December 2015 - Positively Petaluma

Our Top 10 Videos In 2015 (Petaluma, Ca)

Happy New Year! We thought it would be fun to reflect on videos you made the most popular for 2015 from our YouTube Page. Don’t miss our 2016 videos and subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Also see Our Top 10 Posts in 2015 (Petaluma, Ca).

Three of our top videos were produced by our very talented visual journalist, Ashley Collingwood. Also a new exciting contributor, Laura Gouillon, produced one of our top 10 videos.

Here are our top 10 videos counting down to our top video for most views in 2015.

Number 10

LifeStyle Pilates, Directed By Wayne Dunbar, Produced By Ashley Collingwood

Also see the associated story:

From Garage to New Studio: Petaluma’s Gretchen Andermahr-Iniguez Grows Her Pilates Business

CLICK HERE TO SEE NUMBER 9

Pages: 12345678910

Our Top 10 Posts in 2015 (Petaluma, Ca)

We hope that 2015 was a good year for you! We also hope you and your family had a great holiday season. While we approach the new year we wanted to look back at our incredible growth in 2015. We thank you, our subscribers, supporters, and followers for such a successful year. Also keep a look out for our Top 10 2015 YouTube Videos.

Here are some of our highlights from 2015:

#1 Hit on BING and Yahoo search engines for keyword “Petaluma”
Positively Petaluma listed as The Nations Best of Patch Local Voices
Positively Petaluma moves into print and takes over as Community Voice for Petaluma in Sonoma County Gazette.
330% increase in website visits compared to 2014
Over 1000 new “Like’s” on our Facebook Page
Up to 10 Contributors (3 new coming in 1Q 2016)
Launched PetalumaWine.com June 2015
Added Instagram Account in November 2015

Here is our count down of this years top 10 posts for 2015:

Number 10

Interview with #Petaluma’s Rising Star! Singer/Songwriter Em Rossi

by Ashley Collingwood

CLICK HERE TO SEE NUMBER 9

Pages: 12345678910

Check out the new Citizen Request System called engagEPetaluma App

Often I walk around our city and disgusted by vandals tagging our beautiful downtown. Previously I always had good intentions on calling it in, but would often forget. It was not an efficient process. I am pleased to report that it is now a lot easier! The City of Petaluma recently released a New Citizen Request System engagEPetaluma app you can download to your smart phone. Using this app I was able to quickly take a photo of the graffiti from the app and report it to Public Works.

This is how it works.

First download the app to your smart phone – I am using an Apple iPhone so I went to the Apple Store and searched “engagepetaluma” and downloaded the app. When downloaded it takes just a minute or two to set up your account.

After launching the app on your smart phone, click on the large ‘+‘ icon in the bottom middle of the screen. You will get another screen that prompts you to choose which service you are requesting to report. In my case today, I wanted to report graffiti. It then showed my location on the map and it automatically fills the location of where you are requesting the service (So Public Works knows where to find it). It then prompts you to take a photo from your device – which I did and shown below.

Graffiti Petaluma Photo I took of Graffiti I was reporting to Petaluma Public Works. — Graffiti Petaluma
Photo I took of Graffiti I was reporting to Petaluma Public Works.

Almost immediately I received an email confirming my service request.

A very short time later I received an email indicating that someone from Petaluma Public Works posted the following comment on my service request:

Stephanie Oefinger:

Thank you for your submission, we value your feedback. We will make every effort to address your request in a timely manner. Thank you, Public Works & Utilities Department

Dec 29, 2015,10:18 PM UTC by Stephanie Oefinger (This is visible to Everyone)

Soon after that I received another status update indicating that the work order was “In Progress”. On the website link that is provided in the email I was able to see all the other requests and statuses Public Works is working on.

I encourage everyone to download the engagEPetaluma app and start using it today. It took a few seconds of my day to stop and report something and it was extremely easy to use. I am sure it will take a few days for them to get around painting over this tag, but at least Public Works knows about it and is working on it.

INTERVIEW: Petaluma Ca Trojan’s Rick Krist is YSN’s Coach of the Year

From the Youth Sports Network YouTube Channel “Petaluma High Head Coach Rick Krist is interviewed after being named the ALL YSN Coach of the Year for the 2015 All YSN Football Team.”

