Petaluma Salvation Army to host 6th annual car show July 28 to raise funds for back-to-school supplies

PETALUMA—The Salvation Army of Petaluma will host its 6th annual Car Show on Saturday, July 28 at Casa Grande High School (333 Casa Grande Road, Petaluma), from 10 AM to 3 PM. The event will also have a bounce house, raffle prizes, barbecue food, shaved ice, cotton candy, popcorn, music, silent auction, fish hatchery open house and tours, and more. Admission will be free.

A wide variety of custom cars and bikes are usually on display. The Salvation Army is seeking even more participants for Saturday’s event. Car show entry fee is $25. Bikes are welcome as well for $10. Vehicle and bike owners can sign up by calling (707) 769-0716, Ext. 101 or emailing [email protected]. Registration will also occur during the morning of event, from 8:30 AM to 10 AM.

Proceeds generated from the Car Show will go towards The Salvation Army of Petaluma’s back-to-school program. Next month, nearly 130 kids will be given new backpacks and school supplies.

The event is sponsored by Mentor Me, Petaluma Elks Lodge, Petaluma Poultry and Quality Printing Services.

Last year’s Car Show event raised more than $3,500.

For additional information about the Car Show, call (707) 769-0716, Ext. 101.

Petaluma Elks and Calvary Church working together to support fire victims

On October 9th at 6:30am in the morning, the request for help came from the Petaluma police to open Petaluma Elks Lodge #901’s doors to the first responder’s families being evacuated in the neighboring cities, providing a safe place for them to refuge. By 10am, 5 families, including young children and family pets, were walking into our lodge in visible shock.

Calvary Church

By mid-day, when the gravity of the situation set in, #901 decided to find and respond to the needs of the community. Lodge #901’s next door neighbor, Calvary Chapel, was a designated evacuation center and opened their doors to displaced families.  Lodge #901 discovered that Calvary Chapel’s facility was full of people, sheltering in place, and their logistics team was hard at work trying to figure out a plan. Petaluma Elks Lodge leaders met with the Calvary Church tactical team and offered to open our kitchen and dining hall to them and to partner in the crisis.

The Calvary Church team came over to Lodge 901 and assessed our capabilities the suggestion was made by Lodge leaders to be the cafeteria for the now 180 evacuees and Calvary Chapel would be the sleeping quarters. Food donations began arriving from Calvary Chapel, Petaluma Salvation Army and a multitude of other vendors and individuals while we went to work calling volunteers for help. The Lodge sponsored Boy Scout Troop 2 responded and sent five boys to help. It was agreed upon that they would start by serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the following three days.

Petaluma Elks Lodge #901 Food Line

At 6am on Tuesday, volunteers showed up and prepped and organized and at 7am the first of the families, couples and individuals affected by the fires started showing up. By 10am, half the volunteers went into clean up mode and the other half switched to prepping for lunch. Everyone was still a little shocked, and it was obvious that we needed to get ourselves organized for what was to come, as the news was clear that the fires were traveling and expanding.

Volunteers Making Sanwiches for first responders

A small team of lodge members went into a Lodge conference room and developed a command center, creating operational, logistics, and menu plans, as well as assigning point people for each area. Over the next 24 hours, the Elk’s received food donations, clothing donations and prepared to be an additional shelter to supplement our neighbor Calvary church, who was now housing 180 evacuees. The Elk’s leadership organized the food, reached out for additional refrigeration, built menus for the next 5 days and started slotting volunteers in for five shifts a day around the clock.

Getting Donations Prepared To Help Displaced Families

On day three, The Elk’s started serving additional meals to the Salvation Army, first responders from Falck an emergency response company from across the street, and the Calvary Chapel volunteers. Teams were activated, serving an estimated 650 meals a day. The Lodge opened their showers to Calvary Chapel’s evacuees, accepted additional RVs in 901’s park, placed porta-potties in the parking lot, and all members and volunteers where running efficiently and working together seamlessly and effectively.

Cleaning Crews

Lodge 901 also recognized they needed to start deep cleaning bathrooms and showers on a regular schedule to avoid any illnesses introduced by so many people.  Several groups of volunteers stepped up and rotated shifts  to clean the dining hall, bathrooms, showers and kitchen  maintaining a safe and clean space for all.

The most incredible thing that resulted from this was the length community support coming together and the generosity from all those involve.  Many times we had an army of people taking the time to give love, service and hope to the stream of displaced people.  David Adams from the Lodge said, “Our doors were wide open to those in need.”

After a full week,  the need began to diminish. After a lot of cleaning and redirecting extra food & donations, The Lodge is back to serving our members and learned lessons on how to better prepare, and act quickly and efficiently, the next time they are needed. The Elks are planning to stay in contact with the agencies and organizations that worked so closely with them. Together they plan to create agreements of intent to support each other in the future when disaster hits again. As we all say here “Sonoma County strong-Petaluma kind’.


