Abbatoir Blues

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Abbatoir Blues

The Inedibles Room, the corner nook of a former killing floor in the hundred-year-old SlaughterhouseSpace, does not smell anymore. Instead, with an atmosphere not unlike a concentration camp, it feels. The cold air weighs heavy on the skin, a dense, eerie imposition, and one cannot help but imagine the horrors of the inedibles, whatever they may be.

Through a pair of swinging doors, visitors find the slaughterhouse’s main room overseen by large winches, thick with rust-covered chain, which hang from the 35-foot-high ceiling. Bolted firmly to oversized rafters, the enormous mechanisms tower over stern concrete walls, used in their former life as hoists for stringing up doomed livestock. “Cows,” explains current owner Pat Lenz grimly, “are heavy animals.”

Once known as the Van Der Hoof Meat Co., this white building, echoing with a century’s worth of industrialized death, has been transformed by Lenz into an art space. If art is in fact life, as the saying goes, then Lenz’s exhibits and installations here serve to slowly erode the room’s former purpose. “This place served as a killing floor for many years,” she says. “Now it illuminates the experience of living.”

On Nov. 16, the SlaughterhouseSpace illuminates life by hosting its second annual Humane Slaughter Acts Festival, a daylong series of performance art by artists from around the Bay Area, hosted by Lenz and curated by Bay Area artist Jordan Essoe. “In a sense,” says Essoe, standing amid beef scales and carcass racks, “all of the work is site-specific to this space. The whole point is to get away from the white cube of the gallery space.”

Indeed. The tour continues past meat hooks and spikes to the hog room, where a solitary light shines down through cobwebs to a dusty hog stunner, a long, clawlike mechanism wrapped in dry, brittle duct tape. “They killed the pigs with this electric prod to the back of the head, this dual-prong prod. The cows were killed with that—you saw No Country for Old Men? That’s what they used. And this”—she motions to a rototiller-looking device—”is what they ripped the bristles off the boars with. It’s actually a beautiful machine.”

Lenz is a vegetarian and a PETA supporter (outside the building, a red neon sign flashes the words “Eat” and “Death”), but she consistently uses words like “fascinating,” “impressive” and “beautiful” to describe the residual industrial tools of death. A trio of Kentmaster reciprocating splitting saws, used to cut the heads off cows, are “quite amazing,” and she talks of possibly enshrining them on concrete pedestals.

“The building has this history, and I think it’s not anything I ever wanted to conceal,” she explains. “I find it inspiring. Art has a redemptive power, a way of healing what went on here.”

Lenz and her husband bought this property 10 years ago; they also own the adjoining Duchamp Estate Winery and the Duchamp Hotel in Healdsburg. Vineyards flank the driveway leading to a lawn-surrounded pool and numerous sculptures by Lenz, including a large bust of Marcel Duchamp. Louie, the golden retriever, wiggles and pants on the deck.

A sculptor and art major of Sarah Lawrence and Columbia University, Lenz knew she wanted to transform the property’s abattoir into a gallery. Last year at Miami Art Basel, she met Essoe. The two clicked immediately, and she offered him the opportunity to curate a performance-art festival.

“There was, in 1958, this legislation called the Humane Slaughter Act,” explains Essoe, now in the hog room, “which essentially attempted to find a legal way to mandate how killing could or could not be humane.”

“An oxymoron,” interjects Lenz.

“And I thought, well, that’s a conversation piece. That’s a good conceptual point to start at. That’s what I threw at the artists last year,” he says. “Some of them were a little bit more literal with that conversation, others were more abstract, and that’s exactly what we wanted. We didn’t want some overly didactic conversation about the rights and wrongs of slaughter. Because the space is already so heavy with that.”

Last year’s festival was a resounding success. This year’s theme is “Crosscut,” collecting nine different artists in a day of social practice work, bondage, fugitive forms, interviews, interactive video, interventionism and more. The festival is free, something that Lenz says is a reaction to the commercialism of the art world. “There’s something so refreshing—so generous—about performance artists. I think the idea of being generous back is nice.

“Plus,” she adds, “initially I wasn’t sure how it would fly in wine country. It’s an area where people come to almost escape from the harsher realities of the world. And performance art can be very—how should you call it?—in your face. It can embarrass people—not that that’s what we purposefully do—but it can make people uncomfortable, it can deal with issues that are not particularly comfortable issues.

“And so, it’s a risk. And people who come here are going to be taking a risk to see something which they may not even understand at first. So the idea of not charging right now is quite nice.”

Essoe agrees, pointing out that the remote, bucolic area charges the art with even more meaning. “Maybe it would be more subversive if it was in [San Francisco’s] Mission district, but there’s a lot of stuff like this going on there. The fact that even, as a visitor, you have to give so much just to come here, it really completes a utopic vision. It’s an act of mutual giving.”

Essoe grew up in Big Bear Lake in Southern California before attending the San Francisco Art Institute. A multidisciplinary artist, he works in video, performance, painting, photography and sculptural assemblage. He’s written about art for the San Francisco Chronicle and Artweek, and currently lives in the East Bay.

Lenz grew up in New York, where she studied sculpture at Columbia University in a program founded by the sculptor David Smith. For years, she sculpted with welded steel, but recently has favored fiberglass (“I have a finish fetish, what can I say?”). In addition to the annual festival, she hosts exhibits, installations and under-the-radar events at SlaughterhouseSpace.

When asked how often this cross-generational duo spend time together, they both respond, in unison, “Not enough.” Most of the time they share is spent under the coagulated grime and rods of unknown purpose at the SlaughterhouseSpace. But between Essoe’s production and Lenz’s support, the two share an obvious electricity for art and a love of the unusual starkness of the room’s history.

“It really just felt correct to have artists relate to the space,” Lenz says. “It didn’t de-sanctify it, you know what I mean? We do it on a killing floor. I don’t know how many animals were slaughtered here. There was a sense here that I didn’t want to spoil.”

The Humane Slaughter Acts Festival, featuring performances by Takehito Etani, Margaret Tedesco, Linda Ford, Jennifer Locke, Pam Martin, Travis Meinolf, Meredith Tromble, Kathrine Worel and Michael Zheng, takes place on Sunday, Nov. 16, at SlaughterhouseSpace, 280 Chiquita Road, Healdsburg. 3:30pm to 7pm. Free. 707.431.1514.

Male Glaze

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Male Glaze

11.12.08

Don’t be intimidated by Lola Montès. Yes, it’s the kind of movie they don’t make movies like anymore. But honestly, they never did. Only Max Ophüls did. And only once. And then he died.

Arguably, it was Lola Montès that killed him. The 1955 film, Ophüls’ first color production—an opulent, romantic costume epic in vivid Cinemascope—had the terrible fortune to be both a budget bloater and box-office revenue shriveler. Thus was it forcibly gutted and resequenced by panicked producers, and history has since recorded several competing versions of the thing in three languages (French, German and English) and, as of the new Cinémathèque Française restoration currently in limited American release, five distinct lengths (the original was 140 minutes, which, for context, should be pointed out is exactly as long as The Dark Knight).

The ambition and the heartache of this film understandably wiped its maker out, who didn’t last long enough to read the influential Village Voicefilm critic Andrew Sarris’ 1963 comment, “In my unhumble opinion, Lola Montès is the greatest film of all time, and I am willing to stake my critical reputation on this one proposition above all others.” But by now that remark is just another part of its essential lore—another reason, yes, for potential intimidation.

In the final analysis, the backstory of Lola Montès, the movie, probably won’t overshadow the even more elaborately melodramatic backstory of Lola Montès, the woman. She was, in fact, a real person, a courtesan and dancer who lived from 1821 to 1861. She was, in fact, a lover of (among others) composer Franz Liszt and King Ludwig of Bavaria—whose subjects did, in fact, rise up against him on account of her influence.

