Changing Tones

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Changing Tones

North Bay theater patrons are well aware of the numerous performances cancelled because of the Kincade Fire and PG&E power shutoffs. What they may not know is the impact those factors had on shows in the middle of their rehearsals.

There’s no doubt that loss of critical time can be attributed to some—but not all—of the raggedness evident in the 6th Street Playhouse production of Oliver!, running through Dec. 15. Odd directorial choices and horrible sound mixing also contributed to a less-than-satisfactory opening night performance of this classic musical.

Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist is a dark look at the underbelly of a 19th century England full of orphanages, workhouses and crime. British writer/composer Lionel Bart managed to turn it into a somewhat family-friendly musical with a very successful West End debut and Tony-winning Broadway run, followed by a multi-Oscar-winning film adaptation.

Orphan-boy Oliver (an under-rehearsed Cecilia Brenner) is living the hard-knock life when he’s sold to a local undertaker. He runs away to London and falls in with a young pickpocket known as the Artful Dodger (a personable Mario Herrera). The Dodger introduces him to Fagin (David Yen, strong), the “mentor” to a gang of youthful thieves with a beerhall lass named Nancy (Brittany Law, excellent) as a mother figure. Circumstances soon find Oliver in a good home, but Nancy’s mate Bill Sikes (a sinister Zachary Hasbany) sees Oliver as a threat. A violent end is in store for someone.

The show requires a large cast and while director Patrick Nims has 24 performers on stage, more than half of them are kids. Consequently, the adult actors essay multiple roles (Dwayne Stincelli is the undertaker and a curly-locked housemaid; Maureen O’Neill is the undertaker’s wife and a ridiculously mutton-chopped Mr. Bedwin, etc.) as well as inanimate objects like doors and window blinds, while the kids play street urchins, the occasional adult and animals. This gave the show a strange tone and led to the evening’s oddest moment when the violent bludgeoning death of a character was immediately followed by the sound of the audience’s “Aw!” at the sight of a child portraying a dog.

Conceptual issues aside, poor sound work off stage repeatedly undermined quality performances on stage. I’m starting to sound like a broken record here, but sound really matters in a musical.

At some point, could someone step forward and say, “Please sir, I want some more … rehearsal”?

Rating (out of 5): ★★★

‘Oliver!’ runs through Dec. 15 at 6th Street Playhouse, 52 W. Sixth St., Santa Rosa. Fri–Sat, 7:30pm; Sat–Sun, 2pm. $10–$38. 707.523.4185. 6thstreetplayhouse.com

Lie To Me

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Lie To Me

Aging performers can be sad to watch. Right when they should be doing their best work, they’re lending their years of integrity to luxury-car commercial voiceovers.

Happily, Bill Condon’s The Good Liar rejoices in old age’s boundless capacity for treachery. On the typewritten titles McKellen (Ian) and Mirren (Helen) get last-name credits before their first names bleed through the paper. Do they need first names at this stage?

It’s 2009, and a couple is typing away at a computer dating site for people in their sunset years. They tell white lies as they correspond. They meet. He’s a kindly old gentleman with a trustworthy Walt Disney mustache. He practically signals his virtue with semaphore flags: “What I deplore most in life is dishonesty.” He has a son with whom he’s estranged: “I don’t approve of his lifestyle…he designs kitchens.”

Betty has a grandson, Steven (Russel Tovey) who watches Roy like a hawk. After the first date, Roy departs for a titty bar, to meet an equally dodgy circle of “financiers,” including his main partner in grift (the great Jim Carter). All get ready to launder some Russian money.

Roy could use a hideout. Over the objections of Steven, Betty moves the old man into her guest room. She’s in frail health; stroke prone. She suggests a trip to Berlin. The city has unhappy history. In long flashbacks we learn about Roy and that mysterious scar on his neck he doesn’t talk about.

If you don’t suspect The Good Liar‘s title should be plural, you’re more innocent than the cast. We can predict Roy-the-enterprising-weasel will become a cornered rat. Still, McKellen shows he’s a virtuoso of villainy, glowing in false benevolence. He’s a pleasure even in slighter moments of disgust, scowling at a squad of power-walking seniors. His last cowed glare at the audience is a payback scene worthy of a Lon Chaney movie.

At this point, Mirren has kept her personal magic as long as Marlene Dietrich; her keenness of eye and firmness of mouth project enough force to hold this film’s stories together. And there’s a final moment where Betty, alarmed by the noises of three little girls in her yard, has second thoughts. The girls are there to keep a happy ending from being too happy. A skyscape is all the more beautiful for having a cloud in it.

‘The Good Liar’ is now playing in
wide release.

‘Kindred’ Souls

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‘Kindred’ Souls

Artistic Director Liz Jahren halts in front of a cluster of paintings on the wall at the Petaluma location of Alchemia Gallery and Studios, a visual-and-performing-arts nonprofit serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the North Bay. “Oh, wait, look at these. Aren’t these beautiful?” she asks.

All of the images are boldly rendered expressions of animals—cats, pigs, wolves, sheep dogs, polar bears and penguins, whales, fish, turtles and, um, a centaur. Some paintings are detailed to an astonishing degree, others simplistic to the point of minimalism; many are fancifully abstract, all of them vivid, colorful and instantly captivating.

