Farmer's Market at The Barlow

[Nancy M Prebilich]

Alrighty folks-I’ll bite! You want mustard?! How about mayo, catsup, and relish too!! How about a frigin’ buffet, shall we?!

So… you know my REEEAL name (ooooOOOOOoooh!!)! Nancy Marie Prebilich, born 8-23-74, Santa Rosa, Memorial Hospital…. what else do you want? Well, don’t worry, there’s more to come… you will be given the chance to know ALLL about me.

First, let me just say WHY I chose not to be anonymous (because technically, that’s giving no name at all- and we shall have an example of that later), but rather, to use a pseudonym. It was for much the SAME reasons that someone like say….Mark Felt….did not want his identity known when he was revealing factual & substantiated, yet delicately dangerous material from which we all benefitted. “DEEP THROAT” shocked this nation and brought down a corrupt power within our very own, happy-go-lucky “democratic” system- and THANK GOD! It wasn’t until 11 yrs. after the man was dead that we knew his real identity- a lost opportunity, perhaps, to thank him for his civil contribution, but who’s to say he would have lived to the ripe age of 95 had he “stood behind his words” with his real identity. Think of all the years he would have lost out on taking in the beauty of Sonoma County as he walked among us, at the farmer’s market perhaps- while we reaped the reward of his very risky actions- a more honest government, at least for a moment, during a very critical time.

Here is a transcript of a phone message, anonymously left by a SROFM/SEB FM vendor (non-farmer/producer) to a fellow vendor (a stone-fruit farmer), after the latter had disseminated a letter to the entire membership on Dec, 27, 2010, following the termination of Paula’s contract and the rising of an unlawful coup, which she was directing (I have the email correspondences to prove it!) with a mission to get her reinstated. The letter was entitled, “The Price Of Freedom Is Eternal Vigilance (Thomas Jefferson),” to which he signed his god-given name:

“Hey, I’m just calling you back because you hung up on me and I think you’re a pussy OK because here you come from the central valley with your lies in this market trying to drag it down. You personally, you people that have come and fucked up our market have personally cost me a lot of money because now our farmers market is dragging. Our customers are pissed off because of people like you. Stay the fuck home dude. Stay the fuck home. Out of Northern California and stop bothering people cause if you don’t some shit might happen to you, OK? You don’t know me and you don’t have to fucking know me but I know you and I know where the fuck you live. So stop bothering people in Northern California asshole.”

After my sister and I helped him to figure out who it was (whoever it was that commented here that there really is no anonymity in the digital age is right!), the victim informed Paula and the SRFM BOD (on which I was sitting at the time). After great effort to even convince the BOD that the matter had to be followed up, the only action taken was 1) questioning the suspected offender (who readily confessed!!) and 2) offer a verbal apology (he did). Do you think he was suspended in any way, having violated the paramount rule that everyone must be courteous and respectful at all times? No negative or disparaging talk at the market or to any persons? Answer: BIG FAT “NO!” Kinda like when we all witnessed Paula tell Larry of TTT Ranch to “Fuck OFF!!” as we were setting up our tents…. Paula’s punishment for breaking her very own rule?....”I’m sorry!”

After attending every available board meeting for over a year and a half, serving on the board, being appointed chairman of the Bylaws committee by Joel Kiff (Reene Kiff’s husband, for those of you who know your FM history), following every “grievance” and “appeal” process, only to stand before the Chairman of the grievance committee (a SRFM & SEB farmer/vendor) who admitted he hadn’t even read completely through the 6-page, 12 pt. font Bylaws or Rules & Regs., yet was still submitting a recommendation to the BOD of “guilty of having violated rules & regs.” to the BOD (much like MANY of you here on this Post; those of you who say “I admit I don’t know all the details, but here’s my conclusion and I’m stickin’ to it!), getting kicked out, watching fellow vendors who happened to support us and also followed every grievance and appeal process for their own warnings (which boiled down to talking and being associated with the Gleason Girls) ALSO get kicked out, filing a lawsuit to protect our rights, our business, and our livelihood, (and let's just throw in there for good measure my parents unexpectedly dying in the middle of it all)- AFTER ALL THIS….. who gets anonymous mail of images of the Grim Reaper?! I’ll save you the suspense: the three vendors who were kicked out!

I’ll let you chew on this for a minute… and send more in the next post (NOT TO BE TROLLING…. JUST THAT I WARNED YOU, WE ARE HAVING A BUFFET TONIGHT!)