But never was she, in fact, a circus showpiece. That’s Ophüls’ invention. That’s the burden and the genius of the film—a comment on the cruel, canned whoredom of celebrity and the titillating romance of movie watching, on the way reverence objectifies female beauty and time steals all pleasures.

The story’s frame is that circus, in which a stoic Martine Carol plays Lola like a cipher or a doll, carefully set within Ophüls’ intricate and ambulant compositions, surrounded by clowns and acrobats and a whip-cracking Peter Ustinov as her partner and ringmaster, who calls her “the most scandalous woman in the world” and takes from the audience impolite questions about her life. These prompt extended flashbacks to what we must take on faith, in the same way we might allow for the irregular but assertive logic of a dream, as the story’s substance: selected highlights of the life itself.

Here, within these inviting, brightly theatrical tableaux, we will meet her composer (Will Quadflieg), her king (Anton Walbrook) and a couple of the less historically significant but nonetheless indelible young men in between (Ivan Desny, Oskar Werner). We will lose track of the threshold between memory and fantasy, between passion and compulsion.

This Lola was a hedonist, it’s fair enough to say, who did manage to live as she wished. But to celebrate the nourishment she felt from being loved was always to be yearning for it. And for all his heavy, painstaking orchestrations, Ophüls somehow maintains this awareness with a feather-light touch. What emerges as the film’s emotional through line is the notion, impervious to a demeaning display of captivity, that even the most dysfunctional of Lola’s relationships were conducted generously, as affirmations of pure romance. Whose notion is it? The protagonist’s? The director’s? The circus-goers? Ours? In any case, it’s more than welcome back on the big screen.

  ‘Lola Montès’ opens on Friday, Nov. 19, at the Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. 415.454.1222.


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Big As a Whale

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Big As a Whale

11.12.08

With spacey synthesizers, ’60s girl-group harmonies, post-punk guitar and openly gay Fred Schneider’s distinctive spoken-word, the B-52s’ self-titled debut still sounds innovative 30 years later. This Friday, the “world’s greatest party band,” who heralded the still-vibrant Athens, Ga., music scene shortly after forming in 1976, visit the Marin Center’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium armed with last year’s Funplex, their first album since 1992.

For singer Cindy Wilson, the most vocally versatile new wave siren ever, the wait has been even longer—since 1989’s Cosmic Thing, to be exact. In 1990, after 14 years together—and just a few years after her brother and original guitarist Ricky Wilson’s death—she needed a breather. “The success of that record was great, but with success comes a lot of work,” says Wilson from her Atlanta home. “It was on the heels of Ricky’s death, and I think I just got burned out.” Wilson left to start a family, but soon regretted the decision. “I moved back to Georgia, totally thinking that that’s what I needed,” she remembers, “but I needed the structure of the band, too.”

During this period, the band released, without Wilson, 1992’s Good Stuff. It would be an album that many felt suffered from the splitting of the famous vocal duo, leaving the soaring vocals of Kate Pierson to fare alone. For proof of Cindy Wilson’s indispensability, look no further than their biggest hit, “Love Shack” (“Tiiiiiiii-in roof! Rusted”), or the 1979 classic “Dance This Mess Around,” which she begins sultrily before unleashing her delicious non sequitur shriek “Why don’t you dance with me? I’m not no limburger!”

Wilson eventually rejoined in 1994 only to leave a few years later on maternity leave before returning in 2001. The mother of two is grateful for her band mates’ understanding. “They let me step in and out with my pregnancies,” she says. “They were very, very, very gracious to let me do that.” We spoke on Halloween, a day before the band played a show in New York City. “I think it’s going to be my kids’ last Halloween [trick-or-treating], so I asked that we not work on Halloween,” Wilson says with a laugh.

Although the B-52s have toured consistently between side projects and family raising, their return to recording was a conscious effort to escape the nostalgia-act route. “We were really itching to do that, to show that we’re still artists,” Wilson says. “And if we were going to keep doing this, we wanted to have some new material, new songs; it’s just a muscle you want to flex.”

While another solid set of utopian anthems, Funplex breaks new ground for the band thanks to an electro-funk yet raw production by Steve Osborne (New Order, Happy Mondays). From the throbbing dance-rock groove of opener “Pump” to the poppy punk of the new global anthem “Keep This Party Going,” the band is a tight, well-oiled unit, which is no accident. “Everyone would meet in Atlanta and we’d all jam to the music [guitarist] Keith Strickland brought to the band,” Wilson says. “It was just throwing ideas out, and we would write stuff and then go into the studio and kind of just wing it. It was a pure group effort.”

Even after such a long hiatus from touring and living in separate states (Wilson is the only one still based in Georgia), the chemistry was intact for Funplex. “When I get together with the band, there’s a really cool energy and we bounce off each other so well,” she reports. “Sometimes it could be one entity with four heads.”

No word yet on the next B-52s album, but the band remains united. “Everybody brings something so special,” says Wilson, who still enjoys the B-52s above all other projects. “You get to use your imagination and be an artist and a poet and a singer and a clown.”

Artistic satisfaction aside, fun is still paramount. “I’m having more fun now with the new show and the way it is than I had in a long time,” says Wilson, “and the crowds are all very excited to see us.”

 With the sad passage of Proposition 8, the Bay Area needs the B-52s more than eve. They perform on Friday, Nov. 14, at the Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. 8pm. $35&–$90. 415.499.6800.


Peak Eating

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Peak Eating

11.12.08

Julia’s Kitchen executive
chef Jeff Mosher

COPIA was established in Napa seven years ago by vintner Robert Mondavi, his wife, Margrit, and chef and author Julia Child to embody a vision of “a small institution to educate, promote and celebrate American excellence and achievements in the culinary, winemaking and visual arts arenas.” The trio couldn’t have imagined a better interpreter of l’art culinaire than Jeff Mosher.

Mosher is executive chef at COPIA’s notable, nonpareil Julia’s Kitchen. If he at first appears to be an unassuming young man, don’t assume that he is. Better than wearing his considerable pride on the sleeve of his immaculate, white chef coat, he plates it. Julia’s offerings, since Mosher donned its exec toque four years ago, have come to stand alongside the best, most innovative and certainly the freshest in the North Bay’s inestimable wine country.

If you’d like to know what’s on Mosher’s mind more than simply how good he is at what he does, skip the next several paragraphs and turn the page to the interview of this rising (more like fully risen) culinary star, conducted on premises on a perfect, sunny, late October afternoon.

Mosher’s affair with French cooking began with a junior year semester abroad from Oberlin College to Strasbourg, France. After graduation, he moved to San Francisco and began his cooking career as a line chef at E&O Trading Company. Soon he was a sous chef at Clouds, then lead line cook at North Star. Moving up quickly, his last position, before becoming sous chef at Julia’s Kitchen in 2004 and its executive chef two years later, was at Campton Place, cooking four-star contemporary cuisine under noted chefs Laurent Manrique and Daniel Humm.

Mosher is, at once, quietly charming and fully forthcoming. But words can’t reveal the chef compleat. So after our hour’s chat, I accepted his invitation to prepare my lunch. I dined at Julia’s Kitchen long before Mosher’s reign. That meal was excellent. This one, assuredly, surpassed.

The menu is “a tribute to Julia Child’s original recipes interpreted by . . . Jeff Mosher.” Julia would be pleased with Mosher’s take on her classic recipes. I purposely selected a light entrée, a “garden-herb crusted big eye tuna salad,” because I wanted to know what truly fresh vegetables tasted like. COPIA takes the locavore principle to a ridiculous extreme. The vegetables I’d be served were perhaps still growing this morning not 10 yards beyond my window table, plucked while sun-warmed from COPIA’s copious three-and-a-half acre garden.