“We often mistake animals as other,” Jahren says. It’s one of two opening receptions for the “Kindred IV” exhibit running simultaneously in Petaluma and Novato. It’s the fourth annual Kindred exhibit in Petaluma, but the first in Marin, where Alchemia has had a facility for 10 years but opened the downtown Grant Street gallery just one year ago.

“As a culture, we sometimes forget that animals have feelings, they have thoughts, they have ideas of their own, in a way, right?” Jahren says, when asked why they dubbed the show “Kindred.”

“I think that’s also true of a lot of people in our community, this community right here,” she says, gesturing at the works on the wall. Alchemia artists created them all. “There’s a special sense of ‘kindred’ that exists between our artists and the animal world, and there’s something really beautiful about that relationship. When they choose an animal that speaks to them and then create a piece of art around that animal, those pieces often turn out to be very powerful and just deeply, viscerally appealing.”

In addition to the galleries and the Novato teaching space, Alchemia operates a Santa Rosa location focusing primarily on performing arts: dance, theater, puppetry, media, music and singing. The Santa Rosa location also has its own, robust visual-arts program.

Elizabeth Clary, the Executive Director of Alchemia, arrives fresh from Novato’s opening day to join the festivities. Clary says it was a packed show, a testament to Alchemia’s growing visibility in Novato.

“The bottom line is that Alchemia has served Marin County for over 10 years, but we’ve been mostly under the radar,” Clary says. “A downtown storefront is a great way to promote the work of the artists we support.”

And those artists, notes Jahren, face more obstacles than one would assume when they identify as creative.

“Basically, people act as if you’re not allowed to be an artist,” she says. “It’s assumed you’ll participate in work programs where you can clean parking lots or assemble things in factories. That’s great for a lot of people—but for those who have an artistic streak, we offer an alternative. These studios and galleries are places our clients come to be supported as artists, with mentorship, facilitation and curatorship, to help them create and share their artwork with the world.”

California Dream

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California Dream

For 45 years, I’ve searched the California cannabis world for a fellow New Yorker. No luck until last week, when I finally found him.

Ron Ferraro is the real deal. The quips about his Italian last name and his New York accent, which hit him soon after he arrived in Sonoma County, stopped when he rolled up his shirtsleeves, bought blackened lots and began to build homes in Fountain Grove and Coffey Park, two neighborhoods torched by the big fires of October 2017. Unwilling to be seen as a New York scammer, Ferraro didn’t knock on doors and persuade customers to buy houses sight unseen. He built models and then went out and sold them one by one.

At the same time, he threw himself into the legal cannabiz industry, and, with the help of lawyers, consultants, growers and his brother, Matthew, created his own company, Elyon. Pals back East thought he was in over his head. “My partners in construction in New York thought I was crazy,” he says from behind his desk, with an American flag looming over his shoulder. Ferraro had money in the bank and a business plan, though he didn’t know Californian ways, and like many others in the same or a similar boat, the constantly changing local and state regulations flummoxed him.

But Ferraro had both “a vision” that propelled him forward and the grit and determination of a New Yorker (a species as rare in the California cannabis industry as rain on the Fourth of July in Santa Rosa). Along with the vision and the grit, Matthew Ferraro’s marketing genius and savvy use of social media put Elyon on the cannabis map.

The Ferraro brothers are succeeding where dozens, if not hundreds, of similar entrepreneurs have fallen by the wayside. Perhaps because God is on their side. Indeed, the name “Elyon” is Biblical Hebrew and means “God Most High.” Yes, it’s esoteric, but it caught on big time, along with the company’s reputation for creating some of “the most potent cannabis products in California,” with strains such as “Blue Dream,” “Silver Sundaze” and “Lava Cake.”

Asked to explain his good fortune, Ferraro says, “Cannabis is my destiny.” He adds, “Something this monumental only comes around every 100 years—and we’re just getting started. What Silicon Valley is to the global tec industry, the state of California will be to the worldwide cannabiz.”

Ferraro says his dream is to make Elyon into the cannabiz equivalent of Constellation Brands, the international producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits. Inside Elyon’s headquarters, near the Sonoma County airport, Ferraro’s Ecuadorian-born pal, Carlos Zambrano—a construction wiz who doesn’t smoke marijuana—says, “Ron’s head works faster than most other peoples’ heads, and he’s always a man of his word.”

Born on April 26, 1983, Ferraro grew up in Valley Stream on the South Shore of Long Island, about 45 minutes from the Empire State Building and 30 minutes from where I was born and raised. Marijuana wasn’t legal in New York when Ron was a kid. It still isn’t legal, but when he wanted it, he found ways to buy it on the black market. “I’ve always smoked weed, even as a teenager, though I wasn’t into it that much because I was an athlete,” he says.

He began to smoke more in college, and learned weed provided inspiration and helped him focus. “It gets me up, it’s my coffee,” he says. From his perch in New York he watched the growth of the cannabiz on the West Coast and decided Sonoma County was the place to put down roots. “The climate is great, there’s a big cannabis community here and it’s close to the Emerald Triangle,” he explains. At first, Ferraro bought cannabis by the truckload in Northern California and sold it wholesale in Southern California.

Then he decided to change direction and go retail in the San Francisco Bay Area, in part because Los Angeles was a hotbed of rogue pot shops. Ferraro aimed to be strictly legal. From business relationships with 50 farms, he cut back to four, all of them growing one acre with permits. Elyon has an acre of cannabis cultivated in a greenhouse in Sonoma County. The company has written contracts with its suppliers, and Ferraro keeps a close eye on the cultivation and harvesting practices of business partners.

