Thought to write about downtown, our 2nd Annual Shop & Crawl event Dec. 5-6th – and with it a new city proclamation that December is Buy Local Month, (GoLocal Sonoma County will be present to receive a proclamation at City Hall Dec. 7th). Hundreds of supporters are expected to sign a pledge to buy 80% of their holiday gifts from locally-owned stores on John Crowley’s www.Aqus.com site, the way to REUSE our money by sending it through our local economy 3 ½ times average. Shop & Crawl is a collaboration between Petaluma Independent Business Alliance (PIBA is now folding into GoLocal Sonoma County with that group joining the national American Independent Business Alliance, AMIBA); John Crowley’s Aqus Network, and with the blessing of Marie McCuskar and Petaluma Downtown Association, who keeps on creating so many special treats for us all to share. Stuff Your Stocking with Local Cheer! She cheers and then brings forth horse drawn carriage rides! Morris Apple Dancers from England! Shop & Crawl – the big idea of Relocalization, supporting ourselves by supporting ourselves. It works! More fun to walk around downtown and shop with people you know and are friends with – while reusing our money by circulating it through the town’s various services.

Wanted to talk about the way Lala’s Creamery is enlivening Jungle Vibes about now (even down to JV borrowing a son of Lala’s owner, Will Mendoza’s as a holiday helper – he’s handsome and the girls are excited!) We love Lala’s. Not just the rich homemade ice cream and watching kids eyes get big when they hear all the choices: bubble gum, peanut butter & jelly, mint chocolate chip (of course! A fav.), etc. etc. etc. – but the place is – quite – stylish in a classic sort of perfectly new way. I mean fresh white paint, but then Christmas animated toys overhead, beautiful ferris wheel and tree with ornaments moving around. Really lovely stuff – and so is the staff! Lovely I mean.

Truth be told, I’ve so enjoyed going around talking with the locals who own their own shops. Hard times, yes, but we just try harder to please and do so. More unique clothing, toys, gifts, foods, pumpkin ice cream, wondering what Della Fattoria’s panettone will taste like?

So what are these marvelous EVENTS I must tell you about? It isn’t a real habit; or is it? Am I now becoming Holiday Calendar Listing Girl? Well, I’ve written these for so many years I won’t even tell you. And there R many splendiferous upcoming celebrations to mention. You can of course check the Petaluma Downtown Association site for listings; pick up the Post newspaper, go to Petaluma360.com and wander around with your eyes and clickings and/or get thee to the Visitors Program site – but, well, I DO have favorites because, well, because I do.

I’ll start with the 1st annual Petaluma Craft Mart coming to the Petaluma Hotel TOMORROW, Sunday, Nov. 29th, noon till 5ish – even benefits COTS. Our friend and recent Planning Commission appointee, Melissa Abercrombie, makes these truly gorgeous and interesting necklaces and I have to go see if there is one with my son’s girl’s name on it and another with – well I shouldn’t tell, they MAY READ THIS. It’s possible. Flier promises “traditional and edgy” styles….hmmm. Wonder what they’d create with food? They’re calling it “Green Sunday”. Chronicle books not yet in print? Neat O. I know there will be other talented creatives exhibiting, too…

And singsong folk, Scott Gerber and Cori Wood appear at Petaluma Arts Center Sat. Dec. 5th Scot Gerber? Our singing Jewish cowboy (a working local cowboy) whose deep powerful voice is matched beautifully by the traditional lush singing of Cori Wood, her humor, timing and depth – loved them when they did a house concert at our place (warehouse at 215 Water St. sometimes called the Cave and other names you may have heard of) once upon a time. Since, Cori played Kate Wolf Festival singing into a guitar and don’t know where all Scot has played but I always love hearing that rich voice – and he often makes opportunities to sing with him, ex: love when he plays Dona, Dona, half in Yiddish. Is there a greater song about freedom? “…all those who treasure freedom like the swallow must learn to fly.” Yup. Keep on flying whatever way you do it in your house.

So what all is the Shop & Crawl event about? Mainly to get folk to commit to putting shopping dollars where their sentiment is – and where great value and craft are – with locally-owned stores and businesses! You could, of course, buy a friend a massage at Sky Institute, or share lunch or late music at Aqus Café. We had about 50 businesses last time and expect more this year. First Shop & Crawl night is John Crowley’s very popular Art Walk/Pub Crawl event so I’ll hear Scot and Cori and then get back in the Crawl – especially since DJ Val plans to do her darnedest to get us dancing at the last venue of the Pub Crawl part of the evening. Really a good thing for yourself to put it all out in dance once in awhile. Watching the end of movie at Boulevard, Pirate Radio upper movie this season!) where they all dance on board various ships. Won’t give away more. Happy, funny, sexy movie about being – free!

More listings? Will describe more later; now have to get back to hanging with the kids at Jungle Vibes, Lala’s and mainly Petaluma Blvd., though I know Kentucky Street has lots to offer and we wander more ofter to Golden Eagle Shopping Center’s Everest Tibetan food, Theater Square’s Tres Hombres for fish tacos and La Dolca Vita for flights of – cheese? Yes; yummy with a glass of champagne/pomegranite known as “La Dolca Vita” and a James Bond movie running.

We truly are blessed with a fine little city Petaluma. See you over the holidaze…here, there, everywhere. And check out the Reader’s Theater version of A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote at Pelican Gallery; three more performances. So really sweet it brings tears of joy and that is pretty special in this tough violent-TV world we inhabit. Kites – what a great thing to share and they did. And so will we again…