Apple Blossom Festival

Sebastopol, California began as a redneck lumber town after the civil war. Lumberjacks would fell and cut large redwoods all day then come to Sebastopol to get drunk. In those days the town was called Analy after the city founder's daughter. In the 1890's the town was so packed with bars and taverns that fights in those establishments were a daily occurrence. According to legend, someone in the town once remarked that "This town is another Sevastopol, the center of Crimean war with daily news reports of the intensity of the fighting there. Hence the populace began to call the place "Sebastopol" and eventually the name stuck.

With the help of Luther Burbank Sebastopol eventually flourished as a small farming community with the Gavenstein apple as its principal product. Even when we arrived here twelve there were thousands of acres of apple orchards surrounding the city. Since that time most of the orchards are gone being replaced by large vineyards.There are two annual events in the spring, the Apple Blossom Festival and in the fall, the Apple Harvest Fair, with the former being the largest. In addition to a parade, there is a giant fair on the park grounds.

In recent years large flocks of over "twenty-somethings" consume vast quantities of alcohol at the fair and make a general nuance of themselves. They serve mainly beer and wine. I remember last year in particular the overwhelming presence of these "drunks" made the fair unpleasant for everybody. So this year I read that the city is banning alcohol from the fair. As much I like a couple glasses of good wine on the occasion, I am happy for the regulation.