the name of the post office at the top of the building.
“This federal building was completed in 1936 and is now in need of some tender care,” our anonymous reader wrote. “Next time you stop in, take a moment to observe the beautiful flooring and the New Deal wall mural...If you are a skilled woodworker or craftsman who wishes to donate time making improvements to the woodwork around the postal service windows, please contact the Sebastopol’s interim postmaster at 707-823-1427. Although there is a long, drawn-out process to file a request for interior repair work, with determination, it can be done.”
Help shape the future of your library system
As a part of its Strategic Planning Process, the Sonoma County Library Commission is holding several community conversations, and you can get involved.
Former Sebastopol City Councilperson Sarah Gurney said that she is concerned that “with the Sebastopol branch now closed for a ‘refresh,’ folks may not find out about these meetings. It’s important that our community shows up!”
The first Community Conversation will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 3 pm to 4 pm, at the Community Church of Sebastopol, 1000 Gravenstein Hwy. N. Register here.
You can also attend a virtual conversation on Jan. 15, 9 am to 10 am.
Gurney also urges you to take the Library Survey, which closes on Jan. 18.
Other community conversations will happen at the Petaluma Library on Jan. 14, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, and at the Windsor Library on Jan. 17, from 10 am to 11 am.
The Sebastopol Library building will be closed from Jan. 5-25, but you can still order books online and pick them up at the Sonoma County Library’s BiblioBus outside the Sebastopol Library on High Street on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between 1 pm and 5 pm.
Correction
Regarding our story on mountain lions, Anika, the West County farmer, called with a correction about the efforts her family had made to protect their livestock. Anika said her family has not one, but three enclosures. They are trying to create full, mountion-lion-proof enclosures from their three existing three-sided horse paddocks by fencing off the fourth side and covering it with shade cloth. Unfortunately, right now, the fencing isn’t tall enough to meet the roof and completely enclose the paddock. They are planning to purchase doors for all the paddocks, but this is expensive.
She adds that although the goats are amenable to spending the night in an enclosed shelter, the sheep are not and she has to lure them in there by only feeding them inside the shelter. And sometimes, they simply refuse to go in. Her husband put up expensive cameras to alert them by phone to the presence of large animals in the vicinity of the pens. They are also installing motion-activated sirens and flashing lights along the road to their house to discourage predators.
Sebastopol Police Logs, Dec. 29 – Jan. 4
The following are crimes excerpted from Sebastopol Police Department daily crime log entries and listed at the time the alleged violation was reported.
MONDAY
7:28 a.m. Vandalism involving defacing property (misdemeanor) at Willow Street. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
FRIDAY
12:04 p.m. Possession of unlawful paraphernalia, knowingly receiving stolen property and violation of probation (misdemeanors) at Petaluma and Abbott avenues. Suspect arrested.
SATURDAY
4:30 p.m. Obtaining money under false pretenses (misdemeanor) at Bodega Avenue. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
OTHER POLICE ACTION
The Sebastopol Police Department also recorded 118 events requiring police action during the period, such as lost animals, assisting citizens, parking violations, foot patrol, traffic hazards and reckless driving.