But before I go… on the subject of pseudonyms, and the inherent discredit ability of all who use them, here’s a fun little game… let’s see if we can match PSUDONYMS with REAL NAMES:

PSUDONYMS: Ellis Bell, Brynjolf Bjarme, Dear Abby, O.Henry, Moliere, Mark Twain, Pablo Neruda, Toni Morrison, Voltaire, Woody Allen, Ho Chi Minh, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, Budda, Mother Teresa, Ram Dass, Butch Cassidy, The Sundance Kid, Bernard Shakey

REAL NAMES: Chloe Anthony Woffard, Allen Stewart Konigsberg, loseb Bessarionis dze Djugashrili, Siddhartha Gautama, Richard Albert, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, Nguyen Sinh Cung, Francois- Marie Arouet, Neil Young, Robert LeRoy Parker, Lev Davidovich Bronstein, Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, Chloe Anthony Wofford, Henrik Ibsen, Jean- Baptiste Poquelin, Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Emily Bronte, William Sydney Porter, Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips

FUN-HUH?! Now ask yourself, “Now that these folks have been disclosed, are we to negate their works, words, deeds, actions, thought, and overall contributions?!


Now let’s get back to the specifics of this thread in terms of WACCO Policy. Ready, Barry?

Weeeell, Sara S. has not provided a real last name, Rossmen is not using his real first name, and my absolute favorite of all is our resident Sonoma County Press Democrat Writer and Radio Personality….(drumroll please!)…. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, OliviaaaaaThunderrrrKiiiity! Also Known AS: Michellllle Annaaaa Jooooordaaaan (Or is that a “Pen Name” Shelly?!)…..Who has registered her real first name as: “NOT GIVEN.” Who has registered her real last name as: “NOT GIVEN.”

Really, Barry? Are you saying she’s her own goose and therefore not part of the gaggle? A special goose? Or your policy was just simply beyond her understanding? That her absolutely false, unsubstantiated claims (and yes, Virginia, Santa will bring you the existing documents) and that her lies are ok, but my alias is not? Oh, but wait….her anonymously produced false information somehow falls within your guidelines where I did not? Or, now I got it…. You had NO IDEA that Oliviathunderkitty was in truth Michelle Anna Jordan….farmers market writer for the Press Democrat/paid contractor for the SRFM?! And since we’re being all transparent up in here…. Tell us Barry, who IS this “trusted source” of YOURS that you speak of who has the inside scoop….why hide em?!

And speaking of payment, isn’t it also within your policy, Barry, under “Referrals and Recommendations,” that you “must disclose any financial or social interest u have with what/who you are recommending?” So how much does Seb FM pay you for the advertising, or do you give that away? And shouldn’t MAJ (besides listing her real name) disclose that she’s a writer that covers farmers markets and the SRFM pays her (according to their own BOD Minutes, which I have copies of) $200/wk plus market bucks?! Or am I not understanding it right?! Honestly Barry, if (according to you) “like a storyteller [your] job is to shed light, and not master"….it leads me to wonder…. Who Is Your Master? Because it clearly does not appear to be “Self.”

As for the false information that I’m accusing MAJ of osting…. Here it is: REFM pays $75/hr. to rent the parking lot at the Vets building. Call them, ask them: If you wanted to have a Bar Mitzvah in the parking lot for the afternoon, what will it cost? (Now unless it’s changed since we signed our lease), they should tell you $75, or somewhere around that. At least for the FM that includes tables, chairs, bathroom, garbage disposal, and clean up. Not a bad deal! We simply approached the county and simply did not argue. That was it! And Granton Girl….. PLZZZZZ confirm the rate! You work for the county! You said yourself, “Some posts are allowed even when untruthful or incorrect and it is up to the forum participants to take care of correcting that”…right? But while Paula had at least THREE YEARS NOTICE that they were going to have to start paying the same rate as everyone else, she was demanding a $1,000/mo raise:


In 2010 she writes (again, part of SRFM minutes) “I just saved you $22,000 in rental costs this year….the $22,000 rental savings pays entirely for the raise I requested.” The Board offered her $500/mo. raise. Her response (Oct. 24, 2010 minutes),” I was insulted by the low offer. I have had two raises in eight years- The last raise was $500/month and that was nearly three years ago….I just saved…a total savings of $66,000 over the next 3 years.” Within a year, after getting rid of Gleason Ranch and the “trouble-makers,” and getting her raise, totaling $48,000/yr. (5-2-11), we find Paula on the front page of the Press Democrat, headline news, crying WE CAN’T AFFORD IT!!! THE FARMERS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BEAR THE BURDEN!

THIS ladies and gentle, was why we didn’t get along…. see eye to eye…..when I was sitting on the BOD as an alternate director & chairman of Bylaws committee, having to confront the question, “How are we going to afford to pay the rent?!” The unpopular thought…. Afford the rent…..don’t afford the raise….. and next thing I knew, Gleason Ranch is kicked out of Seb FM before the season ever got started!

Meanwhile (fun little side-fact)….guess how much the city of Sebastopol gets paid a week…. $11. And the taxpayers pay to put in the public restrooms and cover the clean-up costs.