Listen to YSN’s interview with Rick Krist “Coach of the Year” includes Steve Ellison former longtime and respected coach at Petaluma High School.

Also congrats to the following Petaluma players making the 2015 All YSN Football Team:

Defense:

DE- Travis Plank, Petaluma
DE- Andrew Floerke, Casa Grande
LB- Spencer Torkelson, Casa Grande
CB- Nic Petri, Casa Grande

Offense:

G- Ben Upton, Petaluma
WR- Kaleo Garrigan, Casa Grande
FB- Lucas Dentoni, Petaluma

Mark Your 2016 Calendar And Don’t Miss These Special Events

Merry Christmas eve to you! If you have not planned your New Years Eve, there are a lot of events going on in Petaluma. Click here to see our previous post on What’s Going On in Petaluma for New Years Eve. Also if you are like our family, we like driving around looking at the Christmas Light Decorations after Christmas Eve Service. The City of Lights Tour is on until December 28th and you will want to vote for the “People’s Choice Award”.

Click here for the MAP of the Petaluma Ca City of Lights Driving Tour.

Click here to vote for your favorite decorated home.

Click here to vote for your favorite decorated business.

CLICK HERE TO SEE EVENTS YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS IN 2016

Pages: 12

What’s Going On In Petaluma? Through New Years Eve!

Check out what’s happening in Petaluma including a listing of New Years Eve Events

City of Lights Driving Tour – through Dec. 29: Self-guided tour of festively decorated homes & businesses. Map available at www.visitpetaluma.com

The North Pole Connection – Fri., 4-8pm, Sat., 1-8pm, Sun., 1-5pm: Santa Claus available for photos at the Lan Mart Building, 18 Kentucky St. www.lanmart-petaluma.com

Merry Dickens Strolling Carolers & Strolling Santa – Sat., 1-6:30pm: Petaluma Village Premium Outlets, 2200 Petaluma Blvd. North. 778-9300. www.premiumoutlets.com

“Rhythms of December” – Sat., 3pm: Petaluma Chorale’s Holiday Concert at Petaluma Valley Baptist Church, 580 Sonoma Mountain Pkwy.

Christmas Card Team Thyme Time – Sun., 10am: Holiday Haiku at Artful Arrangements, 205 Orchard Lane, 664-8656. www.artfularrangements.org

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

Petaluma Farmer Market Photo By Gary Yost

Christmas Festival – Sun., 3pm: Petaluma United Methodist Church, 410 D St. Free, call for info: 762-9785.

“Christmas Gloria” Concert – Sun., 6:30pm: Adult, Children’s & Bell Choirs, Praise Band and instrumentalists at First Presbyterian Church, 939 B St. Call for info: 762-8269 . www.petalumafirst.com

East-Side Farmers’ Market – Tues, 10am-1:30 pm: Year-round, rain or shine! Deer Creek Shopping Center (Friedman’s) 429 No. McDowell Blvd. 415-999-5635. www.communityfarmersmarkets.com

Brewmaster Dinner with Anchor Brewing – Tues., 6pm: Visit website for details. Bistro 100, 100 2^ndSt. 987-8228. www.bistro100petaluma.com

CLICK HERE OR PAGE 2 BELOW TO SEE UPCOMING NEW YEAR’S EVE EVENTS

Pages: 123

World Dessert Champ Laurie Figone Shares Holiday Recipe

MADE IN PETALUMA: Savory Holiday Apple Tarts are sure to be a big hit at your next holiday gathering

Laurie Figone looking out over her familys ranch just outside of Petaluma — Laurie Figone looking out over her family’s ranch just outside of Petaluma, Photo By Ashley Collingwood

If you wish to learn more about Laurie check out our previous posts:

Also a great gift idea for Christmas this year is her NEW cookbook: Cooking with Laurie Figone

Click here to order her new recipe book

Here is a great appetizer you can impress your guests with this year over the holidays.

Savory Holiday Apple Tarts

Simple savory crunchy bites are sure to be a hit at your next gathering! Crisp bits of pesto coated apples paired with a creamy, smokey cheddar cheese filling.

