Thanks to wine industry conjunctive labeling laws, talking about the “Sonoma Coast” requires some semantic gymnastics—we’re not discussing the sprawling American Viticultural Area, but rather the craggy shoreline.
Further complicating matters is the “Bodega” conundrum—are we talking about the bay or the town? Alfred Hitchcock didn’t help matters by blurring geography in his feathered fright-fest, The Birds.
Also, doesn’t Yoda live in the Bodegabah System?
On a bluff overlooking iconic Highway 1, The Lodge at Bodega Bay started out in 1972 as a modest seaside motor lodge. Today, it’s grown into a plush, 83-room coastal getaway, complete with EV-friendly charging stations, Arts & Crafts-inspired decor (think nautical chic without the kitsch) and fireplaces begging one to pretend it’s colder than it actually is. The place has precisely that mid-century mod coastal vibe to make Don Draper want to buy the world a Coke.
That said, no matter how cozy their room, one will spend half their time gawking at the ocean views.
The Lodge doubles as the perfect staging ground for local exploration. Just steps away is Doran Beach, one of the Sonoma Coast’s favorite sandy playgrounds. Pro tip: Snag a free beach parking pass from the front desk and save $7—enough for a gas-station burrito on the drive home. Trails for hiking, biking and even horseback riding are everywhere. Though, judging by the folks I saw, horses are strictly BYOH (bring your own horse).
Bird lovers will find Bodega Bay to be feathered-friend heaven, officially recognized by the Audubon Society. Hitchcock would no doubt approve. Though hopefully one’s avian encounters won’t involve fleeing in terror like Tippi Hedren (from Hitch’s unwanted advances).
Speaking of bird themes, Black Kite Cellars’ Jasper House recently opened as Freestone’s preeminent tasting room in the historic district. Conveniently close to Wild Flour Bread and Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary, Jasper House showcases terroir-driven pinot noirs and chardonnays expertly crafted by winemaker Jeff Gaffner.
Owners Tom Birdsall and Rebecca Green Birdsall have cultivated their family-owned winery’s reputation since 2003, cementing west Sonoma County’s status as Wine Country royalty. Located at 12747 El Camino Bodega, Jasper House is open daily, 10am–5pm. Appointments are encouraged, but spontaneous tastings are welcome—perfect for wine emergencies. Visit BlackKiteCellars.com.
For those downsizing their mad money expenditures, follow my lead: Tell your workmates you’re going into “the field”; grab a frosty, $4 20-ounce Pabst Blue Ribbon from Diekmann’s Bay Store on Highway 1; claim a dune at Salmon Creek South; write your damn story; and let the great gaping maw of the Pacific Ocean remind you that simple pleasures can often be the best. Just don’t get sand in your laptop.
With vast segments of American society feeling threatened by the agenda of President Donald Trump, protests and rallies opposing it have been popping up across the country like daffodils in the spring.
Now a local Sonoma County group is planning to take this resistance a step further by, as one of the organizers, Robin Latham, said, “building a coalition for the long haul.”
Working out of the Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County, the group is calling itself Community United to Resist Fascism (CURF).
“We come together to safeguard the equal and inalienable rights, and inherent dignity, of all people, that is the foundation of the relationship between a government and its people, because we recognize that those rights and dignity are under threat from the Trump administration,” their statement of purpose reads in part.
In a few months, the fledgling group has brought together dozens of individuals from organizations around the county—everything from the more mainstream like the Windsor Democratic Club, to the more marginal like Rohnert Park-Cotati Pride and the bilingual radio station KBBF-FM.
Another participant in the effort is the Healthcare for All Working Group of Sonoma and Marin counties. A spokesperson for that organization, retired nurse Terry Winter, explained, “It is in the best interest of everyone to resist Trump’s agenda to dismantle the apparatus that provides healthcare for millions, because this will even affect those who support the Republican agenda.”
To reach out even farther into the community, CURF has been organizing five days of marches, rallies and other events, scheduled for May 1-5—International Workers’ Day through Cinco de Mayo. And because the long-term goal is to build a coalition, the group is incorporating some on-going events like the annual May 1 march and rally for workers’ and immigrants’ rights and the weekly Palestinian support rally, as well as creating a new event that will bring it all together.
