19.2.08

F I R S TP R E V706NEXTLAST

The Eclectic History of Petaluma
Petaluma is a small town about 30 miles north of San Francisco. From the 1880s through the 1940s it was known as the World's Egg Basket because of its substantial poultry production. Petaluma is a beautiful small town filled with picturesque Victorian homes, evoking the classic American hometown. It has been used as location for many films including Peggy Sue Got Married, American Graffiti, Tucker, and Explorers. Coincidentally Petaluma is the hometown of actress, Winona Ryder and director, Joe Dante.

Another claim to fame for this small town is the annual World Wristwrestling Championship, a competition dating back to 1952. Promoted by a local, Bill 'Mr. Petaluma' Soberanes, the contest was televised by ABC's Wild World of Sports for 16 years. Sobranes passed away in 2003 and was honored with this bronze statue proclaiming him "The World's Number One People Meeter." One final fact about Petaluma, the nation's first airmail delivery plane took off from here in 1911... then landed 17 miles away in Santa Rosa.
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