Now that the North Bay is adding wildfires to it’s 2020 roulette wheel, going outside is not recommended for health reasons even beyond the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which was already forcing social distancing to become the norm.

Instead of getting out this weekend, try these online events; featuring music, food and poetry offerings streaming on Saturday and Sunday, August 22 and 23.

Virtual Music Festival
For three decades, the town of Cotati has been synonymous with the accordion, thanks to the internationally-known Cotati Accordion Festival that takes place each summer in the town’s Plaza Park. This year’s 30th annual event is not happening in the park for health and safety reasons, though the organizers are pivoting to an online format to present the Cotati Accordion Virtual Festival. The two-day online fest will be free to view, and the lineup includes internationally acclaimed virtuoso musicians such as Cory Pesaturo, Alex Meixner, Pietro Adragna and Gary Blair; all of whom will be performing live alongside streaming chats, interviews, raffles and more on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 22 and 23, from 11am to 3pm each day. Free, donations accepted. Get the full lineup at cotatifest.com.

Virtual Food & Wine Pairing
People constantly ask Chef Gerard Nebesky, of Gerard’s Paella, how he makes his authentic Mediterranean-inspired dishes. Now, the popular chef and winner of Food Network’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay demonstrates his cooking for curious culinary minds in “A Taste of Spain: Pinot and Paella Virtual Event.” Join Chef Nebesky virtually as he cooks up several delectable offerings at Napa Valley’s Frank Family Vineyard, with wine pairings that bring out the Spanish flavors. The virtual event takes place Saturday, Aug. 22, at 2pm. Register for the event, find recipes and purchase wine to pair at frankfamilyvineyards.com.

Virtual Fundraiser
Nonprofit organization Food For Thought feeds nearly a thousand people living with HIV, Covid-19 and other serious illnesses in Sonoma County. To do so, the organization depends on community fundraising, though this year’s signature benefit, Our Long Table, was canceled due to the pandemic. In place of the live event, Food For Thought moves to the web for Our Virtual Table, a livestream event featuring music performances, a keynote speaker and a chance to participate in an online auction that is open for bidding now. Our Virtual Table comes together on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 7:30pm. Register online at fftfoodbank.org.

Virtual Auction
The dedicated team at the Bolinas Museum collects, preserves and displays the art and history of coastal Marin with exhibitions and events that provide cultural enrichment and inspiration for locals and visitors alike. Each summer, the Bolinas Museum hosts a benefit art auction and party to raise funds for their thought-provoking programs and inspiring shows. This summer’s party is going virtual, and the Bolinas Museum’s Art Auction opens online this weekend, featuring works by dozens of artists and experience packages from local restaurants, wineries and more. The online bidding opens on Saturday, Aug. 22, and remains open online until the museum’s virtual live auction on September 12. Register for free at bolinasmuseum.org.

Virtual Reading
For more than 30 years, the Marin Poetry Center has brought the craft of writing and poetry to the Bay Area with a regular schedule of readings and workshops, and big gatherings like the popular Summer Traveling Show, in which poets perform at venues throughout Marin. This summer, the traveling show could not commence as usual due to sheltering orders, though the Marin Poetry Center used YouTube to broadcast the 2020 Virtual Summer Traveling Show. The virtual series includes eight videos online now, and the show concludes with its final video presented on Sunday, Aug. 23, at marinpoetrycenter.org.

The year is 1995. Space shuttle Atlantis docks with the Russian Mir space station; Steve Fossett becomes the first person to cross the Pacific Ocean solo in a hot air balloon; millions watch the O.J. Simpson trial; the San Francisco 49ers win their fifth Super Bowl; and third and fourth generation Sonoma County locals, the Norgrove family, establish the Bear Republic Brewing Company.

Twenty-five years later, Bear Republic Brewing Company has become one of the most awarded and beloved independent brewers in the North Bay and across the U.S., best known for their hand-crafted, time-tested beers like the Racer 5 IPA.

