Which Came First—the Butter or the Egg?

Most Petalumans have either heard of or been to Petaluma’s annual Butter and Egg Days Parade. Many of us have even participated in it and some have grown up going to it every year. But how many of us know the full history behind Butter and Egg Days?

Drawing nearly 25,000 attendees each year, the parade celebrates the city’s long history of producing eggs and dairy. Since the early 1900’s, Petaluma’s economy has depended heavily on the production of the local agricultural community. Petaluma was home to the largest chicken hatchery in the world by 1906 and by 1923 housed the only chicken pharmacy in the nation.

In order to promote Petaluma and the consumption of eggs, Petaluma Chamber of Commerce Secretary, H.W (Bert) Kerrigan began National Egg Days in 1918. The first National Egg Day parade brought in four newsreel companies who then made films of the parades, which were shown across the nation. Petaluma celebrated National Egg Days through the 1920s with much enthusiasm and support from the local community.

While the tradition of National Egg Days ended in the late 1920s, the idea carried on and inspired Alice Forsyth and Linda Buffo to establish Petaluma’s Butter and Egg Days in 1981. The original egg theme was used, although the egg industry was no longer as prominent as it had been in the 1920s, while the dairy industry had grown. For that reason, the 1983 committee decided to ask local dairies to participate, thus creating Petaluma’s annual Butter and Egg Days.

The parade was brought back in order to celebrate the town’s culture, history, and heritage. This year is our 34th celebration of Petaluma and the farmers whose contributions have made our town possible.

The Petaluma Butter and Egg Days parade and festival is a community event that brings everyone together and displays the best that Petaluma has to offer. The parade and festival celebrate Petaluma’s rich culture and history, bringing together the past and the present, as we join together to look forward with hope.

CLICK ON PAGE 2 TO SEE DETAILS OF THIS YEAR’S PARADE AS WELL AS A COLLECTION OF PHOTOS AND VIDEOS OF PRIOR YEARS PARADE

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World Food Champs Chow Down in #Petaluma

This week the World Dessert Champion, Petaluma’s very own Laurie Figone, hosted a dinner for her friends and family, other World Food Champs, and the CEO of World Food Championships, Mike McCloud.

Pictured with Laurie is Kelli Fairchild-Cochran World Sandwich Champion and The Bacon Babe with husband and Sous Chef

The night was a celebration of friendship and food, as well as a reunion for the some of World Food Champs. On the menu for the night were two of Laurie’s recipes, PETE’S Grilled Corn Potato Salad and Crowd Pleasing Slaw, Figone’s husband’s prawn risotto, and a whole roasted pig, donated by Pete Langley.

Pete Langley Prepares The Pig, Photo By Ashley Collingwood

After toasts were given and plates were cleared of food, the guests gathered to see a sneak preview of the reality TV show Pete Stringfellow filmed of Figone and her cousin, Dawn Bettinelli in Las Vegas during the 2014 World Food Championships (WFC). The show features Figone as head chef, with Bettinelli as her sous-chef, and takes viewers behind the scenes of the WFC to see the chaos and humor of cooking competitions.

Guests also had the chance to see a prototype of Figone’s upcoming cookbook, Cooking with Laurie Figone. The cookbook will feature around 30 of Figone’s recipes as well as gorgeous photos of her food and a special interactive element. For those with smart phones, each individual recipe will contain images that can be used to bring up short videos of Figone giving tips for that particular recipe, making it easier to follow along.

CLICK PAGE 2 TO SEE MORE PHOTOS AND A SHORT VIDEO HIGHLIGHTING THE EVENING

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Petaluma Author Reading: ‘The Gentleman Bat’ and ‘Too Many Tables’ by Abraham Schroeder

Don’t miss the reading of The Gentleman Bat and Too Many Tables by Abraham Schroeder.

Saturday, April 4, 2015 – 2:00pm

Petaluma Regional Library

100 Fairgrounds Drive

Petaluma, CA 94952

Local author Abraham Schroeder will be reading from his first children’s book, The Gentleman Bat, followed by a discussion of bats and some of the hidden details in and inspiration for the book.

