Roger Rhoten, who has devoted much of his adult life to the preservation and enhancement of the historic Sebastiani Theatre, has also spent one special day each year, for the last four decades (?), riding a classic Penny Farthing in the Fourth of July parade. The Penny Farthing – named for the juxtaposition of a large and small wheel, not unlike the very large British Penny, and the much smaller farthing, worth a quarter of a penny. Once the world’s most popular bicycle, with a five-foot-high front wheel, a seat attached even higher on a long curved frame, and a small rear wheel, the Penny Farthing was a challenge to ride, even for young cyclists, and Roger is now an octogenarian.
So there was speculation that this year’s Fourth of July parade might be Roger’s last on the big wheeler. But he navigated the parade route successfully and the answer to that question will have to wait another year.
Meanwhile, fair weather, an abundance of floats and a large crowd of young and old crowded the Sonoma Plaza July 4 to continue a tradition that has grown into a Bay Area favorite parade…