I think all of this is enough for now…. But I’ll tell you what I’ll do. Tomorrow morning, I will go have coffee at the perimeter of the Farmer’s Market, where I am legally allowed to be, patronizing surrounding business, and I will sit with my dog with a bottle of catsup on the table (sorry….fresh out of mustard!!), and my documents. Throw mushy persimmons at me if you wish, or approach me, tell me off, or ask to see what I got?! How’s THAT for all u WACCO’s out there who want to believe I’m full of it?! DEAL?

Last note: Paula touted moving to the Barlow. The vendors agreed. Barlow has welcomed ALL vendors, ALL customers. The only person not welcome right now is a 70-year old, retired woman, whose services are simply no longer needed or desired. I know being let go hurts. But Paula, you are not the only one who has ever been asked not to return. Walk away gracefully….and as for the community….all this fighting over ONE PERSON, who is not being prevented from access to fresh local goods as I will be tomorrow, her services are simply just no longer desired! Let the vendors move to where they’ve been planning, support them, enjoy the plaza… it’s only 2 blocks away, and move on! The fact that the Seb FM BOD has not been able to wrap their heads around this yet…now THAT is shocking!!!

[scamperwillow]

After seeing all that is going on and talking with some of the key players, I am thinking that two markets might be a good thing but probably not on the same day - and NOT Saturday and sunday. Two days in a row is too hard on the farmers to supply enough and would cater to the same market of customers. I would love to see an evening market at the Barlow midweek - with all their shops and cafes and wine and beer tasting and everything there open at night! Let's get a little night-time activity happening here in Sebastopol! I can't tell you how many times I've been downtown at night and wished things were open - I had money to spend even! And keep Paula's Sunday market on the plaza.

[Nancy M Prebilich]

I'm here. Northeast bench, dog, catsup, documents... but so far no takers. :-(

[Nancy M Prebilich]

I'm here. Northeast bench, dog, catsup, documents... but so far no takers. :-(

So, a nice couple showed up in support of me. We sat and chatted for about 40 minutes, a few uninvolved stangers struck up a conversation with me, asking about the catsup on top of my books, and we had lovely chats. And then came MAJ with her little dog. Just as she passed me, having no intention to stop, she sneered," I can't believe you're here!"

Well, I said I would! On this thread, I have been refered to with such words as "vilification," "unfair," "self-serving," "vitrriol," "nasty," "harassing," "venom," and yet, I take no offense. You know why? Because I knew going into this that setting the record straight in an environment ladden with false information and unsubstanciated conclusions, that this was not the job for a thin-skin or weak boned person. Granted, it's frustrating as hell, and you get my frustration in the tone of my writing, but I am only human too. However, the density of my skin, the strength of my bones, the frustration and offense I may or may not feel.... is MY problem, not YOURS! I would never want to restrict your freedom of speach because I didn't FEEL it to be nice or respectful, because I'm offended by it!! That is a god-given and constituation right, despite how I FEEL about the names you've called me, the accusation you've made, or the conclusions you've jumped to. You just can't tell lies; and there are laws for that that far exceed your policies, Barry- the policy that says false statements are ok, just dont offend anyone with the truth!

But I was there today with my catsup, the documents, in chronological order and context, but nobody really wants the facts; not even a writer for the PD! That tells me, none of u REALLY want to know. That there are more sock puppets here than we admit to, and that this board and its moderator (who has shown favoritism and hypocracy), is irrelevant because it has demonstrated its lack of credibiliy. Shoot me an email if u want, but I'm done talking to this self-proclaimed and so called "conscious community."

Lastly, the other reason I took a psudonym was because when you are or have been in the public eye (and I have been, in one form or fashion for 30 years), or in business with a partner, it is rare that you and your words amd actions can be compartmentalized to represent ONLY you. My contriburions here have only been MINE. Not my sister Cindy (and NO, she was not writing as Cinda- i may b the artistic one in the family, but she is more creative and clever tham THAT!!), not Gleason Ranch, not REFM, not anyone or anything else except the small tiny fraction I leave for just ME. But had u seen my real name to begin with, u would have even MORE readily dismissed anything I had to say or offer... because this "conscious community" is not interested in truth or facts, not even when I sit in a public park with a bottle of catsup ready to substanciate them. My sister has asked me to remove posts and stop spitting into the wind. She is not the public-exposure type. She likes her privacy. And now that this board and its moderator have lost credibility by its selective and hypocritical disclosure of my name, making THAT the issue of the thread and turning attention away from the IMPORTANT issue- well, I must respect my sister as well as REFM, or any one else merely associated with me, and not continue like this. I don't want them to be blacklisted too by this "conscious community."

[Nancy M Prebilich]

I've received notification that 79Paul also expressed gratitude for my post, yet he's not listed here. Barry? Is there an attempt to make it appear as though im less supported than what i am?