Servings: 30

Cook Time: 3 Minutes

Ingredients:

3 TBSP pesto
2 cups petite diced apples
4 oz. cream cheese
2 oz. smoked cheddar cheese (Laurie prefers Spring Hill Jersey brand)
1 TBSP butter, room temperature
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
30 mini Phyllo pastry shells, prebaked

In a small mixing bowl mix together diced apples and fresh pesto until apples are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
In a small mixing bowl; beat cream cheese until smooth. Add shredded cheddar, butter, lemon juice and smoked paprika and beat for 1 minute. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
Remove shells from the freezer. Preheat oven to 350′. When oven is heated; place shells on a baking sheet and fill each one with 1 tsp. of the cheese mixture. Bake for three minutes; or until warmed through and puffed. Remove from oven and spoon 1 TBSP. of the pesto apples on top of each tart.
Serve.

Petaluma Ca’s North Coast Grain Alliance Gets a Helpful Launch from Food Movement Icon

Frances Moore Lappe – You May Call Her Frankie

An enthusiastic crowd of nearly a hundred souls welcomed Francis Moore Lappé to the Healdsburg SHED just after sunset on the second Thursday in November. Lappé was on hand to help launch the North Coast Heritage Grain Alliance, a Sonoma County non-profit with an ambitious and worthy mission – to return a thriving local grain economy to California’s North Coast.

This was a diverse crowd – farmers & ranchers, millers, bakers, brewers, distillers and consumers, young and old; most definitely epicureans. We were there to celebrate the possibilities of local grain production, after all, and anticipating some fine local breads to sample. We were not disappointed.

It was clear the group was excited to hear Frances Moore Lappé speak, she being something of a rock star in the history of the food movement, but there was also a palpable excitement in the air that Lappé herself noted, something about being present at the beginning of a new era, ripe with possibility. This evening seemed remarkable, she suggested, one small but integral part of a growing worldwide movement that embraces the principles of agreocology and food sovereignty – what Lappé referred to as “the new science of ecological agriculture.”

“You are choosing to trust the Earth and each other as you build the new Grain Alliance to bring back heritage grains,” she told the audience, adding that “this is not a New Age fantasy, this is a ‘New Rage’ of positive possibility. Our actions are contagious. Courage is contagious!”

Informed by an abundance of research, Lappé’s enthusiasm has always been both contagious and empowering.

She caught the world’s attention in 1971, with the publication of her first book, Diet for a Small Planet. A worldwide bestseller, the book is credited with introducing millions of people to the ecological ramifications of meat production and the possibilities of vegetarianism. It was among the earliest popular critiques of the modern, industrialized food system which evolved in the post-World War 2 era, and provided inspiration for the subsequent work of Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters and many others.

Writing in The Nation magazine in 2011, journalist Michael Pollan suggested that “Lappé’s groundbreaking book connected the dots between something as ordinary and all-American as a hamburger and the environmental crisis, as well as world hunger.”

CLICK HERE OR PAGE 2 BELOW TO CONTINUE TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS DISCUSSED IN HEALDSBURG

Pages: 1234

VIDEO: Actor Gary Sinise Thanks Two Petaluma Ca Companies

Gary Sinise Thanks Elan Entertainment and Core Brands For Their Work To Help Our Wounded Military

PETALUMA, Calif., Dec. 7, 2015 — Core Brands, a Nortek, Inc. company (Nasdaq: NTK) and a leader in home entertainment and control technology solutions, today announced the extension of its current collaboration with Gary Sinise Foundation and its R.I.S.E. program. The program builds specially adapted custom Smart Homes, anchored by ELAN control and automation systems, for American military personnel who have made extreme sacrifices for their country. The extended agreement provides the R.I.S.E. program with control, audio and power management solutions for additional Smart Homes to be built through 2016, many of which include solutions from other Nortek companies.

“The team at Core Brands is honored to be supporting the Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. program,” Core Brands President Joe Roberts said today. “We are particularly grateful to the elite team of Core Brands integrators, who are outfitting these homes with ELAN control systems supported by our power and audio brands. These homes make a significant addition to the independence and mobility of these brave Americans who have sacrificed so much, and we look forward to working on many more homes with Gary Sinise Foundation.”

