Barbie mania is so pervasive that if one googles “Barbie” right now, the web page turns pink and sparkles with animated magenta stars.
Barbie has been a ubiquitous toy for decades, reigning as “supreme doll” before, during and after my childhood. So when I heard the new Greta Gerwig movie was Barbie, I was intrigued.
Gerwig’s previous films, Ladybird and Little Women, are poetic depictions of a mainstream story—women coming of age in a world hostile to them. They seem the perfect segue into Barbie, another reimagined feminine classic.
While one might expect shallow and beautiful, the Barbie movie owns it all—the good, the bad and the ugly—with a timely and compassionate message for women and men alike.
For the record, I didn’t see it with Oppenheimer, a phenomenon called “Barbenheimer,” where moviegoers watch the films as a double feature, ostensibly because they were released on the same day. For those participating in this five-hour film extravaganza, see Barbie last.
Directed by Gerwig, the live-action film Barbie was co-written by her and partner Noah Baumbach, and stars Margo Robbie and Ryan Gosling. It pokes fun at Mattel, even briefly featuring the character of Ruth Handler, first president of Mattel, who invented the iconic doll in 1959.
The story begins with “Stereotypical Barbie” living her best life in her dreamhouse, in an idyllic matriarchal world where the Barbies are in charge and the Kens play on the beach.
When Barbie suddenly has heretofore-unknown dark thoughts, she seeks the counsel of “Weird Barbie”—a Barbie who was played with “too hard” and as a result sports a choppy haircut, pen marks on her face and is always in the splits. Weird Barbie advises her to leave Barbie Land and travel to the “real world” to discover what’s wrong.
It’s a heroine’s journey into the dark-pink night of the soul, with dramatic consequences for not only Barbie, but for those in the real world and Barbie Land alike.
Part of the joy of the film is how visually over-the-top it is. The filmmakers spare no production-design expense, recreating all the accessories we remember, from the plastic furniture in the open-air dreamhouses to decals representing food on the fridge door.
Like Barbie herself these days, the film is more sophisticated than one might expect, and Gerwig uses all the satirical devices and comedy to deliver a drama with heart that is as aspirational for our world as its namesake doll is for kids.
Barbie was always considered an “aspirational” doll. Unlike baby dolls, Barbie represented what girls were to become personally; and what that is has changed considerably since 1959.
She’s come a long way, baby, to quote the old Virginia Slims cigarette ads from the ’80s, themselves conflicted times for feminism. For years, Barbies were only thin and white, with either platinum blonde or brunette hair. It wasn’t until the ’80s that Mattel made Black, Latina, and Asian Barbies. A Black doll in the Barbie world was first sold in 1968, almost a decade after Barbie was invented. But she wasn’t a Barbie, she was instead Barbie’s Black friend, Christie.
And more than just Barbie’s looks have changed. Moving on from her first words: “I love shopping,” and “Math class is tough,” her voice has evolved to the more inspiring “Find the beauty in everything you do,” and “What makes you different makes you special.”
Since the ’50s, Barbie has potentially become the most diverse doll line, and the doll in the film, and the film’s storyline, reflect those changes, too.
She’s come a long way; just don’t call her “baby.”
PQ
While one might expect shallow and beautiful, the Barbie movie owns it all—the good, the bad and the ugly—with a timely and compassionate message for women and men alike.
For the second show of its 2023 season, Transcendence Theatre Company had decided to do a strip-down affair—literally—with their production of the Broadway hit The Full Monty. Based on the 1997 Academy Award-nominated sleeper hit by the same name, The Full Monty finds a father who needs to raise some quick cash to maintain custody of his son hatching a plan to become strippers with an unlikely group of lovable misfits. As in the film, comic hijinks ensue, but now with singing and dancing. Directed by Josh Walden, with music direction by Matt Smart, the show opens this Friday, July 28, and runs through Aug. 20 at Beltane Ranch, 11775 Sonoma Hwy., Glen Ellen. Tickets start at $35, with group discounts available. For tickets and more information, visit BestNightEver.org.
Mill Valley
Boom Tunes
With Oppenheimer opening last week, the world has entered a new Atomic Age—in the arts. Celebrate with New York City-based Subatomic Sound System, featuring Jamaican MC and vocalist Screechy Dan performing at the Sweetwater Music Hall on Friday, Aug. 4. The set highlights the band’s collaborations with the late, great Lee “Scratch” Perry, known for his work with Bob Marley & the Wailers, as well as performances of tracks with Screechy Dan, including “Champion Sound” and “Babylon Soon Fall.” Leveraging cutting-edge technology, the band has innovated a performance style that defies the traditional boundaries between DJing and live-band performances. The all-ages show starts at 8pm at Sweetwater Music Hall, 19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley. Tickets are $23 and available in advance at bit.ly/subatomic-MV.
Rio Nido
Hello, Cello
Beloved North Bay-based band Dirty Cello, led by Rebecca Roudman on the band’s namesake instrument, has performed everywhere from Iceland and Israel to China and much of the U.S., not to mention the occasional castle in Scotland. See them locally this Friday when the band plays the Rio Nido Roadhouse, infusing their cello-driven music with rock idioms reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King and Bill Monroe. Oakland Magazine characterized the band’s music as “funky, carnival, romantic, sexy, tangled, electric, fiercely rhythmic, textured, and only occasionally classical.” Dirty Cello performs at 7pm Friday, July 28, at the Rio Nido Roadhouse, 14540 Canyon 2 Rd. Tickets are $10, cash only, at the door.