He provides growers with financial or technical help when they need it. He also supplies laborers. In some cases he purchases a crop before it’s planted in the ground. The farmer gets money up-front, where it’s needed and Ferraro turns a profit after harvest. To know what weed is good, he looks at it, smells it, smokes it and tastes it. “It’s all about the genetics of the plant,” he says.

Ferraro has unlimited faith in the future of cannabis. “It’s a commodity, an industry, a culture and a lifestyle,” he says. “What more do you want? New people—old, young and in-between—are using it every day and, unlike the opiates which have destroyed many people in my generation, marijuana is not addictive or life-threatening.”

Andrew Smith, the Deputy Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner, describes Ferraro as a “charismatic person and a good businessman.” He adds, “Ferraro wants a Sonoma County cannabis brand that’s marketed in the ways that wine and craft beer are marketed. I think that’s a great idea.”

Turning the TIDE

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Turning the TIDE

People often don’t want to talk about racism and discrimination, especially with kids. But some have to talk about it anyway, early and often, because it impacts them directly. Others think their kids might not notice color, that it will sort itself out or maybe racism isn’t really happening here much anyway.

Paige Green, who is white-identified, has long been concerned with these topics. But other parts of her life, including kids and work, ended up taking precedence. Then, earlier this year, she kept hearing local students of color telling their personal experiences with racism and bias in our town. Consequently, she and a diverse group of community members with the same concerns decided to take personal action. Building on the previous work of other organizations focusing on diversity and equality, they began the Team for Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity (TIDE). Their aim is to have a chapter of TIDE in every city school in Petaluma.

“At the Women’s March in January organized by Indivisible Petaluma and North Bay Organizing Project, I heard students talk about the hardship of being a person of color in Petaluma,” she says. “Then I heard more stories at the Bias and Inclusion Forum, held by the Petaluma Community Relations Council at the Petaluma Library. I’d always been concerned about this in our town, and hearing these stories was heartbreaking and affected me.”

Fourteen people from five Petaluma schools attended the first meeting. Three attendees spoke Spanish as a first language, and all attendees were women. They decided together to call the group TIDE.

The goal is to have a TIDE chapter in every school and a city-wide All-TIDE group. At All-TIDE, representatives from each school meet once a month to share updates. Currently, there are TIDE chapters at McNear Elementary, Grant Elementary, Live Oak Charter School, McKinley School and Mary Collins School at Cherry Valley. A chapter at Valley Vista Elementary School is also underway.

The first thing organizers did was talk with the principals of their own kids’ schools.

“Having the principal on board helps a lot,” Green says.

They met with teachers, hosting a lunch and listening to their perspectives. And they reached out to the wider school community with events and a survey. To achieve maximum participation, the survey was available online or on paper, in English and Spanish, and could be completed and returned anonymously.

The results informed a decision to have public diversity training and focus specifically on school librarians.

“Librarians are a good doorway into schools since books are a great way to have some of these conversations,” Green explains.

TIDE held their first series of four sliding-scale public diversity awareness trainings this past fall. They were free for teachers and school staff.

“We expected 28 people at the first training and 40 showed up. Overall we’ve trained upwards of 70 people so far,” Green says.

The group is currently forming an advisory board with representation and inclusivity from all sectors of the community and is in partnership with North Bay Organizing Project, Amor Para Todos, Petaluma Blacks for Community Development and Community Health Initiative of the Petaluma Area (CHIPA). Petaluma People Services is the fiscal sponsor.

Additionally, TIDE is funding the diversity training component featuring Tara Fleming, an anti-bias educator and facilitator, at Casa Grande High’s spring professional development day.

“Hopefully through these various things we’re building trust—it’s all about relationship building, and we know we have lots of different opinions,” Green says. “Our goal is to create safe and welcoming environments at our schools, so all of our children can thrive. One thing that really motivated me is that the Sonoma County Human Rights Junior Commission did a poll of high school kids across Sonoma county, asking: Do you feel safe and have you experienced racism? The results looked OK at first, then when they took out all the white respondents, 100 percent of students of color had experienced racism and discrimination of some kind.”

Kids at Kenilworth Junior High this past year displayed White Power hand signs in their basketball yearbook photo. A student at Casa Grande High reported in the Junior Commission poll that people wore “Go Back to Mexico” shirts to school and chanted that phrase in the quad.

While there is certainly still racist behavior, many are just unaware.

“Training in diversity awareness is the most needed now,” Green says. “The teachers and administrators in our districts are mostly white. It’s hard to be a diversity advocate and make sure you aren’t missing something if you aren’t aware. Through this process, we will also hopefully create a safe and welcoming environment at our schools.”

Gastropub Grows

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Gastropub Grows

That cozy Kenwood eatery with the vintage red truck out front—better known as Palooza Brewery & Gastropub on Sonoma Highway 12—now has a second location at Cornerstone Sonoma.

What’s the Palooza recipe for success? Ping Pong? Comedy Nights? Those activities and events certainly help, but their commitment to quality ingredients, great hospitality and a supremely fun, appetizing menu are their best practices. The casual, family-friendly (dogs included), wine country charm is also associated with Palooza’s mass appeal.