My first dish was a smooth, sage-frothed butternut squash soup followed by the salad of fork-tender, lightly seared tuna, greens, cold potato coins, haricot verts, hard-boiled organic egg lightly dressed with a Dijon-caper vinaigrette. Worthy of note, too, was the doughy, house-made sourdough bread and, most memorable of all, a tiny amuse teacup of intensely savory tomato soup upon which floated a raft of crisped baby basil. Gone in a gulp, but not soon to be forgotten.

Julia Child put her legacy into a simple statement that Jeff Mosher likes to quote: “French cooking isn’t fancy cooking, it’s just good cooking.” The French-inspired Julia’s Kitchen dishes reflect just that: good, perhaps great, cooking. Mosher indicates he may still be at the Kitchen five years from now, but I suggest you take a meal there soon. Talent like his tends to move on.

 Bohemian: What would Julia Child think of COPIA and her eponymously named restaurant today?

Jeff Mosher: I think she’d love it because of how we’ve held to her food philosophy, even, often, her recipes. Remember, she was the first to introduce basic country French cooking to America, to emphasize the use of fresh, seasonal ingredients—and not mess with them—the first to search out the best local ingredients and use the whole animal: the chicken breast for fricassee, the legs for coq au vin, the rest for stock. What she expounded 50 years ago, I follow today.

Name your favorite Bay Area restaurants.

I had a fabulous meal at Cyrus in Healdsburg. Doug Keane is doing some amazing stuff there. In San Francisco, I like Del Fina and A16 for small, reasonably priced Italian. And in Napa, Ubuntu for vegetable-centric dishes. At whatever price, they’re all ingredient-based restaurants. They start with the best kinds of stuff.

And for cheap eats?

Well, I have kids, so I like to stay in Napa where we live. I like Pizza Azzurro, Las Palmas for Mexican, especially the burritos and Taylor’s for burgers. 

Name it, if you care to, but what’s the worst meal you’ve ever had, or worst restaurant you’ve ever visited?

I won’t name the restaurant, but it was the service that ruined the evening. It took 15 minutes to be waited upon, the food came in the wrong order and it went downhill from there. Bad service can ruin a good meal.

What is your philosophy of cooking?

I’m a member of Slow Food Nation. We use the best seasonal ingredients obtained from local sources, I like to introduce new ideas based on classic recipes, and I keep my flavors distinct and clean, and my plates simple.

Who influenced your cooking the most?

Jacques Pepin. Especially one of his cookbooks on preparation that both clearly explained and showed his techniques.

If you were somehow allowed only a single cookbook to use, would that be it?

Yes, but I’d also want Julia’s classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking. And maybe [Auguste] Escoffier. I guess that makes three. Is that OK?

Sure. I noticed your menu offers a foie gras appetizer. You spent a semester in Strasbourg, the birthplace of foie gras. How do you justify foie gras in light of the recent controversy over its preparation?

Not all foie gras is prepared the same. Animals are raised to be food, but we make sure that our sources are reputable and that they treat animals humanely. Our fowl are from Sonoma, and we know they’re raised in a humane fashion. Our pork is “heritage” pork. We know the farmers who raise it.

Brining seems to be growing in favor today. Do you brine your meats?

We brine our pork chops for six to eight hours in a solution of salt, sugar and various spices. Mostly for flavor, and it helps make them a little more tender.

Where would you like to be five years from now?

I think I’ll still be here in the Napa Valley. If I’m not at Julia’s Kitchen, I’ll probably be running some other fine restaurant. I may find a wealthy backer or something, but I don’t know if I want to be an owner. I don’t think I’d want to open a restaurant now in this economic climate. 

Chef Mosher’s Chestnut
& Wild Mushroom Stuffing

The true knowledge—and, perhaps, mettle—of a chef can be told through his recipes. With the holidays in the offing, here’s a Mosher recipe you may want to try.

1/2 loaf pain de mie or other white bread, unsliced
1 medium sweet yellow onion, small-diced
4 celery ribs, small-diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. bacon lardoons (Chef’s note: We make our own bacon, but a nice applewood smoked bacon will do.)
2 c. peeled chestnuts
3 c. assorted wild mushrooms cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tbsp. chopped fresh marjoram
1 c. duck fat
2 c. chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Trim crust off bread and slice into 1-inch cubes. Toss with 1/4 cup duck fat, season with salt and pepper and toast in 350 degree oven for seven minutes. Sauté on medium: onions, celery and bacon lardoons in 1 tbsp. of duck fat. Once bacon begins to color, add garlic and sauté an additional two minutes. In separate pan, using 1 tbsp. duck fat, sauté mushrooms on high for 3&–4 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Cut chestnuts in half, add 1/4 cup duck fat, season with salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees for 8&–10 minutes until a nice, golden brown then combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Add marjoram, as much of remaining duck fat as you wish, and the chicken stock. Stir all ingredients together and check seasoning. If stuffing a bird, omit chicken stock. If making separately, place stuffing in ovenproof pan, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes before serving. Serves six. Bon appetit!

Quick dining snapshots by Bohemian staffers.

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Sweet Baby Ben

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Sweet Baby Ben

11.12.08

T alk about a gene pool—Ben Taylor seems to have won the lottery. As the offspring of the ultimate singer-songwriter merger of the ’70s, James Taylor and Carly Simon, it seems somewhat natural that Taylor would follow in his parents’ footsteps. Even after a disastrous foray into the music world—including a couple of years that had Taylor considering farming instead of singing—he has continued to make music. His latest album, The Legend of Kung Folk, Part 1 (The Killing Bite) , has just been released, albeit at a much smaller scale than the height of his parents’ success.

Asked if he thinks it was fated because of his bloodline to get into the business, Taylor thinks for a minute. “It didn’t seem important until I, all of a sudden, wanted a career and realized that [music] is what I’m most qualified to do,” he says, lounging inside his tour bus. “It hit me like ‘Eecchh,’ as if to say, ‘Oh no, this is what I’m going to end up doing, and I know how this can be bad. And I know what I have to live up to.’ Nonetheless, I feel good about it.

“Now that it’s happening—and I’m proud of it—there are still people whose expectations haven’t been met because I’m just not my parents. I’ve been educated by my parents, so for whatever extent, the vocabulary is similar, that’s there. If people don’t hear my dad and my mom’s influence in me, they don’t have very good ears. If they want me to sound exactly like them, then go out and buy the old albums instead.”

Taylor concedes to a different paradigm than when his folks started. “My business model is completely different than my parents’. When they began, they weren’t socially conscious about the world, not like they are now. And the recording industry has totally changed.” He discovered the difference when his debut for major label Sony ended up in the garbage. “At the time, it was painful,” he says. “As soon as you understand that something is a powerful lesson, it’s a learning experience, you’re fine. The industry, as you know, is in such a position of flux.

“Even though it’s uncomfortable to think about following in the footsteps, the shadows of my family,” he sums up, “there’s also something comforting about going into the family business.”

Ben Taylor plays a free show at noon on Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Russian River Brewing Co., 725 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. Later that night, Taylor opens a sold-out show with John Hiatt at the Mystic Theatre, 21 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 8pm. $50&–$60. 707.765.2121.


I Want My Check

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11.12.08

Dear Gov. Schwarzenegger:

Super Gov! What is going on? I know, I know—I don’t write often. Actually I have never written you at all. Although I am a lifelong Democrat, for a Republican, you are an OK guy in my book.