Cotati
Sound of the System
Breakdown, A New Musical—a comedy that explores societal insanity and mental illness, courtesy of the lauded San Francisco Mime Troupe—follows Yume, a homeless woman living “in a city that seems to have more paperwork than compassion,” with help “always just around the Kafkaesque labyrinthine corner,” as the show’s PR sardonically reminds. The troupe offers two North Bay performances: 7pm Thursday, July 27, in the Backlawn of the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto; and 2pm Saturday, Aug. 12, at La Plaza Park, 5 W. Sierra Ave., Cotati. Both shows are free and open to the public. For more information, visit sfmt.org/show-archive/breakdown.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You are about to read a thunderbolt of sublime prophecies. It’s guaranteed to nurture the genius in your soul’s underground cave. Are you ready? 1. Your higher self will prod you to compose a bold prayer in which you ask for stuff you thought you weren’t supposed to ask for. 2. Your higher self will know what to do to enhance your love life by at least 20%, possibly more. 3. Your higher self will give you extra access to creativity and imaginative powers, enabling you to make two practical improvements in your life.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In 1991, John Kilcullen began publishing books with “for Dummies” in the title: for example, Sex for Dummies, Time Management for Dummies, Personal Finance for Dummies, and my favorite, Stress Management for Dummies. There are now over 300 books in this series. They aren’t truly for stupid people, of course. They’re designed to be robust introductions to interesting and useful subjects. I invite you to emulate Kilcullen’s mindset, Taurus. Be innocent, curious and eager to learn. Adopt a beginner’s mind that’s receptive to being educated and influenced. (If you want to know more, go here: tinyurl.com/TruthForDummies.)
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “I could be converted to a religion of grass,” says Indigenous author Louise Erdrich in her book, Heart of the Land. “Sink deep roots. Conserve water. Respect and nourish your neighbors. Such are the tenets. As for practice—grow lush in order to be devoured or caressed, stiffen in sweet elegance, invent startling seeds. Connect underground. Provide. Provide. Be lovely and do no harm.” I advocate a similar approach to life for you Geminis in the coming weeks. Be earthy, sensual and lush. (P.S.: Erdrich is a Gemini.)
CANCER (June 21-July 22): I hereby appoint myself as your temporary social director. My first action is to let you know that from an astrological perspective, the next nine months will be an excellent time to expand and deepen your network of connections and your web of allies. I invite you to cultivate a vigorous grapevine that keeps you up-to-date about the latest trends affecting your work and play. Refine your gossip skills. Be friendlier than you’ve ever been. Are you the best ally and collaborator you could possibly be? If not, make that one of your assignments.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): There are two kinds of holidays: those created by humans and those arising from the relationship between the sun and earth. In the former category are various independence days: July 4 in the U.S., July 1 in Canada, July 14 in France and June 2 in Italy. Japan observes Foundation Day on Feb. 11. Among the second kind of holiday is Lammas on Aug. 1, a pagan festival that in the Northern Hemisphere marks the halfway point between the summer solstice and autumn equinox. In pre-industrial cultures, Lammas celebrated the grain harvest and featured outpourings of gratitude for the crops that provide essential food. Modern revelers give thanks for not only the grain, but all the nourishing bounties provided by the sun’s and earth’s collaborations. I believe you Leos are smart to make Lammas one of your main holidays. What’s ready to be harvested in your world. What are your prime sources of gratitude?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): For many of us, a disposal company regularly comes to our homes to haul away the garbage we have generated. Wouldn’t it be great if there were also a reliable service that purged our minds and hearts of the psychic gunk that naturally accumulates? Psychotherapists provide this blessing for some of us, and I know people who derive similar benefits from spiritual rituals. Getting drunk or intoxicated may work, too, although those states often generate their own dreck. With these thoughts in mind, Virgo, meditate on how you might cleanse your soul with a steady, ennobling practice. Now is an excellent time to establish or deepen this tradition.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I’m wondering if there is a beloved person to whom you could say these words by Rumi: “You are the sky my spirit circles in, the love inside love, the resurrection-place.” If you have no such an ally, Libra, the coming months will be a favorable time to attract them into your life. If there is such a companion, I hope you will share Rumi’s lyrics with them, then go further. Say the words Leonard Cohen spoke: “When I’m with you, I want to be the kind of hero I wanted to be when I was seven years old.”
