JANUARY 1922

PLANT WIZARD BRINGS OUT NEW CREATIONS

Luther Burbank has created a giant artichoke, at his experiment farm at Sebastopol, as large as six ordinary ones, containing sufficient nourishment for a light meal for a family of four.  And Burbank’s new Pearl White barley has brought scores of inquiries for information from farmers in the US, Canada, and Australia.  The new barley shells out like wheat, without any useless husk, and adds fifteen pounds of weight to a bushel.  Burbank has also produced a new “Robusta” strawberry plant, which bears all summer and produces luscious berries.  And along with the giant artichoke comes a new rose crimson artichoke, which it’s flower resembles a rose, but ten times as large.

JANUARY 1947

VETERANS’ MEMORIAL BUILDING

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has purchased land on Bodega Avenue, across from Florence Avenue, to build a Veterans’ Memorial Building.  The proposed memorial buildings will be a county building, under county regulation, even though intended primarily for the use of veteran groups.  They will also be made available for general public use as long it does not interfere with veteran meetings.  Memorial halls are also being developed for Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Cloverdale, Sonoma, and Occidental.  Monte Rio is considering plans for a memorial park, and Guerneville may acquire the present grammar school for a memorial building.  

Jump to 1957 – Memorial buildings had been completed in Sonoma Valley, Santa Rosa, and Petaluma.  Sebastopol city planners changed the location of their Memorial Building from Bodega Avenue to High Street, formerly the site of apple Packing Shed No. 2, used as an office and warehouse by the Analy Marketing Co-operative.  The building was dedicated in July 1957.

JANUARY 1972

MOVIE FILMED AT CUNNINGHAM

Cunningham was in confusion when the cast and crew for the movie, The Candidate, converged on Corbit’s Garage to film a major scene for the Wildwood-Ritchie production.  While a cameraman sat perched on a rented truck across the street, the “organized chaos” continued throughout the morning and most of the afternoon, all taking place on Gravenstein Hwy at the Hessel Road intersection.  On hand for the filming were Robert Redford, co-star and co-director; Peter Boyle, star of Joe and co-star of The Candidate; and Melvyn Douglas, who won an Academy Award for his role in Hud.  Redford is best known for his role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.