Anyway, Super Gov, I am writing you in concern about implementation of the passage of Proposition 8. Sadly, this initiative passed, officially enshrining bigotry and homophobia as the law of the land. Last Tuesday, much to my surprise and horror, the great state of California took a giant step backward.

I am a native Californian. I have never ceased to be amazed at the incredible diversity this wonderful chunk of geography offers its inhabitants. I pay my taxes. I am a decorated, honorably discharged veteran who served my state and nation for six years in the United States Navy. I vote. My car’s registration is up to date. I have insurance. I even remember to put my trashcans away the same day they are emptied. Usually my lawn and front yard are in pretty good shape, so my neighbors don’t have to suffer an eyesore. I work hard. I am back at school, furthering my education to pursue a vocation I love. I exercise and quit smoking some years back. I am a friend of Bill W. and have searched the past five-plus years to pursue a path of sobriety and spiritual growth. I have tried to be a good son, a loyal friend, an able co-worker and a good neighbor.

Oh, and I am gay.

So, since the majority has decided to use the law as a weapon against a minority, I am asking for a little help. What I would like is to have my tax bill lowered. I understand that in these tough times, trying to recover from our national headache caused by supply-side wonder kids and the false brilliance of Wall Street, this is a bad time for me to want some cash back. But I deserve it.

Since the majority of my state has decided to strip me of rights, I think it only fair that I get a refund of the tax money that supports rights, privileges and perks that they enjoy and I cannot. This law should give me back money that covers the cost of issuing marriage licenses, paying for the clerks who do that work and conduct civil marriages, refund the cost of those costly conjugal visit trailers for married couples in which one of them is a “guest” of the state. I’d also like to be paid for any advertising that promotes California as a tolerant place or great spot to get married. Send back my portion of tax dollars that benefit in anyway a married or heterosexual person in manners that I cannot also utilize. A legislative analyst should get involved to figure out how much each of us newly minted second-class citizens are to get back.

Here is a partial list where the Legislature can start looking for my refund: assumption of spouse’s pension; automatic inheritance; automatic housing lease transfer; bereavement leave; burial determination; child custody; crime victim’s recovery benefits; divorce protections; domestic violence protection; exemption from property tax on partner’s death; immunity from testifying against spouse; insurance breaks; joint adoption and foster care; joint bankruptcy; joint parenting (insurance coverage, school records); medical decisions on behalf of partner; property rights; reduced rate memberships; sick leave to care for partner; visitation of partner’s children; visitation of partner in hospital or prison; and wrongful death (loss of consort) benefits.

If the state in any way, shape or form has money tied up in these issues—even if it is only in clerical or administrative functions that have to be paid for—I want my check.

The proponents of Prop. 8 were quite clear in stating that they had to save marriage. I’m not sure what they had to save it from; after all, it is not like heterosexuals have done such a great job with the institution themselves.

Mostly, sir, I am disappointed. I had hoped beyond hope that my fellow Californians had moved past this. Oh, I can hear the choruses of “But civil unions are still around.” They are, and for that I am very grateful. But let’s cut the crap, civil unions don’t carry the same weight or power as the legally sanctioned contract between two consenting, sentient adults committing themselves to a contract to sharing their lives as one.

This is a civil rights issue. What if we were to re-establish same-race-only marriages as California once “enjoyed”? Or what if we were to vote on an initiative that dumped marriage completely in California? I mean, if it really is not such a big deal for all citizens to share in, why have it at all? Let everyone have civil unions!

I would never presume to tell a church who can marry within its walls. Those who do continue to enjoy the full protection and benefits of society that I, now, cannot. I would never presume to tell a family what to teach their children, even if that lesson is homophobia. What they do behind closed doors or believe is their business. They, too, will continue to reap the protections and benefits that I and other newly created second-class citizens help to fund.

Someone with far more intelligence, money and time will find a way to continue to challenge this repugnant alternation of equality. Some test case will come along—perhaps a couple from Massachusetts who watched their rights melt away as they crossed our borders to come live here will get active. Maybe that couple will have the strength to challenge this new law in federal court under the “full faith and credit” clause of the U.S. Constitution. Or maybe some energetic young lawyer will take up the cause and find a way to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn this and all other similar insane, punitive and ridiculous laws as it violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Who knows. Anyway Super Gov, I will be looking forward to that check. And so will my friends.

Sincerely Yours,

Sean L. Wall

 Open Mic is now a weekly feature in the Bohemian. We welcome your contribution. To have your topical essay of 700 words considered for publication, write [ mailto:op*****@******an.com” data-original-string=”P/WZUupu1JQVNn1QOdAyCg==06ana0J8d1croZ6Uwgjr7l8KtzKay54cmDBDB2pUORD2EJJ5oKdb2det9tDsM0F05+xoQjhm6R+L1FPcJRfKbRz+gcFPb9KBnc9/mNJJ5pHlHk=” title=”This contact has been encoded by Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. Click to decode. To finish the decoding make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser. ]op*****@******an.com.

 


In the Realm of Winter

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In the Realm of Winter

the arts

Photograph by David Wilson
SPIRITED: Comic Marga Gomez is among the special presenters gathered for ‘Twisted Christmas 6.’

Compiled by Hallie O’Donnell

Bring on the Figgy Pudding: Events

Festival of Lights Yountville is magnificently illuminated as Washington Street is closed to traffic—with the exception of horse-drawn buggies—for this open-air festival. Costumed caroling characters, dancers and food booths complete the evening’s glitter. Friday, Nov. 28, 2–6pm. Downtown Yountville, Washington Street. Free. 707.944.0904.

Heart of Sonoma Valley Open HouseHeart of Sonoma Valley Association kicks off its 25th annual open house celebration this year, showcasing 19 Sonoma Valley wineries. Friday–Saturday, Nov. 28–29, 11am–4:30pm. $30 per person both days; $10, designated driver. 866.794.9463. www.heartofsonomavalley.com.

Gourmet Shopping Walking Tour Explore “hidden” Healdsburg with a hometown guide who will take you to all of the fantastic out-of-the-way places for shopping. Saturdays, Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, 13 and 21; also, Sunday, Dec. 22. 11am–1 pm. $30. 707.484.6249. www.healdsburgwalkingtours.com.

Bob Burke’s Christmas Party Join local volunteer extraordinaire Bob Burke for great food and company as he helps to raise money for children with cancer at annual bash. Wednesday, Dec. 3, 5–9:30pm. The Union Hotel, 3731 Main St., Occidental. Admission for the pasta feed and fun is free; donations appreciated. 707.887.2222.

Sebastopol Tree Lighting Cookie decorating, musical entertainment and refreshments abound when the Sebastopol Area Chamber of Commerce and VNA Hospice Foundation host their annual tree-lighting celebration on Thursday, Dec. 4, 5–8pm. Downtown Plaza, the corner of McKinley Street and Petaluma Avenue, Sebastopol. Free. 707.823.3032.

Zen FestJust when you thought reaching satori in Sebastopol was just an urban legend, the Stone Creek Zen Center helps to make that a possibility this year during its annual Zen Fest. This fundraising event includes items such as meditation supplies, altar materials and other Zen paraphernalia. Sunday, Dec. 4, 10am–4pm. Masonic Center, 373 N. Main St., Sebastopol. Free. 707.887.1514.

Old-Fashioned Holiday Home Tour Catch a glimpse of what the days of old would have looked like in Santa Rosa’s historic McDonald district during a guided tour of select homes on Friday, Dec. 5, 6:30–9 pm, and Saturday, Dec. 8, 10am–5pm. $100 per person; $175 per couple. 707.545.5567.