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Your theme for the coming weeks is “pleasurable gooseflesh.” I expect and hope you’ll experience it in abundance. You need it and deserve it! Editor Corrie Evanoff describes “pleasurable gooseflesh” as “the primal response we experience when something suddenly violates our expectations in a good way.” It can also be called “frisson”—a French word meaning “a sudden feeling or sensation of excitement, emotion or thrill.” One way this joy may occur is when we listen to a playlist of songs sequenced in unpredictable ways—say Mozart followed by Johnny Cash, then Edith Piaf, Led Zeppelin, Blondie, Queen, Luciano Pavarotti and Yellow Magic Orchestra. Here’s your homework: Imagine three ways you can stimulate pleasurable gooseflesh and frisson, then go out and make them happen.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Fire rests by changing,” wrote ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus. In accordance with astrological omens, I ask you to meditate on that riddle. Here are some preliminary thoughts: The flames rising from a burning substance are always moving, always active, never the same shape. Yet they comprise the same fire. As long as they keep shifting and dancing, they are alive and vital. If they stop changing, they die out and disappear. The fire needs to keep changing to thrive! Dear Sagittarius, here’s your assignment: Be like the fire; rest by changing.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): There’s ample scientific evidence that smelling cucumbers can diminish feelings of claustrophobia. For example, some people become anxious when they are crammed inside a narrow metal tube to get an MRI. But numerous imaging facilities have reduced that discomfort with the help of cucumber oil applied to cotton pads and brought into proximity to patients’ noses. I would love it if there were also natural ways to help you break free of any and all claustrophobic situations, Capricorn. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to hone and practice the arts of liberation.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone,” said Aquarian author Gertrude B. Stein. She was often quirky and even downright weird. But as you can see, she also had a heartful attitude about her alliances. Stein delivered another pithy quote that revealed her tender approach to relationships. She said that love requires a skillful audacity about sharing one’s inner world. I hope you will put these two gems of advice at the center of your attention, Aquarius. You are ready for a strong, sustained dose of deeply expressive interpersonal action.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): According to the International Center for Academic Integrity, 95% of high school students acknowledge they have participated in academic cheating. We can conclude that just one of 20 students has never cheated—a percentage that probably matches how many non-cheaters there are in every area of life. I mention this because I believe it’s a favorable time to atone for any deceptions you have engaged in, whether in school or elsewhere. I’m not necessarily urging you to confess, but I encourage you to make amends and corrections to the extent you can. Also: Have a long talk with yourself about what you can learn from your past cons and swindles.
After a sometimes-tumultuous tenure, Santa Rosa’s KBBF, the country’s first bilingual public radio station, is celebrating 50 years on the air.
“KBBF is a trusted and vital community institution. It is the only Northern California station that provides local news, public affairs, and emergency information in the region in Spanish and English as well as in several indigenous American languages,” Alicia Sanchez, president of the board of directors of the Bilingual Broadcasting Foundation, the station’s nonprofit backer, wrote in a newsletter earlier this month.
The founders of the station included local college students and community leaders, all caught up with the political energy of the moment. The project was initially funded by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Foundation.
When the signal first went live on May 31, 1973, volunteers hopped in their cars, tuned in to KBBF and drove off in various directions.
“It turned out that the signal reached, at that time, 18 counties,” Sanchez said in an interview.
For a few years, between the mid 2000s into the early 2010s, the station was subject to public scrutiny, with in-fighting and controversy about its use of funds, according to press coverage from the time.
However, KBBF managed to weather the storm. While the station still operates on a shoestring budget and relies heavily on volunteer labor, it continues to make a meaningful contribution to the community, especially during times of crisis.
“For us, there have been significant events that make it all worth it … One of them was during the killing of [13-year-old] Andy Lopez [by a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy]. Because we [as a nonprofit] cannot advocate, what we did is we opened our airwaves for people to grieve the loss of a child,” Sanchez said. “What was so interesting was to hear the people calling in and talking about the grief and sending prayers to the family and all that, but also the grief they had gone through personally.”
The station also proved a vital resource for Spanish speakers during the October 2017 wildfires, when Sonoma County was revealed to have lacking translation services. Since then, they have offered important coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
KBBF’s anniversary celebrations kicked off on Sunday, July 23, with a public party at Santa Rosa’s Bayer Park. On Aug. 3, the station will hold a private, ticketed fundraiser dinner at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. Seats at the event will cost $150 and up, with proceeds going to pay for various costs.
“To be sustainable, we need your support for backup broadcasting equipment and to expand our operations, which is crucial for us to stay viable and broadcast to our listeners, who depend on us for invaluable life-saving emergency information,” Sanchez wrote in a recent fundraising pitch.
‘Peanuts’ and Zamboni go together like Michael Jordan and Nike.
Four years before the basketball star first signed the deal which resulted in the Air Jordan, cartoonist Charles Schulz and Frank Zamboni struck up a correspondence after the ‘Peanuts’ author first mentioned a Zamboni ice resurfacing machine in a comic strip.
Hang around with ice rink workers long enough and you’re likely to catch them paraphrasing one of Frank Zamboni’s best-known lines: “The principal product you to sell is the ice itself.”
Although Frank died in 1988, Zamboni’s eponymous company is still family-run and still produces some of the best-known ice grooming machines in the world.
This April, Snoopy’s Home Ice partnered with Sonoma Clean Power to buy a brand new electric Zamboni. The effort came as part of the rink’s ongoing efforts to refurbish the rink, with an eye towards energy efficiency and improving ice quality.
The snow the Zamboni scrapes off the ice gets dumped into a vat where it is melted, cleaned and ultimately recycled back onto the ice sheet.
“Everyone who works here is happy that the air we breathe has no emissions from the new Zamboni,” Tamara Stanley, the rink’s general manager said.
The old machine, which the rink used for approximately 20 years, was propane-fueled. While air quality levels were safe for skating, the old machine required AQI tests after each pass on the rink.
“Like any gas-powered vehicle, you had to worry about emissions and sometimes it required maintenance,” shift manager and Zamboni driver Dave Rosefield said.
Rosefield is one of many employees at Snoopy’s who grew up playing hockey or figure skating at the Santa Rosa rink.
