JOE WAGGONER
Joe Wayne Waggoner made his way to heaven on June 5, 2025. He was on this Earth loving his family and friends for 67 years.
Born in Ukiah, California. He was a well liked, well known community member of Anderson Valley for over 40 years before moving to Ukiah California.
Joe was well known for his love of everything “Hollywood”. An avid movie buff. He enjoyed spending time with his Niece Lisa and his Great Nieces and Nephews Sierra, Bobby, Christian and Jazmyn and his beloved sister Judy before her passing, often at the Drive In theatre in Lake County or Ukiah theatre or just out for meals filled with laughs.
He was the historian of the family. Sharing stories of his family traveling from Norman Arkansas to Boonville California for a better life. He was one of 12 siblings and had endless stories of growing up in a large family close to the Summit family which were 1st cousins.
He had an unforgettable memory for events such as bdays, weddings, graduations of all his family.
He was a huge supporter of AV sports events. He attended every home football game for his Great nephews Bobby & Christian and his Great niece Jazmyn.
He greatly treasured his yearly visits at the Mendocino county Fair. He often talked of the many laughs shared with dear friends Junior Vargas and his wife Audrey, Julie Pardini- Vance, Barbara Valenti, Cindy Pardini and many others while sitting in front of the Rossi home where the family lived and made memories for over 30 years, while watching the Parade.
Joe loved spending holidays with his brothers Gene and Steve. Being able to watch his Nieces and Nephews grow to adults and raise their children.
Joe loved to brag about the accomplishments of his family. From his brother Gary’s skills in Softball to his brother Mick’s success in owning homes and businesses in Palm Springs. His Niece Daisy’s love for her children, his Great Nephew Christian’s career as a Jet Engineer for the US Navy and lovingly shared his mother Catherine’s skills driving a logging truck back in the 50’s.
Joe retired from the Anderson Valley School district where for 25 years he took great pride in keeping the Elementary school and District offices sparking and maintained. Always spreading laughs and funny jokes with the kids and teachers. He also spent over 20 years as an employee for Mendocino County. Before retiring. Many of the court house employees and Deputies described Joe as “A guy you just want to know, he never met a stranger”.
Joe was proceeded in his journey to Heaven by his parents, Ern & Catherine Waggoner. As well as his siblings, Timmy, Gary, Ruth, Pete, Judy, Rosalee and his Nephews Bobby Dean and Jake.
He leaves behind his siblings, Gayle, Gene, Ted, Mick and Steve. Nieces and Nephews, Yvonne, Guy, Lisa, Cardale, Daisy, Tyler, Tiffany and Jessica. Plus 23 Great Nieces and Nephews.
No amount of money ever bought a second of time.
Tony Stark, Avengers
Graveside service will be Friday, July 18th @ 11 am at Boonville Evergreen Cemetery.
Pastor Larry Mumma officiating.
THERESA LYNN BLOYD
Theresa Lynn Bloyd (Hafley) entered into rest on June 11, 2025.
Services will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ukiah at noon on Tuesday, June 17th. A celebration of life will be held at the Boonville Fairgrounds Dining Hall at 3 pm. All are welcome to attend one or both gatherings. Graveside services will be for immediate family. Arrangements are being handled by Empire Mortuary Services. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Humane Society for Inland Mendocino County. We look forward to honoring Theresa's life with you.
Theresa Bloyd was an unsung hero in Mendocino County Social Services. For over 10 years, she dedicated herself to Adult Protective Services, tirelessly covering the entire North County. She was a fierce advocate for her clients and worked closely with the tribe in Covelo. She had a deep admiration and respect for the tribal elders and felt privileged to be able to work with them to improve the lives of the tribe. Her compassion, strength, and unwavering commitment to others made her truly one of a kind. We have lost an angel, and her absence will be felt deeply by all who had the privilege to know and work with her. My condolences to the family. Thank you for being you, Theresa. You were truly the very best.
