TT #27

Thirteen Things to Visit in Petaluma, CA

Kimo: We might be gittin' a visit from some of da road-trippers when they comes to California!

Sabi: San Francisco is a furry famous place fer them to visit, but we is just 32 minutes north of S.F. - and just as famous!

Kimo: Here are 13 (to name a few) exciting and famous things to visit in Petaluma, CA:

1) Petaluma once was da "Chicken Capitol of da Werld" - believe it, or not! Our town is still furry well know fer it's poultry industry, especially "Rocky, da Range Chicken," a famous free-range icon! Petaluma once had the world's first and only chicken pharmacy. Petaluman, Lyman C. Byce is credited with invention of the first practical chicken incubator in 1879. We also has da famous "Willie Bird Turkey Farm" that raises free-range turkeys SO BIG they has to be supported by slings on a pulley system! Them little legs can support their own weight! These turkeys are featured in da Williams-Sonoma cooking catalog. Approximately 8,000 "Willie's" are sold each year.
2) Because of our chicken (yummm) status, our town celebrates it's heritage wif da annual "Butter & Egg Days" - there is a huge parade, highlighted wif da "Cutest Chick in Town Contest" - this is where da beans dress up all da baby beans (0-5 yrs) in town like baby chicks, then they all gits to ride a float in da parade! (We hopes our beans git to enter a baby bean this year.)
3) Our town is also known fer da "World Wrist Wrestling Championships." Roughnecks, meatheads and warlords have been arm wrestling for centuries. But serious competition didn't really begin until well after the reign of Ghengis Khan. It all began in 1953 when Petaluma hosted an event that has evolved into the Superbowl of wristwrestling. Da movie "Over the Top" wif Sylvester Stalone, was about this sport, and part of it was filmed in our town.
4) Our town is famous fer it's Victorian homes. We is one of da few Northern Californa towns that survived da 1906 earthquake that creamed S.F. The earthquake fault lines break off and go around us - so we have lots of original homes still standing. Petaluma is one of California's oldest cities with one of the best-preserved Historic Downtown areas on the National Register of Historic Places. The Victorian homes make great Haunted Mansions fer Halloween! It's a furry charming town. (We do not live in a Victorian home, we live in a "Ranch-style" home.)
5) Petaluma was the first U. S. city to be able to protect its individuality through a residential growth management plan (the right was won from the Federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals), and its "Americana" visual appeal has drawn filmmakers since the earliest days of Hollywood. The first movie filmed in Petaluma was in 1911. Some of da movies filmed in or around our town include: Pleasantville, American Grafitti, Pheonomenon, Bandits, Peggy Sue Got Married, The Fog, The Birds, Cujo, Explorers, Howard the Duck, Basic Instinct, Flubber, Mumford (to name a few).

6) We gots lots of regional wildlife parks - great fer strollering and bird watching. You might even see some buns (jack rabbits) and mountain lions!
7) We has a beautiful riverfront. That is another thing we is known fer. The Petaluma River has seen a succession of populations, beginning with the Petaluma Native Americans, Spanish explorers, and Mexican vaqueros and was once the third most commercially trafficked waterway in California. In da "olden days" beans used to come from S.F. to vacation, and they would arrive by riverboat. That is also how supplies was brought to our town before da freeways. At Christmas time, Santa & Mrs. Santa arrive on a riverboat, then they gits in their sleigh and rides through town - they gots horsies instead of vishus deers pulling them (whew!). Then a bunch of beans in Victorian costumes, in their buggies wif horsies, follow Santa through town - spreading holiday cheer.
8) We is da home town of Mrs. Grossman's sticker factory - you ALL know her stickers. If you take da factory tour (which is FREE), you gits to meet Angus, da woofie that snoopervises there.
9) We is da town in Northern Californa where da Native Americans gather annually to celebrate "All Nations." They have a big inter-tribal gathering at the Adobe State Park. You gits to see neat dancers and singers and crafts and stuff. The origin of Petaluma's name is a Coastal Miwok phrase for "valley of the little hills." Look at all da fev-vers on this dancer!
10) Da "Lavender Bee Farm" is right down da road from us. They grows lots of kinds of lavender and sells good smelling stuff, plus they makes their own honey! They gots free tours of da farm - and you can meet Mel, da famous camel. He has even been in magazines and on T.V.!
11) We has lots of parades in our town, which hosts the "Northern California Marching Band Competition," and the largest Veteran's parade in California. Here is da Petaluma High School Marching Band:
12) We gots LOTS of antique stores on our town (Mommakitty thinks there is too many), and lots of unique locally owned stores. We also have an annual antique festival downtown.

13) Petaluma is da Nation’s oldest “World Peace Zone." In 2003 some beans in Petaluma got together physically and visibly to express the deep and passionate desire for peace with Iraq, and for a new global wisdom that might guide our nation's leadership. Mommakitty & Daddykitty are in this picture (on da right by da pink sign).

Kimo: Well, that's just a some of da stuff we gots to see and do in our town. We are looking forward to having some visitors!

Sabi: WHEW! I'm pooped just thinkin' about all da stuff to do!