“Growing up at the ice arena, it’s pretty natural for hockey players to be excited about driving the Zamboni,” Rosefield said.
Dave Rosefield stands in front of Snoopy’s Home Ice’s new Zamboni.
Rosefield’s enthusiasm for the machine is echoed by America’s favorite beagle himself in more than a dozen of Schulz’ comics strips. Schulz’ relationship to the Zamboni family and their machines is chronicled inside the Warm Puppy Café.
Just like cars and tractors, modern-day Zambonis come loaded with technology. Snoopy’s new Zam is decked out with the Zamboni Connect System, an electronic monitoring system, and FastICE, the ice-making system attached to the machine’s rear, which Rosefield likened to a high-powered version of a produce mister in a grocery store.
Player’s praised the ice quality at this year’s senior hockey tournament, which is harder and, thus, allows for faster skating than it used to. Skaters can thank the new Zam and the 2019 rink resurfacing when Snoopy’s replaced sand under the ice sheet with a concrete slab for the different feel under their blades.
Read about this year’s Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey Tournament here.
Sonoma County’s beloved annual Gravenstein Apple Fair will be celebrating its Golden Anniversary on August 12 & 13 at Ragle Ranch Regional Park in Sebastopol, CA. This year’s 50th celebration is expected to draw 15,000 adults and children throughout the weekend. The Fair is an annual fundraising event produced by the local non-profit Sonoma County Farm Trails. All event proceeds support the goal of keeping farms forever in Sonoma County. Advanced tickets are available online and additional Fair information is available at GravensteinAppleFair.com.
Since 1973, Farm Trails and its signature event, the Gravenstein Apple Fair, have celebrated and helped preserve local farms in Sonoma County. Long known as the “sweetest little fair in Sonoma County,” the event was also named the “Best Festival in Sonoma County” for 2023 by the readers of Bohemian—the North Bay’s local source for quality news and arts coverage.
Photo by Mary Haffner, 2022 Delicious and popular Farm Trails Fritters made with organic ingredients and love.
The Fair is a down-home celebration of farm life that honors the history of the Gravenstein apple and farming in the region. Guests can experience farm life through hands-on demonstrations, savor foods made by local chefs using local ingredients, sip locally made beverages, and taste all things Gravenstein, while enjoying live music from the two main stages.
“We’re excited to throw the biggest party in our 50-year history,” said Farm Trails Executive Director and Gravenstein Apple Fair Producer, Carmen Snyder. “This year we’re honoring the foresight of our founding farmers and their vision to preserve agriculture in Sonoma County. We’re also delighted to showcase the next generation of inspiring farmers and ranchers who are meeting the moment and cultivating a more resilient food system through regenerative agricultural practices.”
Photo by Kelsey Joy, 2022 This little piggy went to the fair!
Some of the 2023 highlights include:
50-Year Celebration: Celebrate Farms Forever since 1973! This year’s Golden Anniversary will honor legacy farmers, today’s producers, and farm workers.
Sonoma County Favorites: Many of Sonoma County’s celebrity vintners and chefs will be part of this year’s Fair Experience. Taste award-winning wines from Dutton-Goldfield, Kistler and Merry Edwards (to name just a few) or gold-medal awarded lager from Seismic (Great American Beer Festival, 2021 and World Beer Cup, 2022) or the best selection of local craft ciders in the region, including multi-year Slow Food “Snail of Approval” award-winning apple cider from Tilted Shed. Be sure to try amazing pork products from Good Food and James Beard award-winner Black Piglet.
Live Music: Appreciate a diverse selection of 15 Bay Area bands including Poor Man’s Whiskey, Rainbow Girls, The Sam Chase and the Untraditional, SambaDá, and Royal Jelly Jive.
Apple Alley: Find all the Fair’s wonderful Gravenstein products together in one “neighborhood” near the entrance.
VIP Experience: Enjoy the best the Fair has to offer with the elevated VIP Experience—relax in luxury lounge tents with complimentary food and libations; mix and mingle with producers in the Artisan Tasting Alley; and take advantage of premium views of the North Coast Organic Apple Stage—all for one great price! This experience sold out in 2022.
Food & Libations: Delight in locally produced gourmet foods, cider, wine and microbrews prepared by award-winning chefs and premium Sonoma County producers.
Children’s Activities: Meet farm animals, participate in contests and ag activities, create art projects, chase giant bubbles and marvel at the wandering entertainers.
Continued Commitment to Greening Initiatives: Focus on all the fun with a lot less waste. This year’s event will build on the Fair’s 2022 “Green Resolution” award from Zero Waste Sonoma for leadership in waste management (only 3 cubic yards of landfill generated by over 14,000 people!).
Shade: Beat the August heat with the addition of shade structures where guests can cool off while touring the Fair. Bring a water bottle to fill up at Hydrologic’s multiple filtered water stations.
Contests: The pie baking contest is back! Submit your home-baked apple pie Saturday morning (see details here at Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce) to be judged by local celebrities (Chef Preeti Mistry, Chef Leah Scurto, Master Culinary Gardener Tucker Taylor, Chef Liza Hinman, and James Beard Award-Winning Consultant and Radio Personality Clark Wolf). Participate in the inaugural costume contest Saturday afternoon: come dressed in your sparkly best … the theme is Golden Apples / Golden Anniversary! Sign up early in the Info Booth for the popular apple-themed contests for kids and adults (juggling, pie eating, caramel apple eating). Ag Games will be running all day, both days.