Owners Jeff and Suzette Tyler started modestly with a single hot-dog cart. Opening a second eatery in the same town where they cater to thousands of hungry Sonoma Stomper fans each summer makes good business sense. The minor league baseball team are such fans of the eatery themselves, they deemed their ballpark Palooza Park at Arnold Field.

The Tyler’s opened Palooza Brewery and Gastropub in Kenwood in 2014, with their latest Palooza venture at the Cornerstone Sonoma marketplace opening this past August.

“It’s been a great experience opening a business at such a dynamic property,” says Patrick Odenthal, general manager of both sites. “Cornerstone hosts a variety of tasting rooms and unique boutique shops … a one-of-a-kind gem of Sonoma County. We are fortunate to be surrounded by the serene Sunset Gardens to set the relaxing vibe to indulge.”  

The Palooza menu at Cornerstone Sonoma offers several favorites from its Kenwood location such as the house-smoked BBQ ribs, the classic burger, and the pulled-pork sandwich, and features a few new additions including handcrafted, aged cheese and charcuterie boards to compliment the selection of fine local wines.

And if you prefer brew, the beer garden is well-stocked. Odenthal says, “We feature four of our beers with a focus on drinkability. Cornerstone IPA is our latest release—a Simcoe Dry Hopped Session IPA.”

Dishes such as the hippie avocado toast or the adult grilled cheese have only one appropriate response—”Yes, please!”

“Visit us at either location—Sonoma or Kenwood,” Odenthal says. “We offer lunch and dinner at both locations. The staff, food, & drinks are fantastic. You might want to stay awhile.”

Palooza Beer Garden & Eatery at Cornerstone Sonoma, 23584 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, and Palooza Brewery & Gastropub, 8910 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood. paloozafresh.com

Next Big Thing

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Next Big Thing

Artists: they’re out there, living among us. There may be hundreds, if not thousands, of them right here in the North Bay, many toiling in obscurity while they wait to be discovered.

This month, Creative Sonoma and the Museum of Sonoma County collaborate to recognize 10 such artists in the new exhibition, “Discovered: Emerging Artists in Sonoma County,” opening on Friday, Nov. 22.

“This is born out of the Community Foundation Sonoma County,” says Creative Sonoma Director Kirsten Madsen. “The program was initiated by The Artist Awards Endowment Fund, which included more than 50 donors.”

In 2016, the foundation turned to Creative Sonoma to manage the program and find those artists worthy of recognition.

For this year’s program, “Discovered” is recognizing five visual artists and five literary artists from Sonoma County, all of whom will receive $2,500 stipends for their past work, a professionally-produced catalog of their work and placement in the upcoming exhibition that Museum of Sonoma County Executive Director Jeff Nathanson will curate.

Nathanson also headed up this year’s visual-arts jury. For the literary artists, Madsen brought in local New York Times bestselling author Ellen Sussman to lead a separate jury.

The visual artists selected for this year’s “Discovered” exhibit are painter Nicole Irene Anderson, photographer Nestor Torres Lupercio, sculptors Annette Goodfriend and Ash Hay, and multidisciplinary artist C.K.Itamura.

The literary artists are nonfiction writers Leilani Clark and Nicole R. Zimmerman, fiction writer Joy Lanzendorfer and poets Ernesto Garay and Chelsea Rose Kurnick.

“We’re covering a lot of disciplines,” says Madsen. “With 10 people we are showing the range of artistic expression available in Sonoma County.”

For the exhibit, Nathanson plans a special display of the literary-arts winners, showing five panels of printed excerpts joined by personal information and jury statements. On top of that, a video will run of each writer reading their work, shown along with artistic interpretations of the writings. “It will be as much about the language and the words as it is about the actual reader,” Madsen says.

The artists will also be involved in discussion panels and art-making sessions while the exhibit runs. Madsen notes that, beyond the visibility each artist gains with the exhibit, the monetary and credibility boost each artist receives from the program is a catalyst to further their career.

“We were able to reach out to artists who were a part of this program last time and were heartened to discover many of the artists were still engaged in making art,” Madsen says. “That’s critical for us, that this program helps people who have such great promise that they find their way forward continuing to make art.”

Holiday Arts Guide

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Holiday Arts Guide

Winter Tradition No holiday season is complete without ‘The Nutcracker,’ which is performed by Napa Regional Dance Company and Santa Rosa Dance Theater among others.

While the sun is setting earlier, the lights are coming out in the North Bay for the next two months, with holiday fun and cheer coming your way. To help navigate the season and keep your spirits bright, we present our select guide to holiday events, shopping, performances and other artsy offerings leading up to Christmas.

Events

Holidays Along the Farm Trails Celebrate the season with the local agricultural community, as farmers and producers offer a view of life on the farm. Find farm-stand gifts, cut a Christmas tree to take home and enjoy DIY workshops. Hosted by Sonoma County Farm Trails. Nov. 14–Jan. 1. Various Locations in Sonoma County. Registration required. farmtrails.org.

Holidays in Yountville Skip the big-box stores this Christmas and join the people of Yountville for six weeks of food, wine and holiday cheer. As the town transforms into a magical winter wonderland with thousands of sparkling lights, visitors can enjoy a full schedule of live entertainment, art shows, workshops and classes, along with unique shopping choices, food and wine tours, carriage rides and more. Nov. 24–Jan. 1. Washington St., Yountville. Full schedule and info at yountville.com.