I also encourage folks to read the last few comments on the thread regarding Food For Thought. Different thread, same problem: barry's abuse of moderator "priviledges!" You know, Jim Jones ALSO thought he was the founder of a "conscious community," and look how that ended up. You know THAT history, don't you MAJ?

DON'T DRINK THE KOOL-AID PEOPLE!!

[caverly]

Nancy , will you please go away and let this group get back to the harmony which it does so beautifully .
i have seen wonderful cyber-groups destroyed by just one persistent argumentative person who just refused to stop . Don't do that to us . { And your contributions are not constructive about the Farmer's Market at this point }.
i can't believe how you strike out at so many people { including Barry } ; please take your animosity , anger, hatred and
persistent attacks some place else and leave us in PEACE . Thank you very much ....

[Dorothy Friberg]

PLEASE, PLEASE.PLEASE Nancy, take your poison elsewhere. Dorothy Friberg

[oliviathunderkitty]

Over the past two years, I have made no public response to Nancy Prebilich's on-going accusations and taunts directed at me but I have decided to speak publicly. Once. Think of this post as an open letter to her.

Nancy, I have tremendous empathy for you and your sister Cindy because of the unexpected and premature deaths of your parents and the problems that their deaths triggered. Loss of a loved one is always devastating and when it comes as a surprise, before its rightful time, it is overwhelming. I've experienced such losses myself and know full well that one never fully heals.

However, it is time for you to turn inward to deal with your anger and rage instead of projecting it onto others, including Paula Downing, me and now Barry. Someone needs to tell you this and perhaps someone has. If so, please listen.

Your post earlier today that linked Barry's moderation of his own web site with the tragedy of Jonestown made me shiver. One of my dearest friends lost his brother, sister-in-law and infant nephew in Jonestown and I find it deeply painful and inappropriate when that tragedy is tossed about lightly. It is red flag to me that the person making the comparison is deeply troubled.

I also find yesterday's incident at the Sebastopol Farmers Market extremely alarming. At first, I did not recognize you but once I did, I said, almost in a whisper and with shock, "I cannot believe you are here." I said this because you signed an agreement to stay away from the market and so seeing you was, indeed, shocking. Within seconds, your large dog was on top of my very small dog. Your dog, who was growling and trying to bite, had my dog by the neck. I was unable to retrieve my dog or pull off yours. You were not holding your dog's leash and you sat, smiling, on the bench for several seconds before you moved, fairly slowly, towards the dogs. An onlooker, whom I do not know, was so alarmed and frightened that she called the police. You expressed no remorse and never apologized. Instead, you sat on the bench smiling and still not holding your dog's leash. From my vantage point, this was an inappropriate response to the situation at hand and, again, made me feel that you need help.

Please, Nancy, get help and do it before an irreversible tragedy (as the death or serious injury of my dog would have been) results from your rage. I say this with kindness and concern. You have your own farmers market now, with your sister as manager and you on the board. You are clearly a very intelligent woman with tremendous energy. Why not use your intelligence and energy to make your farmers market as good as it can possibly be?

Anger begets anger, rage begets rage and no one is the better for it. Yet kindness begets kindness and that is the spirit in which I have written this post. Please, Nancy, find a way to heal, to find resolution and move on.

[Ernieman]

Oh my God. From Barlow to dog bites smaller dog and a plethora of personal stuff. Y'all should go have a beer, tea, valium and talk about all this. I am leaving this thread because I 1) don't care about motivation, it's not a murder trial, but show me some results and 2) I am sure you don't want to hear my personal stuff and 3) it is clogging up my computer. I happen to think my stuff is really juicy and better than Barlow but you don't get to know. And, I don[t really want to know yours either. Hope the small dog is o.k.

[hydrosouls]

At this time of year, we humans are particularly prone to losing our balance. We tend to make rash decisions and are prone to over reacting. Not only does the relative lack of light make us prone to depression, our culture is hardwire to pressure for MORE, NOW, MINE consciousness during this sacred time. Let's take a collective breath.

A few years ago a friend shared this experience: She was traveling by rail through rural Spain. A young man borded. Shortly after they were on their way again, it became apparent that he was in the midst of a full-blown psychotic episode. One of the rail passengers started singing a lullabye. The others joined the chorus. The agitated, frightened and frightening passenger settled a bit. An old woman made room on an adjacent seat and invited the fellow to sit with her. As the rest of the passengers kept the lilting lullabye going, she rocked him. When they arrived at the next stop, a mental health team was waiting to care for the ill man. This ad hoc community took the man's traumatic drama and transformed it with love, beauty and kindness.