Photo by Kelsey Joy, 2022 Kaitlin Gemma plays for a cheering crowd.
Thank you to Our Sponsors!
The Fair wouldn’t be possible without the support of our generous sponsors, including: Dutton Ranch, Richard Kunde and Saralee McClelland Kunde Endowment Fund, Northern California Public Media, Sonoma County Tourism, Exchange Bank, North Coast Organic, Shelter Co., American Ag Credit, Harmony Farm Supply and Nursery, Sonoma County Farm Bureau, Oliver’s Market, Golden State Cider and Seismic Brewing Co.
About Sonoma County Farm Trails
With its mission to help ensure the continuing economic viability of Sonoma County agriculture, Farm Trails was established in 1973 by local Sonoma County farmers to create community among food producers and establish a stronger connection between farmers and the public. Farm Trails continues to serve as a local resource, publishing Sonoma County’s premier agricultural Map & Guide and producing seasonal tours. Their primary annual fundraiser is the Gravenstein Apple Fair, celebrating the heirloom apple and Sonoma County’s rural traditions. Farm Trails is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization. Its sister organization, Farm Trails Foundation, is a 501(c)3 non-profit that funds scholarships for ag students and young farmers. For more information, visit www.farmtrails.org.
For 10 days this month, the parking lot of Snoopy’s Home Ice became a reunion spot for families and long-lost friends from around the country.
Dropping by the cooling asphalt any night of the week during the Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey Tournament, one would find a group of people gathered around the rear end of a car loaded with drinks and snacks, or sitting in camping chairs next to a group of recreational vehicles.
Sipping beers or eating snacks, players were discussing their latest matches; reconnecting with teammates, family members and past rivals; or planning a visit to a local winery or golf course the next day.
Brian Macdonald, a 79-year-old hockey player who has come to the tournament for 40 years, called the post-game tailgate celebration an integral part of the tournament.
In comparison to professional hockey—fast-paced (players’ skating speeds top 20 miles per hour, and shots on goal sometimes reach over 100 miles per hour) and brutal (despite penalties, fist fights are still a part of National Hockey League games)—the Snoopy’s tournament is a mild affair.
At the tournament, body contact is discouraged and players are not allowed to make slapshots, a high-speed shot on goal in which the puck lifts off the ice.
Two Santa Rosa teams face off—Flying Olafs v. Puck Hogs. Out-of-towners traveling to compete often have few fans in the audience, but some of the local teams have loyal spectators. Photo by Chelsea Kurnick.
Snoopy’s Home Ice programming director Blake Johnson says, “The hockey you’ll see at the tournament is a very gentlemanly version of the game.”
Johnson says this style of play has been part of the tournament’s DNA since “Peanuts” comic strip creator Charles Schulz founded it in 1975. Until 2019, when Snoopy’s added hockey glass around the rink, these rules were necessary to protect players and audience alike.
While competitors are friendly off the ice, the “gentlemanly” hockey on display is still a high-adrenaline sport to watch, attracting more than 1,100 players from all over the U.S. and Canada. The players in the tournament range from age 40 to 90-something and from newcomers to retired NHL pros. Teams are split into divisions by age and self-attested skill level.
Macdonald’s team, the Nashville Blues, offers a good cross section of the tournament—anchored by a few players who have attended for decades, some with professional hockey backgrounds, but increasingly populated by a new, slowly-diversifying generation of players. The 79-year-old plays on the team with his son, Brian Jr., 58, and daughter Lynn, 55.
These days, the Macdonalds travel to Santa Rosa from Alabama, Los Angeles and New York, respectively. As a family, they’ve played at five or six Snoopy’s tournaments. They’re on a Nashville, Tennessee team because the senior Macdonald once lived and played in Nashville for 11 years, where he met teammate Danny Geoffrion, who has hockey in his blood.
Brian Macdonald, 79, plays on Nashville Blues with daughter Lynn and son Brian Jr., who captains the team. Lynn, 55, played hockey for a year when she was 10, then didn’t return to the sport until she was in her 30s. Photo by Chelsea Kurnick.
Now 65, Geoffrion, who played professionally from 1978-1983, is a member of the first four-generation NHL family ever. His grandfather, Howie Morenz, a star from the early 20th century, was reportedly nicknamed the “Mitchell Meteor.” His father, Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion, is credited with inventing the slapshot. His son, Blake Geoffrion, played on the Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens. Today, Danny Geoffrion organizes tournaments around the country.
Asked about the appeal of the tournament, players were effusive about the uniqueness of the rink and the tight bonds they form with fellow players and lovers of the sport.
“I go to about eight tournaments a year, and this is the best,” said Brian Macdonald Sr. before taking the ice on Friday night, facing off against a team from Portland, Oregon.
Part of the appeal is the non-violent culture: “When Schultz was alive and he ran it, if you did anything other than play hockey out on that ice, you never came back… Yeah, some guys go back and forth verbally, but by and large, everybody out there respects everybody. They have a real good handle on what should be done when you’re on the ice,” Macdonald said.
Former NHL pro Danny Geoffrion tells a story about moving from Montreal to New York City as a kid and learning English from classmates who “set dumpsters on fire” and other mischief. Tailgating in the parking lot is a big part of ice hockey culture at Snoopy’s and beyond. Photo by Chelsea Kurnick.