Light Up a Life St. Joseph’s hospices help to honor lives lost. The hospice of Petaluma has its ceremony on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7pm, Center Park (the strip of trees outside McNear’s and the Mystic Theatre on Petaluma Boulevard South), Petaluma. Santa Rosa tree lighting events will be held at 6pm on Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Lodge at Paulin Creek; Saturday, Dec. 13, at  Railroad Square; Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Star of Valley at Oakmont. Events free. 707.778.6242 or 707.568.1094.

Petaluma Lighted Boat Parade Watch as lights combine with water at the annual Lighted Boat Parade in Petaluma, on Saturday, Dec. 6. The parade commences at the Petaluma marina around 6pm and arrives at the Turning Basin around 7pm. (Pssst: the best place to watch is the launch at Papa’s Taverna.) 707.769.0429.

The Blessing of the Olives Blessed be the olives! Olives are sanctified at the Mission San Francisco de Solano, which is open to the public on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 10am. Music and refreshments will also be included. East Spain and First Street East, Sonoma. Free. 707.996.1090.

Holiday Celebration Downtown Windsor plays holiday host with its annual celebration, which includes horse-drawn carriage and trolley rides, children’s crafts and a visit from St. Nick, and the woman behind the man, Mrs. Claus, when they light the tree on the town green Thursday, Dec. 6, 5–8pm. Free. 707.838.1260.

Luther Burbank Open House Step into the spirit of famed horticulturist Luther Burbank as his home and gardens are opened up to the public for a two-day holiday event. Saturday–Sunday, Dec. 6–7, 10–4pm. Luther Burbank Home and Gardens, Santa Rosa and Sonoma avenues, Santa Rosa. Free. 707.524.5445.

Victorian Tea Slip into character as you imagine sitting among the Victorian era’s most esteemed thinkers, writers and her royal majesty at the Petaluma Historical Society and Museum. Sunday, Dec. 7. Two seatings, at noon and 4pm. $25. 20 Fourth St., Petaluma. 707.778.4398.

Christmas at the Mission Light a candle and sing sacred and secular songs in this charming free event for families that combines the holiday spirit with community history. Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Barracks and the Mission San Francisco Solano, Spain Street on the Plaza, Sonoma. Three programs: 5pm, 6pm, 7pm; 5pm is specifically for little ones. Free, but tickets are required. RSVP at 707.938.1519.

Jangle Jingle Bells: Shopping

Gifts ‘n’ Tyme Holiday FaireNow in its 35th year, the fair features 82 booths and home-baked goodies by the greater Napa Valley Lion’s Club. Start your shopping with handmade craft items. Nov. 14–16. Friday, 10am–7pm; Saturday, 10am–6pm; Sunday, 10am–4pm. Napa Valley Exposition, 575 Third St., Napa. Free. 925.372.8961.

Dance Palace Holiday Crafts Fair This shopping mecca gathers some 40 upper-echelon craftspeople under one roof for some early-season shopping. Friday–Sunday, Dec. 5–7, 3–9pm. Dance Palace, Fifth and B streets, Point Reyes Station. Free. 415.663.1075.

Holiday Arts & Crafts Boutique The Petaluma Farmers Market hosts a holiday arts and crafts boutique with handmade arts and crafts items, hot foods and drinks, baked goods and live entertainment. Great holiday gift items are for sale on Saturday, Dec. 6, 10am–5pm. Hermann Sons Hall, 860 Western Ave., Petaluma. Free. 707.762.0344.

December in Calistoga Community Christmas bazaar. Santa will also be there for photographic opportunities. Saturday, Dec. 6, 9am–4pm. Crafts fair, Napa County Fairgrounds, 1435 Oak St., Calistoga. Parade, down Lincoln Avenue, 6–7pm. Both events free. 707.942.4232.

Alexander Valley Ladies Aid Christmas Bazaar Wreaths, cookies, jams, one-of-a-kind handmade items, hand-painted ornaments and decorated gourds and a raffle enliven this one-day crafts fair on Saturday, Dec. 6, 10am–2pm. Alexander Valley Church, 6650 Hwy. 128, Healdsburg. Free. 707.433.4504.

Muir Beach Quilters Quilt artists and other artisans gather with handicrafts of all kinds and free activities for the kids. Free shuttle from Muir Beach parking lot. Saturday–Sunday, Dec. 6–7. Saturday, 11am–5pm; Sunday, 10am–4pm. Muir Beach Community Center, 19 Seascape Drive. Free. 415.383.6762.

Goddess Crafts Faire Winter solstice Goddess Crafts Faire celebrates handmade gifts by local and regional women, as well as live music, tarot readings and food. Saturday–Sunday, Dec. 6–7, 11am–7pm. Sebastopol Community Center, 390 Morris St., Sebastopol. 707.829.3938.

A Dickens of a Holiday Crafts Faire Over 60 booths of juried handcrafted goodies, jewelry, household goods, ceramics and lots more. Saturday–Sunday, Dec. 6–7. Saturday, 9am–5pm; Sunday, 10am–4pm. Finley Community Center, 2060 W. College Ave., Santa Rosa. $2; under 18, free. 707.543.3737.

Holiday Craftacular Petaluma Craft Mafia presents hipster craft show replete with music by Gabby Lala, the Bluebellies and Ted Baggett. Bring new toy for extra raffle ticket. Saturday, Dec. 13, 11am–5pm. Petaluma Veteran’s Hall, 1094 Petaluma Blvd. S., Petaluma. $2. www.petalumacraftmafia.com.

Occidental Holiday Crafts FaireJoin Mr. and Mrs. Claus plus 35 crafters and plenty of fun. Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 13–14. Saturday, 10am–5pm; Sunday, 10am–4pm. Occidental Community Center, corner of Bohemian Highway and Graton Road. Free. 707.874.1673.

Away in a Manger: Little Ones

  ‘A Christmas Carol’ Consider this play a primer for morality for the young ones, plus an introduction to the fine display of a master storyteller’s imagination in Sonoma County Repertory Theater’s production. Wednesday–Saturday, Nov. 21–Dec. 23. 104 N. Main St., Sebastopol. $20–$25; Thursday, pay what you will. 707.823.0177. www.the-rep.com.

Santa’s Riverboat Arrival Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at the Petaluma Riverfront on board the town’s eponymous tug to greet the children and distribute candy canes followed by a horse-drawn procession through downtown to kick off the holiday season. Saturday, Nov. 29, at noon. Turning basin, Golden Eagle Shopping Center, on Washington Boulevard, Petaluma. Free. 707.762.9348.

Bay Area Discovery Museum Blizzard of events for the young ones with special activities run almost daily and include Gingerbread Architectural Extravaganza (Nov. 29, Dec. 6 and 13) and The Snow Cat (Dec. 13, 20 and 27). Discovery Museum, Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito. $8–$10. 415.927.0960.

‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Catch a glimpse of Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey reincarnated in a younger version of himself when Cinnabar Young Rep players present a musical version of the heart-warmer. Friday–Sunday, Dec. 5–Dec. 21. Friday–Saturday at 7:30pm; Sundays at 2pm. Cinnabar Theater, 333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. $10–$15. 707.763.8920.

Popovich Comedy Pet Theater Pets rescued from 26 animal shelters around the country perform amazing and wondrous acts of derring-do with international circus star and juggler Gregory Popovich. Thursday–Sunday, Dec. 11–14. Thursday–Saturday at 7pm; also, Saturday–Sunday at 2pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St., Napa. 707.226.7372.

‘The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe’ C. S. Lewis’ beloved story is presented by the Sixth Street Playhouse’s student thespians. Friday–Sunday, Dec. 12–21. Friday–Saturday at 7pm; Saturday–Sunday matinees at 2pm; no performances Dec. 13 and 20. $10. 52 W. Sixth St., Santa Rosa. 707.523.4185.

