Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square is one of those rare marvels of urban redevelopment in which an abandoned site of a past age (i.e., a former depot for the Northwest Pacific Railroad) can reemerge as a unique and vibrant cultural space. Rather than gather rust when the trains stopped coming, the square has sprouted numerous restaurants, coffee shops, galleries and performance spaces. To celebrate, we’ve got the Taste of Railroad Square, a weekend festival of gourmet food and winetasting offered by area restaurants and businesses with performances by eclectic accordionist Amber Lee and the Anomalies, professional magician Frank Balzerak and the Dixie-ragtime ensemble TRAD JASS. All proceeds go to maintaining the cultural bastion of the square, the Sixth Street Playhouse. Lick the brick on Saturday, Aug. 22, between Fourth and Wilson streets, Santa Rosa. Noon–4pm. $40.Daniel Hirsch
.Aug. 22: Taste of Railroad Square in Santa Rosa