(Erica Lemons)
HOME ON THE GRANGE: In Anderson Valley, Hippies, Old-Timers Return to Farming Roots
by Lisa Morehouse
Every month, the Anderson Valley Grange holds a pancake breakfast at their Grange hall in the town of Philo. A team of volunteers prepares pancakes, eggs and bacon for the 100 or so community members who show up.
In the kitchen during January’s breakfast, a man known as Captain Rainbow called out “Danger, danger!” as he pulled sizzling bacon out of the oven.
As a trio of local musicians played, Erich Jonas mixed a hyper-local pancake batter. It includes flour from the Mendocino Grain Project, which he called “absolutely perfect for this local feast,” and just about half a can of the best beer from the Anderson Valley Brewing Company.
“And so here we go. We’re going to add this magic ingredient, just enough to wet the batter down so it’s not sticky,” he said, while whisking.
Grange halls like this one have been around for more than 150 years — the Grange began as a fraternal organization for farmers. Even though farming — and Grange membership — are down to a fraction of what they were decades ago, many rural towns still rely on Grange halls as community centers.
“Whether it’s doing a holiday dinner or hosting a local food bank, it’s a place where people can do what’s most natural to us, which is focus on our cooperative dynamics and community,” Jonas said.
In the Anderson Valley, many people credit this place for bringing together groups of people that were once really divided.
The Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, better known as the Grange, was founded in 1867 as a social and educational organization for farmers. It gained membership as Grangers banded together to fight the high prices that grain elevators and railroads were charging to store and transport their crops. Their non-partisan political advocacy began with issues like regulating the railroads and making sure mail was delivered to rural areas for free.
Captain Rainbow explained, “The farmers essentially created the Grange as like a co-op, and they had some power in numbers like a union.”
The Anderson Valley is an agricultural community. Dozens of vineyards line Highway 128, and they grow a lot of cannabis in this region, too. But wine and cannabis didn’t dominate the Valley when Captain Rainbow arrived here in the early 1970s.
“When I first came here, the economy of the valley was sheep farming, and apples, and logging, pretty much.”
He said he wore a loincloth, lived up in the woods with some other back-to-the-landers, and didn’t come into town too much.
“In those days, if you were a hippie, you weren’t particularly welcome here,” he said. “The nickname of the bar was ‘the Bucket of Blood,’ and it was pretty renowned for being a pretty rugged spot. I didn’t go in the bar for about 10 years because it was chainsaw haircut time if you did.”
Rainbow still has the long hair — now gray, pulled back in a neat ponytail.
Back then, the only affordable place in town to hold an event was at the old Grange hall, built in 1939.
“It had a really nice old fir dance floor, and a big barrel stove with a bunch of firewood to warm the place up, and a little tiny goofy stage,” Rainbow said. “That’s where we’d have our rock and roll parties and do our little plays and our clown shows.”
Rainbow said the Grange membership back then was made up of old-timers who were a little reluctant to rent out the hall to hippies.
“But they didn’t have any money either,” so they grudgingly relented. “And you know what?” Rainbow said, “We loved that building, too, so we did take care of it.”
But one morning in 1985, Rainbow heard some terrible news: the Grange hall burned down. News spread fast, and people from across the valley went to see the damage.
“There was nothing left,” Rainbow said. “I mean, it was just a pile of gray and black charred stuff. It was gone.”
As Anderson Valley’s Grangers planned to rebuild the hall, the hippies begged them to include a stage and a wooden floor for dancing. They even made a bargain with the Grangers, one they never thought they’d have to keep: if the insurance money ran out, they would help the Grangers rebuild the hall. The insurance money didn’t last, and so, working one day a week, it took this incongruous group of volunteers six years to build the new Grange hall.
“This was, to me, the nut of a coming together of different groups of people who needed each other,” Captain Rainbow said. “They needed us to do the work for free, and we needed them to provide this space and this place and the possibility that we could have a dance hall again.”
Even if a hippie had a bad encounter with an old timer at the Bucket of Blood saloon the night before, Rainbow said, “The next day, hungover, both of you would be hanging sheetrock together, and you’d find out that, hey, you’re all right.”
