Farms, Films and Family - Many Ways to Support Community

Who says nothing good in life is free? This weekend is offering a sneak-peek behind the scenes at Sonoma County’s finest food and agriculture destinations.

In Petaluma, that includes Adobe Pumpkin Farm (2478 East Washington), which will have a corn maze, jump castle, food for purchase plus the have-I-died-and-gone-to-craft-heaven Farmer’s Wife Barntique craft store.

“People should visit their local farms to teach their children about where their food comes from,” said Lesley Papola of the Farmer’s Wife Barntique. “There is also something magical about kids pulling up a carrot or biting into a sun ripened tomato... It forever changed my kids' eating habits when they realized how magical farm fresh food is."

Papola says that our community offers families tons of on the farm experiences from which to choose.

"There are goats to meet, farms with vegetables and pumpkins - everything from Christmas trees to bees and honey. Knowing about the farm informs a child and will forever change their lives,” she said.

At Artful Arrangements (205 Orchard Lane) there will be on the hour demonstrations on ornamental plants, how to make a small redwood trellis and "secret rock writing." On the half hour there will be free "plant a plant" opportunities.

Additional Petaluma destinations include Canvas Ranch for hayrides and to meet Mr. and Mrs. Scarecrow. At EverMay Garden Center there will be free soap making classes at 1 and 2 p.m. At Green String Farm there will be free tours and 10 percent off all sales for “Farm Trailers” and out on “I” Street at there will be free tours on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sonoma County Farm Trails is a not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to preserving sustainable and diverse agriculture in Sonoma County. Since 1973, SCFT has worked to promote and market local agriculture, each year publishing an annual Map & Guide (one of the first of its kind in the nation) and producing the Gravenstein Apple Fair, an old-time celebration of Sonoma County’s rural heritage held each August.

Farm Trails runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day and other participating towns include: Forrestville, Glen Ellen, Healdsburg, Penngrove and a slew of stuff in Santa Rosa.

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Every time I return an overdue book at the Petaluma library, I’m kind of glad for the opportunity to pony up some change to support the library. Funny enough, I never think – “Maybe I should just send them a check.”

Maybe they read my mind because the Sonoma County Library is holding the kind of fundraiser I could really get behind. On Wednesday, Oct. 12 at the Rialto Cinemas in Santa Rosa, there will be a chocolate tasting paired with a viewing of Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, with all proceeds benefitting the library, which has experienced a loss of more than $1 million in revenue over the past couple of years.

I asked my favorite librarian why people should support libraries.

“Libraries are important because they serve all segments of the population. Libraries are an essential component of a democratic society,” said Petaluma historian and Sonoma County librarian, Katherine Rinehart.

"Libraries provide everyone, regardless of their income, access to a central repository for everything from books for learning, books for pleasure, job training, tax forms, bus schedules, computers and trained professionals to guide you through it all.”

Katherine also sent me this neat link to a recent O'Reilly Media conference featuring Piers Cawley singing “Child of the Library."

If you can’t attend this support-your-library event, or you want to skip the decadent calories, you can still mail them a check of any amount to the Sonoma County Public Library Foundation, 211 E. Street, Santa Rosa, CA, 95404. 

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If you have kids, mark your calendars.

The Petaluma branch of the American Association of University Women, in collaboration with ’s Next Gen philanthropists’ group, the  and local public and Catholic schools present the second annual panel discussion for parents and the community on cyber-bullying. This is a free event from 7 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 6 at St. Vincent High School.