Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

I love to sing, as I’ve written before. I belted out the songs of the Armed Forces at the recent Veteran’s Day celebration at the Vets Hall in Grass Valley. Sitting behind me was Tom McClintock’s chief of staff, Igor, who should have received a list of the lyrics.

The way I see it, singing is nonpartisan. And in that spirit, nowhere can you find a better choir than the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Here they are singing a famous Thanksgiving song (albeit with a melodramatic video). No, no, this is not about Mitt Romney; it is about singing.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving — whatever your political or religious stripe!

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I like Facebook because you can catch up with your good friends from the past. Here’s my schoolmate from Northwestern’s Graduate Journalism School (the one on the right). He’s David Jackson, now the White House correspondent for USA Today and immediate past president of the White House Correspondents Association.

David Jackson (or “David M. Jackson,” as I used to call him in school) and I were from different worlds: South Carolina and my native California. After both graduating from Northwestern’s graduate school in Chicago, we landed our first journalism job together, in Fort Lauderdale, at the Sun-Sentinel. Here’s one of David’s reports from 1986. And here’s one of mine.

We had a ton of fun together, including going to the Orange Bowl — a first for both of us. “You slay me!” David wrote in a book he gave me for my birthday back then, “Thomas Noguchi: Coroner.” Noguchi (whom the tabloids dubbed the “Coroner to the Stars”) became famous for performing autopsies on Marilyn Monroe, Robert F. Kennedy, Sharon Tate, William Holden and Natalie Wood. David was fascinated with California’s “weird” culture. (I still have the book on my bookshelf at home).

College is much more than academics: It’s about building relationships and figuring out what regions such as South Carolina and California have in common. We’re a big nation, and we need to learn from each other.

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I received this email this afternoon from Cathy Whittlesey at the Nevada City Chamber. I was glad to see Dave Painter win the Elza Kilroy award, as well as The Powell House (written about here) and the Searls Library photograph collection, which we often use in our magazine. Here’s one of the photos we have published, of Foothill Flowers, circa 1967. Congratulations to all the winners!

Co-Owner of SPD Markets, David Painter has been named recipient of the 2011 Elza Kilroy Award for outstanding community service.

The Nevada City Chamber of Commerce presents the prestigious Kilroy award, established in 1969, annually to a citizen whose efforts help make Nevada City a better community.

The Chamber’s Board of Directors selected Painter for the award to honor his dedication to Nevada City and support of the local organizations in the area. Painter is a past president of the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce and is currently the chair of the programs and events committee.

“The Board felt that he really has Nevada City in his heart and the Chamber appreciates everything he does to keep Nevada City a vibrant community” said Chamber Executive Director Cathy Whittlesey. The Kilroy Award is one of the several annual awards presented by the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce.

Other 2011 recipients are: The Searls Library Photograph collection is being Honored
with the Dr. Leland and Sally Lewis Visual Arts Award.

•Dave Iorns Is the recipient of the 2011 Dr. Leland and Sally Lewis Performing
Arts Award.

•The Powell House at 203 South Pine Street was recognized with the Annual Stan
Halls Architectural Award.

•Mark Vance Is the recipient of the Chamber’s 2011 Live Music Award. The Deer Creek Tribute Trail was chosen as the recipient of the W. Lon Cooper New Construction Award.

The award winners were nominated and selected by the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. The awards will be presented at the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce 110th annual Installation and Awards Dinner on Saturday,
January 28th at the Miners foundry.

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(Note: you have to click twice to see this — click on the “watch on YouTube” link).

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Our turkey and most of the trimmings are fresh and local: From Chuck Shea’s Wanderin’ Star Ranch and our CSA box from Four Frog Farm.

We’re going to have a small family gathering tonight and a very large friends and family gathering at my sister-in-law’s tomorrow. We all cook dishes. I ordered a can of gourmet whole chestnuts from Williams-Sonoma for a special stuffing. It hasn’t arrived yet, so I checked the UPS tracking #. Lo and behold, the chestnuts arrived at Mather Air Field, near Sacramento this morning after a “red-eye” flight from Memphis and Louisville. It’s still due to arrive this afternoon. Here’s the online tracking route. It’s amazing how technology has changed our lives:

Mather, CA, United States 11/23/2011 6:46 A.M. Departure Scan
11/23/2011 5:33 A.M. Out For Delivery
11/23/2011 5:30 A.M. Arrival Scan

Louisville, KY, United States 11/23/2011 3:56 A.M. Departure Scan
11/23/2011 12:12 A.M. Arrival Scan

Memphis, TN, United States 11/22/2011 10:07 P.M. Departure Scan
11/22/2011 2:02 P.M. Arrival Scan
11/22/2011 1:49 P.M. Departure Scan
11/22/2011 1:15 P.M. Origin Scan
United States 11/21/2011 10:03 P.M. Order Processed: Ready for UPS

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From the current issue of Sierra FoodWineArt magazine:

FOOD CO-OPS WERE BORN IN HARD TIMES. They flourished during the Industrial Revolution, when workers lost their jobs to machines, as well as during the Great Depression and oil crisis of the ‘70s. The cooperatives also have led to a boom in organic foods, now the fastest growing sector of the grocery business.

Northern California has been home to some of the most famous co-ops, in Berkeley and Palo Alto, for example. One of the stalwarts is right in our backyard—the BriarPatch Co-op Community Market in Grass Valley.

This year The Patch is celebrating its 35th anniversary. It is experiencing profound growth as well, recording an 18% increase in sales from last year and a 9% growth in ownership.

“We have evolved from a members-only volunteer buying club to a true community hub and market,” says general manager Chris Maher. “Our focus is around organic and local foods.”

Last year, produce sales included 184 fruits, vegetables and flowers produced locally.

The Patch also has organic dairy products, organic and natural meats and poultry, an extensive selection of bulk foods and a full- service deli. Its mission statement: “Selling healthful, earth-friendly, affordable products.”

“Though we now have lots more products and shoppers, many of the same faces are still here: Shopping, working and volunteering,” says Maher.

BriarPatch is now in its fifth location, a 13,000-sq.-ft. store with certified “green” design. Its beginning included a storefront on Washington Street in Grass Valley and a store on Joerschke Drive in the Brunswick Basin.

The Patch has grown from 16 workers during the Joerschke “era” to 150 local workers. Its community fund has awarded $16,000 to local groups.

Thanks to its success, BriarPatch management also is being called upon for its expertise in helping to start a new co-op in Placerville and to expand one in Reno.

“Those who founded our co-op in 1976, and those of us who had the privilege of working in our previous store buildings, could have never imagined what BriarPatch has evolved to become,” says one longtime worker.

290 Sierra College Dr., Suite A, Grass Valley
530-272-5333 BriarPatch.coop

Original BriarPatch store in 1976

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