Enjoy the story and beautiful watercolor paintings, filled with fun details in a Victorian setting, with an ever-so-slight slight dusting of steampunk.

There will also be a sneak preview reading of Abraham’s second book, Too Many Tables, which will be in bookstores April 28th. However, for this special event, Copperfield’s Books will have BOTH books for sale, and available to be signed by the author at the event.

The target age range for the event is around 3-10, but children and adults of all ages will enjoy the story and beautiful watercolor paintings.

More information about the book can be found at http://www.TheGentlemanBat.com.

More information about the event can be found at http://sonomalibrary.org/events/2015-04-04/local-author-visit-ages-3-10

Abraham Schroeder is an artist, designer, and writer, currently living in Petaluma, California with his wife and son, after residing in a dozen other places, including Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Minnesota, Alaska, and Japan. He worked for 7 years in the Asian Art Department at the Museum of Fine Arts, and during that time managed a massive 5-year project to catalog, digitize, and rehouse the MFA’s spectacular collection of 50,000+ Japanese prints. An 1880’s woodblock print of bats by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi in the MFA collection was the seed of inspiration for his first published children’s book, The Gentleman Bat, which tells a heartwarming story in rhyme, and features gorgeous watercolor and ink paintings by Piotr Parda.His second book, Too Many Tables, also from Ripple Grove Press, is a silly and comical story with fun, colorful illustrations by Micah Chambers-Goldberg. It will be available early 2015.

VIDEO: World War II Vet, #Petaluma’s Arthur Wedel, On The Price Is Right Show

Petaluma resident Arthur Wedel, a USMC WWII Veteran, was on the game show the The Price is Right. They released this short video of host Drew Carey calling him up as a contestant on the show. The crowd gave stand-up applause cheering USA! USA! USA! As he approach his game panel he shouts “United States Marine Corp!”

The Price is Right YouTube post says “We’re so proud to have fans like Arthur — a 92-year-old WWII veteran! What an honor to have him in our audience!”

Petaluma is a Purple Heart City and celebrates our veterans in our annual Veterans Day Parade which is the largest parade of its kind north of the golden gate. For more information about that event see our previous post #Petaluma’s Veteran’s Day Parade: Schedule, Highlights, History & Video.

“I Drink Beer For A Living”: An Interview with Petaluma’s Ken Weaver

President & Publisher Chris Rice "All About Beer" — President & Publisher Chris Rice “All About Beer”

Ken Weaver was recently named editor at ‘All About Beer’ Magazine. All About Beer president & publisher Chris Rice said “Ken has his finger on the pulse of today’s beer releases,” and Weaver admits he’s tasted many versions of the sudsy beverage.

Before he earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland, Weaver earned an undergraduate degree in physics from Carnegie-Mellon and then a master’s in physics from Cornell University. It’s at Cornell where Ken met his wife, a Nicasio native, Anneliese Schmidt.

According to their website:

Weaver, who is based in Petaluma, CA, previously served as editor in chief of RateBeer Weekly. He also serves as a regular contributor to FSR Magazine, focusing on improving beer’s presence in the full-service restaurant industry; columnist and reviewer for the Rare Beer Club; and publisher of his beer release newsletter 3 Beer Island. His first book, The Northern California Craft Beer Guide, was named a finalist for an NCIBA Book of the Year Award. In 2013, Weaver earned first-place honors in the North American Guild of Beer Writers’ (earned a total of 3 awards from the NAGB) contest in the Best Beer and Food Writing category.

Petaluma (and Sonoma County) is fast becoming a player in the craft brew industry with companies like Lagunitas, Petaluma Hills, 101 North, Hen House, and Dempseys. Petaluma also has its own wine and spirits association called the Petaluma Craft Guild. They are brewers, distillers & vintners of Petaluma who come together to promote the craft spirit of the city. Each year Petaluma is host to the Petaluma River Craft Beer Festival (mark your calendars for this year its on September 12, 2015). Also Petaluma will host its 1st annual Sonoma County Home Brewer’s Competition (so keep your eyes open for potential new talent coming our way) and that will be held on May 23rd at the Veterans Memorial Building. So naturally after we learned that Ken became editor of a national beer magazine, we had to learn more. We thought you would like to as well so here is what Ken had to say:

CLICK PAGE 2 TO READ THE INTERVIEW

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Don’t Miss Petaluma’s 2nd Saturday Art Walks March 14 from 5-8PM

From The Petaluma Downtown Association Website:

The Petaluma Downtown Galleries host Art Walks with extended hours and a fantastic spectrum of special events every Second Saturday of the month from 5 – 8 pm. The Petaluma Downtown galleries represent dozens of master artists and emerging sensations and present an excellent opportunity to find that unique piece of art while taking in the heart of downtown. Shoppers are sure to find a wonderful variety of art, entertainment and fun.