One of the organizers of the May 1 event, Santa Rosa attorney Renee Saucedo, said the goal of that event is two-fold—to convince Sonoma County Sheriff Eddie Engram to agree to a “no collaboration” ordinance with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and “to send a message to the decision makers that the undocumented community is not going anywhere.”
Representing both Sonoma County for Palestine and Taxpayers Against Genocide, Sonoma State University staff member Tarik Kanaani acknowledged that coalition building is a perfect way to address a host of concerns.
“From the beginning, one of my goals was to build the coalition and solidarity that goes multiple ways. All of these issues are pretty much the same struggle, but with different details,” he said.
No less a source than the Mayo Clinic recommends laughter as a great source of stress relief. And in these stressful times, two North Bay productions may be just what the doctor orders for local audiences.
Neil Simon’s Rumors is being presented by the SRJC Theatre Arts Department through April 27, while Sonoma Arts Live presents the musical comedy revue I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change through May 4.
Simon, best known for the classic, The Odd Couple, took a stab at farce in 1988 with Rumors. An anniversary party for New York Deputy Mayor Charley Brock starts out with a bang but goes rapidly downhill thereafter with the staggered arrivals of some of the Big Apple’s upper crust. Eight guests draped in formal wear gossip, slam doors, race up and down a staircase, and crawl on the floor until the police show up. Oh, the scandal.
Director Elizabeth Dale’s (mostly) young cast does a good job keeping the energy level up and the laughs coming, with AJ Correia and Emerson Reynolds doing particularly good work as a catty New York power couple.
Meanwhile, Sonoma Arts Live has a musical revue that ran for decades off-Broadway running now on the Rotary Stage at the Sonoma Community Center. Originally produced in 1996, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a series of musical vignettes about dating, falling in love, marrying, raising a family and facing the inevitable end of it all. Carl Jordan directs a cast of four (Robert Nelson, Sarah Lundstrom, Jourdán Taylor-Verdé, Jenny Veilleux), who play a variety of characters navigating the often torturous/funny path to a long-term relationship.
The vignettes are announced by some clever projections (designed by Nelson), followed by patter between the characters and then a song. First dates, physical relations, weddings, children and the passing of a partner are all targeted with such songs as “A Stud and a Babe,” “Single Man Drought” and “Always a Bridesmaid.”
The bits are amusing, the songs are clever, and the vocals are strong. Actually, a bit too strong. Mic levels seemed high, with several instances of the cast drowning out the audience’s laughter.
We could all stand to hear more laughter these days.
Santa Rosa Junior College Theatre Arts presents ‘Rumors’ through April 27 in the Burbank Auditorium, 1501 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. Thur-Sat, 7:30pm; Sat & Sun, 2pm. $15-$25. 707.527.4307. theatrearts.santarosa.edu.
Sonoma Arts Live presents ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’ through May 4 on the Rotary Stage at Andrews Hall in the Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St., Sonoma. Thurs-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $25-$42. 707.484.4874. sonomaartslive.org.
Break out the suits, ties, top hats and yes—polish those pearls—because the North Bay is about to get a whole lot more fabulous with the arrival of the legendary designer and multi-hyphenate performer Isaac Mizrahi, whose live show will play in Sonoma County this spring as part of his newly-announced California concert tour.
Mizrahi is a celebrity of many talents, best known for his influence in the world of fashion as well as his magnetic stage presence, razor-sharp wit and captivating storytelling. He brings his signature flair to a one-night-only cabaret-style performance at the Green Music Center in Rohnert Park on Wednesday, April 24. There, he will perform accompanied by a top-tier jazz sextet, giving guests an evening that promises a genre-defying blend of song, humor and charm that only he can deliver.
Those who attend Mizrahi’s upcoming Sonoma show can expect a show that’s equal parts intimate salon and polished stage production—curated yet casual, hilarious yet heartfelt, with music perfectly matched to the moment. It’s a performance that mirrors the Sonoma spirit: artful, vibrant and with just the right amount of glam to match. In short, a perfect pairing for the acoustically stunning Weill Hall at the Green Music Center.
But beyond fashion and TV, Mizrahi really seems to come alive and dazzle audiences when live on stage. Rohnert Park’s performance falls between tour stops in La Jolla and San Francisco, making it the only North Bay appearance on the tour. For Sonoma County audiences, it’s a rare chance to catch a world-class performer without leaving Wine Country.