Growing Diversity
While the love and camaraderie at the Snoopy’s tournament is evident, so too is the sport’s homogeneity; the vast majority of players at Snoopy’s Senior Tournament are white men.
Asked about this lack of diversity, players offered a few possible explanations. In places like the Bay Area where ice is not naturally occurring, players need to have had some exposure to hockey and make a considerable effort to seek the sport out.
Adult matches are often held late at night, equipment is costly and clunky, and, according to Brian Cronin, a 53-year-old player from San Francisco, ice rental fees for a single game can run $40 per player at Bay Area rinks. At one game per week, that’s $2,080 in local ice fees alone each year.
There’s also the initial exposure factor. Charles Schulz, for instance, was a Minnesota transplant who played on ice ponds as a child before moving to Sebastopol in 1958. Indeed, without Schulz’s quirky largess, Cronin said that it’s highly unlikely that Santa Rosa would have a rink at all. In 1969, when the rink opened, Sonoma County had a population of approximately 200,000. Along the West Coast, Snoopy’s Home Ice remains the only rink between San Francisco and Medford, Oregon, according to Johnson, the Snoopy’s programming director.
Jean Schulz prepares to welcome guests at the “Player BBQ” on Friday, July 14. Although Charles Schulz died in 2000, his wife Jean keeps the legacy of Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang alive as president of the Schulz Museum. Photo by Chelsea Kurnick.
Many now-local players at the tournament got their start as children growing up in a place with a stronger hockey culture, like the midwest, northeast or Canada. However, California teams have been a part of the NHL since the 1960s, and more locals flock to the sport each year. California-based players said the numbers are shifting, with younger players in the Golden State increasingly finding the sport at local rinks. Snoopy’s Ice Rink, for instance, hosts several teams for younger players.
Also growing is hockey’s popularity among women. The number of women players registered with USA Hockey has been climbing steadily for the past decade, growing from 65,700 in the 2012-13 season to 87,891 in the 2021-22 season, a 34% increase. While the total number is still a relatively small section of the 547,429 total players registered with USA Hockey in 2021-22, the upward trend is clear.
In the Snoopy’s league, where players are all above 40, tournament organizers said that only about a dozen of the approximately 1,100 players (just above 1%) at this year’s tournament were women.
While Snoopy’s would like to attract more women, the tournament’s co-ed structure has been an impediment because some women players prefer to only play against other women, instead of teams composed of mostly men.
“I’m thrilled to set up a women’s only division next year because every single year there’s somebody that reaches out to me and says, ‘Hey, I want to bring a team. Do you have a women’s division?’” Johnson said.
The women players who do compete at Snoopy’s are used to playing with men. Lynn Macdonald, for instance, is the only woman on the Nashville Blues and the only woman in her league back in New York.
“I play in an over-50 men’s league back in New York, and the guys are just so nice. They’re really supportive of [having a woman playing],” she said.
Jillian Rainville, 58, of Roseville, plays hockey a few times a week year-round. She also coaches a mens’ team. Photo by Chelsea Kurnick.
Leaving the locker room after the Blues’ Friday-night game, Lynn Macdonald briefly met Jillian Rainville, one of four women on the Wile E. Coyote team from the Sacramento area, which has a thriving women’s hockey scene.
At home in Roseville, Rainville is a team captain of Pandora, a women’s team founded in 2009 which is part of an eight-team women’s league. The team has also participated in the Women and Wine Tournament, a women-only competition in Vacaville.
Rainville, 58, hadn’t heard of Johnson’s plans to set up a women’s division at next year’s tournament, but was immediately supportive.
“I’d be very interested in coming if they do that,” she said. “We have a lot of networking amongst all the teams from Reno, Tahoe, Portland and the Bay Area. The Bay Area has a huge women’s contingent that plays regularly. It’s just a little harder for us to travel from Sacramento,” Rainville said.
Zita Macdonald and friends hold their breath as Brian Macdonald Jr. takes a shot at a goal. Zita met her husband Brian through his sister Lynn, who was her college roommate. Photo by Chelsea Kurnick.
Competitive Aging
If they’re fixated enough, some senior players manage to keep playing for decades. Without all of the bashing and brawling associated with professional hockey, several players, including a retired general care doctor from Colorado, said that the sport is less impactful on aging joints than off-ice sports.
At 79 years old, the Nashville Blues’ Brian Macdonald is almost two decades shy of the oldest player in the league’s history.
That honorific goes to Mark Sertich, a Minnesotan who became a friend and Diamond Icers teammate of Schulz through decades of competition in the Snoopy’s Senior tournament. In his mid-90s, Sertich set the Guinness world record for oldest ice hockey player, then broke his own record twice.
Sertich played hockey in Duluth until he was 98, while rinks were closed due to COVID-19. He aspired to return to Santa Rosa, but died of metastatic cancer at 99 in 2020.
Carter Keairns, 52, is goalie for San Antonio Rampage. While most goalies today wear cage-style helmets, Keairns special-orders vintage-style masks and hand-paints them, “when the inspiration strikes.” Photo by Chelsea Kurnick.
While some players weren’t sure they’d keep playing into their 70s and beyond, several who spoke to the Bohemian are intent on continuing to compete.
