LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Thank you Sebastopol
Editor: On behalf of the Sebastopol Area Chamber of Commerce and
Festival Committee, thank you for joining us for a great festival
and parade! The weather was perfect and the parade delighted the
crowd with a wonderful line up of creative, colorful and
enthusiastic entries. Thank you to our sponsors and also those that
volunteered to work the event. We couldn’t do it without your
support. Special thanks to the Steering Committee: Bob Aita, Aleia
Coate and John Pittman for their dedication and tireless efforts
throughout this past year. This event is the Chamber’s main
fundraiser and supports a local visitor center; businesses,
marketing and other programs. In addition the Festival contributes
to several non-profits: Analy’s girls basketball and volleyball;
boys football; Brookhaven Principal’s Fund.; and Active 20/30 Club
of Sebastopol. The Apple Blossom Festival is still one of the
cheapest tickets around, offering a great value and a variety of
free music and other activities for people of all ages. It’s a
wonderful community tradition; one that the Chamber is pleased to
host and hopefully support for years to come. Please mark your
calendar for next year’s event, which will be held on April 16 and
17 (due to Easter). If you would like to volunteer to help please
give us a call. Again, thanks for making “Sea of Blossoms” a
festival to remember.
Teresa Ramondo
Executive Director/CEO
Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce
Good policy
Editor: I want to compliment our town on a fantastic parade,
made all the better by the new no alcohol policy.
I was able to enjoy every moment, with no distractions.
And I was so happy to see our county supervisor, Efren Carrillo,
walking in the parade … no three cars spewing exhaust, or tons of
signs and shirts made. I think that was wonderful and very
“green.”
Kathy Biggs
Sebastopol
Please return the chairs
Editor: This is actually a letter to those who helped themselves
to our family’s beach chairs (including two children’s chairs)
following the Apple Blossom Parade in downtown Sebastopol last
Saturday, April 24. Maybe you thought they were abandoned … some
kind of post-parade clutter … maybe. It is interesting that you
didn’t take the older, dirty chairs but helped yourself to the
newer really nice chairs. Assuming your intentions were good,
please drop the chairs off at the Graton Fire Department or the
Community Church of Sebastopol (across from O’Reilly &
Associates). Otherwise, Sebastopol is really not so different from
other cities after all. Sad.
S. White
Graton
Bum leg grandpa
Editor: Just a thought for the next Apple Blossom parade
planning. If you invite a lot of people to parade day and then put
up a lot of no parking signs, it’s not a particularly
“user-friendly” message. The closest I could get at 9:55 a.m. was
St. Sebastian’s Church. At 77 on a bum leg, that’s a loooong way. I
saw lots of folks with toddlers going both ways saying the same
thing. Maybe parade day is not the best day to push a walking
agenda. Maybe it’s time to consider shuttle buses.
Neil E. Davis
Sebsatopol
Hats off to local police
Editor: As the guidance counselor at Brook Haven School, I want
to take a moment to appreciate all that Chief Jeff Weaver and the
Sebastopol Police Department bring to our campus. It is clear to me
that the police department has education and crime prevention as
strong priorities, particularly when it comes to middle school
students. Officers Greg Devore and Dennis Colthurst put together a
terrific series of educational programs for our school. Officer
Colthurst joined forces with Fred Poulos at Mombo’s and created a
Lunch with the Law program that enabled 8th graders to get up close
and personal with a police officer and a police car without being
in trouble. Officers are always willing to work with me when
situations might need some assistance from law enforcement but
their assistance is tempered with compassion and appreciation for
the struggles of adolescents and their families. Hats off to the
good work of the Sebasopol Police Department.
JT O’Neill
Guidance Counselor
Brook Haven Middle School