For those born here and for the rest of us who now claim Sonoma County as our home, we share a sense of pride and place we like to call the spirit of Sonoma.
We think we know what we mean when we use this phrase, but actually what is the spirit of Sonoma? Of course it has different meanings for different people, but there is a spirit here, a way of life, that is our own. Novelist Jack London wrote about it. Cartoonist Charles Schulz absorbed it, the 1960s hippies electrified it and the growing wave of Latino families are now inheriting it.
Sonoma Spirit is not Napa, Bay Area or generic California. It’s a spirit as old as the Pomo and Miwok and as young as our newest generation of farmers. It’s independent like artists and ranchers. It’s a proud spirit of entrepreneurship and legacy brands. When it’s “made in Sonoma” it is of premium grade, often organic, sustainably produced and made with pride.
The spirit of Sonoma we talk about begins with a place of natural beauty with redwoods, a river and ocean coast. But the full expression of this spirit is in the great diversity of people — workers, volunteers, leaders, parents, young students, elders and the rest.
This week, the county’s Economic Development Board (EDB) bestowed 21 of these men and women with the Spirit of Sonoma award. The honorees were recognized for their leadership and contributions through their professional work and donations of time and expertise to their community.
Among the honorees were several county natives, third-generation business owners, newer arrivals who came with a vision and one or two individuals who were thrust into action by the 2017 wildfire disasters.
Cloverdale’s Kathryn Hecht moved to Sonoma County from New York and started the Alexander Valley Film Festival four years ago. The festival has put new spotlights on Sonoma’s spirit, highlighting young filmmakers among its seasonal screenings.
Another relative newcomer, Brian Sommer of Les Mars Hotel of Healdsburg, also was honored for his leadership in the local hospitality industry along with his contributions to help shape the future vision of his new community through the recent SDAT Healdsburg 2040 sessions.
Sebastopol native Teresa Ramondo, daughter of the town’s mailman, was honored for her three decades of leadership of the Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce. Another native, Tim Tesconi was nominated by the Sonoma County Farm Bureau. Besides coming from a Sonoma County farm family, Tesconi chronicled the local agriculture community for decades at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. In fact, Tesconi deserves credit for framing many of the descriptions and life stories that are now deeply embedded in today’s definition of Spirit of Sonoma.
Other human spirits honored this week included Barry Friedman, third-generation owner of Friedman Brothers Home Improvement, Windsor’s Lorene Romero, who has been a volunteer, board president and now paid director of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce. Jeff Okrepkie was singled out for his leadership of Coffey Park Strong and his neighborhood’s recovery efforts, still years from completion.
Executive director Ben Stone and his volunteer board launched the EDB’s Spirit of Sonoma Awards in 2000. The original idea was to create an annual pause from the busy agenda of local industry, government and commerce to acknowledge some of the men and women who “make a difference.” In other words, these are the people who keep the spirit of Sonoma alive and advancing into the future. To date, almost 400 individuals have been awarded the Spirit of Sonoma award.
Past awards have gone to bankers, winemakers, engineers, educators, journalists, contractors and many business owners. When linked together by their work output and volunteer contributions, we are all benefactors of a living Spirit of Sonoma. We thank them and offer a very spirited salute.