Maybe we could exercise a bit of that practical patience toward one another here.

in peace,

Pat Rothchild of HydroSouls

[theindependenteye]

>>>Alrighty folks-I’ll bite! You want mustard?! How about mayo, catsup, and relish too!! How about a frigin’ buffet, shall we?!

I'm trying to understand the purpose of these enraged personal attacks on the Sebastopol market manager. The question of her managing the Barlow market seems to be a long-dead issue.

If the person in question were running for city council, I'd probably still be put off by what to me seems like an irrational fury that discredits the writer, but at least I could see the point of it. But as it is, unless there's a practical intent to promote the public execution of the market manager, by stoning with turnips, it just seems that Wacco has been chosen as a forum for catharsis. But it doesn't sound as if the catharsis is working.

Whatever's at stake here, I'd offer the writer my personal opinion that it's not going to be settled in this forum.

-Conrad

[Nancy M Prebilich]

how innapropriate of you to make this now about my dead parents and a dog tussling. I'm singing a lullaby for you, in hopes that you find peace and calm. A kind of calmness i maintained while you exemplified hysteria. I hope others in the universal train car will join me.

Happy Holidays! Peace B With U! (

Over the past two years, I have made no public response to Nancy Prebilich's on-going accusations and taunts directed at me but I have decided to speak publicly. Once. Think of this post as an open letter to her.

Nancy, I have tremendous empathy for you and your sister Cindy because of the unexpected and premature deaths of your parents and the problems that their deaths triggered. Loss of a loved one is always devastating and when it comes as a surprise, before its rightful time, it is overwhelming. I've experienced such losses myself and know full well that one never fully heals.

However, it is time for you to turn inward to deal with your anger and rage instead of projecting it onto others, including Paula Downing, me and now Barry. Someone needs to tell you this and perhaps someone has. If so, please listen.

Your post earlier today that linked Barry's moderation of his own web site with the tragedy of Jonestown made me shiver. One of my dearest friends lost his brother, sister-in-law and infant nephew in Jonestown and I find it deeply painful and inappropriate when that tragedy is tossed about lightly. It is red flag to me that the person making the comparison is deeply troubled.

I also find yesterday's incident at the Sebastopol Farmers Market extremely alarming. At first, I did not recognize you but once I did, I said, almost in a whisper and with shock, "I cannot believe you are here." I said this because you signed an agreement to stay away from the market and so seeing you was, indeed, shocking. Within seconds, your large dog was on top of my very small dog. Your dog, who was growling and trying to bite, had my dog by the neck. I was unable to retrieve my dog or pull off yours. You were not holding your dog's leash and you sat, smiling, on the bench for several seconds before you moved, fairly slowly, towards the dogs. An onlooker, whom I do not know, was so alarmed and frightened that she called the police. You expressed no remorse and never apologized. Instead, you sat on the bench smiling and still not holding your dog's leash. From my vantage point, this was an inappropriate response to the situation at hand and, again, made me feel that you need help.

Please, Nancy, get help and do it before an irreversible tragedy (as the death or serious injury of my dog would have been) results from your rage. I say this with kindness and concern. You have your own farmers market now, with your sister as manager and you on the board. You are clearly a very intelligent woman with tremendous energy. Why not use your intelligence and energy to make your famers market as good as it can possibly be?

Anger begets anger, rage begets rage and no one is the better for it. Yet kindness begets kindness and that is the spirit in which I have written this post. Please, Nancy, find a way to heal, to find resolution and move on.

[Barry]

how innapropriate of you to make this now about my dead parents and a dog tussling. I'm singing a lullaby for you, in hopes that you find peace and calm. A kind of calmness i maintained while you exemplified hysteria. I hope others in the universal train car will join me.

Happy Holidays! Peace B With U! (

OK, that's enough, Nancy.

Just to tie up some bits of this dispute before moving on:

I've received notification that 79Paul also expressed gratitude for my post, yet he's not listed here. Barry? Is there an attempt to make it appear as though im less supported than what i am?

I also encourage folks to read the last few comments on the thread regarding Food For Thought. Different thread, same problem: barry's abuse of moderator "priviledges!"

I contacted 79Paul and he said that he granted gratitude and and then withdrew it.

I have updated the FFT thread with my comments.

Michele Ann Jordan has restored her name to her profile. She temporarily removed it recently because of the venom being expressed in this thread and that Nancy had actively tried to get her fired from her job as a writer for the Press Democrat.

to be continued...

[Barry]

There's one bit data I'd like to correct . Nancy posted that Michele Anna Jordan was a

...paid contractor for the SRFM?!...

I contacted Jaime Smedes Manager for the Santa Rosa Orignal Certified Farmer's Market (at the Wells Fargo Center) and she gave me this statement:

"Sonoma County is fortunate to have so many educated and caring individuals who have a passion to share the beauty and bounty that is found in our local farmers markets. The Santa Rosa Orignal Certified Farmers Market does NOT pay Michele Anna Jordan for what she writes. I do send her regular updates on our market in hopes that she will help us spread the word."