Instead of drinking or talking politics, they were building something together.
“I gained a lot of friends in the valley that way. I’m not sure this holds for everyone else in the valley, but for me, that was the time things opened up, because we were engaged in a common purpose. Rather than looking at our differences, we were looking at our samenesses,” Rainbow said.
As the Anderson Valley Grangers saw their peers getting older, they looked around at the younger volunteers who were showing up with skills and interest, and they saw something else: potential Grange members.
Captain Rainbow remembered, “One day, one of those guys came up to me and said, ‘Hey, you know, you want to join the grange?’ And my eyes got big, and I went, ‘Really?’ And they asked other people who had been volunteering, as well, to become members. We couldn’t believe it. We went, ‘What? You’re kidding. You really … you want us? You want us?’ And they did.”
Both sides had to compromise a bit. When they became members, the hippies had to go through some rituals, learn the secret handshake, and the password. This new contingent wasn’t going to go all in for the traditions of a fraternal organization, but Captain Rainbow and others learned the origins of many of these rituals and began to understand.
“The secret handshake and all that stuff came about because they would go to Washington D.C. and lobby for farmers’ rights,” Rainbow said, “and they had to know who was a Granger.”
Soon enough, Captain Rainbow found himself appointed Grange Master, and he’s been involved ever since.
These days, people know the Anderson Valley Grange Hall for its annual Variety Show and as a place to hold meetings, dances and quinceañeras, but it still has agricultural connections.
The reality of this was on full display in early March. The parking lot was packed before the official start of the event at the hall.
Local food groups rented out the Grange hall for a day of education and seed and scion exchanges.
Amid grafting workshops, people walked in carrying containers full of seeds and grocery bags with cuttings from trees — young shoots, called scions.
On one side of the Grange hall, tables were covered with scion wood. Barbara Goodell, one of the event’s organizers, pointed out many of the varieties she saw:
“Nuts, grapes, figs on this table. There’s apples, peaches, persimmons, plums, all kinds of things. Anything that you can graft, it’s here.”
Grafting lets growers join two different plants together into one — like a hearty rootstock with a scion of a really delicious apple variety.
“It’s not rocket science, necessarily,” Goodell said. “It’s putting two sticks together in the right way.”
The other side of the hall was all about seeds, including seed libraries for each of Mendocino County’s library branches.
Kat Wu and Sab Mai came up from San Jose. They chatted with Jini Reynolds, a Grange advocate and leader, about how to save seeds from their small home garden.
“The important thing about saving seeds is to mark down what kind of climate you grew it in, the things that made you successful, like the soils or did you have a raised bed, so that other people in your community can then understand how they can grow,” Reynolds said.
She encouraged Wu and Mai to look for resources in their own region, too.
“I’m with the Grange, and we’re a national organization. So you have Granges down in your area, too. Maybe put together some kind of seed exchange so that you can all share information,” she told them.
Reynolds is a member of another Grange in Mendocino County, about an hour away from the Anderson Valley hall. There are seven community Granges in Mendocino County.
When Reynolds moved to a one-acre farm in Mendocino County 50 years ago, she’d attend parties and PTA meetings at the local grange hall, but had no idea what “Grange” meant. As she learned more about the organization, she got more committed.
Starting about 15 years ago, there was a lot of tension within California Granges. Rifts widened over values, leadership and property. Many groups in California broke away from the national Grange.
During this time, Reynolds said, she studied Grange history and bylaws. She decided to help the organization grow and change it from within.
“I’m now kind of like a cheerleader for the Grange,” Reynolds said. “Because I see that — even clear across the nation, not just California —all of us are looking at, ‘How do we live sustainably? How do we keep our community centers? Where do we get the support?’”
Now, she’s president of what’s called the “Pomona” — the regional Grange serving Mendocino and Lake Counties, and she’s helping state granges rebuild their membership. She’s also on the diversity team of the national Grange.