A Storybook Christmas Marin Youth Performers present Santa’s elves as they prepare for the happy day with Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood, the Cowardly Lion and other storybook faves. Saturday–Sunday, Dec. 20–21 at 2pm. 142 Throckmorton Theatre, 142 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley. 415.383.9600.

Ghosts of Xmas Present: Stage

‘Posada Navideña’ The Instituto Mazatlán Bellas Artes de Sacramento present a music and dance show celebrating the traditions of a Mexican Christmas, focusing on Joseph and Mary’s pastorela, or journey, before the birth of baby Jesus. Friday, Dec. 5, at 7pm. Wells Fargo Center, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $10–$15. 707.546.3600.

Twisted Christmas Live No. 6 TheBohemian’s own David Templeton assembles a welcome and offbeat alternative to the usual holiday fare. Comic Marga Gomez, NPR’s Sedge Thomson and Reed Martin of the Reduced Shakespeare Company help to craft the evening’s event based on stories having to do with survivalist gingerbread cookies, snowmen from the Twilight Zone and aliens at the Enterprise Christmas party. Saturday, Dec 6, at 7:30pm. The Glaser Center, 547 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. $20–$25. 707.338.6013. www.brownpapertickets.com.

Christmas MemoriesWoman’s Will, an all-female Shakespeare Company, present readings of Christmas classics by Dylan Thomas, Truman Capote and Laura Ingalls Wilder, as well as music and songs and treats. Saturday–Sunday, Dec. 6–7. Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2pm. Falkirk Cultural Center, 1408 Mission Ave., San Rafael. $10–$15. 510.420.0813.

‘The Night Before Christmas’The Healdsburg Ballet presents a holiday favorite in which Christmas Eve comes to life to the strains of ballet, jazz and hip-hop. Saturday–Sunday, Dec. 6–7, at the Raven Theater. Saturday at 7pm; Sunday at 2pm. 115 North St., Healdsburg. $10–$15. 707.431.7617.

Kay Ryan U.S. Poet Laureate and modest Marin resident reads from and discusses her work. Thursday, Dec. 11, at 7pm. Olney Hall, College of Marin, 835 College Ave., Kentfield. Free. 415.485.9648.

The Christmas Rose Harps and poetry coalesce as Patrick Ball creates a tapestry woven out of his harp playing, traditional Celtic legend and folk beliefs, and passages from Yeats, Thomas Hardy and the Bard himself. Thursday–Sunday, Dec. 11–14 and 18–21. Thursday at 7:30pm; Friday–Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2:30pm. Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $19–$24. 707.588.3430.

‘The HollyDay Show’ Pegasus Theater Company cooks up some tomfoolery for the holidays. Thursday–Sunday, Dec. 11–21. Thursday–Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2pm. 20347 Hwy. 116, Monte Rio. 707.52.9043.

‘The Nutcracker’Petaluma City Ballet dances this holiday classic. Friday–Sunday, Dec. 12–14, at the Evert B. Person Theater. Friday at 7:30pm; Saturday at 1:30pm and 7:30pm; Sunday at 11:30am and 3pm. SSU, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park. $12–$23. 707.762.3972.

‘The Nutcracker’ Ballet Califia under the direction of David McNaughton, features lavish costumes and reliable spectacle. Friday–Sunday, Dec. 12–14. Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2:30pm and 8pm; Sunday at 2:30pm. Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $15–$18. 707.588.3430.

Sing Along Messiah Ever-popular group event raises joyful noise, on-key and otherwise, to Handel’s indelible holiday tone poem. Dec. 13 at 3pm. Sebastopol United Methodist Church, 500 N. Main St., Sebastopol. $6, individual; $15, family. 707.829.4797.

‘The Nutcracker’ The Marin Ballet brings Tchaikovsky’s time-tested and beloved ballet to life once again. An after-show Candy Cane Party will give participants a chance to meet the cast. Saturday–Sunday, Dec. 13–14, at 1pm and 5pm; Candy Cane parties follow 1pm performances. Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $23–$35; Candy Cane Party, $10 extra. 415.499.6800.

Rasta Thomas, Bad Boys of Dance Classically trained ballet artist rips it up with blend of Broadway, hip-hop, jazz, tango and ballet that emphasizes the athletic prowess of dancers and the thrill of male bodies. Dec. 19 at 8pm. Wells Fargo Center, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $25–$45. 707.546.3600.

‘The Nutcracker’ Santa Rosa Dance Theater has the sugar plums dancing and the mice stirring under capable hands of artistic director Tamara Statkoun. Friday–Sunday, Dec. 19–21; Friday–Saturday at 7:30pm; Sunday at 2:3pm; also, Saturday at 2:30pm. Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. 707.588.3430.

‘The Nutcracker’ Marin Dance Theatre presents full-length, two-act children’s ballet. A cast of 150 performers includes several special guest artists. Saturday, Dec. 20, at 1pm and 5pm; special Teddy Bear Tea Party after 1pm performance. Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $20–$30; Teddy Bear Tea Party, $10. 415.499.6800.

‘Tap Cracker’ Come see an alternate version of The Nutcracker as performed by Dance with Sherry Studio’s version, a jazzier more modern take on the original. Saturday, Dec. 20, at 2pm and 5:30pm. Marin Center Showcase Theater, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $12–$20. 415.499.6800.

‘The Nutcracker’ Rasta Thomas premieres his new dance company performing with professional dancers Adrienne Canterna and Tina Kay Bohnstedt under the artistic direction of the venerable Maria Vegh with live accompaniment by the American Philharmonic Orchestra Sonoma County. Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 20–21. Saturday at 2pm and 7:30pm; Sunday at 2pm. Wells Fargo Center, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $25–$45. 707.546.3600.

Fa La La La La: Music

Occidental Community Choir This year’s show features new original compositions and guest artist Allaudin Mathieu. Friday, Dec. 5 at 8pm, United Church of Christ (825 Middlefield Drive, Petaluma). Saturday, Dec. 6, at 8pm, Community Church of Sebastopol (1000 Gravenstein Hwy. N.), Sunday, Dec. 7, at 3pm, Glaser Center (547 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa). Family-friendly shows, Saturday, Dec. 13, at 7pm and Sunday, Dec. 14, at 4:30pm, St. Philips Church (Bohemian Highway, Occidental). $10–$15; under 13, free. 707.547.0204.

The Christmas Jug Band Stalwart purveyors of the jugabilly mystique present their annual tongue-in-cheek seasonal convergence featuring appearances by such as Dan Hicks, Commander Cody alumni and other San Francisco Bay Area luminaries. Friday, Dec. 5, at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre (142 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley. 8pm. 415.383.9600). Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Larkspur Cafe Theater (500 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. 7pm. 415.460.9127). Friday, Dec. 19, at the Mystic Theater (23 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 8pm. 707.765.2121). Saturday–Sunday, Dec. 21–22, at the Masonic Hall of Mill Valley (19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley). www.christmasjugband.com.

Chamber Singers Sonoma County Chamber Singers chorale ensemble present work under the theme “Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind: Christmas Music Old and New.” Friday–Sunday, Dec. 5–7. Friday at 7pm, at the Glaser Center (547 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa). Saturday at 7pm, at the United Methodist Church, (825 Middlefield Drive, Petaluma). Sunday at 4pm, at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church (1300 St. Francis Road, Santa Rosa). All performances free; donations accepted. 707.837.8984.

Spencer Day Informed by Harry Connick Jr. and even Norah Jones, Day opened for Rufus Wainwright the last time our boy came through town. A nice way to start the holidays. Saturday, Dec. 6, at 8pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St., Napa. $25–$30. 707.226.7372.