“I’m gonna keep playing until I can no longer play,” Rainville, the Roseville player, said, mirroring the comments of a few other players.
Kobler Estate Winery and Vineyards has been growing syrah and viognier in the cool, misty western corner of the Russian River Valley in the Green Valley AVA since the ’90s.
If the vineyard name seems familiar, that is likely due to the fact that wineries like Pax and Donelan have worked with Kobler’s syrah for many years and love to champion the uniqueness of Kobler’s distinctive, cool climate influenced site.
While most vineyards were investing in planting pinot noir or chardonnay, Michael Kobler; his brother, Otto; and their wives, Debbie and Barbara, first planted syrah (4-4.5 acres) on their Green Valley AVA vineyard site in the mid-’90s.
So why focus on Rhône varieties? The Koblers loved the syrah and syrah-viognier fermented wines they’d tasted from the northern Rhône and saw the potential for these varieties in the Green Valley AVA. This was due to its cooler temperatures, lingering fog and Gold Ridge soils (as opposed to elsewhere in the Russian River Valley, where temperatures get warmer, the fog burns off more quickly and there are different soil types). They were intent upon becoming a premium producer of Rhône varieties in the Russian River Valley. And they have done so.
From Growers to Makers
While the first 10 years at Kobler were dedicated to growing and farming the best fruit possible, and forming partnerships with select wineries who would purchase their fruit, Michael Kobler’s sons, Mike and Brian, decided it was time to launch their own winery in 2010. They started with a few hundred cases that year and are now making around 1,400. The expectation is to grow a little bit more each year, though the plan is never to get very big.
Eldest Kobler son Brian is currently the winemaker. And while the estate only produces 1,400 cases, he makes 10 different wines, with a focus on small-lot wines that highlight different appellations and single vineyard sites.
The winery offers three different tasting experience options, including an appellation series tasting, a single vineyard tasting and a tasting flight curated to pair with caviar. All visits include a walk in the vineyards before starting the tasting. Tasting flights include between five and six wines. Both the appellation and single vineyard tastings include a cheese and charcuterie board. These experiences normally last between 90 minutes and two hours.
To make an appointment to visit the estate and taste, guests can go to the winery’s website and select a day and time (from Thursday to Sunday) on their calendar. As this is a small, family owned and operated business where the owner or winemaker will normally be the one leading the tastings, it’s necessary to make a reservation at least 48 hours in advance for wine tastings and at least seven days in advance for the caviar and wine tasting experience.
Sometimes, like Hemingway, one just wants some oysters and white wine.
Luckily, this is oyster territory. While a drive out to Nick’s Cove is lovely, one can have an authentic oyster experience closer-to-home at the Shuckery restaurant in downtown Petaluma that is sure to satisfy any literary food cravings.
For those who are like me, and like a briney, raw oyster, the Shuckery won’t disappoint (and for those who like their oysters cooked, there are delicious baked or fried ones here too). The always-changing oyster bar features a daily menu on the lighted board of four to five different types.
Varieties locally-grown from Hog Island in Tomales Bay rub shells with others from both coasts, from Prince Edward Island, to Washington and British Columbia, and even all the way down to Baja, where the beloved, formerly locally-grown Drake’s oyster has recently relocated. (And if one is wondering about the freshness of the far-flung or long-lost cousins of the current locally-grown varieties, never fear; oysters keep well when shipped cold.)
Everyone knows that wine country is plentiful with place-based cuisine, but there is something extra special about the brackish bivalve. It’s one of the few local foods that’s been continuously and sustainably consumed in the San Francisco Bay Area for centuries or longer.
According to Oyster Culture, a book about the pleasure and culture of oysters by California authors Gwendolyn Meyer and Doreen Schmid, “Wherever archeological remains of coastal dweller meals are found, oyster shells are sure to be on the menu, going back to neolithic times.”
Indeed, since the pre-colonial era, Coast Miwok people have enjoyed oysters, as have gold rush miners, and the emerging San Francisco elite at the turn of the last century. They remain a favorite at Bay Area restaurants today, including the Shuckery, opened by Jazmine Lalicker and her sister, Aluxa. Widely known as “the oyster girls,” they opened the restaurant to share their love of the oyster.
They share the oyster love with their staff too, who pass it along to patrons. Sina Milton, server, smiles and explains, “We’re all a big family here.” Accordingly, every server is oyster-literate. Moreover, they are trained in the fine art of shucking all varieties of the marvelous mollusk, and rotate between serving the tables and working the oyster bar.
Server and shucker Ryan Day showed the differences in shells and sizes, and casually explained how some oysters become sweeter than others. (One reason can be if they “work out,” or are allowed to tumble in baskets as they grow, as opposed to lying in layers.)
The Shuckery is the kind of place where one runs into friends at the oyster bar while one’s server is shucking selections. In my case, those selections included the sweet and smaller Summer Love from Prince Edward Island, British Columbia’s Chef’s Creek and the aforementioned Drake’s. If one is lucky, one might also find the medium-sized Washington Lucky Pennies, or our own Hog Island’s creamy Sweetwaters.
Think of it this way; the diversity of flavors in an oyster is comparable to the tasting notes of wine or coffee, due to similar reasons like variety, terroir and growing style. For example, the Summer Love oyster is akin to a crisp sauvignon blanc wine, or a sweet Ethiopian coffee, while the meaty Drake’s is more analogous to a full-bodied zinfandel or a hearty french roast.
