Occidental Oriented by Gino Gaffney - May 2018

Well, hello there ya’ll­—I can’t quite fathom that another month has rolled by already, but here we are.The Fool’s Parade was awesome as always, I love that my home-town can still bring out the freaks and weirdo’s in profusion. Many thanks to the Hubbub Club for leading the silliness around town and to good old mother nature for cooperating with decent weather. I don’t know their name, but the band who played in front of Hand Goods was great as well. Kudos to the Arts Center folks and their inclusion of the Bill Wheeler tribute song, nice touch.

Dear Gazette Readers, I need help. As you may recall, I have signed up to participate in Climate Ride California 2018. On May 20th through 24th I will be part of a 150 person group riding our bicycles from Fortuna to San Francisco (apprx. 320 miles) to raise awareness and funds for charities that are involved in efforts to combat climate change, and environmental/social justice issues. These non-profits are doing good work around our county, state and world. All participants agree to raise at least $3,000­—my personal fund-raising goal is $3,900 as that is my current age. Please help me to reach (and surpass) my goal by visiting support.climateride.org/participant/5996 and making a tax-deductible donation, I and the planet (and some very worth causes) thank you. Any donation large or small is much appreciated. My training and fund-raising are both coming along, but I definitely have work to do on both accounts in the next few weeks before the ride begins.

One of the groups I am raising funds for is the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition. They are engaged in all levels of bike advocacy around our county. They host bike safety clinics, bike give-aways, and work on improving access to safe biking options for the masses.

Some big things are going on in Sonoma County bicycling possibilities currently. There are feasibility studies being conducted to install bike trails on the lower Russian River corridor, another between Sebastopol and Petaluma, and between Santa Rosa and Sonoma. Imagine how great it would be to be able to bicycle around these immense portions of our county in a safe fashion. Good for the people, good for the planet.

A donation to my climate ride account is also a donation to the SoCo Bicycle Coalition in the hopes that we can make these great trails a reality! If bikes aren’t your thing, your donations will also help fund the Ceres Project,Center for Climate Protection and the Nature Conservancy.

OCA: May 5, 6, 11, 12 Occidental Community Choir Spring Concerts 2018 at the Art’s Center. 5, 11, 12 at 8pm, 6th at 3pm. $15 Adults. Kids 12 and under Free. Special discount price $10 for Community First Night May 5.

Also at the OCA, on Friday May 18th at 7pm: A special evening with Harvard professor and Occidental native Daniel Ziblatt, co-author of “How Democracies Die.” Q&A, book sales, reception—$5 admission. See the full article in this Gazette issue for further details and background.

Check out the newly spiffed up town muralwhen you get a chance, it looks great! Many thanks to Dave Gordon for his artistry. The directory has been updated, and directional information added for the roads leaving town.

The process of going around town to contact business owners and get updated information and donations was a lot of fun. It allowed me to play a little bit of tourist in my own town game. Not being one to frequent hair salons, I hadn’t been in Bala in many years. They have some absolutely gorgeous art-work in there that’s worth a look, while you’re there purchase some product or make an appointment for yourself (or a friend—great birthday present) with the wonderful ladies who run the place.

A store I had never been in previously is Boho Bungalow, very cool! Lot’s of interesting stuff to check out and similar to Hand Goods, I think you could find something for anyone on your gift list. Boho Bungalow is about to open a 2nd location on Main St. in Sebastopol, congratulations and good luck to ya’ll! Don’t worry, I’ve been assured they aren’t leaving us, just expanding their reach.

Department of Corrections: Anyone notice my planetary boo-boo last month? We on Planet Earth rotate around the sun once a year, not once a day, duh. Late night writing to make the press deadline leads to a little brain fog sometimes, bear with me dear readers. :)