Imperial personages seen in Sebastopol!

[Ted Pole]

Today at 3:00 PM the dusty hamlet of Sebastopol was graced with the presence of Those Who Shall Not Be Named, as their majestic tour bus, windows blackened, ambled slowly down Main Street to the awe of the wee townsfolk.

"Who is that?" asked the villagers, as local Hooterville constables blocked opposing traffic and demanded that those with annual incomes of less than $250,000 avert their gaze, as to not offend the special guests. Taxes of ordinary citizens were thoughtfully donated in tribute as State Highway Patrol motorcyclists provided a gentle, secure escort until the cortege was thoroughly out of the village.

The identity of the special persons was carefully hidden behind a "Wine Country Tours" facade, causing peasants to speculate wildly as they so often do when confronted by their betters. Is it The Pope? Her Majesty? Paul Hobbs housekeeper making a run to the dump? Those who dared to ponder did so silently, as befitting the procession of truly celestial beings.

All we really know is that this has truly been a special day in the history of our tiny place in Wine Country.

[Barry]

Today at 3:00 PM the dusty hamlet of Sebastopol was graced with the presence of Those Who Shall Not Be Named, as their majestic tour bus, windows blackened, ambled slowly down Main Street to the awe of the wee townsfolk.

"Who is that?" asked the villagers,...Is it The Pope? Her Majesty? Paul Hobbs housekeeper making a run to the dump?

Ask and ye shall be told!

Those are were all good guesses (Pope, etc.) but the truth is that riders were yet even more honored, precious and celebrated than that!

They were our local heros... the Analy High School football Tiger's team on their way to NCS Semifinals game in Moraga tonight! This is a far as the Tigers have ever progressed in post season play dating back to 1909!

Chief Weaver was kind enough to give me a call as he headed down to watch the game and cheer them one to assure all of Waccovia that no additional tax dollars were used for the escort. Officers were either already on duty or volunteered their time. This is part of their community outreach to build good relations with our youth. They also provide an escort for the annual prom bus as well. There was Nixle alert about this, as well.



Go Tigers!

[Ted Pole]

Jeez, Barry, then what's with all the secrecy? Put a sign on the friggin' bus so we can cheer them on instead of cursing who these people are who are stopping traffic, keeping pedestrians from crossing the street and slowing the traffic following them out 116. It had the pace of a parade through town, but nobody knew what it was for. Except, apparently, Chief Weaver.

I hate to come across like a jerk, but really, who knew?



Oh, and by the way, CONGRATS TO ANALY!

[Barry]

Jeez, Barry, then what's with all the secrecy? Put a sign on the friggin' bus so we can cheer them on instead of cursing who these people are who are stopping traffic, keeping pedestrians from crossing the street and slowing the traffic following them out 116. It had the pace of a parade through town, but nobody knew what it was for. Except, apparently, Chief Weaver.

I hate to come across like a jerk, but really, who knew?



Oh, and by the way, CONGRATS TO ANALY!

I passed along your comments to the Chief. Patrol cars will be arriving at your home shortly....

He sent me his comments which I have posted below with permission:

---

If they get this far in the playoff again, I'll see if the bus is equipped with an electronic sign that can let folks know who is on the bus.

A banner wouldn't work because they leave town and head directly to Highway 101.

We tried to keep the escort a secret from the kids, while at the same time letting as many folks know as possible.

So, we shared the information via the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Association, and a "Nixle" alert, thinking the Student-Athletes wouldn't get the word that way.

And, there were e-mails between parents and other supporters. In fact, about 200'ish people were along the route.

I agree with the suggestion of finding a way to let folks know who is on board next time.

Thanks, Chief Weaver

P.S. - In answer to your question, they lost. It was a VERY close game. At times we were ahead. Toward the end of the game, we were only 2 points down (46 to 48), but we couldn't overcome their size. Their players were a bit taller than our guys, generally, so their reach and stride was longer. That's why our quarterback, Will Smith, who I don't think we intercepted EVER this season, got intercepted four times last night, all of which resulted in touchdowns for them. We played as hard and well as they did; they just had size which maximized their efforts. They won fair-and-square. Lots of tears after the came.

[Ted Pole]

I passed along your comments to the Chief. Patrol cars will be arriving at your home shortly....


They'll never take me alive, Barry!

I listened to the game on KSRO and it was really exciting and ultimately heartbreaking for our guys. I didn't get the size advantage the other dudes had until I read your post above. It really is a testament to the coaches and players of Analy High that they went so far this year.