SPOOM Conference 2015

T
SPOOM Conference 2015
he California SPOOM Conference is just 6 months
away. Plans are set for a unique, pleasurable event
that should not be missed – and a trip to California
will be a wonderful vacation. People travel from around
the world to enjoy the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, their
history and natural beauty. Make this your travel
destination for 2015!
Conference attendees can sign up on the conference
registration form located in the center of this issue for
the conference and pre-conference tours. Pre-conference
tours are set for Wednesday, November 4, 2015. A variety
of memorable tours are offered. Miller training will also
be offered on Wednesday, November 4, at the Bale Mill
State Historic Park. The main portion of the conference
includes the mill tours, a three day adventure that
mill enthusiasts will appreciate as most the sites have
operational mills.
Choose from one of three Pre-conference tours to
compliment your interests and the 3 day Tour of Mills.
(Note, pre-conference tours have separate fees)
The Literary Tour, includes a tour of the Charles
Schulz Museum, Jack London State Historic Park and
Benziger Winery.
This will be a fun day
touring the famous Charles
Schulz museum in downtown
Santa Rosa. If Peanut comic
strips were some of your
favorite Sunday Funnies
reading, then this will be a
great nostalgia tour. After
a good time at the Charles
Schulz Museum, you will
take a leisurely drive through
the beautiful Sonoma Valley
Snoopy and other
along rolling hills of oaks and
Peanuts
character
vineyards to the quaint town
statues
are
found all
of Glen Ellen and the famous
over
Santa
Rosa,
home
Jack London State Historic
of
the
Charles
Schulz
Park where you will enjoy a
Museum.
tour of Jack London’s Beauty
Ranch and his cottage where
he spent hours writing. If you are unfamiliar with Jack
London’s work, he is well known for “Call of the Wild”,”
White Fang” and many others. This spectacular park
includes Jack’s “House of Happy Walls” which is also
the park’s visitor center. Lunch will be provided at Jack
London. After lunch, the group will take the short ¼ mile
drive down the hill to the Benziger Family Winery for a
vineyard tour on a tractor tram and a wine tasting. The
Benziger Family Vineyards practices biodynamic wine
making with organic farming practices. You will get a
chance to see the fermentation facility, crush pad and the
barrel caves and end with a special tasting. This full day,
three-stop tour is only $50 per person and includes lunch!
Benziger Vineyard
The Natural Wonders Tour, includes Luther Burbank
Home and Garden, Armstrong Redwoods State Park and
Korbel Winery.
The Natural Wonders Tour will be an incredible day
in beautiful Sonoma County. Attendees will explore the
Luther Burbank Home and Gardens. Luther Burbank was
a famous horticulturist from Massachusetts. While living
in Santa Rosa for 50 years, he conducted plant-breeding
experiments that brought him world fame. During his
career, he introduced more than 800 varieties of plants¬including 200 varieties of fruits, many vegetables, nuts
and grains and hundreds of ornamental flowers. His
home is complete with all the original furniture and is
surrounded by quaint gardens. After the tour, the vans
will take you on a 20 minute drive through the beautiful
Russian River Valley to the Korbel Winery. Korbel is
a historic winery established by Bohemia-born Francis
Korbel and his brothers, Joseph and Anton, in 1882, and
is the oldest continually operating champagne house in
North America. Nestled in California’s Russian River
Valley, Korbel has always followed the time-honored
methode champenoise tradition, and continues to build
upon its legacy of innovation and quality that includes
their incredible brandy. There will be a wonderful
history tour of the winery and tasting. Lunch will be
provided at Korbel from their tasty deli with indoor or
outdoor seating on the deck. What is the best thing to
do after lunch in Sonoma County? Go for a walk in the
Redwoods! Just a few miles from Korbel is Armstrong
Redwoods Natural Preserve. Enjoy a leisurely walk with
a docent among the majestic Sequoia Sempervirens,
commonly known as Coast Redwoods. The grove offers
solace, inspiration and a place of quiet reflection away
from the hustle and bustle of daily life. These remarkable
trees live to be 500-1,000 years old, grow to a diameter
of 12-16 feet and stand from 200-250 feet tall. Some trees
survive to over 2,000 years. Hug a tree is what this tour is
about! After a leisurely walk in the redwoods, your driver
will take the coastal route back to the hotel. Highway
1 is a beautiful drive from Jenner to Bodega Bay and on
Society for the Preservation of Old Mills Conference 2015
Luther
Burbank
Home.
Korbel
Winery.
Giant Petrified Tree.
Majestic
Redwoods
at
Armstrong
Redwood
State
Park.
into the town of Bodega where part of the
famous Alfred Hitchcock movie, “The Birds” was filmed.
If time allows, perhaps a stop at the beach to wiggle your
toes in the sand before you drive back to Santa Rosa.
