THE BUZZ: Santa heckles passerby; 500 snowflakes on rocks to drop this weekend

SANTA HECKLES PETALUMA PASSERBY: Last Thursday afternoon, at the pop-up Farmers Market in Theater Square, passing special-needs instructor Andy Templeton made casual eye-contact with Santa Claus, who was (it seems) taking some downtime to handout coupons for a local business.

As Templeton walked past, smiled, and kept going, Santa suddenly called out, amiably challenging the Petaluma resident to stop and pay his respects. “You think you’ve outgrown me?” Santa shouted. “I used to be a big part of your life, and you know it!” Summed up Templeton, shortly after successfully making his clean getaway from Santa, “I don’t know what just happened. I was actually heckled … by Santa Claus!”

SNOWFLAKES TO ROCK PETALUMA THIS WEEKEND: Be sure to keep an eye out this weekend. A number of rock-painting artists associated with the popular Facebook page Petaluma Rocks are planning on sprinkling more than 500 stones - painted with snowflake-inspired designs - in various public places all over town. According to Petaluma Rocks founder Sandy Aikins Schaffner, this is the third year the group has done the “snowflake drop,” and while previous years saw the rocks appearing primarily in the downtown area, this time the entire city of Petaluma is the canvas on which the geological flash-mob artistes will be spreading their wintry wonder.

CALL FOR ARTISTS AND POETS FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: This March, aka - Women’s History Month - the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum will present a special series of events tentatively titled Women and the Search for Wisdom. An art exhibit will present mythological figures of wisdom representing numerous traditions, alongside historical female figures, from Hildegard von Bingen and Sister Juana de la Cruz to Mary Magdalene, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Joan of Arc. Organizer Kayleen Asbo, who proposed the exhibit, is calling for local artists to create art pieces depicting and celebrating favorite heroines, real or imagined. Submissions will be accepted through January 15, and the exhibit will be installed the last week in February. In regards to the poetry, a reading titled Re-Imagining Eve/Redeeming Mary Magdalene will take place on March 25. Poets are invited to submit poems focusing on those iconic figures. Contact Kayleen Asbo at mythicamuse@gmail.com.

(Have a suggestion for a BUZZ item? Write David at david.templeton@arguscourier.com)