In addition to their main brewing facility in Cloverdale, Bear Republic showcases their brews at their Lakeside Brewpub, located at Roberts Lake in Rohnert Park. Visitors to the brewpub enjoy the company’s wide selection of beers, specialty cocktails, pizza, burgers and more.

This summer, in the wake of Covid-19, the Bear Republic Lakeside Brewpub reopened its massive outdoor seating area on the lake for safe and socially-distant dining, and the brewpub now also offers curbside pickup and beer to-go, as well as a home-delivery option.

Now, in commemoration of Bear Republic’s 25-year anniversary, the company is turning the clock back for an anniversary event featuring a ’90s throwback menu on Friday, Aug. 21.

Old-school fans of the brewery will happily welcome back menu items from yesteryear including the Rocket Burger, featuring fire-roasted mild green chili and cilantro aioli, and The Press grilled chicken sandwich with brie, bacon and caramelized onions.

The special menu also features throwback prices on menu items such as the BRBC Wings and garlic fries, as well as Racer 5 IPAs. The ’90s menu is available on Aug. 21 until supplies last. The Lakeside Brewpub is open for outdoor dining, socially-distant indoor dining and to-go service daily from 11:30am to 9pm. Visitors are asked to wear a mask or facial covering and respect social distancing recommendations to help curb the spread of Covid-19.

For those who can’t make it to the 25th anniversary throwback event on Aug. 21, Bear Republic Brewing Company offers an easy way to find BRBC beers closer to home with its online “Bear Tracker,” which lets users search by Zip Code to find bottles and cans at a store near them.

In addition to classic beers like the Racer 5 and the Hop Shovel IPAs, Bear Republic is still creating new, tasty brews, such as the “Hoppy Pilsner” and “Bear Necessities.”

The latest addition to the company’s Brewmaster Series, the “Hoppy Pilsner,” blends clean malt flavor, classic Pilsner bitterness and hoppy aromas, and is described as a “decidedly West Coast take on the classic lager beer.”

The simple and straightforward “Bear Necessities” is an American-style ale brewed with cascade hops and pale barley. Bear Republic says the release “pays homage to the people who show up daily to keep us going.”

Bear Republic Brewing Company’s Lakeside Brewpub is located at 5000 Roberts Lake Rd., Rohnert Park. Open daily, 11:30am to 9pm. 707.585.2722. BearRepublic.com.

Founded in 1988 in a one-room office, the Sebastopol Center for the Arts has grown into a multi-disciplinary organization supporting all manner of arts in Sonoma County. Now located on South High Street, the center boasts a spacious venue that exhibits visual arts and various creative events such as the springtime Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival and the autumnal Sonoma County Art Trails self-guided art studio tours.

In 2020, the Sebastopol Center for the Arts saw most of its available programming erased by the Covid-19 pandemic that has kept social gatherings and events on hold. Determined to continue enriching the North Bay through arts, the SCA is transitioning to several new online and socially-distant endeavors for the fall season.

First up, SCA is offering the community a chance to engage with local artists and creatives in a series of fall classes that launch Aug. 24. The program includes lessons for kids, adults and families, with visual arts classes such as watercolor and pastels; dance classes covering salsa and the Cha-cha; and performance arts classes encompassing singing, ukulele, storytelling and more.

These classes are accessible to beginners or intermediate artists or musicians, and the roster of instructors features community members including “Mr. Music” Jim Corbett, theater and dance artist Starr Hergenrather, local storyteller Georgia Churchill, Berkeley Playhouse founder and artistic director Elizabeth McKoy, Emmy-nominated writer and National Public Radio storyteller Doug Cordell, and others.

Most classes take place over Zoom, though some classes, such as the Introduction to Hula Hooping or Ballroom Dancing Class with Katherine DuVal, will be held outdoors at SCA, following advised safety protocols to allow for outdoor social distancing. Some online classes and gatherings only ask for $10-$15 suggested donations. Other six-week sessions range from $60 to $240. Classes are limited, so early registration is recommended.

