The Loose Cannon – A wreath and a warning: why Yountville must not let the Sun set
I love the rain and particularly enjoy taking walks through town on rainy mornings. On a recent misty morning, I put on my raincoat and strolled through town taking the time to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.
When I strolled through the cemetery, I noticed the wreaths that had been recently placed on some of the graves.
Every year, volunteers lay wreaths at the Yountville Cemetery.
The town of Yountville promoted the event on Facebook:
The Yountville Sun also promoted the event in much greater detail:
This wreath honors Victor H. Howard Jr.:
Victor’s grave carried the wreath because he was a US Navy veteran.
But it was this grave, maybe 30 feet south of his, that I found intriguing:
Some of you may recall my two December 2023 columns about Susan the Apache. Denise Ratterman Jackson and I worked hard to put together bits and pieces of her history to understand how she ended up in the Yountville Cemetery at the young age of 16.
I was hoping to provide a link to those two columns from the Yountville Sun archives the town offers, but they stop at the October 13, 2022 issue. I don’t know why. The Sun was still busy serving the town.
And that issue finished with two pages of letters to the editor:
For more than 20 years, the Sun was provided to Yountville residents free of charge. To get a taste of what the Sun did for this community, you need to look no further than the Yountville Sun newspaper archives on this town platform:
No one presented a better argument for the value of the Yountville Sun to the Yountville community than the town itself. This letter is posted on the town of Yountville website with the subject line:
Yountville Sun’s Historic Editions Go Digital: Preserving the Treasures of Local Community History
2023-07-18-Yountville-Sun-Digital-Editions
From that letter:
“We are thrilled to share this transformative journey of preserving the Yountville Sun’s historic editions in a digital format,” said Deputy Town Clerk Hilary Gaede. “For generations, the Yountville Sun has been the heartbeat of our community, capturing the essence of our daily lives, milestones, celebrations and challenges. This digital initiative will ensure that our collective memory is not only preserved but easily accessible to all, fostering a deeper sense of connection and appreciation for our shared history.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Please read that paragraph again and let it sink in.
For most of those years, the town reciprocated and supported the Sun by placing advertisements and public notices in the newspaper. It was a symbiotic relationship, but those stopped too. One of my readers noticed that and asked if the town was trying to control the information that was shared with the locals. I didn’t have an answer and could not explain why the town stopped supporting the Sun this way, while budgeting over $300,000 to the Chamber of Commerce to support other businesses – many of which aren’t even based in Yountville and do little to support the locals – in IMHO.
If you think the town should reconsider the decision to stop supporting the Yountville Sun, I encourage you to let the Town Council know:
Mayor Margie Mohler: [email protected]
Vice-Mayor Robin McKee-Cant: [email protected]
Council Member Eric Knight: [email protected]
Council Member Pam Reeves: [email protected]
Council Member Hillary Trippe: [email protected]
Feel free to copy me with on those email messages.
This column will likely not make me too popular with the Town Council or the town manager. Not ideal, but I can live with that. Additionally, backlash from this column could potentially put an end to this Loose Cannon column – I’ll take that chance.
A former writer for the Yountville Sun sent me this definition for a loose cannon: “A loose cannon is a person who is unpredictable and likely to cause problems.”
Nolo contendere: Guilty as charged!
So, I’m still fighting to save the Sun, but I need more accomplices. Who’s got my back?
If you would like to read the two columns I wrote about Susan, please drop me a line: [email protected]
Back to Susan the Apache:
What I found so intriguing was that there was a wreath on Susan’s headstone. Why was it there? She was not a veteran and her people only suffered at the hands of the US government. Was her grave on a list designated to receive a wreath, or was it perhaps someone’s casual action with an “extra” wreath, because there were wreaths left over?
I know that our mayor coordinated the wreath placements and could probably answer that question. But I didn’t want to ask the question and draw attention to it, and maybe have it removed as a mistake or as the unauthorized action of a volunteer.
I was pleased that Susan had a wreath for whatever reason. I choose to believe that it is important that we honor Susan and acknowledge how difficult her short life was as she was “redeemed” by the white man.
I hope to see a wreath on her grave again next year too.
Ranndy Piña
[email protected]
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