The power building downtown is actually a historic site built in the 1920s. PG&E wanted to give the building a face lift so they did a fantastic job giving it a new clean coat of paint. They also wanted to work in cooperation with a local artist Joel Jones of Basal Ganglia Studio to do something, well… different. Ganglia worked with structure fabricator Shawn Thorsson of Thorsson & Associates Workshop to build a gigantic plug and electrical outlet on the side of the building. So literally, at least in appearance, Petaluma is plugged in.
Yesterday the area was coned off for an artist reception held in the adjacent courtyard with live music.
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A local artist, Kevin Clark, received a grant from Black Rock City Arts to build Medusa Madness for this year’s Burning Man event. Clark, who is also co-owner of The Shop on Kentucky St., is known for his restaurant design and Rhino Vehicle that rolled down the streets in this year’s Butter & Egg Days Parade. His rhino vehicle will serve as the stage for the Rivertown Revival event on July 18. He assisted with previous year’s Burning Man temples in 2001 and 2002. This huge Medusa head will be located in the front of the “Key Hole” in center camp giving it high status as one of the major displays at this year’s Burning Man event. Medusa’s head will sport a cobra tiara and covered with polished-mirror finished stainless steel.
The snake heads will also be covered with mirrored finished stainless steel. The heads will breathe fire requiring over 100 gallons of propane. Their eyes will light up using 200 MRG 16 RGB LED lights. The eyes will blink and roll.
Inside of the structure will serve as an atrium for people to move about inside the structure. The entire structure will be finished in 4 to 5 weeks and will be moved to the Burning Man camp on August 22.
Don’t miss the 14th Annual Art & Garden Festival – Sun., 11am – 5pm: Kentucky & 4th Streets. Over 100 booths with unique items, local, food wine & craft beer tasting, great music on two stages, lots of kids activities. Check out our post covering last year: 2014 #Petaluma Art & Garden Festival A Great Success.
Articulate Forms – Closing Reception Saturday 6-10pm at Griffin Maps Designs Closing out a great group show of local artists with a Sculptural theme. Enjoy snacks & drinks while checking out metal, wood, mixed materials, lighting artwork as well as cast jewelry. 405 East D Street Suites D&F
Historic Downtown Walking Tour – Sat. 10:30am: Costumed docents stroll you through historic downtown. Donations welcome. Free. Petaluma Historical Library & Museum, 20 Fourth St. www.petalumamuseum.com 778-4398.
Photo by BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat
Saturday Farmer’s Market in Walnut Park – Sat., 2-5:30 pm: Over 60 booths selling farm-fresh produce and local products. Live entertainment & activities in Walnut Park. 415-999-5635.
Boating at the Barn – Sun., 10am-1pm: Free kayak and row boat rides at the River Heritage Center in Steamer Landing Park. 769-0910.
East-Side Farmers’ Market – Tuesdays, 10am-1:30 pm: Year-round, rain or shine! New Location: Deer Creek Shopping Center (Friedman’s) 429 No. McDowell. 415-999-5635.
Wednesday Evening Farmers Market – Wed., 4:30-8 pm: Two blocks of vendors, music & fun in Theatre District. Second, B & C Streets.
Petaluma welcomes the “Flame of Hope” – Mon., 2-5pm: The official torch for the Special Olympics will be carried through Petaluma with a ceremony at Walnut Park at 5:30pm.
CLICK PAGE 2 BELOW TO SEE SPECIAL EXHIBITS, UPCOMING EVENTS, AND WHERE TO FIND LIVE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT
UPDATE July 18, 2015: Em Rossi featured in Petaluma Star YOUNG PETALUMA MUSICIAN LAUNCHES BIG CAREER. Our interview her her below is mentioned and linked from the star piece.
UPDATE July 16, 2015: Just 6 days after we published this post and our interview below of Em Rossi, the Petaluma Argus Courier publishes this July 16, 2015 article: Em Rossi singing her way to a career in musicby Kate Hoover, Argus-Courier Intern. We wish Em the best and look forward to her songs hitting the music charts.
Many good things come out of Petaluma and up-an-coming singer/songwriter Em Rossi is primed to be one of them. A Petaluma native, Rossi’s music is her passion and form of expression. It’s what she does to brighten a dreary day and to make the good days even better. Rossi attends Petaluma High School and at 17 years old will be a senior in the fall. Her recently release debut single, “MADNESS” below will be playing on KSRO 1350 and FM 103.5, where Rossi is scheduled to be interviewed on August 4th.