Here is a list of the participating galleries (Click on Gallery Logo to direct to their website/In red under logo is the focus or theme of their special event/Click on address for Google Maps):

Nature

Featured Artists: Debbie Harding, Elizabeth Perkins, Peggy Sebera, Joanne Tepper

Artist Reception/Art Walk Time: 5:00 – 8:00pm Exhibit: March 10 – May 3

209 Western Ave, 707-778-8277.

Ladies Night

A collection of recent works from 14 local female artists.

February 28th – March 28th

Closing Reception March 28th 6-10pm

Open most Saturdays 11-5pm and 2nd Saturdays until 8pm

405 East D Street, Suite D 707-347-9009.

Birds

March 14th – April 11th

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 14 5:30 – 8pm

Dick Cole, Sylvia Gonzalez, Diana Majumdar, Robert Poplack, Michele Rosett, Stephanie Sanchez and Joanne Tepper share their interpretations of Birds in various media.

405 East D Street, Suite B, 707-778-2238.

Petaluma Arts Center

Art Shapes the World: Youth Art Exhibit

March 14th – April 5th

Curated by Kate Blakeslee

Reception March 14, 4 – 8pm

230 Lakeville St, Petaluma, CA 94952 (707) 762-5600

No Filter

A group photography show curated by Kat Louis March 4th through March 29th

Artist’s Reception Saturday, March 14th from 6 – 9pm

122 American Alley, Unit A (Putnam Plaza), 707-889-0371.

Showin’ on the River

Juried Photography Show

Opening: Wednesday, March 11th, 2015

Reception and 2nd Saturday Artwalk Saturday, March 14th, 2015 from 5 – 9pm

132 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma, California (707) 775-4ART (775-4278)

Is Any Publicity Good Publicity for #Petaluma? McDonalds Commercial Revisited

We wish to thank everyone for making the comments they did on our post The #Petaluma McDonalds TV Spot Commercial is Released! We have had nearly 40,000 views of our post with 17 comments. We disagree with any of them that are attacks on the Petaluma Downtown Association (PDA). We agree with many of the comments suggesting we should choose local restaurants who use local ingredients, and I can’t think of a bigger supporter for that than the PDA. I have never seen a post from the PDA suggesting to eat your next meal at McDonalds (its always a local non-franchised restaurant). They do a fantastic job for this city and we are absolutely sure that many of the commentators have enjoyed the great many events the PDA puts on each year that helps to bolster our local economy. Yesterday NBC Bay Area posted an update on the commercial ‘McDonald’s Commercial Featuring Petaluma Sparks Uproar From Residents’. Does this constitute and uproar? In it they show our website as shown in the photo above. They also used our photo for the icon/thumbnail for it. Most important it included what Marie McCusker had to say to respond to the so called “uproar.”

This commercial stirred a healthy discussion and also at the same time gave our city a lot of exposure across the country including our opinions which is very important. Others across the nation know how Petaluman’s feel about the commercial.

We were at this McDonalds location in the last six months. There we met a retired Petaluma man who had lost his wife and was on a fixed income. He told me his wife used to do the cooking and he could not afford to eat at other restaurants. This McDonalds location was in walking distance from his house. He seemed to be enjoying his breakfast. We may not identify McDonalds with Petaluma and it may not be the healthiest choice, but he was as much a Petaluman than anyone we have met.

CLICK PAGE TWO TO SEE THE NBC VIDEO COVERAGE AND THE THE JIM GAFFIGAN’S COMEDY BIT ON McDONALDS.