Healdsburg Turkey Trot Family-friendly Thanksgiving morning 5K run and walk awards prizes for first place and favorite costumes, and benefits the Drew Esquivel Scholarship, which helps Healdsburg high school students and athletes attend college. Packet Pickups happen Nov. 26 and 27. Race takes place Nov. 28. Healdsburg Running Company, 333 Center St., Healdsburg. Race at 8am. $25–$35. Kids 5 and under are free. healdsburgturkeytrot.com.

Winter Lights Santa Rosa’s downtown Courthouse Square shines with the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony that includes activities for all ages like ornament painting, a bouncy jump house, face painting and live performances. Enjoy local eats, see Santa arrive on a fire truck and partake in the Remembrance Candle Lighting. Nov. 29. Third Street and Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa. 4pm. Free admission. 707.545.1414.

Santa’s Riverboat Arrival Santa and Mrs. Claus give the season its start when they arrive by tugboat at the Petaluma River Turning Basin and disembark to hand out candy and take holiday photos with kids. Nov. 30. River Plaza Shopping Center, 72 E. Washington St., Petaluma. 11:30am–1pm. Free. 707.769.0429.

Napa’s Christmas Parade This long-running, family-friendly evening parade features creative floats built by Napans themselves, focusing on the theme “Twelve Days of Christmas.” Nov. 30. First and Second streets in downtown Napa. 5–8pm. Free. donapa.com.

Lighting of the Snowmen Annual tradition lights up Cornerstone Sonoma with decorative snowmen coming to life amid live music and entertainment. Get a photo with Santa and enjoy the seasonal spirit in the picturesque setting. Dec. 7. Cornerstone Sonoma, 23667 Hwy. 121, Sonoma. 4pm. Free admission. 707.939.3010.

Calistoga Lighted Tractor Parade Twenty-fourth annual small-town celebration of the holiday season and Calistoga’s agricultural heritage boasts vintage tractors, antique trucks and other rustic autos lit up in dazzling displays. Dec. 7. Lincoln Avenue between Stevenson and Cedar, downtown Calistoga. 7pm. Free. visitcalistoga.com.

Luther Burbank Holiday Open House A popular holiday tradition in its 40th year, this open house features Victorian-era finery and a charming tour of Burbank’s historic home and gardens. Dec. 7–8. Luther Burbank Home & Gardens, 204 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa. 10am–4pm. $3; kids 12 and under are free. lutherburbank.org.

Hands-On Chanukah Join the Jewish Concierge of Sonoma County and the Charles M. Schulz Museum to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Chanukah with dreidel-spinning contests, marshmallow-dreidel decorating, menorah crafting and more. Dec. 8. Charles M. Schulz Museum, 2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa. 10am. Free admission when you say “Hands-On Chanukah!” 707.579.4452.

Light Up a Life Heartland Hospice honors lives lost with annual candle- and tree-lighting ceremonies. Celebrate the holidays with community, enjoy live music from Michael Brandeburg’s Jazz Trio and create an ornament in honor of your loved one. Dec. 5. Montgomery Village Terrace, 911 Village Court, Santa Rosa. 5–6:30pm. Free. mvshops.com.

Sebastopol Holiday Home Tour & Artisan Boutique Enjoy the holiday lights and décor of several different stylish homes, with cheerful music and festive bites on hand. Then, browse a variety of holiday crafts and decorations for sale at a boutique at Pleasant Hill Christian School, all benefiting the Jacob’s Scholarship Fund. Dec. 13–15. 1782 Pleasant Hill Road, Sebastopol. Friday, 5–9pm; Saturday, 10am–5pm.; Sunday, 10am–4pm. Tours, $35–$45; kids are $10. Boutique, free admission. sebastopolholidayhometour.com.

Ner Shalom Chanukah Party Inclusive Jewish community located at the Old Cotati Cabaret pulls out the stops for this massive holiday fest that is open to all and welcomes a potluck from all who attend. Dec. 22. Congregation Ner Shalom, 85 La Plaza, Cotati. 5:30pm. Free. RSVP requested. 707.664.8622.

Chanukah at the River Chabad Jewish Center of Petaluma hosts the fifth annual Grand Menorah Lighting ceremony at the Petaluma River that celebrates the Festival of Lights and includes live entertainment, latkes and other traditional fare. Dec. 22. Water Street Promenade, 100 Petaluma Blvd. N., 4:30pm. Free with RSVP. 707.559.8585.

Shopping

Gifts ‘n’ Tyme Holiday Faire Long-running Napa holiday tradition highlights more than 85 local and regional artists and makers of fine crafts selling everything from stocking stuffers to fine works. Holiday music and aromas like cinnamon-roasted almonds fill the air. Nov. 22–24. Napa Valley Expo, Chardonnay Hall, 575 Third St., Napa. Friday–Saturday, 10am–6pm; Sunday, 10am–4pm. Free. 925.372.8691.

Holiday Gift Gallery Eighteenth annual gallery show offers an opportunity to find and purchase original, handmade creations, crafts and goods from local artists. Opening Reception, Nov. 29. Show runs through Dec. 30. Healdsburg Center for the Arts, 130 Plaza St., Healdsburg. Reception, 5pm. Free. healdsburgcenterforthearts.org.