In the early days, the Grange helped farmers organize and fight railroad moguls. The needs for today’s rural communities are different. Many Granges are modernizing their halls to be emergency shelters. Reynolds pointed out that members can get discounts on propane and can attend practical workshops.
“Come on down and learn how to do CPR. Come on down and learn how to handle that ham radio. Come on down and learn this skill on how to put new gravel in your driveway,” she said.
Mendocino County Grangers even started a retirement facility that houses 170 people.
In rural California, one concern comes up again and again: fire. One that stays with Reynolds is 2017’s Redwood Complex fire. The disaster killed nine people. It destroyed 350 homes and 36,000 acres, and required thousands of people to evacuate. When roads opened back up, Reynolds said she was the one with the key to the Redwood Valley Grange, which was still standing. She let PG&E in to get the propane turned back on, she said.
“I told my husband, ‘I can’t close the door to the Grange,’” she said, with emotion creeping into her voice. “All of my neighbors were going back to see if they had a house or not, or whether their farms were there anymore, whether they had anything left at all, and they were driving right past the Grange.”
Reynolds said that she, her husband, and other volunteers made brownies and coffee, and put out a sandwich board, saying, “Come on in.”
“And all of a sudden, people were bringing food down there,” she said. “Red Cross was outside, FEMA was in the room and they started answering people’s questions.”
Families were able to reconnect and find each other after the fire.
“This is all because of a Grange hall. If we didn’t have the Grange hall, none of this would have happened.”
Nationally, the Grange was at its peak in the 1950s, with over 850,000 members. That dropped a lot over the decades, as farmland was paved over for suburbs, and membership in civic organizations declined.
But the last few years have seen membership grow incrementally.
California has 120 Granges, and in the last year alone, seven Granges opened — some brand new, some brought back to life or reorganized, since the state-wide rift. Reynolds said, revitalizing the Grange is her calling. She’s working to reestablish Granges in Fort Bragg and Upper Lake — communities in Mendocino and Lake Counties — in the coming months.
She said she knows that the Grange needs to be truly inclusive to keep growing and represent all the people living in rural areas. As someone with Paiute ancestry, that’s dear to her heart. She pointed out that the National organization has changed language, like “Grange Master,” to “President.” A number of Granges — including in California — have a majority Latino population. And California’s state Grange is translating all documents into Spanish.
“It’s going to be a while, but we’re working on that. And as far as the indigenous people,” she said, getting emotional, “we’re working on that.”
Thinking about the future of the Anderson Valley Grange, Captain Rainbow gets a little nostalgic. “When my generation came in and became part of the Grange, the old-timers, they needed us. And now, I’m a geezer now!” He called his peer group new old-timers.
Though the Anderson Valley Grange Hall fills up for dances, pancake breakfasts and seed exchanges, the chapter hovers between 40 and 50 members, and many of them are from Rainbow’s generation.
“We need some fresh blood,” Rainbow said. Although, he said, “there’s still some folks who are coming and want to do small-time agricultural farming,” he worries there won’t be enough, or that they won’t have the same spirit.
“But who knows, things evolve. They change. And who am I to claim that I know what’s going to happen or what’s right,” he said.
“Why I came here was a sense of place,” he said.
Hopefully, he said, the Grange can remain “a focal point for this sense of place,” and continue to be a space that brings people together in the Anderson Valley.
(Produced with support from the Food and Environment Reporting Network. It’s part of Lisa’s series California Foodways.)
AV UNIFIED NEWS
Thank you for a wonderful year in AVUSD. As a new administrative team, Mr. McNerney, Mr. Ramalia, and I are deeply grateful for the warm welcome and for the community’s grace as we have learned about all that makes Boonville magical. Our close-knit community’s traditions, collaborative relationships, and the unmatched support of its school district and students are unique and remarkable.
As we close out the school year, we want to thank every parent, every friend, every staff member, and every community member who has contributed to the wonderful things that our students have accomplished in 2024-25.
I will not be sending out weekly updates over the summer, but will update the community at least once a month. That said, the district office staff and I will be in the office throughout most of the summer, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you would like to talk!
