Bill Lynch: Open letter to Budweiser

This Bud’s for you – but would it be for Mission Bell Farms?|

(Recently, I joined many of our fellow Sonomans in the effort to preserve the Castagnasso property (Mission Belle Farm). My friends and neighbors leading this valiant effort hope to raise $7.6 million. Finding someone with the interest and means to support such a cause is a daunting task. Which is why I have penned this open letter to someone who might actually be interested:)

Dear Mrs. Budweiser:

The historic village of Sonoma has the perfect spot in which your hard-working Clydesdales can enjoy their golden years following their careers as the talent in your Super Bowl commercials.

It suitability has been tested and proven for nearly a century by the Castagnasso family who have raised many generations of their Clydesdales on the 2.72-acre farmstead less than a block off our beautiful Plaza, which was the birthplace of California in 1846.

It is a lovely, bucolic property known as Mission Bell Farm. It includes two barns, several outbuildings and a classic, two-story 1900 farmhouse.

From this historic, restful and idyllic spot, just 45 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge, your faithful steeds would bask in adoration of the many Sonomans who have grown attached its current inhabitants.

The farm sits on land formerly part of Mission San Francisco de Solano, founded in 1823. The Mission, virtually next door, is now part of Sonoma State Historic Park, and hosts thousands of visitors every year.

The fact that a working Clydesdale farm still exists on a most historic corner of our town a half block off our central Plaza is what charms us and our visitors.

It is part of the rich legacy left by early local pioneers, along with our first vineyard planted by the Franciscan fathers who founded our mission just a block away.

This perfect retirement home for your Budweiser Clydesdales rests in the very heart of author Jack London’s famous Valley of the Moon. Jack was a fancier and owner of fine work horses. His Beauty Ranch, now a state park, is located at the northern end of the Valley of the Moon.

I’m telling you all this because we Sonomans would like to save this very special part of our legacy, complete with the Clydesdales, barns and classic old farmhouse.

But today, Clydesdale farms are not hot commodities on the real estate market and the alternative prospects for the property could include the loss of the horses, pasture, barns and even the original farmhouse.

That’s why a small local nonprofit group has stepped up to ask the current owners if they could have time to raise the money to buy it so it could be preserved. They have lots of local morale support, a vote of encouragement from the City of Sonoma, and a few significant donations, but not nearly enough to meet the asking price of more than $7 million.

They are starting a campaign to raise that money.

And that’s where you come in. Supporting a retirement home, rich in history, for Budweiser Clydesdales in one of the most popular retirement locales in the country would be a classy move, not to mention a wonderful venue for future commercials.

You can find more information about this at www.bluewingadobetrust.org, or by calling (707) 732-4511.

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