Students are tested in a little friendly competition.

The district of Petaluma City Schools is known for a rigorous and relevant curriculum in which students reach high levels of achievement, and the students at Casa Grande High School have proven for the 27^th consecutive year that the school system’s rigorous curriculum pays off.

The regional competition took place in Fairfield, and the Academic Decathlon team from Casa Grande High School was named the Sonoma County champions with a victory. Twenty teams from 14 different schools competed in the event, and the Petaluma high school also won the Super Quiz – one of the decathlon’s 10 events.

Casa Grande has won the state title for mid-sized schools eight times, and this time the school’s 27 team members came home with 85 individual medals. The state competition will be held March 12-13 in Sacramento.

The United States Academic Decathlon is a high school academic competition which consists of seven multiple choice tests, two performance events, and an essay. Academic Decathlon was created by Robert Peterson in Orange County, California for local schools in 1968 and expanded to a nationwide setting in 1981.

The Academic Decathlon is designed to include students from all achievement levels. Teams generally consist of nine members, who are divided into three divisions based on grade point average. Each team member competes in all ten events against other students in his or her division, and team scores are calculated using the top two overall individual scores from each team in all three divisions.

The ten events require knowledge in many academic disciplines. Students must take seven multiple choice tests in art, economics, language and literature, math, music, science and social science. These topics, with the exception of math, are thematically linked each year. One of the multiple choice events, alternating between science or social science, is chosen for the Super Quiz. In addition to the seven objective events, there are three subjective events graded by judges: essay, interview and speech.

So many films and shows have been shot here, but why?

The picturesque town of Petaluma is much sought after as a movie location with its iron front commercial buildings, numerous Victorian homes and wine country charm. It’s also conveniently located just 32 miles north of San Francisco and is easily accessible from any of the Bay Area’s major airports, minimizing the potential for complications around getting the talent to the location.

But what makes it such a popular choice as a film location? Mainly, you just can’t manufacture charm, and Petaluma offers the real deal. The combination of the dreamy Mediterranean climate, the Victorian and iron front buildings, and the slightly sleepy, laid-back California feeling all make Petaluma very appealing, and filmmakers recognize that all of this somehow comes through, even in a scary flick like Cujo.

The weather in Petaluma is also conducive to a good film shoot. It’s generally pretty predictable, with fog rolling in and out at regular intervals and lots of sunshine and mild temperatures. Unless someone mistakenly (or intentionally) schedules a shoot during the rainy months, weather delays are almost a non-issue which can help keep a film on budget.

If you really want to dig into Petaluma’s Hollywood history, check out the Hollywood Tour and you’ll see the many locations Hollywood has chosen to use in films over the years.

Sources indicate that the town of Petaluma was first used in a film back in 1911 but more recently, Petaluma has been used in films like American Graffiti, Basic Instinct, Peggy Sue Got Married, Lolita, Phenomenon, True Crime, Heroes, Explorers, Howard the Duck, Merlin’s Shop of Mystic Wonder (of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame), Scream, Max, Inventing the Abbotts, Flubber, Videoplasty, Pleasantville, Mumford, Cheaper by the Dozen, The Hamiltons, Molotov Alva, and The Tree of Life.

Petaluma has also been the site of numerous commercials, independent and student films and multiple television shows. Of course, once you’ve been to Petaluma you understand exactly why it’s so popular with filmmakers – the town is so picturesque it almost seems like a set.

You want to go out, but where?

The evening has arrived and you’re ready to do something, go somewhere, but where? Here’s a quick rundown of Petaluma’s most popular night spots.

If you like microbrews but don’t care for the snobby attitude, then Lagunitas Brewing Co might be the place for you. Lagunitas offers a comfortable environment, tasty pub fare, delicious bears and a laid-back attitude. There’s also a nice, dog-friendly patio area if it’s warm enough to sit outside. Lagunitas also features live music on occasion.

La Dolce Vita Wine Lounge also ranks high with the locals. Offering numerous local wines and beer and artisan cheese platters and the like for noshing, La Dolce is a cozy environment with both tables and couches to suit your fancy. Low lighting and easy lounge music make La Dolce the perfect spot for catching up with friends or going on a low-key date.

If you’re in a dive bar sort of mood, the Buckhorn Tavern should be on your list of stops. It’s a cash-only bar but conveniently houses an ATM. It doesn’t offer anything special in terms of beers or other beverages, but it’s a friendly tavern that locals love. It’s a real bar for real people who order things like Budweiser and jack-and-cokes and enjoy the occasional late-night hot dog.