Rohnert Park Holiday Arts & Crafts Faire Fortieth annual fair features holiday decorations, gifts, holiday crafts and more for sale. Bring the kids to the Little Elves’ workshop and enjoy caroling and other entertainment as well. Nov. 29–30. Rohnert Park Community Center, 5401 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. 10am–4pm. Free admission. 707.588.3456.

Holiday Crafterino Eleventh annual art-and-craft extravaganza features a curated collection of vendors, food trucks and loads of cheer. Proceeds from sales and a raffle supports the Committee on the Shelterless. Dec. 1. Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building, 1094 Petaluma Blvd. S., Petaluma. 10am–4pm. $1 admission. holidaycrafterino.com.

Fine Art & Craft Holiday Sale Ninth annual sale includes affordable and unique handmade holiday items from several artists who work in Sonoma. Pieces range from decorative ornaments to sculptural works of art. The Ceramics Studio is also open for tours and artist demonstrations. Dec. 6–8. Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St., Sonoma. Friday reception, 5pm–8pm; Saturday, 10am–5pm; Sunday, 10am–3pm. Free admission. 707.938.462.

Handmade Holiday Crafts Fair Forty-fifth annual event features 90 local artists selling their quality crafts and gifts, holiday goodies, entertainment, a prize drawing and trolley rides to the Luther Burbank Home & Gardens Holiday Open House. Dec. 7–8, Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Ave., Santa Rosa. Saturday, 9am–5pm; Sunday, 10am–4pm. $3; 12 and under are free. 707.543.3737.

Petaluma Merchant’s Holiday Open House Find shopping deals, festive holiday treats, horse and carriage rides, balloon art, face painting and more. Dec. 7. Putnam Plaza, 129 Petaluma Blvd. N. Petaluma. 11am–5pm. Petalumadowntown.com.

Goddess Crafts Faire Women’s art, music, dance and handmade gifts by local and regional women are all part of this 25th annual community holiday fair. Dec. 7–8, Sebastopol Community Center, 390 Morris St., Sebastopol. 11am–7pm. $5–$13 donation; kids, free. goddesscraftsfaire.com.

Occidental Holiday Crafts Faire See work by more than 35 local and regional artists, grab gift certificates for local restaurants and hotels, enter into raffles for local goodies, hear live music from West County musicians, and enjoy baked goods. Dec. 7–8, Occidental Community Center, 3920 Bohemian Hwy., Occidental. Saturday, 10am–5pm; Sunday, 10am–4pm. Free admission. occidental-ca.org.

Freya Lodge Holiday Arts & Craft Fair The Norwegian cultural center hosts this classic fair. Enjoy a variety of high-quality handmade items made by Sonoma County artists, Scandinavian baked goods, Norwegian waffles, coffee and light lunch available to purchase, and a cozy holiday atmosphere. Proceeds from food sales go to children’s charities. Dec. 14, Freya Lodge, Sons of Norway Hall, 617 W. Ninth St., Santa Rosa. 9am–3pm. Free admission. 707.579.1080.

Performance

Green Music Center Acclaimed Irish ensemble Danú celebrates Christmas and the New Year in an all-new concert for the holidays, An Emerald Isle Christmas Dec. 13. 7:30pm. San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus sings their way into the North Bay with Holigays Are Here, featuring merry renditions of classic seasonal songs Dec. 15. 5pm. A cappella sensation Voctave bring new arrangements to Christmas favorites with The Spirit of the Season Dec. 19. 7:30pm. Spanish Harlem Orchestra presents Salsa Navidad Dec. 20. 7:30pm. All shows are $25 and up. 707.664.4246.

Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater Piano artist Jim Brickman returns to Napa with A Christmas Celebration Nov. 30. 8pm. $40–$65. VOENA children’s choir performs their annual Voices of the Season holiday concert Dec. 1. 4pm. $25. Yountville Holiday Movie Series screens Home Alone on Dec. 6 and White Christmas on Dec. 18. Napa Regional Dance Company’s beloved production of The Nutcracker is back for its 19th season Dec. 21–22. Saturday, 2pm, 7pm; Sun, 2pm. $35-$45. 100 California Drive, Yountville. 707.944.9900.

Luther Burbank Center for the Arts Clover Sonoma Family Fun Series presents A Very Electric Christmas by Lightwire Theater Dec. 1. 3pm. $5–$21. Left Edge Theatre performs playwright David Templeton’s holiday one-man show Polar Bears Dec. 4–15. Times Vary. $28–$42. Posada Navideña returns Dec. 13. 7pm. $5–$10. Carlton Senior Living Symphony Pops concert series gets into the season with the Holly Jolly Pops featuring vocalists Clairdee and Ned Rifken Dec. 15. 3pm. $37 and up. Fiddler Mark O’Connor performs An Appalachian Christmas Dec. 16. 7:30pm. $25–$39. Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker comes to life Dec. 23. 3pm. $35 and up. Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. 707.546.3600. lutherburbankcenter.org.

Spreckels Performing Arts Center Holiday theater play Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley—a sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice– features light-hearted comedy about the complexities of love. Nov. 22–Dec. 12. Times Vary. $12–$26. Santa Rosa Dance Theater presents its annual production of The Nutcracker Dec. 20–22. Times Vary. $25–$31. 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. Spreckelsonline.com.