For those who don’t know or could use a quick reminder, Mizrahi initially joined the hall of fame for his work in helping to redefine American fashion in the 1990s. In the past three decades since then, he has remained a pop culture fixture across multiple entertainment and apparel industries. He’s dressed A-list icons, made high fashion more accessible to all and has even appeared on television (notably as a judge on seven seasons of Project Runway All-Stars).
Now, Mizrahi is a true Renaissance celebrity, with a New York Times bestselling memoir under his belt, a podcast underway, and he’s working as a producer on a Hulu show to boot. Oh, and somehow Mizrahi is still finding the time to travel up and down California to put on live shows for his fans.
Tickets for Isaac Mizrahi’s April 24 show at the Green Music Center—and all other California tour dates—are available now at HelloIsaac.com.
The North Bay—we know where it is but not necessarily what it is.
Is it a particular vibe? A state of mind? A swelling real estate bubble about to burst?
Yes, yes, and you can afford real estate?
Unlike its geographic sibs, the North Bay has long endured something of an identity crisis. The South and East Bays are both major cultural hubs that boast world-class universities and have made a global impact on arts and technology.
Our local university just gutted a dozen programs, so don’t expect any impactful art or tech. But there’s enough wine and weed here to show you a better time than any on-campus amateur anyway.
What we need is our own set of “You know you’re in the North Bay when … ” jokes. Humor has a way of getting to the heart of the matter. For example, you know you’re in the North Bay when your glass of wine costs more than your entree.
Remember when Sonoma County identified as the “Redwood Empire?” Trees. You’re going to base your brand on trees, SoCo? “Wine Country” has certainly been an upgrade, though nobody checked in with Napa about sharing the moniker. When finally asked, Napa replied, “Sonoma who?”
To this day, Marin County operates under the specter of being, as writer Duncan Campell wrote in the UK’s Guardian, “ … A home for superannuated hippies, lying around in hot tubs listening to Grateful Dead tapes with a joint in one hand and a glass of Chardonnay in the other.”
For reasons I have yet to understand, there’s a “We don’t talk about Solano” vibe regarding that particular county, which crowd-sourced info hubs like Wikipedia claim is in the North Bay, whereas frenemy combatants on Reddit argue it’s not.
Whatever it is, there’s still room for another North Bay county, right? Here’s my radical secession plan: Novato and West Petaluma, which border each other on at least two sides of the compass—and share an outsider ethos to their respective counties—could secede and form a new county. We’ll call it Olompali (for the state park they also co-border, which likely means “Southern Village” in the Coast Miwok language). There, I fixed it.
But speaking to the totality of The Great N.B., it’s not that we need to define what’s within our tri-county borders; we just need to define ourselves. As Thor said after his planet was destroyed in the movie Ragnarok, “Asgard is not a place; it’s a people.”
Ditto for the North Bay. We’re a people. And a lot of dogs. But mostly a people. And I’m happy to be a people with you.
Daedalus Howell is the editor of the Pacific Sun and North Bay Bohemian. He makes media and movies at dhowell.com. Reprinted from the spring edition of North Bay Magazine, a Weeklys publication.
It is easy to overlook the home of 90.5 KWMR. It shares a small building on a backstreet in Point Reyes Station.
But KWMR inhabits a small but critical niche in our social ecology—that of the community-based, all-volunteer public radio station. And looking at their program calendar tacked outside their two-chair porch, one sees KWMR anchors a whole ecosystem of local communities. Each show is a like world, and their number could easily fill this weekly column for a year.
However, I will confine myself to the show that introduced me to KWMR, West Marin Naturalist Hour. I first caught it on a random alternate Monday play day, trucking out to Drakes Bay. The topic was keystone species eel grass.
The hour is hosted by California-certified naturalists and easy friends, Liz Wilhelm, Dallas Smith and Seamus Tomkins, who all have extensive backgrounds in ecotourism. Each alternate Monday, they guide a guest ecologist to interview, continuing their ongoing conversation about the ecology of West Marin—and more broadly the California coast. Across 70 archived episodes, they have built out of talk a model of that vast ecology that hints at the true complexity of our environmental systems.
No less impressive is the network that undergirds their talk model: 70 naturalists, biologists, park rangers, eco-adventure guides, agriculturalists, nonprofit conservationists and nature-inspired artists who are some of the chief stewards of our coast.
