Valley People (Feb. 6, 2019)

BOB DEMPEL WRITES: "I was saddened to read your first paragraph on Valley People telling us of the death of Eva Pardini-Holcomb. As I have previously mentioned in your paper Eva was the prettiest girl in Anderson Valley. We maintained our friendship through showing sheep at the fairs, 4-H summer camp, and later in life when husband Bill was on the Boonville Fair Board and I was on the Ukiah Fair board. One of the cherished photos I lost in the October 2017 fire was a picture of the four of us at the Western Fair Convention. Dear friend for 70 years."

SNOW at the upper elevations of the Boonville-Ukiah Road late Monday morning. And Monday afternoon, sleet on the Valley floor followed by fifteen minutes of snow beginning at 2:45. Then sun at 2:50, a rainbow at 2:55 and, all in all, perhaps the most exciting 15 minutes of weather in Boonville history!

BE THERE! The Winter Abundance Workshop is this Saturday, February 9th at the Boonville Fairgrounds from 9-4. Tree and vine propagation presentations and clinics; a seed, scion and cutting exchange; demos on how to collect your own seed; and a talk by Robert Kourik about how to build healthy soil — all free. Check it out at www.mendolocalfood.org

CRAB FEED WINNERS! On Saturday, February 2 St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Mission held its 17th Annual Crab Feed at the Apple Hall in Boonville. A sold out crowd of 340 enjoyed fresh crab, salad, and bread complimented by Balo Estate Pinot and Pinot Gris. A raffle followed with over 35 prizes. Then the silent auction for a cellphone and Grand Prize drawing: Two free tickets to next year’s event on February 1, 2020 which was won by Jerry Karp. A collection was taken up for the High School students who served the event and each received $56 for their well-appreciated efforts. 

LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD San Francisco Mayor London Breed has named Dr. Grant Colfax as the new Director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Dr. Colfax was raised in Boonville, attended Harvard College and Medical School and did his residency at UCSF. Dr. Colfax has been working as Marin County’s Director of Public Health. He is the oldest of the four sons of David and Micki Colfax of Boonville, all of them home schooled, three of them Harvard graduates.

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN—the Anderson Valley Grange’s 28th annual Variety Show is on Friday March 8th and Saturday March 9th, (these are the actual dates for 2019, not the bogus bit we put out last week) at the Anderson Valley Grange. We need YOU and your acts onstage! Please contact Captain Rainbow at 895-3807, or Robyn at 272-2127 (you can text her, too) if you have a talent, skill, animal, joke, or anything else you'd like to put onstage for all of us to enjoy. We'll discuss what you need for rehearsals and for the night of the show. We have professional caliber lights and sound, and the kindest, most enthusiastic and forgiving audience found anywhere in the world. This is your big chance to show us what you've got! Our rehearsals will be the weekend before the show, and we can give you all of the details when you call. Don't be shy, we really do want to see any zany thing you've got in mind. 

BOONVILLE OLD TIMER JOAN BURROUGHS WRITES:

Re: Live Oak Garage

Now that the Live Oak Garage is in the mighty news, I thought you might enjoy seeing this great old photo. The Packard car is fondly remembered because Ed Singley would occasionally haul his wayward sheep around in it. He said it was their car, they earned it. 

SUPER BOWL: First half: nothing but two field goals. Half time: tattooed morons hop around shouting unintelligibly accompanied by explosions and strobe lights. Second half: The master, Tom Brady, The Gronk, Edelman, take over. Bob Dylan sings Blowing in the Wind to advertise Budweiser. A cryonic Andy Warhol eats a hamburger to advertise whatever. Post game: hugs, jocks milling around saying, "I love you, bro." Best line goes to J. Kunstler: “Local hero rapper Big Boi’s triumphal entry in a limo, nearly lost inside what looked like the pelt of a giant ground sloth — an eight-year-old’s idea of what it means to be important.”

THE CHANGING of the guard at the Boonville Hotel has caused quite a stir among local foodies. The new chief chef, as introduced elsewhere on this page, is eliciting raves, as from this local diner: “We ate at the Hotel the other night. The new chef is not only a great guy with an adorable new baby girl, he is a genius. We were astonished at the nuanced unique absolutely amazing food. It was at a high price, but I doubt you would find the most renowned place in the City to provide any more remarkable fare. He and his wife are expecting another baby soon. You would like this man. Completely down to earth and real. He has quite a talent.” 

ANGELA DEWITT REMINDS US: Get your fire extinguishers inspected and serviced at the firehouse in Boonville, Friday, February 15 at 14281 Hwy 128. Extinguishers will also be available for purchase. Service by Ukiah Oxygen Supply from 9am to 2pm. Service fees begin at $15. A limited supply of fire extinguishers will be for sale from $50 to $120. More info: 895-2020.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES, $25

Boonville — This Valentine’s Day celebrate your special one with some chocolate dipped strawberries! Chocoberries!

