There’s something about these posters that makes them special and very collectible.  Are you missing a poster from a previous year?  Are you looking for a Petaluma branded item to adorn that bare wall?  Well you are in luck!  The Petaluma Downtown Association has found a stash of past years’ posters and is selling them for a $10 donation. 

Some of the available posters date back as far as 1998!  All proceeds will support the Butter & Egg Days Parade and are available at the Petaluma Visitor’s Center in the Historic Depot Station at 210 Lakeville Street.  Questions?  Contact the Petaluma Downtown Association or call (707)762-9348.

A list of this year’s participants shows some newcomers and even a new Tour called “Artisan Cheese Loves Craft Beer – Brewery Tour and Cheese Inspired Dinner with Beers to Complement.” And not just any beer, Petaluma’s own, Lagunitas Brewery is partnering with Chef Danny Mai of Petaluma Sheraton’s Tolay Restaurant. At this writing, tickets are still available for the Lagunitas tour and pairing but other seminars and tours appear to be sold out. Look for the full list of seminars and tours available so you don’t miss out.
Cheeselovers are sure to find something amazing at Sunday’s Artisan Cheese Tasting and Marketplace. Tickets are $45 and include admission, access to chef demos and author book signings, the coveted ACF insulated cheese tote bag and a festival wine glass. If you haven’t attended, you should. Where can you find so many artisan cheeses, breweries and handcrafted delights all in one place, all in one fun filled weekend? Petaluma, CA, March 22-25. Dont’ miss it. I know I won’t!

Did I miss some? Let me know!
Tuscan Gardens A Wide Assortment of Tee Shirt Styles and Hoodies.
J. Solar Fine Jewelry Sterling and Gold Petaluma Pendants
Petaluma Visitor’s Center Vintage Butter and Egg Days Posters and Note Cards
Haus Fortuna Petaluma Coffee Table Book, Vintage Note Cards
Sonoma Coast Surf Shop Very Cool Tees and Sweatshirts Complete with Chicken Logo!
Paperwhite Letterpress Commemorative Posters for Butter and Egg Days, Petaluma Note Cards and Buttons
Petaluma Market Carrying Lots of Petaluma Based Brands including Cowgirl Creamery Cheeses and Lagunitas Beer
Rex Ace Hardware, 313 B Street, Petaluma Carries a Variety of Tea Towels, Hats and Travel Coffee Mugs.

Mark, I believe Petaluma can offer plenty of play!

Petaluma, California is located in Sonoma County, just 32 miles north of San Francisco. It is the first town you encounter after crossing the Sonoma County Line —The Gateway to Sonoma Wine Country. Our weather is beautiful and our community has grown up quite a bit in the past decade.

Here are a few must-dos on my list when visitors venture this way. Young or old, there’s an activity for everyone.

Take a Hike (or a walk if you will)

Petaluma is full of parks and walking paths. One of my favorite Petaluma parks is Shollenberger Park , a 165-acre park popular among hikers, bikers, bird-watchers and dog walkers. There, along the park’s levee trail, you can get an up-close look at wetlands wildlife – including over 150 species of birds – and the river flowing past with its collection of ramshackle, high-tech and human-powered boats. Saturday mornings, I have a standing date with my friend Sara for a walk, talk and gawk. There’s so much ground covered in our four mile walk that we hardly notice that we’re exercising at the same time. A new path recently opened that extends the path for several more miles and leads to the Ellis Creek Water Treatment Plant, which puts you at eye level with otters and other wildlife. Though I haven’t ventured down the new trail yet, this blogger had an amazing visit and I can’t wait to explore it this weekend.

Other favorite parks include the Oak Hill Park located at Oak and Howard Streets which includes a great playground, an off-leash dog park, Petanque courts as well as a labyrinth. Petanque in Petaluma? You bet. Now where else can you find all that in one park? Helen Putnam Regional Park also makes for a great outdoor experience, offering hiking with great views. (There may be a parking fee at Helen Putnam depending on how you enter the park.)