This is not to say any of the other things expressed on this thread are either true or false.

Nancy, I will not allow you to post any further negativity about Michele, Paula, or anybody else here. Should you feel compelled to take one final shot at me, you're welcome to it. Better make it a good one!

Moving back to the original subject of this thread, the farmer's market and The Barlow, I had a nice phone chat with Paula today and I'm glad to report that the Sebastopol Farmer's market will be sending a letter to The Barlow this week. So it seems all hope for amicable arrangement is not lost! I'm hoping to get copy of that letter along with permission to post it.

[Nancy M Prebilich]

Would you like to see the board minutes in which continued, in fact, increased paymemts were approved? Or the financial statements? I had them on Sunday but you didn't show up. Maybe they're not paying her for her writing... but they clearly ARE, or at least WERE, paying her... for what service? I'm not attacking, just asking for more clarification.

There's one bit data I'd like to correct . Nancy posted that Michele Anna Jordan was a



I contacted Jaime Smedes Manager for the Santa Rosa Orignal Certified Farmer's Market (at the Wells Fargo Center) and she gave me this statement:

"Sonoma County is fortunate to have so many educated and caring individuals who have a passion to share the beauty and bounty that is found in our local farmers markets. The Santa Rosa Orignal Certified Farmers Market does NOT pay Michele Anna Jordan for what she writes. I do send her regular updates on our market in hopes that she will help us spread the word."

This is not to say any of the other things expressed on this thread are either true or false.

Nancy, I will not allow you to post any further negativity about Michele, Paula, or anybody else here. Should you feel compelled to take one final shot at me, you're welcome to it. Better make it a good one!

Moving back to the original subject of this thread, the farmer's market and The Barlow, I had a nice phone chat with Paula today and I'm glad to report that the Sebastopol Farmer's market will be sending a letter to The Barlow this week. So it seems all hope for amicable arrangement is not lost! I'm hoping to get copy of that letter along with permission to post it.

[fafner]

Thank you, Barry for your avid interest and attention to this. We do not need the negativity and your moderation is appreciated. I am glad you are in contact with Paula Downing and that you have a good feeling about an agreement. It is my sincere hope an amicable agreement can be reached.

Again, thanks,

Fafner

There's one bit data I'd like to correct . Nancy posted that Michele Anna Jordan was a



I contacted Jaime Smedes Manager for the Santa Rosa Orignal Certified Farmer's Market (at the Wells Fargo Center) and she gave me this statement:

"Sonoma County is fortunate to have so many educated and caring individuals who have a passion to share the beauty and bounty that is found in our local farmers markets. The Santa Rosa Orignal Certified Farmers Market does NOT pay Michele Anna Jordan for what she writes. I do send her regular updates on our market in hopes that she will help us spread the word."

This is not to say any of the other things expressed on this thread are either true or false.

Nancy, I will not allow you to post any further negativity about Michele, Paula, or anybody else here. Should you feel compelled to take one final shot at me, you're welcome to it. Better make it a good one!

Moving back to the original subject of this thread, the farmer's market and The Barlow, I had a nice phone chat with Paula today and I'm glad to report that the Sebastopol Farmer's market will be sending a letter to The Barlow this week. So it seems all hope for amicable arrangement is not lost! I'm hoping to get copy of that letter along with permission to post it.

[Nancy M Prebilich]

The Original Certified Santa Rosa Farmer's Market, Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting:

June 6,2011
"Paula request an extra $200/month for Michelle Jordan"

July 5,2011
"Advertising: Should we continue to give Michelle Jordan $200 in market bucks?Discussion: Chicory makes a motion to continue paying Michelle Jordan $200 market bucks/ month for her radio spot on the KRUSH. Kelley seconds, no opposition."

Sept. 6,2011
"Paula says that we have been paying Michelle Jordan $200 cash not market buck, plus $20/week market bucks"

Draft Financial Report 2011
"Promotions is under budget at present, however, much of the "Maket Bucks" expense is promotions...A portion of the $9,243 Market Bucks expense will be reallocated to "Promotions Expense (Senior Bucks, Kids, Press Democrat, Ellen)."

And yet NO "advertising" was purchased in the PD for the year 2011! At least not according to the PD's records. Besides, even if they HAD purchased advertising, according to their 2010 P&L Budget vs. Actual, they had budgeted $11,083.99 for "Promotions" & $14,999,99 for "Advertising."

Maybe, Barry, you needed to follow Michelle's advise and ask someone who KNOWS "Farmers Market History."

Not being negative, just setting your bad information straight-again!

[gardenmaniac]

I, for one, will not be reading anything further from you, Nancy; but I will defend your right to continue. If it helps you to feel better about yourself and/or the world, post away ...