Mosswood Market is taking orders now! Receive a free rose with your purchase! Hurry...last day to order is February 11th! 

Provided by: La Buena Michoacana in Ukiah

FRESH MILK SHARES. Hello Anderson Valley. Got Fresh, Golden, Cream-Top, Raw milk? Well we do! It is delicious and we are excited to share. Our flexible cow herd-share allows locals to join as members of our farm and pick up milk from our farm, 2 block out of downtown Boonville (on Lambert Lane). We will also have eggs, olive oil, yogurt, cheese, and other treats available from the farm. Please see the flyer below for more information. Thanks and we hope to hear from you and see you on the farm soon

THE ANDERSON VALLEY VILLAGE! Empowering older adults to remain active, connected and independent in the place they call home while enhancing the quality of life in our community.

The membership fee is $25 a month (or $275 a year) per individual, and $40 a month (or $440 a year) per couple. You can join whenever you like, and the annual fee will be pro-rated. Members pay fees to fund the Village Coordinator position. The Village concept is catching on all across the United States, as people who are growing older are seeking support to maintain their independence. Anderson Valley is building our own Village for the same purpose. Need a ride to the doctor? Someone to walk your dog when you’re sick? A couple of meals because you’ve twisted an ankle? The Village can help. Social outings, movies, seminars or help maneuvering through system? All of that and more can be available to Village members. Membership launch party this Sunday (February 10th) at Lauren’s Restaurant, 4-530pm. Refreshments provided.

AV GRANGE LOCAL ORGANIC PANCAKE BREAKFAST Sunday, Feb 10 from 8:30 to 11 AM featuring natural bacon or sausage, scrambled eggs and buttermilk pancakes made from Mendocino Grain Project flour. Any combination plus a gluten free version $5-10. It’s a great place to meet up or just start Sunday. If you want to sing or play music for your meal, a couple of tunes puts breakfast in front of you!

A READER WRITES: "I was thinking there might be a newsworthy story around vacant homes that I've seen in my neighborhood (Rancho Navarro) and near my work in Fort Bragg. Both homes have been vacant for over a year (one for at least 2-3 years). The home in my neighborhood is apparently going through a foreclosure process, but I'm not sure about the second. I think a little digging would show some shady characters involved, most likely in the cannabis industry, but I'm speculating there. In any case, I thought it might be of interest considering the housing crisis we have in this county." 

ONE BIG PROB is the large number of houses converted to transients of the AirBnB type, and at places like Rancho Navarro and all over northeast Mendocino County from Willits to Murder Mountain and beyond lots of properties have been rented to produce various kinds of dope. In Anderson Valley, and up and down the Mendo coast, employed people, some with children, can't find rentals because of the wholesale conversion of rental properties to accommodations for high end transients. Why even my former home in Boonville, basically a collection of Class K shacks, now brings $750 a night as an Air B&B rental! That crowded half-acre with bad water and a problematical septic system used to be home to as many as a dozen people, all of them local, all of them locally employed.

CAMP NAVARRO is beginning to hire staff (lead housekeeper, maintenance and event sales manager) for the 2019 season. A current listing of jobs can be found at our website under the careers section. This page will be constantly updated with new positions in the next couple of weeks/months including kitchen, server, event support, bartender, housekeeper and other positions. We look forward to an exciting year ahead welcome you to be a part of our future. campnavarro.com

A CALLER wanted to know what happened to the jump in Jonah Raskin's story about the colorful Oaky Joe Munson, which appeared in the January 23rd edition of the AVA. Called "In & Out of Solitary," the story began on page 5 and promised, "Continued on page 5." In fact, the article continued on page 7 under the possibly misleading "Solitary." But it's all there. Just a minor mix-up in the jumps.

ANOTHER CALLER suggested we boost our cover price to two dollars and go back to 12 pages every week. He said he wasn't a cyber-guy and had no intention of becoming one. In more vivid terms he denounced his local papers, singling out the Press Democrat for special opprobrium. I replied that we are presently able to cover our costs with a tiny bit left over, meaning we're actually doing a little better than, say, the SF Chron, which has been hemorrhaging money for a long time. But a paper-paper is increasingly expensive to produce, what with constant increases in the price of newsprint (no help from a Trump-imposed tariff on the cost of Canadian paper) and regular hikes in postage costs that hurt us because we mail a lot of papers outtahere. Raising the newsstand price would probably hurt us more than help, and probably propel even more readers to cyber-frivolity. Paper-papers are doomed, and as one dino to another, they beat hell out of the daily electronic din. The pure tactile pleasure of holding and reading a broadsheet newspaper was and is far more satisfying than gazing into a phone all day. We do, however, publish a daily on-line paper. Because there’s no space limits in cyber-land, we’re able to post tons of stuff we can’t fit into our newsprint format. Newsprint subscribers can get the cyber-edition free with a newsprint subscription. The cyber-edition alone will cost you $25. Both are well worth the price of admission.