Blue Note Jazz Club & JaM Cellars Ballroom at Margrit Mondavi Theatre Hawaiian vocalist Anuhea’s All is Bright Tour comes to Napa Dec. 5. 8pm. $29–$55. The Billie Holiday Project, led by Stella Heath, celebrates the holidays with two sets of music Dec. 12. 6:30pm, 8:30pm. $12–$25. Bay Area French music ambassadors SonoMusette say “Beaujolais Nouveau” with a holiday-inspired show Dec. 20. 6:30pm, 9pm. $12–$20. Jazz singer and composer Jessy J returns with her Christmas performance Dec. 21–22. Times vary. $27–$55. 1030 Main St., Napa. 707.880.2300.

Uptown Theatre An Irish Christmas features an award-winning cast of Irish dancers in a memorable night Dec. 7. $35–$55. Crooning veteran Chris Isaak’s annual Holiday Tour returns Dec. 11. $75–$115. Living legends the Blind Boys of Alabama perform a Christmas concert Dec. 20. $50–$70. New Age music pioneer Windham Hill’s long-running Winter Solstice performance takes place Dec. 22. $35–$50. 1350 Third St., Napa. All events begin at 8pm. 707.259.0123.

Transcendence’s Broadway Holiday Spectacular Award-winning creators of Broadway Under the Stars present this new and reimagined holiday celebration for all ages, with performers from Broadway and an assortment of pre-show activities. Dec.6–8, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Rd., Santa Rosa. Dec. 14–15, Lincoln Theater, 100 California Dr., Yountville. Times vary. $34–$134. transcendencetheatre.org.

Cirque de Bohème Annual winter circus wonderland is based on the wondrous French tradition. This year’s brand-new original production A Paris tells enchanting tales with an amazing cast of performers who achieve world-class heights. Nov. 29–Dec. 22. Cornerstone Sonoma, 23570 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. Days and times vary. $27–$55. cirquedeboheme.com.

ArtQuest Dance Company Winter Performance The talented students of Santa Rosa High School’s award-winning ArtQuest program communicate the spirit of the holidays through movement. Dec. 6–7. SRHS Performing Arts Auditorium, 1235 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. 7pm. $5–$15. srhsdance.org.

A Chanticleer Christmas Holiday favorite from the vocal orchestra tells the Christmas story in Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, traditional carols and a medley of spirituals. Dec. 15, St. Vincent’s Church, 35 Liberty St., Petaluma. 5pm and 7:30pm. $35–$79. chanticleer.org.

Fire Fund

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Fire Fund

The 2017 fires displaced thousands of people from their homes. Many were undocumented immigrants who live and work here but unlike others, they could not apply for government aid.

Needs as basic as finding the money for a deposit on a new apartment and restocking the refrigerator were imminent.

“In the first week after the 2017 fire we realized these people aren’t going to qualify, so what will be the remedy for them?” says Omar Medina, coordinator of UndocuFund, an organization created after the 2017 fires to help those who—due to their immigration status—could not apply or were fearful of applying for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—an arm of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

“Financial support offered by UndocuFund provides critical support to our undocumented community members because they don’t have access to Federal funds like FEMA during recovery,” Medina says. “It’s helping a community in need.”

The organization distributed about $6 million to almost 1,900 families who lost homes, possessions, and earnings in the 2017 fires.

Donations to the fund are slower this year. Because fewer homes burned in the Kincaid Fire, the perception may be that the need is not as great. However, the massive loss of wages that a week or more of power outages and evacuations causes is a very real consequence for undocumented immigrants.

“The Tubbs Fire got a lot of attention because of damaged structures,” Medina says. But he emphasizes that this time, “The need is huge. We have a lot of people needing aid.”

An estimated 38,500 undocumented immigrants live in Sonoma County. With wider evacuations and power outages during this year’s fire, the need for aid relating to lost wages is imminent.

As the UndocuFund website states, “Undocumented immigrants predominantly work in sectors that have been or will be hard hit, including service, hospitality, child and elder care, day labor, wine and agriculture more broadly. Many lost wages in the weeks following the [2017] fires and others worked for companies whose operations were affected at varying levels, from temporary disruption to complete loss.”

Assisting with lost wages isn’t as sexy as helping a family into a new home for the holidays. But the need is there.

“We can help our community and ease the stress on people who want to get their rent paid and put food on the table,” Medina says. “Based on the amount of money we have right now, we can’t help everyone.”

Three organizations that understood the need first-hand started UndocuFund. The North Bay Organizing Project (where Medina was first involved), North Bay Jobs with Justice and the Graton Day Labor Center are all co-organizers. Grantmakers Concerned for Immigrants and Refugees fiscally sponsored UndocuFund in 2017; North Bay Organizing Project currently funds it. UndocuFund’s fundraising proceeds directly assist fire-impacted families, with the exception of the small percentage used to cover administrative costs. Donations are accepted through Undocufund’s website.

“The founding organizations of UndocuFund have a long history of working with immigrant communities, so we’ve established a base of trust,” Medina says.

The initial amount of aid distributed to recipients after the Tubbs Fire—about $3,000—was adjusted based on personal interviews with families.

As a former County Human Services employee, Medina trained for seven years to listen closely to case-by-case details. And that’s part of the process. UndocuFund organizers sit down with families and personally interview them. Medina explains that the interview format has a therapeutic effect.