Concerts by Candlelight Stephen McKersie conducts the Marin Symphony Chamber Chorus in an interesting sensorial and aural experience, as chorus members will be situated in various points around the church, creating an antiphonal experience. Saturday–Sunday, Dec. 6–7. Saturday at 7:30pm; Sunday at 4pm. Church of Saint Raphael, 104 Fifth Ave., San Rafael. $25–$30. 415.479.8100.

Kitka Eastern European traditional songs as well as sacred and secular holiday tunes inform this spiritual night of sound. Sunday, Dec. 7, at 5pm. Osher Marin JCC, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. $5–$10. 415.444.8000.

The Irish Show The Blacks are joined by the Celtic Dance Ensemble for a full night of Erin Go Bragh. Monday, Dec. 8, at 7:30pm. Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. $20-$34; traditional Irish “hearth” supper available, $20. 415.388.5200.

Wynonna, Christmas Style Wynonna Judd comes to belt out songs from her new album, A Classic Christmas. Friday, Dec. 12, at 8pm. Wells Fargo Center, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $15–$85. 707.546.3600.

Sonoma Valley Chorale The Chorale performs “A Magnificent Christmas,” performing Magnificat, a piece written by Italian composer, Giovanni Pergolesi, as well as others. Saturday–Sunday, Dec. 13–14. Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2pm and 7pm. Sonoma Vet’s Bldg., 1261 First St. W., Sonoma. $12–$18. 707.935.1576. www.sonomavalleychorale.org.

Oakland Interfaith Gospel ChoirThe award-winning Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir Ensemble perform in the historic Bartholomew Park winery museum. Saturday, Dec. 13, at 4:30pm and 7:30pm. 1000 Vineyard Lane, Sonoma. $45–$125. 707.939.2274.

Cinnabar Choral Ensemble Mixing traditional yuletide tunes with ancient and modern music directed by Nina Shuman. Saturday, Dec. 13, at 8pm. 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. $8–$12. 707.763.8920.

The Sonoma Hometown Band “Holiday Festival of Music,” a family-friendly show offering traditional music from opera to popular holiday tunes. Saturday, Dec. 13, at 11am. Sebastiani Theatre, 474 First St. E., Sonoma. Free. 707.933.8989.

Winter Dance Party A 1950s concert review of some of the era’s most famous and memorable performers such as Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper. A special appearance will be made by the Big Bopper’s son, Jay P. Richardson. Sunday, Dec. 14, at 5pm. Lincoln Theater, 100 California Ave., Yountville. $39–$49. 707.944.1300.

New Century Chamber Orchestra Innovative ensemble celebrate holidays with music by Handel and Bach plus songs and chorales by soprano Melody Moore. Sunday, Dec. 14, at 5pm. 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. $32–$54. 415.444.8000.

Angels Are Everywhere Cinnabar Choral Ensemble mix traditional yuletide tunes with ancient and modern music. Saturday, Dec. 15, at 8pm. 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. $8–$12. 707.763.8920.

 

Piano Bar . . . For the Holidays Interactive cabaret-style performance led by singer and pianist Steve Saari changes nightly. Tuesday–Sunday, Dec. 16–21. Tuesday–Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St., Napa. $28. 707.226.7372.

A Chanticleer Christmas Medieval and Renaissance works, traditional carols and moving spirituals. Friday, Dec. 19, at 6pm and 8:30pm. St. Vincent Church, 35 Liberty St. Petaluma. $30–$48. 415.252.8589.

‘Tis the Season, Winter Celebration Over a hundred joyful singers from  Singers Marin present a holiday choral concert with familiar Christmas and Hanukkah songs. Sunday, Dec. 21, at the Marin Center. 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. 4pm. $20–$30. 415.499.6800. 



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Museums and gallery notes.


Reviews of new book releases.


Reviews and previews of new plays, operas and symphony performances.


Reviews and previews of new dance performances and events.

Forecast: Rain—and Sewage

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Forecast: Rain—and Sewage

11.12.08

DELUGE: Does Richardson Bay remain in danger of sewage overflow with the coming rains?

In January 2008, 3.5 million gallons of untreated sewage water slid into Richardson Bay in one week due to overflows and alarm-system failures at Mill Valley’s Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin (SASM). The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered SASM and several other sewage-management agencies to repair old and damaged infrastructure, but aside from a few system upgrades and some paperwork, physical improvements have been few. Many system weaknesses that caused the January spills still exist beneath the sidewalks and streets of southern Marin, and a fully reliable system may be years in the future.

According to Bruce Wolfe, executive officer with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board in Oakland, much of Marin’s sewer system was built more than 50 years ago, and the structural integrity of pipes throughout the system has decayed. In an ideal situation, sewage pipes are watertight, Wolfe says. However, cracks and breaches riddle Marin’s aging system, and in January huge quantities of runoff during two large storms gushed into the pipes at many still-to-be-identified leakage points.

The Sewerage Agency receives and processes a dry-season average of approximately 2 million gallons of wastewater daily from some 28,000 locals. The flows in January, however, reached 30 million gallons. The facility could not contain the deluge in its 1.7-million-gallon emergency storage tank, and during the first storm, on Jan. 25, plant managers took action to avoid a flood inside the facility.

“They had no option but divert some of that sewage water around the plant,” Wolfe says. “That was raw sewage, though on the flipside it was diluted with huge amounts of rainwater.”

The day after the spill, an email from SASM to the water board told state officials of the spill, stating that it had occurred weeks prior. Steve Danehy, SASM’s general manager, told the Bohemian that it was an honest typo. Due to the communication error, various health and environmental response agencies did not learn of the spill and the subsequent one on Jan. 31 until Feb. 5, 11 days after the first event.

The EPA reacted in early April by ordering SASM, as well as six Marin County water districts whose sewage pipes feed the SASM plant, to submit drafts by Oct. 15 detailing each agency’s current system management plans. Some have met the deadline with lengthy documents describing their respective emergency procedure plans and maintenance schedules. The Sewerage Agency, though, recently requested an extension on the deadline, which the EPA has granted, and the sewage center now has until April 2009 to file the paperwork.

The water board issued a fine of $1.6 million against SASM on Sept. 2, which the EPA’s division chief of wastewater control, Lila Tang, assures will eventually be paid. However, the cash-strapped SASM may be allowed to complete a “supplemental environmental project” in order to alleviate the financial hardship. Such a project might include funding local residents in repairing their home sewage pipes.

In the investigation following the January spills, officials with the water board discovered that the state emergency notification requirements then in place had been written in the 1970s. The antiquated standards required that agencies report spills by phone within 24 hours and turn in written notification within five days.

“In the age of electronic information, we can do a lot better than that,” Wolfe says. The law was updated this summer to require that accidents be reported within two hours.

Currently, SASM is making several upgrades at its facility, according to Danehy. The 25-year-old alarm system which experienced “a breakdown in communications” on Jan. 31 will soon be replaced by a modern system. He also reports that 30 electronic flow monitors will be in place around the Mill Valley area by December, inserted into the pipes at strategic points to provide SASM staff with constant real-time reports on water volume approaching the facility. Contractors are also expanding SASM’s emergency overflow tank, doubling its capacity to 3.3 million gallons, a job which Danehy guesses should be completed by late November and which he trusts will be capable of handling most wet-season inflows to the plant. 

However, the efficiency of a sewage plant depends on the structural integrity of the pipes that feed it. SASM’s facility may be better equipped than it was last winter, but the leaks and breaches that allowed the overflows of January’s storms still exist deep within the subsurface system.

 

“You can make improvements at the plant,” Wolfe says, “but to actually locate leaks in the system and reconstruct the lines, that’s a multi-year process.”

The EPA has set deadlines for such improvements as far in the future as 2013. Until then, five rainy seasons will pass, and Danehy acknowledges the uncertainties ahead.