OK, that's enough, Nancy.

Just to tie up some bits of this dispute before moving on:

I contacted 79Paul and he said that he granted gratitude and and then withdrew it.

I have updated the FFT thread with my comments.

Michele Ann Jordan has restored her name to her profile. She temporarily removed it recently because of the venom being expressed in this thread and that Nancy had actively tried to get her fired from her job as a writer for the Press Democrat.

to be continued...

[Barry]

Michele Anna Jordan asked me to post the following note:

"For several years, I did a Tuesday morning segment called “Krush Bites” with KRSH-FM morning host Doug Smith, until he died in a motorcycle accident in June of 2005. I continued doing the segment with Pam Long, who replaced Doug. When Pam left, Bites didn’t work so well with her replacement so I discontinued it.

I was not paid for this, though early on, when the segment was 15 minutes long and I drove to the station, I was given some trade. When it was shortened to 2 minutes, I called in and we chatted by phone.

In 2010, the new morning host Brian Griffith, asked me to revive Bites. I said sure but he insisted I come in, not do the segment by phone. Driving 20 to 25 minutes to a radio station (to talk for just 2 minutes) is expensive and so I said that if I came in, I needed to be paid, at least enough to cover gas. I added that I wanted to anchor the segment with the Santa Rosa Farmers Market, rather than just making it about seasonal produce, as it had been. The philosophy of the show was “shop at your local farmers market first, before you go to the supermarket.” I chose the Santa Rosa market because the station is based in Santa Rosa. We talked about all local farmers markets.

Several months passed and then Stefanie Garzoli, a sales exec at the station, called to say the Santa Rosa market was going to sponsor the show. She offered me $100 a week plus $20 (twenty) in market bucks. I was paid by a check from Wine Country Radio and was handed market bucks on Wednesdays by Paula. When the market’s contact expired after six months, I was offered market bucks but declined, saying my agreement was with the station, not the market. Bites was put on hold in February and then canceled after the attacks on me began, as the station was worried that they would increase should the segment be revived. Thus, I lost the only paid radio gig I’ve ever had.

At some point, Nancy got market records and one included a typo, that I was being given $200 a week in market bucks. It should have read $20. It was easy to verify, as my name was handwritten by the manager across any market buck I received. But she used this typo in her attempt to harm me professionally.

I should add that the market offered a donation to help support my daughter, who, after having had cancer, was going through another medical crisis that, luckily, turned out not to be cancer, though we didn’t know for several months. The check was made out to me and used exclusively for my daughter's benefit. Nancy used this to “prove” her accusations, even though she knew exactly what the check was for, as she and her sister received a similar donation from the market when their parents died.

Part of Nancy’s claim has been that I am paid by the Santa Rosa market to write about their vendors and their vendors only, a claim that can be proven false simply by opening the paper on any given Wednesday.

This is all so sad. Here we are in one of the most fertile regions of the entire world, with a glorious year round harvest, dedicated farmers and ranchers, robust farmers markets, wonderful wines and wineries, vibrant art and music communities and a thriving daily newspaper. I wake up feeling lucky every day that I have such a great way to connect with readers. Let’s let winter storms blow away all this unnecessary negativity."

Paula Downing asked me to post the following note:

"As most of you know, I was the Santa Rosa Market Manager during this period. To the best of my knowledge Nancy's allegation that the Santa Rosa Market gave Michele Jordan cash for her work is completely false. We were under contract with KRUSH radio for her to do a live radio spot every week. Part of that contract involved an expense allowance (a common and perfectly acceptable business practice) to purchase the food that she talked about on the radio. I gave Michele her expense allowance in the form of market bucks at the market each week.

It appears to me that Nancy has doctored the board records. This is a serious legal allegation and I intend to advise the Santa Rosa board immediately that Nancy is responsible for either theft or falsification of corporate records - or both.

It also appears to me that WACCO is in the middle of a vendetta that endangers you legally. That is to say, during this entire discussion Nancy has consistently presented kernels of truth which are embellished and perverted by false statements and accusations that are driven by her apparently bottomless rage. I would hope and suggest that you stop this conversation entirely. It doesn't really serve the truth nor the farmers nor the people whose character Nancy is maligning or Nancy herself.

Finally, I haven't wanted to engage in this WACCO conversation but I feel the need to speak now in order to support Michele Jordan. For Nancy to tell lies in a public forum in order to harm me is one thing. For her to tell lies in public forum in order to harm Michele Jordan who has given the most consistent, loving, caring heartfelt service to all the farmers and farmers markets in this county for decades, is intolerable. Look at Michele's record. It is impeccable. Her integrity is impeccable. She provides fair, equitable and consistently supportive reporting about all farmers and farmers markets.

Enough is enough, Barry."

