Category: Featured

Petaluma: 2015 City of Lights Driving Tour Map Released!

Chad Dunbar, Winner of 2009 Petaluma City of Lights Tour
Chad Dunbar, Winner of 2009 Petaluma City of Lights Tour

Plus Video of Santa’s Tug Boat Arrival

Every year people from all over Sonoma and Marin County visit and enjoy Petaluma’s City of Lights driving tour which officially starts today.  This year we have 16 home entries and 21 businesses. This self-directed tour will continue through December 29th.

Click here to see the 2015 Petaluma City of Lights Driving Tour Map. Judging will happen over this weekend, and winners will be announced by December 11th.

Also our visitors center did a great job of capturing the crowd, carollers and Santa arriving via tugboat in the Petaluma turning basin. Enjoy the video.



Upcoming Fall Cinema Series at SRJC Petaluma Campus: Video Trailers

Every Wednesday evening the Petaluma Film Alliance hosts movie previews at Petaluma SRJC campus in the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium, 680 Sonoma Mountain Parkway.  Its more than a movie! There are three sessions: A pre-film lecture at 6PM; film screening at 7PM; and post-screening discussion until 10PM.

Over the next two weeks, they will be featuring the following two films:

Timbuktu Video TrailerDECEMBER 2 – TIMBUKTU Abderahmane Sissako, 2014, Mauritania

The Ancient City Of Timbuktu (SECRET ANCIENT HISTORY DOCUMENTARY)

Director Abderramane Sissako, one of the world’s premiere filmmakers emerging from Africa, offers a hauntingly beautiful account of the occupation of Timbuktu by the militant Islamist group Ansar Dine. The film chronicles the citizens of the city after the militants begin committing brutal acts in the name of Sharia Law. Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 2015. 96 minutes.

Here is the movie trailer:

Fast Times At Ridgemont HighDECEMBER 9 – FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH – Amy Heckerling, 1982, USA

Written by Cameron Crowe (Say Anything, Almost Famous), Fast Times follows the lives of six high schoolers and their adventures in the worlds of school, work, parties, and love. Stacy, Linda, Mark, and Mike try to not crack under the pressures of young love; stoner Jeff Spicoli goes to war with an especially strict history teacher; and Brad Hamilton tries to keep a job to pay off his car. Known for launching the careers of many young actors, including Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, and Nicolas Cage, Fast Times at Ridgemont High has gained iconic status as an hilariously honest representation of high school life in the 1980s. 90 minutes.

Here is the movie trailer:


What’s Going On In Petaluma This Week? Also Don’t Miss These Christmas Events!

chittychittybangbang2“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” – Nov. 20-Dec. 6: Performed by Cinnabar Theater Young Rep. Visit website for show  dates & times. 763-8920

Petaluma Holiday CrafterinoSmall Business Saturday – Sat. All Day: A day dedicated to shopping at local merchants.

Holiday Crafterino – Sat., 11am-4pm: $1 donation. Petaluma Veterans Memorial Hall, 1094 Petaluma Blvd. South. www.petalumadowntowncraftmart.com

Santa’s Riverboat Arrival – Sat., 11:30am: Entertainment starts at 11:30; Santa & Mrs. Claus arrive around noon by Tug, stays for photos until 1:30pm.  River Plaza Shopping Center on E. Washington St.

horse&carriage2The North Pole Connection – Sat. 2:30-7pm & Sun. 1-4pm: Santa Claus available for photos at the Lan Mart Building, 18 Kentucky St.

Holiday Table Centerpiece Workshop – Sat., 10am: Advance registration 664-8656 or Artful Arrangements, 205 Orchard Lane.

Boating at the Barn – Sun., 10am-1pm: Free kayak and row boat rides at the River Heritage Center in Steamer Landing Park. 769-0910  www.petalumasmallcraftcenter.org

navarro trioSunrise Holiday Craft Fair – Sun., 10am-6pm: Delightful holiday craft items & more. Sunrise Senior Living, 815 Wood Sorrell Dr. www.sunriseseniorliving.com

Navarro Trio Concert – Sun., 3pm: Performing Beethoven & Arensky at the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum 20 4th St. 778-4398. www.petalumamuseum.com

Light up the park PetalumaEast-Side Farmers’ Market – Tuesdays, 10am-1:30 pm: Year-round, rain or shine! Deer Creek Shopping Center (Friedman’s) 429 No. McDowell Blvd.  415-999-5635.

West Side Stories – Wed. 7:30pm: At Sonoma Porkworks, 613 2nd St. $5. 477-4416 www.westsidestoriespetaluma.com

Hospice “Light up a Life” Tree Lighting Ceremony – Fri., 7pm: Annual community celebration at Center Park, off Petaluma Blvd. www.hospicelightupalife.org

 

CLICK HERE OR PAGE 2 BELOW TO SEE A LIST OF CHRISTMAS AND HOLIDAY EVENTS IN NOVEMBER

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Two videos added to our Petaluma Butter & Egg Days Parade YouTube Playlist

Petaluma High School Marching Band in 2015 Butter & Egg Days ParadeWe have two new 2015 Butter & Egg Days Parade videos added to our playlist.