“We wanted to sit down with people, interview them and simultaneously give them an opportunity to share their own experience and hear the details of the impact on them,” Medina says.

Learn more about UndocuFund at UndocuFund.org.

Rainbow Regalia

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Rainbow Regalia

Watching “Two-Spirit Powwow,” one feels a switch from watching something interesting to seeing something you’d like to attend in person.

Emmy-winning producer and SCU alumni Rick Bacigalupi profiles the Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit (BAAIT) gathering at San Francisco’s Fort Mason. People who read Thomas Berger’s novel Little Big Man know the term “two-spirited”; it’s a helpful word since many a nation has their own term for an LGBTQ person. Despite how two-spiritedness has been part of Native American life since forever, today’s reservations are conservative places. Evangelical Christianity and close-knit communities make it difficult for someone to come out.

The interviews here include Cheyenne River Lakota Sheldon Raymore who describes rejection after he came out and then, years later, acceptance by his mother; and the facially-tattooed Tongva/Ajachmen L. Frank Manriquez of Rohnert Park, a first woman who fought discrimination and became the Powwow’s MC.

While there are sacred things Bacigalupi declined to film, we do see the meetings to discuss how the event proceeds—the usual protocol issues that emerge when you get a lot of different people together. Much of what goes on is usual powwow procedure, everything from the dance categories to the sizzling fry-bread. Others are new—such as female drummers and the Turtle Nation group.

On the one hand, regalia is never to be called a costume—it’s traditional clothing. On the other hand, BAAITT has a “duct tape” contest wherein dancers make impromptu regalia out of cardboard, paper and whatever else is laying around. Then they twirl around in it to test the willpower of the “Stoic Indian” contest participants, who try to keep rigid faces. While versifying during the drumming competitions is a feature of the powwow circuit, the verse here is more site-specific (“He said he was straight, but when it got late…”). Out for Native American Heritage month, this documentary is good news for a change. The ambient joy at this gathering is a pleasure to watch.

‘Two Spirit Powwow’ airs on KRCB Nov. 18 at 9pm and Nov. 21 at noon.

Changing Tones

North Bay theater patrons are well aware of the numerous performances cancelled because of the Kincade Fire and PG&E power shutoffs. What they may not know is the impact those factors had on shows in the middle of their rehearsals. There's no doubt that loss of critical time can be attributed to some—but not all—of the raggedness evident in the...
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Lie To Me

Aging performers can be sad to watch. Right when they should be doing their best work, they're lending their years of integrity to luxury-car commercial voiceovers. Happily, Bill Condon's The Good Liar rejoices in old age's boundless capacity for treachery. On the typewritten titles McKellen (Ian) and Mirren (Helen) get last-name credits before their first names bleed through the paper....
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‘Kindred’ Souls

Artistic Director Liz Jahren halts in front of a cluster of paintings on the wall at the Petaluma location of Alchemia Gallery and Studios, a visual-and-performing-arts nonprofit serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the North Bay. "Oh, wait, look at these. Aren't these beautiful?" she asks. All of the images are boldly rendered expressions of animals—cats, pigs, wolves,...
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California Dream

For 45 years, I've searched the California cannabis world for a fellow New Yorker. No luck until last week, when I finally found him. Ron Ferraro is the real deal. The quips about his Italian last name and his New York accent, which hit him soon after he arrived in Sonoma County, stopped when he rolled up his shirtsleeves, bought...
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Turning the TIDE

People often don't want to talk about racism and discrimination, especially with kids. But some have to talk about it anyway, early and often, because it impacts them directly. Others think their kids might not notice color, that it will sort itself out or maybe racism isn't really happening here much anyway. Paige Green, who is white-identified, has long been...
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Gastropub Grows

That cozy Kenwood eatery with the vintage red truck out front—better known as Palooza Brewery & Gastropub on Sonoma Highway 12—now has a second location at Cornerstone Sonoma. What's the Palooza recipe for success? Ping Pong? Comedy Nights? Those activities and events certainly help, but their commitment to quality ingredients, great hospitality and a supremely fun, appetizing menu are their...
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Next Big Thing

Artists: they're out there, living among us. There may be hundreds, if not thousands, of them right here in the North Bay, many toiling in obscurity while they wait to be discovered. This month, Creative Sonoma and the Museum of Sonoma County collaborate to recognize 10 such artists in the new exhibition, "Discovered: Emerging Artists in Sonoma County," opening on...
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Holiday Arts Guide

Winter Tradition No holiday season is complete without 'The Nutcracker,' which is performed by Napa Regional Dance Company and Santa Rosa Dance Theater among others. While the sun is setting earlier, the lights are coming out in the North Bay for the next two months, with holiday fun and cheer coming your way. To help navigate the season and keep...
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Fire Fund

The 2017 fires displaced thousands of people from their homes. Many were undocumented immigrants who live and work here but unlike others, they could not apply for government aid. Needs as basic as finding the money for a deposit on a new apartment and restocking the refrigerator were imminent. "In the first week after...
Read more

Rainbow Regalia

Watching "Two-Spirit Powwow," one feels a switch from watching something interesting to seeing something you'd like to attend in person. Emmy-winning producer and SCU alumni Rick Bacigalupi profiles the Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit (BAAIT) gathering at San Francisco's Fort Mason. People who read Thomas Berger's novel Little Big Man know the term "two-spirited"; it's a helpful word since many...
Read more
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