For a complete list of parks, go to the Visit Petaluma website and check out one that looks good to you.

Take a Tour

Winery tours, including our very own Petaluma Gap Wineries, offer a great way to spend the day. Look here for tours and times. Most are by appointment only.

Not only do we feature Sonoma County fine wines here in Petaluma, but our beers are notable as well. Lagunitas Brewing Company has grown into a major player in the brew market and they offer weekly tours. They also boast a Taproom and Beer Sanctuary, which is very impressive and relaxing with great live music and people watching. Open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 3-9 and weekends from 1-7, the Taproom and Sanctuary is a great place to land after a tour or a long day exploring Petaluma. Get directions to the Brewery here.

If you’re looking for something savory, McEvoy Olive Oil Company gives tours at different times during the year and Cowgirl Creamery’s newest facility is located in downtown Petaluma. The Creamery is a production-only facility, which means no retail here, but you can check out the amazing array of award-winning cheeses produced right here in Petaluma. More information about their tours can be found here.

For the kids, you can check out Mrs. Grossman’s Sticker Factory. The 110,000-square-foot corporate headquarters with 90 employees features the world’s only sticker factory tour.  Hurry the last day for this tour is May 13, 2011.

There are dozens of other tours in town – garden tours, Victorian home tours and walking tours; you can view a great list of additional tours here.

Take a Taste

I don’t think you’ll find a better restaurant selection in a city the size of Petaluma – our chefs come from all over and offer an array of menu types, from Himalayan to Thai, Italian to California Cuisine, you name it, it’s here. Award-winning, charming and delicious, some of our restaurants have even caught the eye of the prestigious Michelin Guide. Cucina Paradiso, Risibisi and Hiro’s are among those mentioned.

Our Visitor Center website, www.visitpetaluma.com, offers a great dining guide, which can be viewed here. It is also a great place to start when planning outings that will suit your guests’ interests. For now at least, the program is still funded by the City of Petaluma so the website is quite accurate and up to date.

I’m glad to report there’s plenty to do right here in Petaluma, Mark! With all of our food, wine, art, cultural and recreational activities, you could easily fill a day or two or three.

Do you have favorite day-trips around town? I’d love to hear about them. Comment to this post or email me at martha@marthaohayer.com.

Petaluma features two breweries, Dempsey’s in the Golden Eagle Shopping Center and Lagunitas Brewery on N. McDowell in a most unlikely spot, a business park.  Neither will disappoint.

Dempsey’s award-winning selection of beers are produced on site and best enjoyed with some of their fine pub fare. Find yourself a nice spot outside overlooking the Petaluma River and watch the action while you sip a pint or two. The atmosphere is casual so don’t rush your stay, grab a burger, enjoy their amazing salads or decide on a delicious dessert. The beer is cold and the living is easy.

Lagunitas Brewing Company has been around for some time, but recently opened their Tap Room and Beer Sanctuary. Aptly named, you need to experience the Beer Sanctuary yourself to understand why it feels like such a great getaway. The Tap Room and Beer Sanctuary is open  2pm – 9pm Wednesday through Friday; Saturday and Sunday it opens at 11:30pm – 8:00pm. When the taps are open, the music is playing, so check out who’s up next on the Sanctuary stage. You just never know the extent of the talent. We do know that the beer, as well as the food menu, is seasonally inspired. You can check out an entire list of their brews here.

Also in Petaluma is TAPS Restaurant & Tasting Room, located in the heart of the downtown. With more than 21 different domestic & imported beers on tap and a wide array of bottled & canned brews, Taps is a great place to sample a beer you might not get a chance to try anywhere else. They offer a variety of delectable food items as well, including their famous hot dogs, spicy chicken wings and some mouth-watering burgers.

So if Petaluma is the gateway to Sonoma County and wine country, maybe soon we will be known as the gateway to beer country. Santa Rosa has the Third Street Aleworks which does all brewing on site and features much outdoor seating, a diverse menu, a pool table, and sporting events on the many screens.  Also in downtown Santa Rosa is The Russian River Brewing Company with its wide selection of award winners.