Petaluma’s Covergirl Shelina Moreda Is What She Makes Up

Today, COVERGIRL announces the biggest reinvention in their 60-year history, redefining the brand with new a slogan, “I Am What I Make Up.” The powerful new expression aims to inspire people to embrace their unique identities and unapologetically create any version of themselves through makeup.

COVERGIRL kicks off their brand relaunch today, with a long-form film titled, “Made in the Mirror,” that features six COVERGIRLs, most of whom were launched throughout the past month. These include, actress Issa Rae, TV personality Ayesha Curry, singer/songwriter Katy Perry, model Maye Musk, fitness trainer Massy Arias and professional motorcycle racer Shelina Moreda. All of these women have combined their professions with their love for makeup, while empowering and encouraging others to do the same.

Ukonwa Ojo, SVP COVERGIRL, Coty, said, “In leading the relaunch, we started with the insight that people no longer strive for a singular standard of beauty, but use makeup as a tool for self-expression and personal transformation.. COVERGIRL has always been inclusive and is known for pushing the boundaries of what it means to be beautiful, which means we have a responsibility to elevate how we connect and communicate with people. This is bigger than a new campaign or a tagline. We hope to spark a provocative dialogue that shifts cultural assumptions about when, where, how and why people wear makeup.”

COVERGIRL’s multifaceted transformation will touch all areas of the brand, including packaging and product design; in-store experience; a new logo and tag line; and look, tone and feel across all communications, starting with “Made in the Mirror” and continuing to roll-out through the remainder of 2017 and into 2018.


Sorry for the blast of emails – Please ignore them

This kind of let the cat-out-of-the-bag, so you are the first to learn this.  We are bringing the Positively Petaluma website back on line in the very near future.  In that development, we are creating a new look and style.  When we merged the new web theme it had already built onto it 15 or 20 demonstration posts. So when we loaded it onto our server it sent out 20 or so bizarre unrelated articles listing me as the author.  We did not author these or intend for them to be sent.  They were simply sample demo posts for the web new web design and were not intended to be broadcast to our followers.

So now  you know, Positively Petaluma is gearing up to go live again.   You also know we didn’t get hacked and this was not a virus or anything suspicious going on.  It all had to do with our development to get our site back and running.  We apologize for any inconvenience, if any, this has caused you.

So keep posted for more great content and positive stories about Petaluma in the very near future.  For now follow our Facebook page for updates.

My Best,

 

Wayne Dunbar

Site Under Construction

After an entire year, we finally were able to recover our over 3,500 positive stories and posts on Petaluma. While we have recovered the data, we are going to be working hard on renewing the website with a new look. Please come back in July 2017 and see our progress. In the meantime follow us on our popular Facebook Page and enjoy our archives from the time we launched this site.

VIDEO: Fish with human-like teeth caught in Petaluma Ca Luchessi Pond

Over the memorial day weekend a fisherman got the ultimate surprise.  He reeled in his catch and when he started unhooking it the toothy creature was giving him a big smile.  Here is the video:


What’s Going On In Petaluma This Week? Through May 20th

Spring Book Sale – thru 5/21: Friends of Petaluma Library Book Sale General Sale Days, New books added daily through Friday See website for details & deal days. Petaluma Regional Library, 100 Fairgrounds Dr.  707-763-9801.

  • Wednesday May 18   4:00-8:00 pm
  • Thursday May 19 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
  • Friday May 20 10:00 am – 5:00 pmGodspell-Banner1

Petaluma Arts Association Open Studio“Godspell”thru 5/22: Performed by Cinnabar Young Repertory Theater, 333 Petaluma Blvd. North.  707-763-8920. www.cinnabartheater.org

3rd Annual Petaluma Open Studios – Sat., 10am: Fine artists open their studios to the public – various locations. 707-364-5838 www.petalumaarts.org

Petaluma Adobe Living History DayLiving History Day at the Adobe – Sat., 11am: Mexican California era comes to life at the Rancho headquarters.  Petaluma Adobe State Park, 3325 Adobe Rd. 707-762-4871.

Saturday Farmer’s Market in Walnut Park – Sat., 2-5pm: Over 60 booths selling farm-fresh produce and local products. Live entertainment & activities at 4th & D Streets. 415-999-5635.

PR_JuraMargulis_2Jura Margulis Concert – Sat., 8pm: Russian piano virtuoso performs at the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 20 Fourth St. 707-778-4398.

Boating at the Barn – Sun., 10am-1pm: Free kayak and row boat rides at the River Heritage Center in Steamer Landing Park (end of Copeland Street). Sign up at the barn. For info call 769-0910.

Holy Jazz & BluesPetaluma Chorale Spring Jazz Concert – Tues., 7:30pm: Jazz and blues performance at the Petaluma Valley Baptist Church, 580 Sonoma Mtn. Pkwy. 812-369-5225 or email: [email protected].

classic carsPetaluma Cinema Series – Wed., 7pm: J.J. Abrams 2015 film, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at SRJC Petaluma Campus, 680 Sonoma Mtn. Pkwy.