It is a challenging time for environmentalists … Just as it is a challenging time for the advocates of public radio. While not downplaying these challenges, the hosts of West Marin Naturalist Hour present their topics with “stoke and hope.” And that’s not just the sun-saturated temperament of these nature guides. There is a lot to be stoked on.
Conservation efforts around the West Marin seashore offer many success stories to share with the community and the wider world.
Cincinnatus Hibbard: What are some favorite episodes to get us started on your series?
Liz Wilhelm:Julie Berwald on jellyfish, Richard Vacha on animal tracking and Theresa Harlan on “Coming Home to the Cove.”
Dallas Smith:Preston Brown on salmonids, Pat Kleeman on amphibians, Hanna Hindley on marine protected areas and Dan Flores on a “Wild New World.”
You describe the area around Point Reyes and Tomales Bay as anecological hotbed …
Seamus Tomkins: Point Reyes is on “The Pacific Flyway,” so 50% of North American bird species pass through here. And of course we have our year round residents too.
LW:Also the gradation of Tomales Bay. You start down here at Point Reyes Station, where Lagunitas Creek flows into the wetlands. There you have the furthest southern in-tact coho salmon habitat. Weaving through the wetlands up Tomales Bay to Dillan Beach and the ocean, you have all these different zonations where different species thrive at different times of year.
ST:Looking from Tomales Bay, you see this side is all grasslands, and that side is woodlands and repairing areas and creek beds … You have so many ecological niches for species out here. We’re always discovering something new.
DS:But none of that would exist if people didn’t care. People care about the land out here. When the land is protected, species thrive. We want people to care.
Learn more. Enter linktr.ee/KWMRlinksor scan the below QR code to learn more. There are links to the current KWMR fundraising drive (about a third of their funding is threatened by the Trump administration). There are also links to Wilhelm and Smith’s ecotourism business, Pt. Reyes Adventure Co., and Tomkins’ band, Spacesuit, and of course the show’s archive.
This past Tuesday, April 22, we celebrated Earth Day—hopefully by reducing our driving, reusing shopping bags and cutting back on consumption of animal products.
A 2023 study in the respected journal Nature Food found that even a 50% reduction in our meat and dairy intake would lead to a 60% decrease in associated greenhouse gas emissions. A 2022 study in Environmental ResearchLetters found that livestock farming accounts for 80% of global deforestation.
Animal agriculture generates a large portion of our greenhouse gases. Animal waste contaminates our waterways. Production of corn and soybeans to feed animals raised for food exhausts our croplands and aggravates world hunger. Deforestation to create animal pastures reduces absorption of greenhouse gases and destroys wildlife habitats.
It’s not just about preserving our personal health and avoiding animal cruelty anymore. Fortunately, our local supermarket offers a rich variety of vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and fruits for our dining pleasure. The dairy aisles contain plant-based milks, cheeses and yogurts. The frozen foods section displays lots of plant-based healthy, eco-friendly, cruelty-free meats and ice creams.
Let’s use April 22 as the turning point for our new lease on life.
Steven Alderson Santa Rosa
Pelosi Patois
Normally, I keep a tight lip and don’t say much (not much I don’t) regarding C.J. Corsini and his apparent (to me anyway) hijacking of Weeklys’ Letters to the Editor.
But his last letter (April 16-22) nailed it. Not only is each point spot on; Corsini is the only person (besides me) to call out Nancy Pelosi for what she is now, always has been and always will be: a useless white woman.
Winemaker Jesse Katz is globally recognized for creating exceptional wines. He also consults for elite clients and has earned multiple 100-point ratings from top critics.
Katz’s background, combined with experience making wine across the globe, has given him a unique vision for identifying extraordinary vineyard sites that preserve and showcase the distinctive qualities of each location and varietal, often in areas others have overlooked. He is proud to say Sonoma County is such a place.
Amber Turpin: What’s your job?
Jesse Katz: Founder and head winemaker of Aperture Cellars and Devil Proof Vineyards.
How did you get into that work?
My passion for wine began during my youth through travels with my family, following my artist father, Andy Katz, whose photography projects often took us to some of the world’s best wine estates and regions. These journeys instilled in me a deep appreciation for the culture, terroir, and artistry of winemaking and viticulture.
This passion led me to an immersive journey into the wine world, including studies at Fresno State and hands-on experience at prestigious estates such as Pétrus, Screaming Eagle, Viña Cobos, Bodega Noemía and many others.