Gary Sinise Foundation program rise — Gary Sinise Foundation Program Rise, From Gary Sinise Foundation Website

An ELAN entertainment and control system is at the heart of each Smart Home, integrating and controlling climate, security, audio / video and other subsystems to provide maximum comfort and convenience to the veterans and their families. The homes include audio solutions from SpeakerCraft, Niles or Sunfire, plus power protection and conditioning by Panamax and Furman — all from Core Brands. Additional products and solutions have been donated to these Smart Homes by Core Brands’ Nortek sister companies OmniMount and Nortek Security & Control.

R.I.S.E. was established to provide wounded heroes and their families with the necessary resources to overcome their new life challenges. Whether providing home modifications, adapted vehicles, wheelchairs / trackchairs or constructing new specially adapted custom Smart Homes, the Gary Sinise Foundation is committed to helping wounded veterans increase their mobility and reclaim their self-reliance.

“Home is more than a house. It’s literally where we take comfort from the world,” explained Gary Sinise Foundation Executive Director Judith Otter. “The contribution being made by Core Brands will help to put 21st century Smart Home technology at the fingertips of some of the bravest Americans to have ever answered the nation’s call to serve.”

In this video, Gary Sinise thanks the ELAN integrators who install the technology in these Smart Homes.

2015_gsf_duluth_054 — USMC CPL Litynski Home Dedication, Photo From Gary Sinise Foundation Website

About Gary Sinise Foundation
Gary Sinise Foundation honors America’s defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need. Through its R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program, specially adapted Smart Homes are being constructed for severely wounded veterans nationwide. Each one-of-a-kind home is customized to ease the everyday burdens of a wounded hero, their family and caregivers. Other programs include Relief & Resiliency Outreach, Invincible Spirit Festivals, the Lt. Dan Band, Arts & Entertainment Outreach, Serving Heroes, and First Responders Outreach. Its latest program, Soaring Valor, is sending WWII veterans to The National WWII Museum and documenting their first-hand accounts of the war. For more information, please visit GarySiniseFoundation.org.

About Core Brands
Core Brands combines the technology, product and marketing strengths of iconic and award-winning audio, power management and control brands including ELAN®, SpeakerCraft®, Gefen®, Niles®, Panamax®, Proficient®, Furman®, Sunfire®, BlueBolt® and Xantech® to deliver a portfolio of connected home solutions to its channel partners and end users. For further information, visit www.corebrands.com.

About Nortek, Inc.
Core Brands is a subsidiary of Nortek, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTK), a global, diversified company whose many market-leading brands deliver broad capabilities and a wide array of innovative, technology-driven products and solutions for lifestyle improvement at home and at work. Please visit www.nortek.com for more information.

Press Contact:

Joe Roberts
President, Core Brands, 707-283-5900

SOURCE Nortek, Inc.

OPINION POLL: Is Booming Petaluma, CA Gun Shop Business Good or Bad News?

Tweet To Ken Wayne KTVU — Click Ken’s Picture Above To Tweet To Him You Want To See More Good News Covered On Petaluma

This could be good or bad depending on how you look at it. Most of you know that KTVU anchor Ken Wayne is from Petaluma. We appreciate his coverage of our town when he is given the opportunity. We hope in the future KTVU can work harder to do more positive pieces on our city. If you are a subscriber on our site you know that there is an endless supply of good news stories that KTVU could cover but chooses not to. Prior to this report their focus was on DUIs the Friday before Thanksgiving – which is not just a Petaluma centric problem but more of a global one. I don’t blame Ken for this because he doesn’t choose what he will cover.

We are happy for our local gun store owner, but the controversy continues about gun control especially in light of how our government has reacted to the recent terrorist acts in San Bernardino. We choose not to share political pieces, however we couldn’t decide if this was good or bad news. We need your help, so we will leave that up to you. After watching the video take a second (one click of the mouse) to participate take our anonymous poll below.

Here is the video (give a second for it to load and it will appear):

The following poll is anonymous unless you also make a facebook comment (that will show your profile). The results of the poll will show after you vote. Please also use the facebook and twitter share buttons below to get as many people to participate in the poll as possible.