Forestville in the Press Democrat recently

Lyda Estelle Castleberry (September 22)

Texas native Lyda Estelle Castleberry embraced life in the Russian River region after relocating with her family to Forestville more than 50 years ago.
She worked in Forestville, attended church there and supported many sporting events and school activities in Forestville and Sebastopol for her three children.
Castleberry died Sept. 5 at a Forestville care home. She was 88. She’d suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease for about 10 years, said her son, Chan Castleberry of Forestville...

Section of new trail in disrepair (September 24)

A section of the newly paved Santa Rosa Creek bicycle and pedestrian trail in west Santa Rosa is cracking and needs to be repaired.
"The last time I saw it, a week ago, it is getting worse," said Christine Culver, executive director of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition. "Not bad enough to drop a wheel in yet, but they will have to do some repairs."
The 2-mile section of trail between Willowside and Fulton roads was paved in July at a cost of $365,000. It is part of the 16 miles of bicycle and pedestrian path from Santa Rosa to Forestville...

Inside story of Sonoma County's Probation Camp (September 26)

What sort of work camp for teen offenders is Tom Neuwirth running anyway?
There are no razor-wire fences to keep young inmates inside the Sonoma County Probation Camp, located in the countryside north of Forestville, not far from the Russian River. And the camp's bustling workshops are virtual arsenals of tools and industrial materials that could make lethal weapons.
Neuwirth believes the camp for up to two dozen convicted boys 16 to 18 years old is cutting edge — and was all the more so when it opened as the first of its kind in California 55 years ago...

Salmon begin their run (September 28)

The first chinook have passed through the Sonoma County Water Agency fish ladder in the Russian River at Forestville, the beginning of a fall spawning run that biologists expect to be the best in five years.  Salmon Count Annual counts of chinook returning to the Russian River.
“This year it should be better, I would say in the range of 3,000 by the end of the season, maybe more,” said Bill Sydeman of Petaluma, president of the Farallon Institute for Ecosystem Research.
“The conditions that determine their ocean survival in 2008 and 2009 were good, that means their survival should be pretty good.”...

Monty Monty @ The Quicksilver Mine Co

The Quicksilver Mine Co. presents a one-man exhibition of recent assemblage sculpture by Santa Rosa artist Monty Monty beginning October 1st. This show, Dangerous Toys and other forgotten oddities, continues in the gallery through November 14th. Artist Reception will be held on Saturday, October 2nd from 4—6pm.

P.s. Mentioned in The Press Democrat's "Arts" blog.

September 18, Jake Rochmind/Leah MIller @ Forestville Club

This Saturday at 9 PM Jake Richmond band will play with Leah Miller at the Forestville Club. Show starts at 9 PM.

Swindle Rig

The Food section of the LA Times last week had an article about in expensive artisan wines or as they put it

wines that possess an artisan's touch at a fraction of the price you'd pay for their loftier bottlings. Call it the everyday artisanal. Winemakers are taking advantage of the soft market for grapes, or are repurposing fruit left out of more expensive bottlings. Most are working on a shoestring budget, or renting space in other people's wineries, with just themselves or their families employed.

Check out the last paragraph of the piece, because it relates to Forestville:

Swindle Rig: Swindle Rig once was the name of the Sonoma County town, now known as Forestville, where Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts, of the small artisanal winery Arnot-Roberts, are based. They make just two wines for this offshoot brand, a Sauvignon Blanc from 100% Napa Valley fruit, and a rosé of Grenache. Both are fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks and handled minimally. Meyers and Roberts wanted to make a wine that was "crispy" (read: not overripe) and inexpensive. "We wanted to make an easy drinking and low-ish alcohol wine," Meyers says. They sell Swindle Rig for $20 or less. That's for a liter bottle, which gives you an idea of how the wine is meant to be enjoyed — in generous pours, on late-summer afternoons, with friends.

I really liked the photo they picked for their website (which only contanis that, their contact ifo and a two page PDF fle about them and their wines), see below.

Lucky Mojo Curio Co.

There are three ways to appreciate Lucky Mojo Curio Co. First of all there is the shop at 6632 Covey Road (and online). Second, they actually manufacture a lot the products they sell, which requires special skills, attention and know-how. At this point you may ask what is that they produce and sell. The answer from their website is:

"Lucky Mojo manufactures hoodoo oils, incense, powders, spell kits, and candles. We grow our own herbs and we carry a full line of occult books, amulets, talismans, and religious goods."

 This leads me to the third aspects, which makes them unique: the wealth of information you can find no their website, that goes way beyond product description. It wasn't only me who found it fascinating. Last week Catherine Yronwode, the person behind the store and the website, was interviewed for Progressive Radio Network's Expanding Mind program. You can listen and/or download the show from here. You may also want to follow her/the shop Facebook.