I would like to take a moment to thank staff members who are departing. We will be hiring for open positions, but each of these people is someone who can never be “repaced.” Please read below and take a moment to thank those who have had an impact on your child, if possible! They will always be in our hearts!
Thank You, John Toohey!
Mr. Toohey had taken a job in Lake County. He has shared that this was a very difficult decision for him, as he grew up in AVUSD and his ties run deep. He looks forward to returning to the humanities classroom and will likely be living in Lake County. He will be a benefit to his new district and plans, also, to remain in contact with AVUSD to support a smooth transition for a new Athletic Director. Thank you, John, for the amazing sports programs and your commitment to our student athletes. You will be deeply missed!
Thank you, Alexys Bautista!
Mr. Bautista was here for just one year as a teacher, but what an impact he made! We are so grateful for his work with the Leadership class, as well as all things agriculture and FFA. He has brought new ideas to the already awesome program, and so much energy and enthusiasm! Mr. Bautista has taken a job at a private school in Temecula, where he will head up the agriculture department. They are so fortunate to have him!
Thank you, Dave Ramalia!
Principal Mr. Ramalia came to support AVES in October and brought with him kindness, fun, and a commitment to kids. We are so thankful to Mr. Ramalia for the endless hours he has spent leading the elementary school. It is such a pleasure to see the positive relationships with students as he crosses the campus. He’s like a rock star to the kids. Mr. Ramaila, you will never be forgotten!
Thank you, Yuridia Cruz!
Ms. Cruz also grew up within our district. She is full of school spirit and has been a regular participant in almost every family engagement activity. Whenever and wherever she has been needed, she has shown up with a smile on her face and a commitment to making the activity the best it can be! Mrs. Cruz takes the time to truly know students, colleagues and families. She is deeply appreciated and will very much be missed.
Thank you, Sarah Crisman!
Mrs. Crisman has been teaching music in our district for many years, starting at AVES. She has built a CTE pathway program that includes digital music and instruments. On several occasions this year, small groups from her class have performed for significant events, including a “last day of school” mini-concert on the Senior Lawn. As the music teacher, Mrs. Crisman has built years-long relationships with students. Mrs. Crisman is loved by her students and colleagues, and will never be forgotten in AVUSD!
Chirstina Gianelli
Mrs. Gianelli has served as the coordinator of the After School Program at AVES. Hardworking and committed to the students and the program, her long hours of planning and her efforts at organizing myriad activities and materials has been greatly appreciated. Mrs. Gianelli, you will be missed!
Thank You, Kira Brennan!
Ms. Brennan is retiring! We are deeply grateful to Mrs. Brennan for her passion for student success and her hard work for many, many years in AVUSD. This year, Mrs. Brennan established the Bike Club, which highlights her commitment to kids as well as one element of the legacy she leaves behind in our district. Thank you, Mrs. Brennan, for your service and for all you have done for kids throughout your career.
K-12 Summer School
Summer School will be June 23-July 22
8:30-12:30 / ASP 12:30-5:30 Transportation provided
(bus leaves for the day at 3:00 p.m.)
AVES will provide activities including sports, crafts, science, art, and field trips. Here is the AVES Summer School flier
AV Jr High will provide fun learning activities, credit recovery, and an opportunity for students who have turned in their work to raise their grades in math! If your child has been recommended for summer school it is very important that they attend!
We Value ALL Our Families: Immigration Support and Updates
Please find links to additional information for families below:
Mendocino County Office of Education: Immigration Resource Page
Immigration and California Families: State Immigration Website
National Immigration Law Center: “Know Your Rights” (English | Spanish | Additional Languages)
If you would like to be more involved at school, please contact your school’s principal, Mr. Ramalia at AVES or Mr. McNerney at AV Jr/Sr High, or our district superintendent, Kristin Larson Balliet. We are deeply grateful for our AVUSD families.
With respect,
Kristin Larson Balliet, Superintendent
Anderson Valley Unified School District
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