In September, the online offerings continue as the Sebastopol Center for the Arts produces the SebArts Virtual Open Studios, which takes the place of SCA’s now-canceled open studios programs Art at the Source and Sonoma County Art Trails.

The SebArts Virtual Open Studios launched a new website in mid-July, featuring more than 140 artist profiles accompanied by visual content. Throughout September, visitors will be able to interact with the artists in a slew of virtual events and live-streaming studio tours. A full schedule of upcoming events will be posted soon.

On its website, SCA writes, “This program was designed for maximum flexibility; artists can adapt to evolving circumstances and still provide a rich experience for both visitors and the online public. During the month of September, the site will also feature an online gallery with works for sale by all of the artists. Participating artists will be available virtually, with the potential for by-appointment or drop-in studio visits in person if public health guidance allows. Safety first, beauty next—we all need art to uplift and support us while we shelter through uncertainty. Support your local artists and bring art into your home!”

In October, the Sebastopol Center for the Arts will present its latest virtual art exhibit, “Who Are You?”, which invites artists to explore identity. Juried by Sebastopol artist Barbara Stout, the exhibit will digitally display works that tackle ethnicity, gender, political or religious affiliation and other cultural touchstones that are increasingly changing in the modern era. “Who Are You?” opens online Oct. 10 and will remain online through November.

Sebarts.org / Sebartsvirtual.org

The California Film Institute brings compelling true-life films to the North Bay each spring in the popular Doclands Documentary Film Festival; though this year’s festival was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

One of the most highly anticipated elements of the annual DocLands festival is the fundraising DocPitch; a forum to support filmmakers with documentaries in production through financial rewards based voting by the public and industry professionals.

This fall, the California Film Institute works to incorporate the DocLands festival in their annual Mill Valley Film Festival, still scheduled to take place in October. Before that happens, CFI hosts DocPitch online this month, beginning with a live stream pitch meeting featuring several filmmakers on Thursday, Aug 13, at 7pm.

For DocPitch, eight filmmaking teams with feature documentary projects currently in early-to-late stages of completion will pitch their ideas, offering details in a pre-recorded video and showing a trailer of the work-in-progress.

After watching the eight documentary pitches, the public is invited to place their vote to help decide which project will receive the $25,000 Audience Choice Award. The jury of industry professionals, including Academy and Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Lee Mock and Grammy Award-winning musician and documentary film producer Speech Thomas, will award filmmaking grants totaling $100,000.

Each year, the DocPitch selection committee in charge of choosing the eight participating films looks for projects that showcase diversity of subject or theme as well as storyteller. They also seek out stories that are surprising or awe inspiring in their narrative as well as cinematic in their approach.

This year’s DocPitch films include 500 Days in the Wild, a feature documentary by Dianne Whelan about her solo journey on the world’s longest trail; American ESPionage, which traces the true story of the United States’ top-secret psychic espionage program as told through the story of Major Paul Smith; Black & Gold, which tells the previously untold stories of African-American gymnasts who must battle racism in the pursuit of Olympic gold, and My Name Is Andrea, covering the life of feminist outlaw and maverick thinker Andrea Dworkin.

Other in–the-work documentaries competing for DocPitch awards are focusing their lens on varied topics of interest such as the darker side of Silicon Valley, the work to disrupt America’s cycle of police violence and a Chilean community fighting to survive as a mining operation drains their water supply.

All DocPitch awards will be announced during a virtual conversation with the filmmakers on Friday, August 21, at 7pm. Participation in these events is free, but registration is required.

The 43rd annual Mill Valley Film Festival is scheduled to take place October 8 through 18. The festival, which holds a reputation for launching new films and creating awards season buzz, is keeping tight-lipped about it’s 2020 schedule for now, though CFI has suspended all public programs light of the circumstances related to Covid-19. The institute will resume regular screenings at its Smith Rafael Film Center when the current directives issued by state and county officials are lifted.

Cafilm.org