I feel very fortunate to have observed how great wines are made in diverse styles, climates, regions and soils throughout my life—from childhood to my professional career. Introduced to wine in my early teens through my father’s artwork, I have always been attuned to the sense of place, with an artistic approach deeply ingrained in me.
Did you ever have an “aha” moment with a certain beverage? If so, tell us about it.
Learning that some of the best cabernet sauvignons and Bordeaux varietal wines in the world are being made in Sonoma.
What is your favorite thing to drink at home?
Wine. I love—and drink—a lot of different types of wines. My wine choice depends on the setting, company, what I’m eating, etc. I drink a lot of Champagne, aromatic whites, blends, and cabernet sauvignons from all over the world, but always enjoy trying new things.
Where do you like to go out for a drink?
We are blessed with a ton of wonderful options in Sonoma, but a go-to spot for me is chef Dustin Valette’s Rooftop 106. I also love going out for drinks at the outdoor patio at Hazel Hill, which overlooks the stunning vineyards of the Montage Healdsburg Resort. The restaurant’s menu pairs perfectly with the Montage’s estate wine, Surveyor (I was involved in officially launching the exclusive label’s first vintages when the resort opened).
If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you want to be drinking (besides fresh water)?
One of our single vineyard wines from Aperture. I think it would help bring me back home with every sip.
Aperture Cellars, 12291 Old Redwood Hwy., Healdsburg, 707.200.7891. aperture-cellars.com.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries filmmaker Akira Kurosawa devoted meticulous attention to weather conditions. He would postpone shooting a particular scene for days, waiting for the influx of the exact right blend of wind, clouds or precipitation to create the ideal ambiance. I recommend you adopt his patient sense of timing in the coming weeks, Aries. While you typically prefer direct action, now is a favorable phase to coordinate your desire to get what you need with life’s changing conditions. What advantages might you gain by waiting for the ripest moments to arrive?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You can’t see or hold the wind, though you can feel its force and observe its effects. It scatters some seeds far and wide, dispersing them to grow in unexpected places. When harnessed by turbines, the wind is a renewable energy source. It can be utilized to pump water and fuel telecommunications equipment. Winds influence daily weather by transporting water and heat. I have summarized wind’s qualities because I see this upcoming phase of your cycle as being wind-like, Taurus. You won’t necessarily have to be obvious to spread your influence. You will be able to work behind the scenes in potent ways. Who knows where your seeds will land and germinate? There will be surprises.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The Earth’s first big ecological crisis happened 2.5 billion years ago. Ancient bacteria became a successful life form. They proliferated. The only problem was, they produced an abundance of oxygen, which was toxic to all the other existing life forms at that time. And yet that bump in evolution was ultimately essential in the rise of complex organisms that thrive on oxygen, like us. We wouldn’t be here today without bacteria’s initially problematic intervention. Nothing as monumentally major or epic will occur for you in the coming weeks, Gemini. But I do suspect that what may initially seem disruptive could ultimately generate positive outcomes. I hope you prime yourself to transform challenging situations into opportunities for growth. For best results, set aside your fixed beliefs about what’s necessary for maximum progress.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): From the 17th through the 19th centuries, Paris was famous for its salons. There, artists, writers and big thinkers assembled to exchange ideas and inspire each other. The salons were often orchestrated by illustrious, educated women in their private homes. They were hotbeds of networking and cultural innovation. Listening and learning were key elements. Now would be an excellent time for you to organize, host or encourage similar gatherings, Cancerian. You have extra power to facilitate the stellar socializing that generates zesty connections and spreads invigorating influences.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was one of the bravest Americans who ever lived. After escaping enslavement, she heroically returned to other southern plantations many times to help free enslaved people. To accomplish her miraculous rescues, she relied in part on her dreams and visions—what she called divine guidance—to navigate through challenging situations. I suspect you will soon have access to similar assets: extraordinary courage and help from unusual or even supernatural sources. Use these gifts wisely, Leo.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The nations of planet Earth launched 263 space flights in 2024 and are on track for more than 300 in 2025. Most of the satellites and spacecraft are devoted to scientific research. A relatively small proportion is dedicated to communication, navigation and military uses. I would love for you to have an equally high level of exploratory and experimental energy in the coming weeks, Virgo. You will align yourself with cosmic rhythms if you spend more time than usual investigating the frontiers. It’s time to expand and extend yourself.