The Russian River Chapter of Slow Food has been supporting the apple farmers of Sonoma County for 15 years. For the past five years, we have hung banners in Sebastopol announcing first the anticipated arrival, and then the actual arrival, of the Gravenstein apple, the apple famous for being the earliest to ripen, and for being delicious whether fresh, baked or sauced.
It’s hard work hoisting the 30 foot-long banners onto a building and securing them. This year we requested the support of one of the prominent local apple growers, Dutton Ranch, to provide some agile, youthful workers to supplement our ranks. Their help has made life easier for the volunteer members of Slow Food, assuring that we will be able to hand the banners for years to come.
We have hung the banners in various locations over the past five years, but for the past two years we have found sites that are highly visible to traffic coming to Sebastopol from the east and the south. The Boblitt Building has made its south-facing wall and Goodwill Industries Redwood Empire has allowed us to hang the banners on their Sebastopol store.