Petaluma Junior High School Marching Band in 2015 Butter & Egg Days Parade

and

District 2 Dairy Princess Connie Jones with 1st Alt. Alex Gambonini 2015 Butter & Egg Days Parade

subscribe buttonIf you have not already visited our YouTube Channel you may not know what you are missing.  If you want to be sure not to miss any new videos we post be sure to subscribe to our channel by clicking on the subscribe  button as shown to the right.   We update and share the following playlists, and you can subscribe to any one of them that interests you the most.

2VIDEOS

Petaluma Wine

9VIDEOS

Great Petaluma Chili Cook-Off

7VIDEOS

About Petaluma

7VIDEOS

Petaluma Education & Schools

4VIDEOS PLAY ALL

Petaluma History

6VIDEOS

Petaluma Rides

4VIDEOS

Petaluma Services

Known for its Ugliest Dog, #Petaluma also provides the Cutest Dog for Thanksgiving

thanksgiving-day-2015-3First things first – Happy Thanksgiving to you from Positively Petaluma.  We wish you and your family the very best for the holiday.

#Petaluma’s ugliest dog, Quasi Moto, was worldwide news this year as part of the Sonoma-Marin County Fair.  You can see photos of him and this year’s contest in our article “Breaking News: Quasi Modo winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest!”. Today, not in any contest, a cute dog was spotted in downtown #Petaluma that is getting worldwide attention on a United Kingdom publication DailyMail.com.  This cute pooch was garnering a costume that gave the appearance of a puppet struggling to carry a very large pumpkin.

To celebrate the holiday with some cheer we thought this video was worth sharing:

For the entire article go see Dog goes barking mad for Thanksgiving: Cute pup dons ingenious costume of pilgrims carrying a pumpkin 

#Petaluma Composer ‘Scores’ Big Win at Toronto Film Festival

Jasha Klebe Petaluma Composer Working On ScoreMusic composer, Petaluman Jasha Klebe, is now a success story from our very own Cinnabar Theater. He wrote the music score for a film recently awarded the Peoples Choice Documentary Award in the Toronto Film Fest for ‘Winter on Fire.‘  We tracked him down only to find he was en route to the Ukraine to premiere their film for the embassy there.  He is currently working for the critically acclaimed Netflix documentary, Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom. Jasha’s musical upbringing was influenced early in life by his grandfather, Marvin Klebe, founder of Cinnabar Theater and a baritone opera singer who once sang with the San Francisco Opera Company. Following years of classical piano training and trombone in symphonic band, Jasha began his film composing career at Remote Control Productions, where he earned the Winter On Fireopportunity as an additional writer along side Oscar-winning composer, Hans Zimmer, writing on such notable projects as The Dark Knight Rises, Rush, and Captain Phillips. For four years he gained experience working with top artists in the industry, including working with the Grammy Award winning composer Lorne Balfe on several TV shows and video games (The Bible TV series, Assassin’s Creed). Jasha is currently one of the leading composers at Bleeding Fingers Custom Music Shop (a Hans Zimmer and Extreme Music creative partnership) located in Santa Monica, California and works in one of their state-of-the art studios.

CLICK HERE OR PAGE 2 BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JASHA IN OUR RECENT INTERVIEW


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Petaluma Honors Veterans and Troops at Annual Veterans Day Parade

Check our video and photo gallery of this year’s event

On Wednesday, November 11 Petaluma held its annual Veterans Day Parade, one of the largest in northern California. People lined the parade path, waiting to cheer on the veterans and voice their support for U.S. troops.

Marching in the parade were a wide variety military units and veterans including those who served in World War II, as well as color guards, local school bands, family members of veterans, and scout troops. Parade vehicles ranged from traditional floats to fire engines, military vehicles, and antique cars. Overhead were flyovers by military aircraft and helicopters.

On the sidelines, families and other veterans saluted the troops, waved flags, and generally cheered on our veterans. American flags were waving everywhere on the parade route.  Several groups had stands stocked with Christmas cards and pens so that people could write to active troops to wish them well for the holidays.

After the parade, a memorial ceremony was held at Walnut Park, during which the National Anthem and “God Bless America” were sung and prayers were said for the troops. This year’s memorial ceremony unveiled Petaluma’s Korean War monument, dedicated to three Petaluma soldiers who died in the Korean War. The unveiling and dedication was a special moment for everyone there, and especially for the loved ones of those soldiers.

CLICK HERE OR PAGE 2 BELOW TO SEE THE VIDEO FROM THIS YEAR’S VETERAN’S DAY PARADE 

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#Petaluma’s X2nSat Creates Video “Who is X2nSat”

As provided on their YouTube Channel:
X2nSat is one of the most veteran VSAT providers in North America, extending communication reach anywhere a company does business for more than 15 years. Founded with a mission to provide highly reliable, wireless network and communication solutions to a wide variety of industries, X2nSat is proud to provide the robust services of a large telecomm with the personalized customer care of a specialty organization. With a state-of-the-art, high-capacity satellite teleport site and a 24x7x365 Network Operations Center located in California and redundant teleports and data centers spread throughout the United States, X2nSat has the capacity to deliver extremely secure network solutions and services anywhere you work. Clients appreciate the strength of X2nSat’s robust network infrastructure and its close proximity to the engineers and technicians who manage their networks.