Emtu Estate Wines & Labyrinth Foundation for Disaster Relief

Emtu (Russian River Valley) Estate Wines is an organic winery headquartered in Forestville. They are "Dedicated to organic farming, great wine and improving lives in communities worldwide." This last aspect grabbed my attention and soon learned  from their website that the winery's profits go to the Labyrinth Foundation for Disaster Relief. Here is part of the introduction to the Foundation:

The cycles of farming and winemaking have natural periods of decreased activity during the winter months. The grapevines are dormant and the wine is ageing in barrels. This creates an annual opportunity to work wherever we identify a need which matches our skills & where we believe we can make the most difference. The Labyrinth Foundation gives us the freedom to work independently or in cooperation with other aid organizations. The mission is to improve the living conditions of people and communities worldwide. This foundation is funded by the profits of Emtu Estate Wines as well as by grants and donations.

And the philosophy of the winemakers

We believe in the interconnectedness of all things.  What we do affects the lives of others and how we farm affects our environment.  Since we live within the vineyard, we have developed a heightened sense of awareness to  seasonal changes, the fauna and flora  essential  to creating  a vibrant and diverse ecosystem, and of our place within it.
Soil, wind, rain, and sunlight combine to create fruit that morphs into wines of distinction.  Wine, work,  and commitment combine to create a business model that  supports our needs and  the needs of communities around the world.

Visit them, purchase their wines or follow the Winery and the Foundation on Facebook

September 14, Fire tax third, final hearing

The third, final hearing about the property tax raise to cover the budget of the fire department's costs will be on Tuesday, September 14 at 6:00PM. (I posted about the first hearing, the second ,  and the article in the Press Democrat.) Below you can view the full announcement from the community bulletin board.

Corks and Mosaic by Reuters

Last week Steve James wrote an article for Reuters, a guide for a mini vacation in our area. The article got picked up by many news outlets and run under the title "Spend a couple days in Calif. wine country" or "48 hours in Sebastopol, California." Here is the section that mentions Forestville:

Aim to visit Russian River Vineyards in nearby Forestville around lunchtime where meals  are served in the restaurant, Corks, in an 1890s farmhouse. Try the Wine Country Charcuterie Plate, which including various salami and cheeses or soups and salads. The restaurant serves dinner Thursday through Saturday with dishes from the Pacific Rim, California, New Mexico and Thailand.

7:00 p.m. - After a day of tasting, dinner at Mosaic Restaurant & Wine Lounge at 6675 Front St, Forestville is a must for the discerning palate.

Chef/owner Tai Olesky uses fresh ingredients from local gardens, farms and ranches. The house salad highlights organic baby lettuces, apple, toasted almonds, celery heart and local blue cheese from Point Reyes. The cheese also features on the Coffee Encrusted Filet Mignon along with locally grown mushrooms and a chocolate Cabernet demi-glace.

Needless to say, they serve local Sonoma wines.

Here are some of the places you can read the whole article now, although it will disappear at some of these locations soon.

• MSNBC
• Express India 
• The Financial Express
• Canada.com
• Yahoo India
• TVN

Recent Random Videos

Found a few recently uploaded videos on YouTube shot in Forestville. Their quality and content is quite random, but taken together they give you an eclectic shot of the town.

Skateboarding downtown



Baseball in the YouthPark


Relaxing on the river


Amazing Grace, performed by vocalist Jess Foglesong at Mirabel Lodge Residential Care Community

Bergman Euro-National

Bergman Euro-National is "a wine country real estate brokerage that specializes in vineyards, vineyard land, wineries, estates, residential homes, and investment properties in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties."  The two people running it are John Bergman and David Ashcraft. Their website's contact page shows that they operate locally, hence the mention on this website. I learned about their existence from today's press release announcing that John Bergman joined the "Cambridge Who's Who Network".

Russian River Vineyards discounts

From the Facebook wall of the Russian River Vineyard:

We have some special discounts for the month of September to celebrate the upcoming harvest: purchase any 6 bottles of our award-winning wines and receive a 10% discount or purchase 12 bottles or more and receive a 20% discount!

The Tasting Room is open from 11:00 to 5:00 daily so come by before this deal, and Summer are over!

September 5, Phat Chance Jazz Ensemble @ Sarah's Forestville Kitchen

From the blog of Sarah's Forestville Kitchen

Sunday Live Jazz Brunch
The Return of Phat Chance Jazz Ensemble.
They were great last time!

September 4, Third Rail @ Foresvtille Club

Saturday night the Third Rail band will play at the Forestville Club from 9.30 PM.

Forestville on Facebook

I started to check what local businesses and organizations are on Facebook. I listed below in alphabetical order what I found so far. In the future I will keep adding to the list on its dedicated webpage here.

• Case Ranch Inn
• F. Fire Protection District
• Hollydale Community Club
• Lucky Mojo Curio Co
• El Molino High School
• El Molino Little League
• Mirabel Park
• Mosaic Restaurant
• Russian River Pub
• Russian River Vineyards
• Sonoma County Gazette
• Sunshine Organic Coffee Roasters
• F. Youth Park

September 5, The Jug Dealers @ Forestville Club

The Jug Dealers (MySpace  / Facebook ) will play Sunday night at the Forestville Club. Here is a song from them: