At our February Grange general meeting, our Chaplain Barton Stone gave the blessing in our welcome circle, then Grangers and friends enjoyed socializingas they enjoyed a delicious potluck dinner that included tamales made by the California Homemakers Association. We were serenaded by our Grange musicians, led by Peter Schurch, we swore in and welcomed new members Michael and Carol Ellis, and we finished the evening by swearing in members of our 2024 leadershp team. Join us for our next meeting on the last Tuesday of the month. Everyone is invited!
Important information from the organizers of the Grange Produce Exchange/Donation
It has been brought to our attention that some counties have procedures to follow to prevent the spread of a citrus infestation called Asian Citrus Psyllid. Sonoma County does not have any bans at this time on trading/gifting citrus within our county but to help stop any spread of the insect we can do the following as a precaution.
trade or gift citrus within Sonoma County
take leaves off the citrus before it leaves your property (leaves can go into the green bins)
Following a delicious potluck dinner and socializing, our Grange Musician Peter and friends entertained us.
We met special guests Sue and Mark Loomis, who traveled 3,313 miles from upstate New York, representing the Ausable Valley Grange #973. They are working to revive their Grange and had written Lawrence a letter some months ago about how inspired they were by our programs. They decided to take a trip and come see us for themselves!
We welcomed as new members Felicia Bander, Robin Latham, Christina Nichol, Portia Sinnott, Sally Sorenson, and Hasna Wood. Eva Granahan became a new member at our earlier January business meeting. Welcome all to our Grange community!
Kay Rivers spoke on behalf of Cotati Kids Heritage Grazing. The mission of the organization is to preserve an endangered species of San Clemente Island goats that are native to San Clemente Island off the coast of southern California. Thei group is setting up a breeding program outside of Sebastopol. They hope to use the goats for targeted grazing to help reduce fire risk. They also plan to partner with the community for interaction and education. Donations of time, money, skills, and expertise are welcomed.
What fun we had at the Grange holiday party: Fantastic food, great company, art and music by Clusterfunk and music by our Grange musicians, prizes, and more!
At our November meeting, Nancy presented President Lawrence with a vintage Grange cookbook in appreciation for his service to our Grange.
Dena and Carol presented a slide show detailing the five-year history of the Produce Exchange/Donation. From the early days of one table in the lobby in 2019 to its current collaboration with the Community Seed Exchange and the Sonoma County UC Master Food Preservers, the event has been a sharing of abundance and a building of community. Peter and friends, “Elaine and the Grangettes” performed Don’t Say Nothin’ (Bad About my Baby). We welcomed Portia Sinnot as a new member of the Grange.
How can we improve walking, biking, and rolling near you?
The Sonoma County Transportation Authority is collecting input for updating the Active Transportation Plan in our county. Pedestrians and cyclists have the opportunity to share areas of safety concerns or ideas for improvements by using an interactive map, taking a survey or attending a community meeting, find out details here. If you have any ideas for infrastructure changes to make it safer to cycle/walk to the Grange or anywhere else in our community your input is welcome.
We had a fun time at our Harvest Social on October 12th. We enjoyed great music by Laura and Paul and Peter and friends, fabulous food and drink, an art and music silent auction, and a lively pie and cake auction, led by guest auctioneer Evan Wiig, shown here assisted by Ann Austin.
Did we see you at our September meeting? Peter and friends, “The Lone Grangers,” performed Stray Cats, complete with howling, Jim Crawford, who was a delegate to the recent State Grange Convention in Petaluma, gave us a report, and President Lawrence showed the certficate our Grange received from the California State Grange honoring our 125 years of service. President Lawrence swore in new members. We enjoyed an inspiring presentation by Robert Van de Walle on behalf of a “bad environmentalism” group called Trashlantis. The group was here to publicize an event next year, but also spoke to the concept of “bad environmentalism” and the problem of plastic waste. “Bad environmentalism” is a concept or trend in the environmental movement that seeks to use “corrective irony” to convey the message through performance art, film, literature, and other playful media. The Trashlantis event, planned for October 19, 2024, will be an “active transportation” festival, including a sculpture rally through Sebastopol. This group ride of kinetic sculptures and their bicycle escorts will utilize our trails and demonstrate to riders how easy it is to get to parks and shops via bicycle in Sebastopol. Booths will feature local businesses that sell durable goods made from materials diverted from the waste stream, as well as information vendors with resources for living a less energy intensive life. Music and food will ad to the fun activities. Click below for more information. We’re looking forward to this exciting event!
All proceeds from this event will go directly to the upkeep of our Grange Hall and will benefit the continued support of our local non-profits!
The Sebastopol Grange has hosted many great events, supporting a variety of local non-profits. This fundraiser for our beloved Hall will have LIVE Music 🎵, a delicious PIE Auction 🥧, food for snacking, beverages available by donation and a Silent Auction. See a display of Christo’s Running Fence art installation from 1976.
Organizations that our Grange has supported over the years through co-sponsoring events and providing non-profit discounts:
Community Seed Exchange California Homemakers Association (CHA) Daily Acts CAFF and the Farmers Guild Senior Ping Pong Local dance groups Slow Food Movement Sonoma County Conservation Awards
Home Gardener/Produce Exchange Climate Conversations Transition US ZERO Waster Action – Sonoma County Master Gardeners Braver Angels Mend and Befriend
Village Building Convergence Sebastopol Love Choir Social Prophet Choir Sonoma County Folk Society Dogwood Animal Society Master Food Preservers Living Room Center
On display: Fabric panels from the Running Fence project – 1976
In 1976, Christo and Jeanne-Claude completed Running Fence project. A white nylon fabric fence was raised that went from the Pacific Ocean to the Sonoma Wine Country, and then was taken down after two weeks. “Running Fence was 18 feet high and 24.5 miles long. The art project consisted of 42 months of collaborative efforts, 18 public hearings, three sessions at the Superior Courts of California, the drafting of a 450-page Environmental Impact Report and the temporary use of the hills, the sky and the ocean at California’s Bodega Bay.”
Auction items: Collector editions of Master Recordings
You’ll have a chance to bid on your choice(es) of several Collector Editions of Master Recordings produced here in Sebastopol by the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, which is well known in audiophile circles, including: Eagles: Hotel California Bill Withers: Still Bill From Elvis in Memphis The Alan Parsons Project: I Robot Run DMC: Raising Hell
Our Art Auction features the work of the late local artist Sandy Eastoak
At our general meeting on Tuesday, Darryl Berlin, board president of CommonSpace Community Land Trust, spoke about ways to address the shortage of affordable housing. We enjoyed a great potluck meal and celebrated Shepherd’s birthday. Jonathan Greenberg, Climate Solutions Advocacy Institute founder and journalist, told us about solar farms. Laura and Paul entertained us with an original tune called “Can There Be Enough Love?” Mark your calendar to join us at our next meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 19. Everyone is invited!