Here is her latest single called “Madness”:
Ashley Collingwood: How did you get started singing?
Em Rossi: Singing was just kind of something that came naturally to me. From a young age my parents always said that I just made noise around the house—I would sing to the radio, I’d sing to the music being played everywhere—so around eight years old they finally decided “okay, put her in music lessons.” So after that I started being a little bit trained and then it just kind of went on from there.
Photo By Ashley Collingwood
Ashley: What inspires your music?
Em: I would say what inspires my music is just my life experiences in the past year. You know my father passed away unexpectedly so that was a major personal change in my life. So with this new album I just focused on using that as my vent to really express the thoughts and emotions that were going through my head and just get out what I needed to say and wanted to share to people.
CLICK ON PAGE 2 BELOW TO CONTINUE READING THE INTERVIEW
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Man those ribs look good! Got to try it. Petaluma’s Laurie Figone cooks ribs for news anchor Gasia Mikaelian who holds up a bottle of Petaluma Hills beer while the camera man tries to grab the beer from her. The World Food Dessert champ continues to show Gasia how to make a red white and blue dessert with a scoop of Petaluma’s Haverton Hill Creamerysheep milk ice cream.
Give a minute for the video to load on the screen.
Here are other related stories about Laurie Figone World Dessert Champion:
To celebrate Petaluma’s growth in the wine industry, we decided it was time to have a dedicated place (website) focused on it. PetalumaWine.com was created by our team to increase our viticulture footprint in the digital world. We want people to easily find and learn to love the wines produced by our local vintners and winemakers. We want to generate some excitement over the Petaluma Gap region so wine lovers will want to stop in Petaluma as part of their wine country experience.
In addition to the website we will be supporting social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Pinterest, and Flipboard Magazine. Thanks in advance for the follows, “Like”s, and sharing.
In the near future the website will have maps and listings of wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms. We will also feature Petaluma restaurants and chefs who regularly offer Petaluma or Petaluma Gap wines on their wine lists and can recommend pairings with their menus. In the future we will also be adding links to local stores who carry Petaluma wines and any wine clubs.
We hope that you like the logo and think that it well represents our industry incorporating a leghorn rooster with wine glass and egg basket full of bottled wine on a Petaluma Gap backdrop.
Thank you for sharing this new website on your timeline.
When most people hear Petaluma, they think of butter and eggs. Over the last few years, the fortunes of the wine coming from this area have risen. But while this recent surge in grapes and wine has added to the area’s notoriety, this is by no means recent. The Petaluma region has been involved in quality grape and wine production for decades.
In the beginning…
Bihler Ranch House 1828, Photo From Sonoma County Library Archives
Today’s grape growers and winemakers in the Petaluma area can trace a long lineage in this vinous endeavor. The area around Petaluma had many thriving vineyards in the mid-1800s. John Staedler had vineyards near the town in the 1860s. William Bihler planted vines on the banks of Petaluma Creek, on the hillsides, then out in the Lakeville area by the late 1870s. Many others, including James Fair, as well as immigrants from Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland, planted vineyards of various sizes during this time.
In 1884, G.V. Fischer established the first winery in Petaluma; James Fair started on in the Lakeville area shortly after. Fair’s winery soon had a 600,000 gallons capacity – one of the largest in the state at the time. Along with the problems in the French winegrowing industry at around this time (due to phylloxera), many areas in California, including Petaluma, established more vineyards, to meet the demand for wine for a global market. Around the turn of the 29th Century, the area had a bit more than 1,000 acres under vine. Of course, there were changes in the wind: Phylloxera and Prohibition. Because of the devastation of the vineyards by the former, and the lack of need for grapes caused by the latter, many vineyards simply changed to other agriculture.
A New Hope
Bihler Ranch House, Photo By Positively Petaluma
But, luckily, by the early 1990s, growers were looking for places that could grow top-quality grapes, and many started looking at the Petaluma area as a source.ove the last quarter century, vineyard acreage has grown to around 4,000 acres. The predominant grape during this resurgence has been Pinot Noir. Approximately 75% of the acreage in the area is this wonderful, if sometimes fickle, variety. The next two varieties are Chardonnay and Syrah (nearly equal), with less than 1% comprised of some exciting varieties, such as Tempranillo, Viognier and Pinot Gris.
