Page 40 - Sonoma County Gazette - October 2017

After experiencing the many climatic changes in the past few weeks, including extreme heat and humidity, and thunder and lightning storms, I am happy to report a lovely Autumnal day as we approach the Equinox. The large redwoods outside of my airy cyber-hut are
outlined in clear blue skies.
The recently held Cazadero Old Time BBQ was a big success and I thank
all of the very dedicated volunteers who make this wonderful event happen. Grand Prize winner of the Pie contest was Jessica Bennet with her luscious Peanut Butter Cream Pie. YUM! The folks from the Performing Arts Camp were a terrific help in staging this fabulous ‘fun-raiser’! The Community Club will disperse the funds raised with several large and very local donations-more in the next column.
Montgomery Elementary School students have a several fun activities scheduled for October, with Oct. 5th the school picture day. On October 10th the Santa Rosa Symphony will be on campus for a mini-concert. On Oct 19th Ms. Port’s TK through 2nd graders will go on a field trip to Peter’s Pumpkin Patch. The Annual Halloween Carnival will be held on Oct. 27th. A busy Autumn season.
The next meeting of the Cazadero Community Club will be on Tuesday, October 3rd-7 p.m. at Firehall #1. Join your neighbors in planning great events which benefit the entire community! The Annual Holiday Crafts Fair comes up on Saturday, November 11th-from 10-4 also at the Firehall. Please call 632-5545 if you have a special item that you would like to exhibit at this fun event.
Remember the Cazadero Supply’s 1st Saturday 15% Discount Day for help with your vehicle, garden and household projects. Raymond’s Bakery continues its popular Friday Pizza Nights which include wonderful live music. Check out the unique “Caz Central’ (Open Friday-Sundays) right next to the General Store and find out what the Cazadero Hysterical Society is!
The Cazadero and Duncans Mills general stores offer up a great variety of daily groceries and local specialty items. Gold Coast Coffee and Bakery has enlarged its wonderful back deck and is now serving onsite bbq plates and will soon also have live music. Take a stroll through Duncans Mills colorful shops and restaurants, many of which are run by Cazaderans.
I want to wish very happy October birthdays to Darius Drexhage on the 5th, Gary Tourady and Tony Landeros on the 7th, Kim Spliethot on the 8th, I will celebrate on the 13th along with Josh Ritter, Max Gradunoy on the 14th. Lacy Parmenter celebrates on the 15th, Bud Baswell on the 17th, Judy Mercieca on the 21st, Marilyn Buss and Addie Conesa on the 24th, Budi Luna on the 28th and Michelle Holguin, Joan Schiavone and Wendy Boom on the 31st-all treats, no tricks for them!
Enjoy autumn and please contact me at 632-5545 or mayawrld@sonic.net with info for your Cazadero Column!
October! Falling leaves! Rain! Gran Fondo! That’s right! If this issue hits the stands in time, you might be reading this during the Gran Fondo, as you wait until 10:30 for Bohemian Highway to be reopened to vehicular traffic. If so, stop what you are doing and head down
to the Post Office parking lot, where the Rec and Park board is serving breakfast – French toast, eggs, sausage, coffee, and a communal viewing experience for the race. More likely, you are reading this a couple of days after the event. I hope you made it. The food was donated by the Gran Fondo folks, the cooking and the love donated by CMRPD.
Speaking of the CMRPD Board...do you remember there’s an election coming up? The seats of Gary Helfrich, Anthony Tominia, and Valery Larson are up for re-election. As far as I know now, all three are running
for re-election, and nobody has announced an opposition run. If I am wrong about that, please let me know promptly and I will include the information in November’s issue, which will come out just before the election.
Also speaking of the Board, Tony Tominia has been amusing and educating himself by reading back in old CMRPD minutes, going into the way back machine to the early days of Camp Meeker. How early? Back to the days when the actual Meeker family was actively involved.
Before we get to those finds, I will share with you these words from
“Boss” Meeker himself, from Lee Torliatt’s fine book “Golden Memories of the Railroad Empire”. Better get your fans ready – this is some hot stuff. I wouldn’t want anyone to get an attack of the vapors. Yes, this, in Boss Meeker’s own words, is an account of his courtship of his wife, Flavia Sayre Meeker. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
“The previous fall a lady friend of ours came from Rochester (NY – ed) to visit my sister, Mrs. Palmer, of Valley Ford. I called to renew acquaintance, was charmed, and in due time edge up close to her on the sofa, and gently put my arm around her waist, and said I possessed a great fortune. She did not say ‘Oh, this is so sudden!’ No, not much. She waited for me to say something more. I drew her closer to my bosom, inside of which something was beating like the breakers on the ocean beach. When she said she had not heard of my good luck, I told her that it was only this moment that I realized the fact, and that this great fortune was her own dear self. Now we’ve been married 37 years, and we still love each other dearly. In 1870 I built a very beautiful home and furnished it. When a fire destroyed it all, we domiciled in the barn for three years, until I was able to rebuild again.”
He goes on. Oh, how he does go on: “The Town of Occidental owes its foundation and name to me, I having lead out and built most all of the first buildings, the church first, the hotel next, then stores and cottages.
In May 1898, I laid out Camp Meeker for summer homes. Since then two additions have been added to it, making now the largest summer outing resort on the coast. I never expected to become rich in this world’s goods, but God has prospered me in all my undertakings, until I own over 10,000 acres of land, large interests in mines, mills, houses, fruit, and cattle etc.
I don’t mention this to brag of what I have, but to show how success has crowned my labors. I have always been among the foremost of men in all charitable and public enterprises. The opposition I have met in laying out new roads, all of which today are the main avenues of travel in western Sonoma County, and the formation of new School Districts, has only helped to bring out my true manhood, and stay with mine enemy until he became my friend or was subdued. I owe my success, not to my own strength, strong arm, or active brain, but to the Good Lord, who has given these things into my keeping.”
Wow! Now you know....we owe it all to this man...amazing.
I always thought it took a lot of peole to make a community home. Well, it does now. So please get involved if you are not already on some committee or group. We need everyone. Besides, you meet a lot of really nice people when you voluteer your time. Winter’s coming. That’s when we depend on each other to make it through ‘til spring.
HOLIDAY EVENTS?
Get on the Gazette’s HOLIDAY CALENDAR - which starts this month with Halloween and goes straight through December with as many holiday events as we can nd.
CRAFT FAIRS - TREE LIGHTINGS - CHOIRS & CHORUSES - GIFT WRAPS & FOOD DRIVES. We want them ALL!
FREE LISTINGS for events under $20 or a BENEFIT for a
Good Cause. SEND your event listing to vesta@sonic.net
SonomaCountyGazette.com /submit-article-or-event.html
for specs on how to list your event.
40 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 10/17
Let me know what you’re up to. Email is at the top of this column, Thanks.