Classic Car Cruise-In – Thurs., 6-9pm: Show off your classic cars every Thursday evening. No judging, just enjoy the eye candy.  Fourth and Sea Fish and Chips, 101 4th St. 762-6424.

Also get ready for

11th Annual Petaluma Ca’s Salute to American Graffiti

Cruisin’ on the Boulevard

Click here or for the schedule of events.

11th Annual Salute to American Graffiti – Cruisin’ On The Boulevard

(Information from AmericanGraffiti.net)

American GraffitiThursday, May 19, 2016  – “Jump Start” Dinner, Location Cattleman’s Restaurant.  By Advanced Reservation Only.  Tickets are $45 per person. You may meet some of the stars and crew from the original production of the movie. To purchase tickets call (707) 762-3394.

Friday, May 20, 2016 – Free – Open to everyone – no registration required – American Graffiti Cruise-in & Kickoff Social:  4-8PM located at The Petaluma Plaza and Plaza North Shopping Centers, McDowell Blvd (One block American Graffiti-2north of Washington Street). – Dress up in your ole’ fashioned ’50’s duds and take your photo in a candy colored hot rod.  There will be cool cars and entertainment.

Saturday, May 21, 2016 – Free – 11th Annual Petaluma Ca’s Salute to American Graffiti Classic Car Show: 10AM-4PM ; American Graffiti Cruise & Festivities: 4PM – 8PM located in Downtown Petaluma (On the boulevard of course)

 

Here is a video from previous year’s event:

Video: Winners Announce For 2016 Great Petaluma Chili Cookoff

Grand ChampionFrom the Great Petaluma Chili Cookoff Website:

Click here if you missed the event but still want to make a donation to the Cinnabar Theater Children’s program.

Grand Champions

GOLDRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT

  • Most Spirited Team – Sax’s Joint
  • Best Chili Display – Sarah’s Eats and Sweets
  • Best Salsa Display – Ass on Fire
  • Best Costumes – Goldridge Fire Dept.
  • Best Booth – Samuel Heights Low Brow
  • Firemen’s Ax Award – Goldridge Fire Dept.

Some Girls, Their Uncle His KidsJudge’s Chili Award Individuals

1. Poco Borracho
2. Samuel Heights Lowbrow Chili
3. Some Girls, Their Uncle, His Kids…

Judge’s Chili Award Restaurant

1. Brasil BBQ
2. Sarah’s Sweets and Eats
3. Brewsters Beer Garden

Judge’s Chili Awards Business

IMG_15841. Trader Joe’s
2. Argus Courier
3. Kurt’z Kreations

Judge’s Chili Award Service Organization

1. Goldridge Fire Department
2. Liberty Independent Living
3. Homeward Bound of Marin

Judge’s Award Vegetarian Chili

1. Preferred Sonoma Caterers
Sonoma Preferred Caterers2. Bellyfull Dinners
3. Tree Huggin’ Hippies

Preferred
Judge’s Award Traditional Salsa

1. Fat Kid
2. Mr. Pyro’s
3. Krazy Kelts
Judge’s Award Fruit Salsa

1. Bellyfull Dinners
2. Spring Hill Ranch
3. Brew It Up

Spring Hills RanchPeople’s Choice Award Meat Chili

1. Homeward Bound of Marin
2. Exchange Bank
3. Santa Rosa Fire Fighters

People’s Choice Award Vegetarian Chili

1. Preferred Sonoma Caterers
2. Sarah’s Eats and Sweets
3. Friendly Chili
People’s Choice Award Salsa

1. Mr. Pyro’s
2. Krazy Kelts
Petaluma Hills Brewery3. Samuel Heights Lowbrow Salsa
Mr Pyros
People’s Choice Award Beer

1. Petaluma Hills
2. Hen House
3. Sudwerk

Pet Hills
2014 Firemen’s Ax Award

Goldridge Fire Department

CLICK HERE OR PAGE TWO BELOW TO SEE THE VIDEO

Be Part of Tomorrow’s Highlights Of This Year’s Great Petaluma Chili Cookoff

1-5PM Rain or shine – be there!

(Featured recently on NBC Bay Area)

You have until 8:30AM on 5/7/2016 to order your tickets online.

 

Click here to buy tickets now and help support our Cinnabar Theater children’s programs.

Chili & Salsa $25 ****Kids under 12 $10, under 5 free ****
Chili, Salsa and Beer Tasting $45

Otherwise you can purchase tickets at the gate on day of event.

2015 Great Petaluma Chili Cook-Off-16Here are highlights from previous years event:

I will be a chili judge again in this year’s 19th Annual Great Petaluma Chili Cookoff, Salsa & Beer Tasting competition, so please stop by the judges desk to say “I Love Positively Petaluma! – and chili,salsa and beer too”.

Here are some video highlights from past events:
2015 Highlights:

2014 Event Highlights

For more information CLICK HERE to visit the official Great Petaluma Chili Cookoff website.