A Upper Napa Valley Tour
The Upper Napa Valley pre-conference tour will
be a combination of experiences. The Petrified Forest
will be the first stop of the day. Just 20 minutes from the
hotel, attendees will be led by a docent on a-step-back
in time tour to observe petrified redwood giants over 3
million years old. These majestic trees that once forested
the area, now petrified, reveal the combined power of
a volcanic explosion, the slow seepage of water and the
passage of eons of time. The tour of this geologic wonder
is amazing to behold. This tour has a moderate walk of
about ½ to ¾ mile loop trail.
After seeing the amazing petrified trees, a short drive
into the quaint early 1800’s town of Calistoga will take
you to the Sharpsteen Museum. This little museum built
by Ben and Bernice Sharpsteen in 1978, has wonderful
exhibits of upper Napa Valley history. Ben was an
Award-winning animator, producer and director for
Walt Disney Studios working on many famous Disney
projects. Memorabilia of his career (including one of his
Oscars), his hobby (antique autos) and family history
are displayed in the Founders room of the Museum.
The museum interprets the history of the upper Napa
Valley from its pre-history to post World War I with an
emphasis on people and changes brought by the period
of U. S. emigration and development. In addition to the
many historical exhibits, the dioramas depict Calistoga
during its period as the elegant 1860’s Hot Spring resort
developed by pioneer, promoter, publisher, entrepreneur,
and California’s first millionaire, Sam Brannan. After the
tour of the museum, you will enjoy a lunch at the Stony
Hill Winery, a family winery operation since 1943. Wine
maker and Ranch Manager Mike Chelini has managed
and created fine wines for the McCrea Family for over
35 years. This unique vineyard on the western slopes of
Napa Valley is ideal for the Burgundy white grapes. The
McCrea Family maintains pride in the wines they produce
with their small staff. SPOOMers will tour the vineyard,
enjoy lunch at the main house with a private tasting. This
beautiful property is located up the hill behind the Bale
Grist Mill.
Pre-Conference Tours will arrive back at the Flamingo
Hotel around 5pm. Dinner is on your own. The Flamingo
has a nice restaurant with views of the pool and the hills
beyond. There are also several nearby restaurants within
walking distance and Old Town Santa Rosa is a short
Stony Hill Winery.
Society for the Preservation of Old Mills Conference 2015
drive away. The SPOOM Board will hold the Annual
Board Meeting and enjoy dinner in the Flamingo’s Terrace
Grill Restaurant.
Thursday November 5th - SPOOMers will enjoy the
morning in Sonoma County with stops at several of the
Sonoma State Historic Parks, including the Petaluma
Adobe, Sonoma Mission and the Sonoma Barracks. At
these sites, the attendees will learn about General Mariano
Vallejo and how in 1834 he was sent by the Mexican
government from San Francisco to Sonoma to secularize
San Francisco de Solano Mission, to establish and hold
a Mexican presence by colonizing the area, and to be
strategically closer to the Russian outpost at Fort Ross.
San Francisco Solano, aka
Sonoma Mission, and the
Sonoma Barracks will be the
mid-morning adventure.
State Park Staff will guide
us through the Mission
and show us a short video
at the Barracks which will
explain more of the unique
California history during
this time period. A savory
lunch will be served at the
Sonoma Barracks.
First Stop: The Petaluma Adobe building and
surrounding land served as the center of General Vallejo’s
66,000-acre (100 square miles) working ranch between
1836-1846. Made from adobe brick and Redwood, its
design is typical of Hispanic Architecture. A tour of
the Adobe will reveal the way of life in Alta California
during the Rancho Period. A few millstones and an
animal powered mill is on site along with many other
exhibits, including a weaving room, sleeping quarters, a
woodshop and the cooking ovens on display outside in
the courtyard.
Second Stop: A twenty minute drive from Petaluma
Adobe the town of Sonoma for tours of the Mission
Mission San Francisco Solano was the
21st, last and northernmost mission
in Alta California.[4] It was the only
mission built in Alta California after
Mexico gained independence from Spain.
Third Stop: After lunch, we leave Sonoma and travel
up the Napa Valley to the Round Pond Winery and
Olive Mill. Here we will see the Olive Mill pressing this
year’s harvest. A gift shop is on site for those wishing to
purchase some of the wonderful tasting olive oils.
Petaluma
Adobe State
Historic Park
Not far from the Olive Mill tour is the Bale Grist Mill
State Historic Park, host mill for this Conference. This
is the last stop of the day, where we can all slow down
and enjoy the 36 foot waterwheel run the mill machinery.
Music, poetry, artisans, an interpretive whiskey bar and
great food will be there to entertain the group until the
sun goes down.
Friday November 6th: Up early and out the door
to Sturgeon’s Sawmill to delight the senses in this
incredible redwood paradise that surrounds the steam
powered sawmill. The sights, sounds and smells of
this amazing working museum makes for an enjoyable
visit. Considered one of the last great mills of its kind,
this mill has survived since 1914. It was originally built
in the 1880s on the Korbel Winery property (one of the
pre-conference tour stops) near the Russian River. The
mill was purchased from Korbel and moved a few times
around the area. The mill was moved one last time to
its current site in Occidental in 1924. The dedicated
volunteers at Sturgeon’s Sawmill have restored the mill
and kept it operational for several years. The Sturgeon’s
crew steam-up for the public four weekends per year and
Society for the Preservation of Old Mills Conference 2015
they are looking forward to having the SPOOMers out
to see their wonderful operating museum. Tree climbing
demonstrations and horse teams may delight the crowd as
well.
