Petaluma Butter & Egg Days

For the last 34 years, the neighboring town of Petaluma has gathered to celebrate the city's agricultural history, particularly its dairy and eggs, in what has become known as the Butter and Egg Festival! The annual celebration includes a parade followed by a street festival. The 2015 event is scheduled for this Saturday, April 25 in historic Downtown Petaluma, and the theme is "Petaluma: Fertile Ground." 

The event runs from 10 AM to 5 PM, with the parade beginning at noon on Fourth & D Streets and ends at Petaluma Blvd South. More than 3,000 people and 100 units are participating in this year's parade. Before or after the parade, visitors can explore the 4 blocks of vendors, including food, arts & crafts, sponsors and nonprofit organizations. On average, the festival draws more than 25,000 visitors, making it one of the North Bay's largest events!

Other aspects of the festival include the firefighter's cow pie throwing contest and the "Cutest Little Chick in Town" costume contest, and live entertainment from the Dixie Giants and Bad Neighbors.

Thinking of attending this year's event? It is free to attend, Petaluma Transit is designating April 25 as a free ride day! It is approximately a 25-minute drive from Annadel apartment homes in Santa Rosa to Downtown Petaluma. It's the perfect excuse to take a drive and enjoy the outdoors this weekend!

If you would like to volunteer for the event, they need your help! More than 240 volunteers are needed each year to help with the parade, beer garden and more. For more information on volunteering, click here.

Have you attended Petaluma Butter & Egg Days in the past? Do you plan to go back again this year? Share your comments with us on Annadel's Facebook and Twitter pages!

Sources consulted:
Petaluma Downtown
See California
SF Fun Cheap

Earth Day Events in Santa Rosa

From organic farming to wineries, Santa Rosa is an area that relies heavily on the earth. As Earth Day approaches (it's next Wednesday, April 22), there are a couple of opportunities to celebrate and give show some love back to our area's land - cleaning up Jack London State Park and the Earth Day Festival! These two events are a nice balance of work and play to celebrate Earth Day!

Jack London State Park Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup

Jack London State Park is one of Annadel's favorite outdoor spaces in Santa Rosa, so we hope you'll help keep it beautiful! Volunteers are needed to help plant vegetation, pick up trash and beautify the campgrounds.

According to The Press Democrat, interested volunteers should meet up at 2400 London Ranch Road in Glen Ellen at 8:30 AM this Saturday morning (April 18). The cleanup should conclude around 11 AM. If you are interested in helping to pick up the park, you do need to register in advance. You can do so by clicking here or by calling 888-98-PARKS. Parking fees will be waived for any volunteers. It is approximately a 35-minute commute from Annadel to the volunteer meeting location at the park. Elsewhere in Sonoma County, volunteers are also needed at Fort Ross and Bodega Dunes. 

Earth Day Festival

After you're done sprucing up Jack London State Park, head to downtown Santa Rosa for the Earth Day Festival at noon! This free event includes food, live entertainment and Earth Day activities, making this event friendly for the entire family! The event will be held in Courthouse Square and concludes at 4 PM. Annadel apartment homes are located just a 6-minute drive away from Courthouse Square and downtown Santa Rosa. 

Are you going to be among the volunteers and attendees of this weekend's Earth Day events? These are both bound to be fun events that will better our community!

Annadel Half Marathon

The Santa Rosa area is filled with lovers of the nature and outdoors, and athleticism. Residents here love to hike, bike, and run! This weekend brings one of the biggest and most fun events that combines both the outdoors and exercise - the Annadel Half Marathon!

Proceeds from the race go towards the maintenance and improvement of Annadel State Park! Even if you're not an avid runner, if you regularly use the park's trails, you can appreciate the importance of the Annadel Half Marathon. You may want to consider being a volunteer in future races if you would like to contribute in some way other than running.

If you do like to run, but aren't prepared to run 13.1 miles, consider participating in something new to the race this year - the 5K! Race time for the 5K is at 8:15 AM. If you would like to participate in the 5K, you can register here. Unless you have properly trained for the half-marathon, we do not recommend signing up for it at the last minute, but 3.1 miles in a 5K is much more manageable!

Another way to support the runners of the Annadel Half Marathon is to cheer on the half-marathon or 5K participants! Running is an endurance sport and the participants will appreciate the enthusiasm of the crowd! The race begins and ends at Spring Lake Park. To see a full map of the course so you can find the best spot to be a spectator, click here. The race is tomorrow, April 11 at 8 AM. Parking at the park is $7 or free to park members. If Spring Park is full, you may find alternative parking at Channel Dr. and Montgomery Dr. If you're an avid visitor of Spring Lake Park, you'll be happy to know that Annadel apartment homes are only a 15-minute drive away! Best of luck to all of this year's participants! We'll be rooting for you!