From:
To: Neysa Hinton; Diana Rich; Stephen Zollman; Jill McLewis; Sandra Maurer Cc: Mary Gourley; Lawrence McLaughlin; Carmen Snyder
Subject: In Support of City Sponsorship for the Gravenstein Apple Fair 2023 Date: Tuesday, May 02, 2023 5:00:48 PM
For the public record:
Dear Honorable Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council Members,
I urge you to continue the City's sponsorship of the upcoming Gravenstein Apple Fair (GAF), as I have advocated for the last several years.
The GAF is the pre-eminent Zero Waste event of Sonoma County. ZW experts Alan Siegle and Shelley Brown have created a waste reduction process and trained dedicated volunteers to manage the sorting stations throughout Ragle Ranch Park. Perfecting their system over several years, they are featured speakers at the upcoming regional all-day SoCo ZW conference with impressive statistics from this event.
The GAF showcases local people: apple orchardists, cider makers, vintners, breweries, foodies, crafters, community groups, non-profits, musicians, and more. At Ragle Park, it's like going to a bigger, daytime Peacetown where everybody knows everybody and wants to enjoy the ambiance together.
The GAF brings people to town. Tourists enjoy seeing small farm/small town life for real. They feel the sense of belonging that we enjoy everyday. Attendance statistics verify the event's success, a record that will continue to build another year past-Covid.
The values behind this event truly match those of the greater Sebastopol community. The actual experience of the event captures the essence of Sebastopol.
I want our City to be strongly identified with the Gravenstein Apple Fair through the Council's sponsorship. Please think generously: the community and City will be greatly rewarded by your actions.
Respectfully,
Sarah Gurney