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Petaluma

Petaluma

Though I was born in San Francisco, Petaluma is definitely my other hometown. My folks moved here in 1970 where we live on the “pleasant east side” — not to be confused with the “prestigious west side”. Petaluma used to be the city that would be mentioned at the the end of tv newscasts in the “now here’s something you don’t see every day” category. Be it wrist wrestling, the ugly dog or Whiskerino contests. It always seemed like Petaluma took losing the title of “Chicken Capital of the World” hard, and was trying to make up for it. The town’s other claim to fame is as a tv and film locale — I was actually an extra for Mr. Billion, where Petaluma subbed for Sweetwater, Texas and I got to wear a cowboy hat for the first time. Other movies include, most famously, American Graffiti, Howard the Duck, The Explorers, and my all time favorite, Mystery Science Theater 3000: Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders.

Petaluma's poultry industry dated back to 1858, but it wasn't until Petaluman Lyman C. Byce invented the first practical chicken incubator that the business soared.

The World's Ugliest Dog Contest has been going on since the 1970s. In 2009, the Sonoma-Marin Fair trademarked the phrase World's Ugliest Dog. I

The first butter and eggs day parade harkens back to 1918, when the Egg Queen and her court of chicks led the first Egg Day Parade.

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July 11, 2021

The Barlow in Sebastopol