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The #Petaluma McDonalds TV Spot Commercial is Released!

Our great Petaluma Downtown Association does a good job of attracting and supporting business in our town. You may recall the Argus Courier article McDonald’s Brings Hollywood to North McDowell. This article tells about a commercial McDonalds was filming here that included some Petaluma references. In that article Marie McCusker said “Petaluma is the hometown they want to portray. The commercial will show our location and a Petaluma sign, so you will know it was filmed here.” Well it has arrived. Check it out.

We really like how they describe Petaluma as a quaint town nestled in Northern California. Makes me want an Egg White Delight McMuffin.

On March 9 The Petaluma Downtown Association weighs in on the replies to comments on their facebook page:

ALSO SEE THESE RELATED UPDATES:

Is Any Publicity Good Publicity for #Petaluma? McDonalds Commercial Revisited

“My Petaluma” video copies Petaluma McDonalds’ Commercial

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Water, water everywhere! An Inside Look at CamelBak in #Petaluma

                        Photo: Terray Sylvester / The Chronicle

CamelBak Trudeau Cool Off 24-Ounce Hydration Bottle

SF GATE (San Francisco Chronicle) has a segment in their business column each Monday called Office Space which gives readers a glimpse inside a Bay Area company. This week they featured Petaluma’s Camelbak. The following content was contributed by their staff writer Julie Balise, a San Francisco Chronicle Staff writer. Also if you missed a previous interview of CamelBak’s CEO on Behind The Brand I have been waiting to post this as well, because we have seen it come up in our searches again this morning. On November 14, 2014 we reported on CamelBak was recognized by GreatLists at one of the healthiest companies to work for in American. In 2013 Outside Magazine listed them in the 100 Best Places To Work.

As suggested by the headline, CamelBak is obsessed with hydration. So much so that their office is laced with water molecules. Their environment also includes “clouds” or sound panels to absorb noise from their open office space. The company also made their office green friendly and by doing so it became a certified Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) building.

CamelBak’s Cafeteria, Photo by Terray Sylvester / The Chronicle

Their hallways are like shopping displays showcasing their their best selling products with meeting rooms and retractable walls to create even more open space when needed. Their cafeteria has a wall of windows giving it natural light with views of Shollenberger Park. The cafeteria also offers the employees healthy snacks, and yes, you guessed it, water coolers for them to refill their CamelBak water bottles.

While their products are manufacturer in Mexico, the design and test them in Petaluma. They have an open lab space so the other employees can see how their how their products work. In the testing area they also have temperature chambers to determine how long water would freeze in their bottles and effects also from heat and pressure.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 FOR MORE INFORMATION AND VIDEO WITH NAIL BITING RIDE BY PRO MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDER MIKE WEIR

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Photos of the Temple of Grace Built By Petaluma Artist David Best And Many Petaluman Volunteers

We previously interviewed Petaluman David Best who is the architect, artist and builder of the Temple of Grace for the 2014 Burning Man on July 12, 2014 called #Petaluma’s David Best Builds 2014 Burning Man Temple In Petaluma. In that article we later added a video that we included below that shows the construction in Petaluma.

It was not until recently that we found some qualify photos in our Social Media searches by a photographer named Jeff Perkins. We would like to thank him for agreeing to let us use his photos so we could share them with you. So we would like to thank him for sharing his work.

Because they built the structure in pieces in Petaluma, and then shipped and assembled them at the venue, not many were able to see the finished product unless you attended the event. So here is a small picture gallery for you.

The Temple of Grace 2014 Was Build By David Best In Petaluma California Photo By Jeff Perkins (1) — The Temple of Grace 2014 Was Build By David Best In Petaluma California, Photo By Jeff Perkins

The Temple of Grace 2014 Was Build By David Best In Petaluma California Photo By Jeff Perkins (2) — The Temple of Grace 2014 Was Build By David Best In Petaluma California, Photo By Jeff Perkins

The Temple of Grace 2014 Was Build By David Best In Petaluma California Photo By Jeff Perkins (3) — The Temple of Grace 2014 Was Build By David Best In Petaluma California, Photo By Jeff Perkins

In case you missed it, here is a video we posted before showing the construction project in Petaluma.