Bihler Ranch House Today, Photo By Positively Petaluma
While the soils and contours of the land are special in shaping the vineyards, what gives the grapes in the Petaluma Gap (as it is called) their distinctness is the weather – mainly the fog and wind. The fog brings cooling, in the early morning and late afternoon to the area, and helps the vines and grapes “relax” after a day of growing. The wind not only brings additional cooling, but helps the skins of the grapes toughen up, to withstand the barrage of the gusts. This toughening, especially in the red grapes, helps them achieve more color and flavors, which yield wines of deeper color, aromas and tastes. The Gap stretches from Bodega Bay and Dillon Beach on the coast, eastward through southern Sonoma and northern Marin Counties, through the Petaluma area, and finally sweeping south east, down the Petaluma River and out to San Pablo Bay. The winds are pulled through this area at much higher speed than the surrounding areas, giving the grapes there toughness, flavor and distinct characters that have become the hallmark of wines from the Petaluma Gap. All of this has lead for the application for American Viticultural Area status with the federal government. While still in its early stages, all signs are pointing toward establishing the Petaluma Gap as a new AVA.
With a long history of quality grape growing and winemaking, the Petaluma area is poised to keep advancing forward – in quality, in recognition, and of enjoyment of its wines.
When someone sees your local banner advertisement on the Positively Petaluma website you can rest assure that your brand will be anchored with positive information. Thousands visit our site monthly, and because Positively Petaluma is organically grown, your business is going to be seen by consumers who actually live in the area. When you advertise on our site, you will also be supporting locally and Positively Petaluma’s efforts to flood the web with positive information and news stories about our great city. If you are reading this and you don’t have a business to advertise, but you know someone who does we thank you in advance for forwarding this post to them.
For the month of July we will be running a special promotion 50% off on all of our ad zones you see on this site. They are on a first come first serve basis, and you can lock up the top spots for as long as 90 days.
Fourth of July Breakfast – Sat., 8am-Noon: At the Veterans Memorial Building, 1094 Petaluma Blvd. South. $6 Adults; $5 kids & under. 773-3610.
Annual Bell-Ringing Ceremony– Sat. 10:30 am: A Petaluma tradition with the Boy Scouts Color Guard, Mayor’s Proclamation and the history of the bell. Stay for cookies & lemonade in the garden court. Petaluma Historical Museum, 20 Fourth St. 778-4398.
Penngrove’s “Biggest Little Parade”– Sun., 11am: Parade, Barbeque and pancake breakfast. For more info: 795-6011.
Photo by Beth Schlanker, Press Democrat
Saturday Farmer’s Market in Walnut Park – Sat., 2-5:30 pm: Over 60 booths selling farm-fresh produce and local products. Live entertainment & activities in Walnut Park. . 415-999-5635.
Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration – Sat., 5pm-10ish: Includes live music, food, beer, wine, games & lots of activities for kids. Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Dr. Call 824-8717 for details.
Boating at the Barn – Sun., 10am-1pm: Free kayak and row boat rides at the River Heritage Center in Steamer Landing Park. 769-0910.
East-Side Farmers’ Market – Tuesdays, 10am-1:30 pm: Year-round, rain or shine! New Location: Deer Creek Shopping Center (Friedman’s) 429 No. McDowell. 415-999-5635.
Wednesday Evening Farmers Market – Wed., 4:30-8 pm: Two blocks of vendors, music & fun in Theatre District. Second, B & C Streets.
Lecture by Abigail M. Markwyn – Fri. (7/10), 7:30pm: Author of “Empress San Francisco: The Pacific Rim, the Great West and California at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.” Petaluma Museum, 20 Fourth St. 778-4398.
Recently we reported on the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest in Petaluma in Breaking News: Quasi Modo winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest!Today Jimmy Kimmel wanted to do something special for Quasi Modo, the winner of this year’s Petaluma’s World’s Ugliest Dog Competition. So he reached out to celebrity stylist Carson Kressley and his team of hair, makeup and fashion experts to give the World’s Ugliest Dog a full celebrity makeover. Only after one day of posting it, as of this morning, it has already been viewed over 75,000 times.
The power building downtown is actually a historic site built in the 1920s. PG&E wanted to give the building a face lift so they did a fantastic job giving it a new clean coat of paint. They also wanted to work in cooperation with a local artist Joel Jones of Basal Ganglia Studio to do something, well… different. Ganglia worked with structure fabricator Shawn Thorsson of Thorsson & Associates Workshop to build a gigantic plug and electrical outlet on the side of the building. So literally, at least in appearance, Petaluma is plugged in.
Yesterday the area was coned off for an artist reception held in the adjacent courtyard with live music.
