Page 34 - Sonoma County Gazette January 2017

New in Town? Or just want to meet locals and become involved in our community? Meet new people, share resources, and get involved in social activities at the Petaluma Newcomers Club at Aqus Community & Cafe, 189 H St, Petaluma. INFO: (707) 778-6060, aquscafe.com. This is just the Tip of the Iceburg at Aqus Community, a 501c3 California Nonprofit. We create fun opportunities for people to connect, build relationships and enjoy a sense
“Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” – Dalai Lama XIV
Over the holidays, my Facebook feed revealed that folks were apologetic when they posted photos of gingerbread houses, trees and funny holiday videos. Why? Personal joys and silliness seem in contrast to the political mood. Don’t we need both sides – dark and light? A little optimism leads me to empowerment rather than cower-ment. Looking ahead, the days will grow longer as light returns. We’ll find our footing and bring our best thinking and actions to this new year. I’ve always believed in the power of building community. See you there.
The “Age-Wave” is Coming
of belonging to community. Through a variety of social events, programs, lectures and activities, we get people connected through shared interests in vibrant and friendly settings. Their events are held around Petaluma at various locations and in Aqus Cafe - a neighborhood hotbed of community. Learn about Poet Mondays (6pm), Creative and Abundant Artist, Thinkaers’ Book Club, Take Action on Climate Change, Science Salon, Jazz Jam, Celtic Night, Trivia, Chamber Music, Singers & Songwriters, and Bluegrass Jam. Sign up for their newsletter. John and Diane will make sure you have no reason to be onely or feel left out of your community.
I had the pleasure of attending a symposium titled Envisioning an Age- Friendly Sonoma County (Dec. 9). The large room was filled with 50 or 60 people. We heard from three experts about the coming “age-wave” when 25% of the county’s population will be ages 65+ by 2030. This poses challenges and opportunities in the fields of aging and land use planning. We gathered to hear some of the research and learn what other communities are enacting.
Petaluma Art Center is closed until January 21st. Once back open their new hours will be: open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am-5pm. Closed Sunday. If you haven’t been there yet, please put this on your list of things to do in 2017. They not only have on-going exhibits, but also classes. films, and literary events. 230 Lakeville Street in the Historic Railroad Station, right by the tracks. INFO: (707) 762-5600 and petalumaartscenter.org
Think about curb cuts, a given in city codes today. But it wasn’t always so. In the early 70s, disability activists championed this idea yet it works for everyone – parents pushing strollers, kids on skateboards, travelers with rolling suitcases, and delivery carts.
NEXT Exhibit: Five Sonoma County artists are being recognized through the fourth annual “Discovered: Emerging Artists from Sonoma County” program, produced by Creative Sonoma and the Petaluma Arts Center. The ve winners’ work will be shown in a professionally juried show at the Center, with an opening reception on January 21st from 5 to 7 pm. These ve artists re ect the tremendous diversity of the county’s visual arts community in genre, style and philosophy. Yet, they share several common themes. These works explore
Three speakers talked about a vision for age-friendly communities. A sparkling takeaway: Millennials and Baby Boomers both prefer to live (and thrive) in urban areas where they enjoy walkability to shops, culture and transportation. The generations share a commonality: driving is not the primary mode for either group. The suburbs were designed for people who could drive. Suburbs were a good place to raise families while the mom-taxi was in operation. Today, every teen isn’t “driven to drive” and driving becomes problematic as we age. What happens when we can
a culture that has less to do with the intrinsic value of things, and more to do with providing a felt experience.”
Winners include: Jenny Harp (Santa Rosa), whose beautiful drawings remind us of the power and permanence of physical, rather than digital images; Dayana Leon (Santa Rosa), whose uorescent paintings document the extreme, physical changes women go through to feel included in today’s society; Catherine Sieck (Occidental), who uses meticulously cut paper to illustrate her fascination with earth’s sustainability; Kala Stein (Sonoma), who uses ceramic sculpture to assemble a view of the skies; and Jaynee Watson (Petaluma), whose installations use dramatic manipulation of materials to transform emotions and feelings into physical objects.
Petaluma Elks Lodge hosted ‘Holiday Fest’ Concert of the Schools. Music was provided by Petaluma High School Jazz ensemble, Petaluma Junior High Choir and the Petaluma High School Choir. There was a pasta and meatball dinner, ra e and holiday sing alongs. Over 200 Elks and members of the community attended the event. Next years event plans to have more Schools from through out the city perform. The Elks working in conjunction with “Keeping Music in the Schools” a local non pro t worked to raise money to keep music programs funded in the Petaluma City School system. “Keeping Music in the Schools” puts on the Petaluma Music Festival as well. This year they raised $60,000 to distribute between the di erent Petaluma Schools
Photo: The Petaluma Junior High School Choir.
34 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 1/17
no longer drive one mile let alone ten? Our destinations for connection and sustenance are still the same – grocery store, library, senior center, culture, coffee shop and spiritual community – but how do we get there?
The winners were selected through a highly competitive process. Initial recommendations were made for 80 artists to participate leading to 46 applications which were juried down to 12 nalists. Jurors made site visits to the studios of all nalists and selected the 5 winners. For more information on the Discovered program, please contact Kristen Madsen at kristen.madsen@ sonoma-county.org.
You’re going to be hearing a lot more about these concepts. Thank
you to hosting this, Aging Together Sonoma County. Learn more and sign up for ways to get involved at agefriendlysonomacounty.org. Or Google the speakers: Don Weden, Santa Clara County Principal Planner, Retired; A Community Advisor and Educator; Anabel Pelham, PhD, Founding Director, Center for Age Friendly Excellence and Professor of Gerontology, SFSU; and Christina Clem, Associate State Director, Community, AARP California.
Another great resource is the non-profit 880 Cities. Their 8 80 Rule is: “We are convinced that if everything we do in our public spaces is great for everyone from 8 years old to 80 years old, we will end up with healthy and vibrant communities for all”. See 880cities.org/.
Village Network of Petaluma ( Penngrove too!)
When asked “what disease is the biggest hazard to American health?”, the U.S. Surgeon General replied that isolation is the biggest threat to mental and physical health (according to an interviewer Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times). Not cancer, not heart disease, not diabetes. We can make adjustments to prevent isolation.
This is a great time to learn more about what citizens aged 50+ are doing to continue living active, engaged lives, in their own homes. The non-profit has 70 members and 70 volunteers who are committed to forging fun and meaningful relationships as they age together. You may be plugged into the gardening or birding interest groups, whether you are actively pursue those interests or have expertise to offer. Members call the office number to request a ride, computer tutoring, light home repairs or a friendly visit. And don’t forget the potlucks, never! The next introductory Welcome meeting is January 19 at 11 am at the office at 402 Petaluma Blvd. No., Petaluma. New members who join by January 31 receive 1 month free membership. Future meetings are February 18 and March 16. See www.villagenetworkofpetaluma.org or call 707-776-6055.
All are welcome to contribute! Send your news and thoughts during the first week of each month to include in next month’s column.