Second Stop: Back in the vans we go to meander
through the woods and up the coast to Fort Ross State
Co-Owner of Sturgeon’s Mill, Harvey Henningsen and
SPOOM Editor, Sandy Jones Birkland transporting
lumber.
Onlookers watch in
amazement as the
sawyer guides the
carriage, Redwood
log secured into
position, toward the
massive saw blade to
remove the cant-all
powered by steam.!
Historic Park (featured on the cover of OMN Fall 2012).
A scrumptious lunch will be served, followed by tours
of the mill and the Fort. The staff at Fort Ross will share
the Russian settlement history, the importance of the
windmill to provide milled grain for the Ross settlement
and other Russian Colonies in Sitka, Alaska and along the
Aleutian Islands. If there is time, perhaps a walk down to
the beach or a stroll along the bluffs to gaze out over the
Pacific Ocean. A gift shop and visitor center will also be
open.
Evening: At the end of this glorious day, a leisurely
drive along the coast back to the Flamingo Hotel to
enjoy the Annual Banquet night. Retired State Park
Superintendent, Dave Gould, will be the keynote speaker
for the evening. Photo contest winners will be announced
and of course a drawing or two with prizes for the
winners.
Saturday November, 7
This is our big day out to explore the Greater Bay Area.
The first stop, just an hour drive south and across the
Golden Gate Bridge to see the newly reconstructed Dutch
Windmill, The Murphy Mill, in San Francisco’s Golden
Gate Park. From San Francisco, we will head south to Los
Gatos, about 50 miles to La Rusticana D’ Orsa Winery.
Society for the Preservation of Old Mills Conference 2015
Here, owner and SPOOM member, Frank Dorsa, will host
lunch and a tour of their winery equipped with a water
powered mill he had built, plus a host of other side-runner olive mill stones to view. This is a unique stop that
will sure to impress the landscaper in us all. After lunch,
we board the buses and head to the Wilder Ranch State
Park which is situated along the Coast just North of Santa
Cruz. Here we will see the Pelton Waterwheel at work
and walk the grounds of this early 1900’s farm and ranch.
After a snack of freshly baked cookies from the wood
burning stove, we are off to the final destination for the
day. We travel south for an hour along the coast to the
Harden Foundation where we will view the incredible
Double Header Wind Engine in action. Executive Director, Joe Grainger, will run the wind engine and explain the
history of mill. The Harden Foundation is hosting a dinner and presentation for the evening. As the day winds
down, we
load the
buses to
drive back
up to the
Flamingo
Hotel for a
good night
sleep.
2015 Old Mill
Photo Contest
As SPOOM moves forward into the digital age, the annual photo
contest will include digital images. The rules are as follows:
• Open to SPOOM members only.
• Amateur photographers only.
• Black & White and color photos will be judged together.
• Two Categories- Outside Mill and Interior Mill
• Entries must be received prior to four weeks of the
Conference ( October 4, 2015).
• Limit two (2) entries per person per category
• No member may win more than one prize per year.
Photographs: Digital or print photographs are eligible.
Digital images are preferred, and must be either .jpg or .png
file formats, in the highest resolution possible. Any one email
may not have an attachment totaling more than 10 meg in
size as most hosting systems will bounce back the email if the
attachment is larger. Print photographs must be a minimum 8 x
10 inches suitable for scanning, and will not be returned unless
accompanied by self-addressed stamped envelope. Photos must
have been taken within the last two years and may not be reentered from previous contest.
Now
that you
have read
through
the
Harden Foundation’s Double Header
SPOOM
Challenge Wind Engine.
Conference
Agenda, we hope the descriptions of the wonderful and
varied mill tours will give you a good reason to attend. It
will surely be a fun time for all. The beauty of Northern
California from the Redwoods, to Wine Country and the
glorious Coast, you will be delighted that you took the
challenge to travel out West!
Entry forms: Each digital submission must be identified
with the Photographer’s Name, Title of Photography, Date and
Location taken. A label for each print submitted must include the
same information.
Sign up early for the conference and pre-conference
tours. They will fill up fast!
Prizes for each category are:
See you in November.
Liability: The utmost care will be taken of all printed work
submitted. However, SPOOM and the conference host are not
responsible for loss or damage and assume no liability for works
not collected before the specified date. All work is entered at the
owner’s risk.
The conference host will select the judges. Winners will be
announced at the banquet. The decision of the judge(s) is/are
final.
1st - $50, 2nd - $35, 3rd - $25
Winning entries will become the property of SPOOM, which
reserves the right to print photographs in the Old Mill News.
Photographs will be kept in the SPOOM Archives.
Send entries to:
Via email: [email protected]
Via mail:
Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park - Host Mill.
SPOOM Photo Contest
Steve Spring
623 North Park Lane
Olpe, KS 66865
Society for the Preservation of Old Mills Conference 2015