HAERR TRIPPIN'

Baseball, Dads & Prunes!

Our Father's Day was spent in Healdsburg celebrating in an incredibly traditional way... with a Baseball Game!

Quaint Healdsburg is known for prunes, hops, and grapes. As testament to its prominence in the prune industry, it earned the nickname The Buckle of the Prune Belt in the early 20th century. In fact, this small town in Sonoma County became a vital hub for prune production during the prohibition era. Changes in the legal restrictions on alcohol caused hops and grape cultivation to decline. The fertile land of the Healdsburg area was perfect for prunes, a very versatile fruit. By 1924, Healdsburg had firmly established itself as a leader in prune farming with vast orchards and innovative drying techniques.

In 1921, three years before becoming the buckle of the prune belt, Healdsburg established the Prune Packers baseball team which is still one of the most beloved symbols of the town's prune heritage. For 105 years, on and off, the team has played an integral role in the community’s social fabric. Through wartime, economic downturns, and periods of inactivity, the Prune Packers have endured, and the team continues to delight fans to this day. We were beyond delighted!

The Prune Packers are a wood-bat, collegiate summer baseball team, whose roster consists of college players of the highest skill level, from predominantly Division I college programs, honing their skills over the summer for the next level of baseball.

One cannot attend a game here without a history lesson about the stadium at Art McCaffrey Field built 103 years ago.

Upon entering, one is transported back in time. It's hard to describe the old-timey feel it evokes. Wow.

In a sense, the park dates back even further than 1923, because the redwood that makes up the covered grandstand came from the old Cotati speedway.

In 1920, a builder named Jack Price created excitement when he convinced racing enthusiasts all over the North Bay that he could build a world-class auto speedway. He succeeded on 135 acres. The all-wood, bowl shaped track was 1.25 miles around and required more than 3 million feet of lumber and gave drivers a place to run record-breaking races. Wildly popular, its first race was Aug. 14, 1921 with all 10,000 seats filled. Sadly, cold, rainy weather and traffic congestion to get to the track caused its failure after only two years. The speedway was dismantled and wood from it went to build homes and businesses in the area (including Healdsburg's baseball stadium).

The entertaining announcer kept us not only posted about what was happening in the game but he also peppered the evening with intriguing baseball facts. It was all very interesting.

"Under coach and GM Joey Gomes,

the summer baseball club has become an ever-growing hub

that’s showcasing and producing

some of the best talent of tomorrow."

-Press Democrat

There were great plays and avoidable errors making the game incredibly entertaining.

“The Pacific Empire League checks all the boxes

as a topnotch collegiate baseball league,

featuring historic teams with devoted fan bases,

and strong ties to college coaches and scouts.

Our integrated tech further enhances player exposure and development.”

-Joey Gomes, GM/Head Coach, Healdsburg Prune Packers

We must be the Packers' good luck charms, too. They beat the California Tigers 4 to 3.

🎵Take me out to the ball game,

Take me out with the crowd;

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,

I don't care if I never get back.

Let me root, root, root for the home team

If they don't win, it's a shame.

For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,

At the old ball game.🎵

A unique conclusion to a fabulous night was meeting Frank Yates, a local lookalike character named "Guy Fugazi" (a playful nod to Guy Fieri). This Fieri-inspired persona is a regular fixture in Yates's promotional content (Chili Gods hot sauce) and local Sonoma County community events. What fun!

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Russian River Rodeo!

We spent our last day of Spring enjoying traditional rodeo events which showcased at the 59th annual Russian River Rodeo and hosted by the Russian River Rodeo Association (RRRA). This was our second foray into this exciting, local rodeoing. We'll be back.

It is the mission of the RRRA to promote and conduct horsemanship events and provide scholarship to students who desire to pursue a career in agriculture. Its major fundraising activity is the Russian River Rodeo at the practice facility that it maintains in Duncans Mills (a darling little village circa 1877).

Our posse consisted of our younger son and his family along with his in-laws. What a fantastic group with whom to spend a Saturday.

I love the PATRIOTISM expressed at this local rodeo.

While it felt 'small town' this rodeo offered 'big' fun. We witnessed exhilarating Bull & Bronc riding, Team & Breakaway roping, Steer wrestling, Barrel racing, and so much more. What a hoot.

This is a case in which the photos do it justice! Yee haw!

"Saddle bronc is the quintessential rodeo sport -

not the chaos of bull riding

or the thrashing of bareback riding.

It might be harder than both."

- John Branc

"Sometimes I think life is just a rodeo,

the trick is to ride

and make it to the bell."

-John Fogerty

We learned that the most lucrative event at a rodeo is Team roping, also known as heading and heeling. This is a fast-paced rodeo event where two mounted riders—the header and the heeler—work together to rope and immobilize a steer. The duo that ropes the steer in the fastest time wins. It's exhilarating to watch.

Turns out there are a lot of fast-paced rodeo events. Fun to watch is Barrel Racing where a horse and rider sprint into the arena to complete a cloverleaf pattern around three preset barrels. The goal is to post the fastest time by thousandths of a second without knocking any barrels (it's a 5 second penality if you do).