In 1976, my dad announced to us kids that he had purchased some property in Cloverdale. It was to be the family’s weekend get-a-way/summer retreat. Born and bred in San Francisco, my three brothers and I were very curious about this northern part of the state that we naturally pictured as rolling hills covered in masses of green clover!

My dad and mom were thrilled to retreat to the ramshackle ranch house where my father happily enrolled in viniculture classes and dabbled in wine making. The dazzling fall colors were a delight to my mother who was an amateur painter. She looked like a little Monet sitting in her chair in the middle of the vineyard.

We quickly felt the pure exhilaration of being able to run free in the meadows, chase jack rabbits, cruise down the Russian River in old, beat up tires and explore the perimeters of the town in our old jeep. We picked persimmons off the fruit trees and created freshly baked delights! Our somewhat raucous family dinners at Mamma Nina’s and lunches at the Owl Cafe were special bonding times amidst everyone’s busy lives. The winter in Cloverdale could have seemed gloomy and dreary, but to us, it was quiet, calm and welcoming. We looked forward to the traditional Citrus Fair and especially the 4-H Club. We City kids had never experienced the responsibility of caring for barnyard animals!

After rearing my five children in San Francisco, I found myself once again thinking about the little town of my youth. A few years ago, we announced to our children that we had purchased a summer retreat in Cloverdale – a weekend get-a-way. Now, our extensive brood eagerly escapes the crowded, noisy San Francisco city life for a quiet respite with their own families. Still, there are the hot summer nights and lazy floats down the Russian River in old, beat up tires. Still, there is the wise Owl who nods to the past from the roof of the old Owl Cafe. It’s the same old Cloverdale in many ways, but I came back, back to experience the best yet.

Sonoma County Library invites the community to collectively build the historical record of living through COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter movement and the impacts on daily life locally. The library is launching an English/Spanish online portal where you can preserve your stories through a variety of media. Sonoma County Library invites you to document, share, and preserve the record of living through these remarkable times. Your contributions will become a part of the collective memory. If you live in, work in, enjoy Sonoma County, they want to hear your story!

Here’s how:

• Post on social media using #SonomaResponds
• Respond to reflective prompts online
• Upload images, videos, recordings, writings
• Nominate online content for a web archive
• Nominate material for the physical archive

Your contributions will be the primary sources that future generations use to understand the age of social distancing. These stories will live in the library’s digital collections and with its online partners such as the Online Archive of California, Calisphere and the Internet Archive.

To learn more and submit your contribution to Sonoma Responds: A Community Memory Archive, visit sonomalibrary.org/sonoma-responds-community-archive.

These primary sources will be shared with our community through the Sonoma County Library website, in their digital collections, and with their online partners such as Online Archive of California, Calisphere, Internet Archive, and the Digital Public Library of America.

Share your neighborhood howls, protest signs, photographs & videos, recipes & shopping lists for quarantine cooking, writings, drawings, paintings!

They are especially interested in amplifying and documenting experiences of Black, Indigenous, and folks of color, LGBTQ+ and disabled individuals and communities. If you speak a language other than English, please share your story in your preferred language. Historically these voices have been excluded and silenced in history and in representation in archives.

Submitted material must not violate confidentiality, privacy, security or other laws. Do not include personal information, such as address or phone numbers. Sonoma County Library has no obligation to use or publish your contribution if deemed out of scope.

Contact the Sonoma Responds Archive Team: sonomaresponds@sonomalibrary.org

Mark your calendar: library curbside hours are expanding!

Starting on November 9th they will be open for curbside service from 12N-7PM Monday and Tuesday and from 10AM-5PM Wednesday through Saturday.

The next adult book club is on November 10 at 2 pm. This month’s book is The Overstory by Richard Powers.

Call the library or register online at sonomalibrary.org.

Please note the books are available for curbside pick up at the Cloverdale Library or they will gladly help you get an eBook or audiobook online.

The Cloverale library is open for curbside and phone service from 10-3. You can check out items with this card including their popular wifi Hotspots, and Chromekits. Can’t decide what to read or watch? They can help with picking out items, getting an eBook or an Audiobook, streaming a movie or registering for one of their many virtual events.

The next adult book club is on October 13 at 2 pm via zoom. This month will be on Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. Call the library or register online at sonomalibrary.org.
Please note the books are available for curbside pick up at the Cloverdale Library or they will help you get an eBook copy online.

Other live events include a system wide book discussion on White Fragility by Robin Diangelo on October 20 at 2 pm and also programs especially for teens.

There is a teen virtual book club on October 13 at 3:30. These are just a few programs Sonoma County Library offers virtually.

Please see the Events Calendar at sonomalibrary.org for information on a wide variety of events for all ages offered all month long.

Sonoma County Library features many virtual events and tutorials on their YouTube page with story-times in three different languages, crafting at home, and science experiments you can do at home. There is also a set of
Tutorials on how to access and use their online resources. To get there, try searching Sonoma County Library YouTube or type in this address: youtube.com/user/sonomalibrary. For assistance, please call 707 894-5271,

Meet one of the faces of Sonoma County Library, Cloverdale branch. Donna Romeo. You will see her or one of her team mate’s
smiling eyes when you come to pick up your items at the Library’s Curbside service. Curbside service is available from 10-3.
Comments, questions, or ideas of how we can better serve our community are welcome. Please do not hesitate to call the library at 707 894-5271.
Another way to meet Donna is to join the adult book group. The book group meets the second Tuesday of the month at 2 pm via Zoom. She will show you how to read books online or you can request a physical copy from the library. For more information or to join, please email: dromeo@sonomalibrary.org