Occidental has Barley and Hops Tavern. Healdsburg features the Bear Republic Brewing Company. HopMonk Tavern in Sebastopol has been transformed into an unpretentious venue where you will enjoy American Craft Beer as well as the European Classics served by fun folks with a passion for all things beer. Music can be found at all of these establishments on varying schedules. So kick back and enjoy a cold one, listen to some music and savor a truly Sonoma-style hand-crafted beauty!

Do you have a favorite local brewery?

Let me clarify: for me, the upcoming weekend is the best of the year in Petaluma. Each year for the past 30 years, Petalumans old and young join in for the Annual Butter and Egg Days Parade. Petaluma’s premiere event draws tens of thousands who love a parade and all of the hoopla that goes with it. Our heritage is celebrated with cows and chicks and a plethora of activities. The Cutest Chick Contest, Cow Chip Toss and more will provide entertainment for everyone. This year’s event is themed ‘Petaluma Takes Flight’ honoring the first airmail flight from Petaluma to Santa Rosa by Fred Wiseman back in 1911. Join the fun and help celebrate the 30th anniversary of this hometown event! Don’t forget your camera. It’s a slice of Americana, I assure you. The Parade starts at Noon and the events of the day run from 10 AM until 5 PM.

As if that weren’t enough, on Sunday, April 17, Petaluma opens its doors and closes its streets for the 25^th Annual Spring Antique Faire. Historic Downtown Petaluma transforms into an antique marketplace from 8 AM to 4 PM with over 180 dealers. Streets are closed to traffic and an atmosphere that can only be found in our historic downtown is created. Take your time, stroll Kentucky Street and shop to your heart’s content. Amazing and fascinating items from days gone by are there for you to browse or buy. The weather is almost always perfect so grab your hat, some sunscreen and head downtown for day two of my favorite weekend.

Find your way to Petaluma and bring your friends and family. You’ll see why we love it here. You’ll see lots of friends and neighbors. Say hi to someone you don’t know and see why I think it’s the “most wonderful time of the year!”

Over 350,000 Americans were polled for the Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index. Forty-two questions covered a number of areas of health and well being including jobs, finances, health habits and mental attitudes. 753 participants from Sonoma County were included in the survey. They commented on healthy habits and behaviors such as eating well, including consuming fresh fruits and vegetables each week, exercising regularly and not smoking.

Placing 5th overall in the US for Happiness quotient, the Petaluma-Santa Rosa area once again shows its true colors. What’s not to be happy about? Look around you, Petaluma has so many treasures; it’s hard to count them all.

USA Today has the full list of winners ranked here; number one in the country for overall happiness was Boulder, Colorado.

So folks, Disneyland may be the happiest place on earth, but Petaluma is the happiest place in California!

What’s your favorite thing about Petaluma? Comment below!

Join the best of the best in California artisan cheesemaking this weekend at the Sheraton in Petaluma. This annual event features the artisans who still adhere to the original cheesemaking practices – small batch production, made by hand. The cheesemakers support local agriculture and follow sustainable practices. Our rural way of life is supported by the original founders of Cowgirl Creamery who have production facilities in both Sonoma and Marin Counties.

Marin and Sonoma County producers will be well represented at the event – Cowgirl Creamery, Point Reyes Farmstead, Spring Hill Jersey Cheese, Marin French Cheese Company and Bellwether Farms are a few of the many cheesemakers you will find. On Sunday, cheesemakers, handmade food makers and over twenty wineries and breweries will be on hand in the Marketplace providing samples and selling their delicious goods.

Petaluma is the prime location for the California’s Artisan Cheese Festival.  Your ticket includes admission, all sampling, access to chef demos and author book signings, a festival wine glass and the coveted insulated cheese tote bag to hold your precious purchases.  We’re fortunate to have so many cheese producers, artisan food purveyors and vintners in our own backyard. Share some of your local favorites in the comments below.