The Shuckery also has a full dinner menu abundant with local fare, including seafood gems like clams, mussels, salmon and rock cod. Patrons may enjoy everything indoors in the cozy space on the corner of Kentucky and Washington, or on the outdoor patio with a European vibe. One can even have drinks and appetizers in the sumptuous Hotel Petaluma lobby, which adjoins the restaurant.
For a lighter meal, a starter or to share, one may try the clam chowder, rock cod tacos, cauliflower wings, a salad or my current favorite, the tuna tartare, which comes with cassava chips, wasabi and a pickled egg yolk.
FRESH The savory tuna tartare comes replete with a raw egg.
Alternatively, one may try pairing a wine with conservas, which are fresh fish and shellfish preserved in flavored oils, and served in a tin with pickled vegetables and a toasted baguette. It’s a delectable way to begin a meal that I haven’t found anywhere else in the area. Happy hour is daily (the restaurant is closed Tuesdays) from 3-6pm, with dinner until 9pm, so one can make a night of it, while always starting with the oysters.
One may order a varied platter to share, settle in with friends, choose a wine and start cooking up ideas for the next big thing. Appropriately, in his Paris memoir, A Movable Feast, Hemingway writes, “As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.”
Speaking of wine, maybe it’s counterintuitive, but trust me on this—I ordered a glass of red with my oysters, specifically the 2021 Private Property Pinot Noir, a treat for $16 a glass. The wine list offers many great options chosen just for seafood and shellfish, with enticing choices from the local Sonoma and Russian River, all the way to France and Spain.
While of course the wine is divine, one would be hard-pressed to leave without lingering for an after dinner drink from the delectable cocktail menu. The Shuckery’s cocktail collection is in collaboration with Alfie Turnshek, who prioritizes fresh ingredients and sustainable practices in cocktail creation. My personal recommendation, the Film Noir.
It’s an easy win for date night, spontaneous out-of-town guests or meeting with friends. As Pistol says to Falstaff in Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor, “Why then, the world’s mine oyster, which I with sword will open.”
Or one can just have Ryan open it at the Shuckery.
The Shuckery is located at 100 Washington St., Petaluma. For more information, call 707-981-7891 or visit theshuckeryca.com.
Rewind Arcade offers a blast to the past for those who played video games or visited arcades in the ’80s and ’90s.
Located in Sebastopol’s Barlow, sandwiched between Fern Bar and Woodfour, Rewind brings a much needed entertainment option to the outdoor marketplace venue that has so far featured a majority of food and beverage focused businesses.
Owner Adam Lam chose Sonoma County and the Barlow as a home for Rewind, as he felt that the Barlow really needed a business that offered entertainment versus another food, drink or retail option.
Rewind offers more than a couple dozen retro arcade games, including close to a dozen pinball games (from Star Wars and Godzilla Premium to Guardians of the Galaxy Pro). Video arcade games include blasts from the past like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mortal Kombat 1 and 2, PacMan, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Mario Brothers.
Open until midnight, Fridays and Saturdays, and boasting a craft beer and beverage menu, Rewind qualifies as a great after dinner or date night hang-out spot.
Food & Drink
Rewind currently offers patrons the option to order food from Barrio (Mexican/taqueria). Food can be ordered through a QR code on menus located at the arcade. The arcade hopes to be able to offer food from Woodfour, Acre pizza and other Barlow eateries in the near future.
For drinks, the establishment serves a selection of craft beer and beverages that fall under their type 40 license, such as cider, hard kombucha, spiked seltzer, etc. The beer selection includes offerings from local breweries as well as unique/rare items from Germany, Japan and other countries. There are self-serve refrigerators stocked with chilled pint glasses so customers can serve themselves. The space also features vending machines with non alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, snacks, etc.
Beverage cards must be purchased separately from arcade cards, and there is no pre-set amount. Customers can use their card to purchase pours of their chosen beverage, serve themselves and have their credit card charged for the appropriate amount afterward.
Patrons can purchase cards with a value of $20, $25, $30, $45 or $98. The higher the value of the card, the lower the price per credit paid. An example of how many credits are needed to play a specific game is two credits for a round of Mario Brothers, three credits for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and five credits for a game of pinball. Players’ game rounds last as long as they stay alive, so really skilled players can play longer while using fewer credits, before seeing the inevitable “Game Over” flash across the screen.
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Kobler Estate Winery and Vineyards has been growing syrah and viognier in the cool, misty western corner of the Russian River Valley in the Green Valley AVA since the ’90s.
If the vineyard name seems familiar, that is likely due to the fact that wineries like Pax and Donelan have worked with Kobler’s syrah for many years and love to...
Sometimes, like Hemingway, one just wants some oysters and white wine.
Luckily, this is oyster territory. While a drive out to Nick’s Cove is lovely, one can have an authentic oyster experience closer-to-home at the Shuckery restaurant in downtown Petaluma that is sure to satisfy any literary food cravings.
For those who are like me, and like a briney, raw oyster,...
Rewind Arcade offers a blast to the past for those who played video games or visited arcades in the ’80s and ’90s.
Located in Sebastopol's Barlow, sandwiched between Fern Bar and Woodfour, Rewind brings a much needed entertainment option to the outdoor marketplace venue that has so far featured a majority of food and beverage focused businesses.
Owner Adam Lam chose...