PETALUMA: YOUNG ROSSI HELPS TO INSPIRE KIDS ONE SONG AT A TIME

A night of food, wine, stories of inspiration, and musicMailChimp-PerfectPairings-CoverImage

October 1, 2015 Kenwood, California: On Saturday, November 14, 2015, at the Chateau St. Jean Winery located at 8555 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, CA 95452, the new and rising star Em Rossi will be performing to benefit the non-profit organization event that will take place between 5-9PM with celebrity Spencer Christianguests that will be hosted by ABC TV’s Spencer Christian. For more information about this event you can call (415) 453-3800. Rossi who has made appearances with Miles Schon at other charity events will be performing for the VIP sponsors’ reception between 4-5:00PM.

Rossi has been interviewed and performed on local radio, national new stations, and local blogs. Check out our previous post and Interview with #Petaluma’s Rising Star! Singer/Songwriter Em Rossi.  A week after we posted on her the Petaluma Argus was inspired also to write about her in their article Singing her way to a career in music.  Her soul based sound with modern jazz elements incorporating an eclectic mix of genres. Her music producer, Jim McGorman, who has worked with artists like Avril Lavigne and Shakira says “Em Rossi expresses a musical depth that is far beyond her seventeen years. She is a fearless artist, capable of taking you from melancholy to bliss in just over three minutes.” Petaluma Argus Courier writes “[Rossi] is making her way on the stage of stardom after growing up with a heavily influenced childhood of music”

Em Rossi-19In anticipation of her debut MP3 and CD called “Young Hearts”, Rossi has release her single “Madness” which has been featured on American and United Airlines emerging artist inflight shows and playlists. For more information about Em Rossi visit her website at www.emrossi.com.

Here is a new release from her called Animal:

The following video of Em’s behind the scenes creation of her new release gives a lot perspective in the work that goes behind the production or her music.

#Petaluma Downtown Craft Mart Hosts “Holiday Crafterino”

 

Petaluma Holiday CrafterinoThe Petaluma Downtown Craft Mart presents its seventh annual “Holiday Crafterino” show, Saturday, November 28th from 11am to 4pm at the The Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building. The show brings together the best in local handmade crafts and gifts while raising funds to support Petaluma’s own COTS, Committee on the Shelterless. You’ll definitely be able to find something for everyone on your holiday gift list! The Holiday Crafterino has grown to become a much anticipated local tradition full of goodwill and cheer.

Holiday Crafterino BagInitiated in 2009 by several crafty gals, the Petaluma Downtown Craft Mart continues to offer Sonoma County a fresh collection of hand made products and the opportunity to shop local talent. The Holiday Crafterino is the perfect opportunity for shoppers to do good by supporting local organizations. For the seventh year in a row, the event will raise funds for COTS, the local homeless service provider in Petaluma. COTS offers help and hope to the homeless population by providing safe shelter and housing, teaching financial literacy, case management, positive parenting classes, work-force preparedness, and helping people get back under a roof of their own. Additionally, COTS provides 124,000 hot meals and over 750,000 pounds of food delivered to those most in need within our community annually.

The Holiday Crafterino’s much celebrated raffle is not to be missed. Local business owners spread the Holiday cheer by donating to the hourly raffle baskets which are chock full of local treasures and services from shops including StitchCraft and iLeoni. All raffle ticket donations go to COTS. To date this event has raised nearly $10,000 for the charity and hopes to donate even more this year. Saturday November 28th is also Small Business Saturday, this event is your perfect opportunity to support your neighborhood businesses and makers.

Petaluma Holiday Crafterino Handmade Cards Display“The 2015 Holiday Crafterino will be bigger and better than ever before as we expand to fill The Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building’s two large auditoriums. We will host 59 well curated vendors and feature yummy local food trucks to help fuel the shopping frenzy,” shared organizer Melissa Abercrombie. Vendors will be selling everything from jewelry and bath products to clothing, art, ceramics and more. Some of our fabulous vendors included Bird vs. Bird, Bug Under Glass, Sonoma Spice Queen, Cookie and the Dude, and Griffin Map Design. The first 100 attendees will receive a fabulous and reusable silk-screened gift bag stuffed with goodies from local artists and businesses.

Holiday Crafterino Made Local Gift Basket DisplayThe Petaluma Downtown Craft Mart is organized by a group of local artisans: Nicole Vasbinder of StitchCraft, Melissa Abercrombie of Blue Ribbon Salvage, Tami Lovett-Brumfeld of The Felt Baron, Samantha Barsky of note•ify and Alice Kelzer of Alice Frost Studio. Shopping local is fun and convenient at this one stop holiday shopping experience!

Admission: $1 donation

Free Parking

For further information please contact: [email protected]