Of course the Mystic Theater makes the list, because it offers live shows, real food, and a bar, so there’s bound to be something that appeals to everyone at the Mystic. People do love the small venue, the food is good and the drinks are what they should be. If there’s something playing that sounds even remotely appealing, you should probably go check it out. The Mystic won’t disappoint.

Lastly, there’s the Vine & Barrel. This wine bar offers friendly service, a comfortable atmosphere and delicious tapas. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful – no wine snobs allowed – and it’s a great place to relax and enjoy a good glass of wine without feeling like you have to dress up.

Petaluma is home to many other interesting hot spots for evening entertainment, so if you don’t see something appealing in this quick overview, roll the dice, take a chance, and saunter into the next place you see. Most likely you won’t be disappointed.

Two area wineries become stewards of the land while making fine wine.

It seems like everyone is “going green” these days, but when it comes to agricultural practices, the side effects of which can impact drinking water, wildlife habitats, and the quality of life for the laborers who do the hard work, going green really counts for something.

It turns out that turning to more sustainable practices is not just good for the land, it’s also good for the wine.

The Benziger Family Winery found that healing the land had led to an amazing new caliber of wines. Today Benziger Family Winery boasts an entire portfolio of certified wines grown biodynamically. Initially the Benziger family grew grapes the same way everyone else did, using chemicals to keep weeds in check, to keep bugs away, and to increase yield per vine. After a while the family noticed that everything seemed drier and harder, and along came the Biodynamic Transition that would change everything.

Biodynamic farming is an ultra-organic approach, and the vineyard is viewed holistically. Chemicals and artificial inputs are eliminated and natural balances are re-instated. Flowers were planted to attract the bugs that would keep pest populations in control. Habitats were created for birds and owls, and cows, sheep and chickens came to live on the property. Today Benziger Family Winery is carbon-neutral, and in 2010 the Natural Resources Defense Council named Mike Benziger, one of the founders, the “Growing Green” 2010 Water Steward.

The Viansa Winery is another local vintner that’s doing good things for the land it sits on. The winery is situated on a hilltop just at the entrance to the legendary Sonoma Valley and looks down on 90 acres of native plants, wetlands animals and a pristine environment that the Viansa team is dedicated to preserving. The coastal wetlands owned by Viansa is thriving today, but when the family assumed stewardship of 175 acres, the coastal wetlands had been converted to grazing. Levees had been built and wetlands plants and animals had been forced from their natural habitat.

Viansa spearheaded the substantial wetlands restoration effort and worked with biologists, engineers and wildlife experts re-created healthy coastal wetlands. Today it is home to thousands of waterfowl.

The people behind Viansa Winery & Vineyards believe it is their privilege and responsibility to preserve the environment and its coastal wetlands as part of their daily business.

Family businesses like Viansa Winery and Benziger Family Winery demonstrate that we can choose to do business as usual, which may yield typical results and less-than-desirable consequences for the natural world we depend on, or we can make changes that positively impact our bottom line and our immediate environment.

Survives multiple fires and was nearly demolished, but the Phoenix lives on.

The Phoenix Theater on Washington Street in Petaluma is a great live music venue with a long history. Hundreds of well-known artists have performed at the Phoenix over the years, though the venue’s name has changed a few times.

The theater has been an opera house, movie theater, rock and roll venue and teen center. It originally opened in 1905 as the Hill Opera House, hosting talent like Harry Houdini, Enrico Caruso, and Lily Langtree. In the 1920s it was gutted by a fire, but reopened as the California Theater in 1935. It succumbed to fire once again in 1957, rising once more but as the Showcase Theater. Finally, in the 1980s, a local young man was hired to manage the place, and the Phoenix was born.

The theater began showing film screenings with late night shows from nationally known bands, including the Ramones, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, X, Metallica, Primus and many others. The Phoenix became a popular place for young people to hang out, spend time together off the streets, and be around an adult who understood and respected them. In the 1990s, after the Phoenix was saved from demolition by a handful of locals who cashed out on their dot com adventure, the non-profit Petaluma Phoenix Center, Inc, was formed, and today The Phoenix Theater still stands, entertaining multiple generations with its varied shows.

The theater has also been popular for midnight screenings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and was the home of the World’s Wristwrestling Championship in 2000. Today the Phoenix offers entertainment on weekends and selected weeknights. Live music programs feature local, national and international bands. Skateboard and bicycle ramps are available when other programs are not scheduled.

A few of the bands that have played at the Phoenix over the years are Bad Religion, Cowboy Junkies, George Thorogood, Hillary Duff, Ladysmith Black Mombazo, Los Lobos, Ray Charles, Van Morrison, Violent Femmes and many, many more.