“With our improvements, we should be prepared for most storm events. Then again, there’s no guarantee there won’t be problems this winter. You just never know what Mother Nature might deliver.”


First Bite

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11.12.08

E ditor’s note: First Bite is a new concept in restaurant writing. This is not a go-three-times, try-everything-on-the-menu report; rather, this is a quick snapshot of a single experience. We invite you to come along with our writers as they—informed, intelligent eaters like yourselves—have a simple meal at an area restaurant, just like you do.

Restaurant Eloise, Sebastopol’s newest addition to high-end dining, is named after the adventurous and somewhat naughty little girl in Kay Thompson’s children’s books. Eloise travels from New York to Paris, and diners here will vicariously follow in her footsteps. Chefs and owners Eric Korsh and Ginevra Iverson, previously of New York, have established themselves in the comfortable and simple space on busy Gravenstein Highway that previously housed Chez Peyo and Bistro V. With a bright white interior and sparse decorations, the main dining room and its staff welcome diners with a relaxed yet professional air.

Perusing the menu, two things immediately stand out: the eclectic offerings and the extremely high prices. Offered as starters are sweetbreads ($14), headcheese and veal tongue on a charcuterie plate ($20) and bone marrow ($14). I was tempted to try the tall, roasted marrow bones, but the other diners at my table were not enticed into sharing this rich dish. Instead, we started with the amuse-bouche, three small, crisp toasts smeared with a delicious three liver pâté (rabbit, duck and guinea hen).

We followed with a highly recommended—and, I’m afraid, highly overrated—spotted shrimp appetizer ($14). Three hot, whole prawns, one as big as my hand, were wrested out of their shells to yield, well, three very small portions of meat. Perhaps if we were as truly adventurous as Eloise, we would have eaten more than the usual shrimp meat, but instead we washed our hands of it in the fingerbowl provided. By this time, I had finished my first glass of wine, notable only because I am known for nursing one glass of an average pour through an entire meal.

My husband and I each ordered a second glass from the 32 available on the wine list, and moved on to the main courses. The vegetarian at the table hungrily dove into one of two vegetarian offerings (the other being a yummy-sounding French red lentil soup with feta for $9), the ricotta and chard gnocchi ($19). Served in a deep bowl, these tender little pillows had a consistency more reminiscent of ravioli, rather than the usual density of potato gnocchi. Heavily dressed with a brown butter and sage sauce, the flavors popped once salt was added.

Conversely, the small pot of cassoulet ($33), France’s signature dish, was overly salty. A rich blend of fall-off-the-bone confit duck leg, large coins of spicy beef and garlic sausage, a small slab of pork belly, tarbais beans imported from France (perhaps explaining the hefty over-pricing for country fare) and spices, the cassoulet was a satisfying dish for a cold fall evening.

The three of us split dessert, Baba Rum ($9), a pound cake&–like brioche served with a spoonful of sweet Chantilly cream and a small pitcher of warmed rum to pour over it. The meal was enjoyable and the service excellent, but the final tab, $160 (before tip) for two adults and a child, put Eloise in the “special occasion” category rather than the “favorite local eatery” one. Perhaps the lunch special, three courses for $25, including a daily appetizer, dessert and a glass of wine or nonalcoholic beverage, would be a more wallet-friendly way to enjoy Restaurant Eloise in these tough economic times.

Restaurant Eloise, 2295 Gravenstein Hwy. S., Sebastopol. Open for lunch, Tuesday&–Saturday; dinner, Monday&–Saturday. 707.823.6300.


Quick-and-dirty dashes through North Bay restaurants. These aren’t your standard “bring five friends and order everything on the menu” dining reviews.

Nature’s Magical Discovery Hut

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11.12.08

Entering Spring Lake’s Environmental Discovery Center is like stumbling upon a quirky little forest cottage inhabited by someone who loves sharing his knowledge of nature’s ways, even cheerfully answering your pesky questions. Yup, it’s a dream come true for this “Why is the sky blue?” kid.

Located down a wandering oak woodlands trail, the center seems unlike standard park fare, with its squat cement base supporting a wood lattice pyramid two stories tall. Inside is an unassuming light-filled room, richly cluttered with natural objects. I find myself staring at a casually reclining mountain lion, frozen in time. How often can one examine such an animal’s details?

Looking around, I see a stuffed quail, fox, coyote, otter, skunk, wild turkey and bufflehead duck. A tousled owl peers down. Today’s naturalist, Indio Coffelt, comments that these are all Sonoma County natives, and that mountain lions and coyotes still travel through Santa Rosa’s Spring Lake.

At the “habitat table,” he shows me a tiny bird’s nest, a hornet’s nest and a basalt rock piece. The latter, probably “only” 5 million years old, has holes in which animals make their homes. To inspire children’s connection with these items, he asks such questions as “Can you imagine building your house with your mouth?” The nearby wall holds “Web of Life” posters and a game board where children place animals in their correct habitat.

Next, at the “touch table,” Indio points to a large molten chunk of obsidian, which local tribes mined and traded. He encourages me to try the large, worn stone mortar and pestle, used by natives to make acorn mush. He muses, “How many hundreds, even thousands, of people did this feed?”

Beneath these seemingly casual displays and conversations is an intentional approach called experiential education (EE), which was Indio’s focus area for his Sonoma State environmental studies degree. With EE, he says, people are invited to “do and touch and see and smell,” versus what he calls “chalk and talk,” or worse, “chalk-dust torture.” (I’m amused that even the welcoming of my questions has a technical name: “inquiry-based” or “student-led” learning.)

Feeling my own curiosity stirred, I can see why families, grandparents and scout troops visit here. But one doesn’t need a child to come. Anyone could surely occupy hours exploring this information-lush place. Other treasures include a tide pool touch tank, turtle habitat, frog game board, freestanding tree fort, puppet theater, eco-crafts table, silkworms, informational posters and interactive computer games. I even pick up a self-guided nature-walk brochure, with descriptions of native plants.

However, the experience brings more than entertainment. Indio remarks, “I’m helping students of all ages strengthen their relationship to the natural world. We’re learning and teaching through nature, the way that humans have done forever but have moved away from. We’re all innately deeply rooted in the natural world. It provides anything that you could ever want.” I nod, thinking of how nature profoundly nurtures me physically and emotionally, which is my core reason for wanting to honor and protect it.

The center also hosts morning sessions for elementary school classes, leading approximately a thousand children a month through such activities as storytelling, projects, hikes and a lifecycle theater.  Indio says, “We have a great time.” Additionally, the center’s naturalists bring their hands-on science out to classrooms.

My eye is drawn to the new painted lady butterfly habitat. Inside, a moth-sized, monarch-orange butterfly, freshly emerged from her cocoon, dries and stretches her crumpled wings under the “sun” heat lamp. A butterfly lifecycle poster echoes small models on the table. “Butterflies and dragonflies live short, magical lives,” Indio observes. “They fly and spread their magic and good luck around, lay eggs, then pass on. And their offspring will continue to do the same—the big cycle.”

When I smile, he adds, “There’s tons of magic in the natural world.” He tells me of a conversation he once had at Nashville State. Physics professor Art Ward was explaining the technical science of the shimmering aurora borealis when Indio cried out, “Wait, you’re killing it!” Ward calmly replied, “Just because you can explain it scientifically, doesn’t mean it isn’t still magic.”

 The Environmental Discovery Center is located inside Spring Lake Park adjacent to the main parking lot, 391 Violetti Drive, Santa Rosa. Hours are Wednesday–Sunday, noon–5pm. Entry is free; parking is $5–$6. The current exhibit, ‘Habitat and Home,’ continues through Jan. 4. More info is at www.sonoma-county.org-parks-edc.htm or call 707.539.2865.


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