FPA Blog

Forestville News & Events, January 2019

New Beginnings

Posted January 1, 2019
by Lucy Hardcastle

No matter how old I get, I love the idea of new beginnings. January seems to afford us to do just that. Start anew.

For example, this month the newly formed Lower Russian River Municipal Advisory Council under 5th District Supervisor Linda Hopkins begins to meet. Our “MAC,” as it’s referred to, stretches from Forestville west as far as Duncans Mills encompassing Hacienda, Pocket Canyon, Rio Nido, Guerneville, Monte Rio and Cazadero on its way.

Your own Forestville representatives are Vesta Copestakes, owner and editor of this very paper you are reading, Lucy Hardcastle, writing this very column you are reading and Gary Harris, otherwise known as the man who knows everything that goes on in town, and owner of Sequoia Properties. Two other outstanding and impressive candidates, Allyson Bordessa and Iain Burnett will join our outreach team. Our goal? To represent you.

Yet you may ask, how does one get their voice heard through this Council? After all it doesn’t take the place of individuals reaching out to their Supervisor. It’s a bit different than that. It’s more about tackling some of the bigger issues that affect us all. We need solutions and if we are to find and implement solutions we will need to work together, brainstorm and be open to creative ideas. Who better to get ideas from than the folks directly impacted by decisions? In Forestville, that’s us.

So how to best communicate these ideas? Perhaps a Facebook site for each town would work. Let’s Include an email system, or even a Blog. For those of us not on the World Wide Web (www), how about an old-fashioned suggestion box located next to the bakery? We could have more Town Hall Meetings, which I love. Your MAC committee will be looking at all sorts of ways to stay in touch because your voice matters. Let it be heard!

Are you thinking of other ways to start over, or start something new? If you are a patient at the Forestville Wellness Center, new wellness groups start in January. Think smoking cessation — well worth it since you’ll save tons of money and smell better, too. Diabetes Wellness rocks because, as it turns out, feeling healthy and strong is way more gratifying than the momentary thrill of donuts, spoken by a former donut addict.

There is also a chronic pain support and resilience group, super important to get off the drugs that are dragging you down or lessen the pain that’s keeping you grumpy. But you have to be a patient of theirs, so if you need to sign up with them, get with it. It’s local; they have amazing physicians and services and it’s right here in town!

So, what will your new start be? Is it health like we mentioned above or is it a better connection to your community? If so, check out local Board meetings. Your local nonprofits are doing amazing work in the world. By attending a meeting, you will learn what’s going on, what’s meaningful, what’s important, plus going to those meetings is a way to meet incredible, dedicated people. You may even want to join a Board and strengthen our community that way.

If you are just into having fun and eating good food while connecting to others, you can get well connected and well fed at the Chambers 3nd Annual Crab Feed Saturday, January 19 from 5 – 11PM at the Holy Ghost Hall in Sebastopol. “Best Crab ever” was last year’s refrain. Tickets are $55 each at Sequoia Property, Shear Salon and the Pharmacy, too. Cool auction and raffle items with dancing to a live band included.

Well worth supporting is our own El Molino Basketball team. Think Pasta Feed on Saturday, January 12 at Big Bottom Market in Guerneville. Get your tickets at brownpapertickets.com. It’s called the Big Bottom Market Slam Dunk. Love their biscuits!

Connect at the next Soul Café at the Methodist Church on Sunday, January 27 from 5-6:30PM. A soup and salad meal is a mere $10 ($5 for child) which supports Goatlandia Farm Animal Rescue this time around. Entertainment comes from The Farallon’s, a great upbeat three-piece acoustic rock and folk band. Soul Café is turning into a fun gathering spot for our town.

Last words? Don’t think for a second you aren’t needed. Is 2019 your year to get involved? Through a Board or through supporting our local fundraising activities, we need you. And you just might need us too.

Local Board of Directors Meetings in Forestville
Guests are welcome!
Forestville Planning Association
1st Tuesday of the month at 5:30 pm at the Food for Thought Community Room, 6550 Railroad Ave.
Website: 95436.org

Forestville Chamber of Commerce
1st Wednesday of the month at 5:30PM at the Fire Station Community Room, 6554 Mirabel Road.
Website: forestvillechamber.org
Email: wendi_gianni@sbcglobal.net

Forestville Fire Protection District Board
2nd Tuesday of the month at 6PM in their community room, 6554 Mirabel Road. They do skip months so check either on their website, forestvillefire.org, posted on their front door or on the bulletin board outside the station.

Forestville Water District Board
2nd Tuesday of the month at 5:30PM at the Water District office across from the fire station. To get on their agenda, submit a request a week ahead to: info@forestvillewd.com.(District serves the central Forestville area and Mirabel Heights.) The board is elected.
Website: forestvillewd.com

Russian River County Water District Board
4th Tuesday of the month at 6PM at the Forestville community room, 6554 Mirabel Road, behind the Fire Station. (District starts west of Mirabel to the westside of Hacienda Bridge.) The board is elected. Agenda can be seen posted online.
Website: rrcwater.org

Forestville Youth Park Board
3rd Wednesday of the month at 7PM in their Community Room, 7045 Mirabel Road.
Website: forestvilleyouthpark.org

West Sonoma County High School District Board
Wednesdays intermittently between Analy and El Molino. Contact info on the bottom of its website pages: wscuhsd.k12.ca.us
El Molino High School has a Boosters Club which meets the 4th Monday of the month at 6PM at the school.

Forestville Union School District Board
2nd Thursday of the month at 6PM, held at the school office, 6321 Highway 116.
Website: foresvilleusd.org