I think Paula's advice to prevent this issue from going forward is well founded and is in the best interest of all involved (including me!). Other users have either asked me to stop it or removed themselves from this thread. I think this puts a suitable cap on this conversation.

I have given Nancy ample space to present her point of view (to the point of redundancy) and her posts will remain on the site. I tried to draw a line that would allow her to post non-negative posts but that didn't work. I will not accept any further posts from her regarding this matter. If she wants to post about anything else (such as posting about her market) she will need to clear it with me first and I'm sure we can work something out. I also request other users to not post anything further regarding Nancy, either positive or negative. Nancy is welcome to offer gratitude as she see's fit and reply privately (unless I get complaints about that).

Please note that whenever you use the Reply Privately you are disclosing your email address to the recipient. Similarly if you reply to a note sent via Reply Privately, you are also disclosing your email address. So if should ever receive a private note that you feel is inappropriate please forward it to me and I'll handle it.

Before any of you start screaming "freedom of speech" let me remind you that doesn't apply here and again the issue has been explored more here than in any other media. If you insist on bringing up that or related issues, please start a new thread.

There is still the conversation of what will happen with the farmer's market at The Barlow which is valid and important and I think can be carried out civilly. Let's continue to use this thread for that purpose.

[wildflower]

WOW! Great discussion!

Hello Lizzy:

I would imagine that one of the reasons that this forum exists is because the moderator created it because he likes to engage in dialogue and community. As someone who disagrees sometimes with Barry, I can assure you that he doesn't let his opinion affect what gets posted here - and his suggestion here seems like a good and appropriate comment.

Don't think anyone controls what one thinks after they read any post...

Some posts are allowed even when untruthful or incorrect and it is up to the forum participants to take care of correcting that...right?

Barry does not abuse his role to influence the discussion IMO - but, you may note that your opposing view and opinion was posted and remains...

[Eileen Loro]

I agree I love the market at the park. There is a certain feel that you will not get at the BARLOW. Perhaps if folks want to expand it do the sunday one as is and do another night at the Barlow.
And I do like the crafts and other items with the growers. We are a community and as such are a diversified conglomerate of all things and people. Besides I am a crafter and would love to be part of this market.

I send gratitude but can not figure out how to do that on the form here.

Blessings
e

Our current Sunday Farmer's market is probably the sweetest community gathering in all the U.S.A. - children , trees-grass , central music stage and so natural . The flow of people is so friendly and interacting - imo because the flow is like 'circular' {outer , inner and comingling circles } and always easily interweaving .

If this ever comes to an end , i feel we will lose an incredible&beautiful way of being together and mingling with our friends , nature , music , children and the vendors .

The Barlow { at this stage and probably later } looks very sterile , corporate , all linear , concrete - much less friendly ,less natural , no harmonious flow =industrial type design , designed for profit.

i wish we can keep our beautiful Sunday Farmer's market the way it is ; i regret that chasing the all-mighty dollaris a reason that we may lose this magnificent quaint style of our gathering .

Our market is a special treasure of our commonunity and being beautifully with our friends and neighbors - i hope we don't lose this treasure .

i wonder if we really have a voice in this move , or if any body inquired what we want . My guess is that the vendors voted and that is the prime reason we are moving .

[lep]

I think it would be wonderful to keep the Farmers Market in the Plaza. I think it helps the stores on Main St. too!

I agree I love the market at the park. There is a certain feel that you will not get at the BARLOW. Perhaps if folks want to expand it do the sunday one as is and do another night at the Barlow.
And I do like the crafts and other items with the growers. We are a community and as such are a diversified conglomerate of all things and people. Besides I am a crafter and would love to be part of this market.

I send gratitude but can not figure out how to do that on the form here.

Blessings
e

[scamperwillow]

Looks like that is what is going to happen. Last I heard, they are staying at the Plaza with the City's blessing. I hope the Barlow decides to do theirs at another time - like a Wednesday night.

I think it would be wonderful to keep the Farmers Market in the Plaza. I think it helps the stores on Main St. too!

[applefan]

I don't want to see a farmers market at The Barlow. I definitely don't want to see one that competes with the original farmers market on the Plaza.

The Barlow has been asked to make decisions on how best to go about having a Farmer's Market on our site. We want to hear from the community.

What do you want to see at a Barlow's Farmer's Market?
What day of the week?
What time of the day?
What type of vendors?
What type of entertainment, if any?

We appreciate your open and honest feedback.

[Barry]

The Barlow management has applied for a permit to have a competing Sunday farmers market. A new thread ( Sebastopol Farm Market in the Plaza or at the Barlow????) has been started regarding this, as it appears the controversey is entering a new phase.

I'm going to close this thread. Please direct your comments to the new thread. I'll try to get The Barlow to explain why they have chosen this alternative.

Barry