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): What’s the oldest living organism on Earth? It’s a bristlecone pine tree nicknamed “Methuselah.” Almost 4,800 years old, it resides somewhere in California’s White Mountains, though its precise location is kept secret to protect it. In the spirit of shielding and nurturing valuable things, I urge you to consider maintaining similar safeguards in the coming weeks. Like Methuselah, your precious processes and creations might thrive best when allowed to grow free from undue attention. You may benefit from maintaining privacy and silence about certain matters as they develop.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I love to gaze out my office window at Gallinas Creek during high tide. At certain interludes, the water is perfectly still. It almost perfectly reflects the sky in every detail, with all its clouds, birds and hues of blue. My conscious mind knows the difference between the real sky and reflected sky, but my eyes can’t discern. That’s a helpful metaphor for all of us all the time, and especially for you in the coming weeks. It will be crucial for you to maintain an acute awareness of what’s genuine and what’s illusory.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978) revolutionized her field. She didn’t study other cultures from a distance with a detached perspective. Instead, she learned their languages and immersed herself in their daily lives. So she earned the intimate understanding to conclude, “What people say, what people do and what they say they do are entirely different things.” This is a crucial principle for you right now. You must directly observe people’s actions rather than simply believing what they say about themselves—or what others say about them. You must look beyond surface declarations to understand the deeper rhythms and patterns. For best results, be a devoted participant, not an uninvolved judge.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn mystic Alan Watts wrote The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are. He proposed that each of us is far more glorious than our separate, isolated egos. It’s difficult to come to this understanding, however, since our culture conspires to hide it from us. That’s the bad news. The good news, Capricorn, is that you will have an unprecedented chance to partly shatter this taboo in the coming weeks. I have high hopes that you will discover deep truths about yourself that have previously been unavailable.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Beginning in 1946, Bedouins exploring caves near the Dead Sea discovered an immense trove of ancient documents written on parchment. These manuscripts provided many new revelations into early Christianity, biblical texts, and the history and culture of Judaism. I suspect that in the coming weeks, you may experience a metaphorical equivalent of this breakthrough and unveiling. To prepare, meditate on these questions: 1. What mysterious parts of your life story would you like to have illuminated? 2. About which aspects of your past would you like to receive new truths? 3. Is there anything missing in your understanding of who you really are?
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): White light enters a glass prism and is translated on the other side into a rainbow of colors. That’s because each color rides its own wavelength, even while seamlessly blended in the white light, and then gets bent differently by the prism. The magic of the prism is that it reveals the hidden spectrum within, the latent diversity contained within the apparently monolithic beam of white light. In the coming weeks, Pisces, I predict that you will be like a prism, bringing out vibrancy in situations or relationships that may seem nondescript or mundane at first glance. Your ability to discern and appreciate multiple perspectives will enable you to create an intriguing kind of harmony. You will have the power to notice and reveal beauty that has been veiled or unnoticed.
Let us begin this story in bubbles … with “Barbie Spa Day.” See 12-inch Barbara Millicent Roberts (Barbie) and friends lounging in plastic repose on a broad strip of terry cloth. She and the dolls have been freshly scrubbed by the careful gloved hands at the Sonoma Community Center.
See in this line of dolls a symbol—our consumerist world in perfect order. Barbie is at the spa, and everything is as it should be. …
Environmentalist Barbie?
Ah, but there is something amiss. Look closer at this icon. Barbie looks a bit drug—a bit bedraggled, her nerves all a-jangle. In truth, Barbie doll has just had a harrowing ordeal. In a misadventure that reads like a sequel to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie, Barbie and her friends have just been saved from a fate worse than death—toxic entombment at the Sonoma dump.
Thrown into the trash, these misfit toys would have been buried in the dump with the river of our vast refuse—Barbie mixed up with the makeup compacts and Solo cups, blister packs and netting, loose batteries and detergent bottles, last season’s fast-fashion and plastic Coke bottles, which, step-by-step and layer-by-layer are slowly filling a low Sonoma valley like a dam.
Actually, our dump can be compared to the communal construction of a great inverse pyramid—one made of garbage. Both witty and unwitting, our dump is the true symbol of our consumerist world, like to be studied along with the Giza pyramids by anthropologists from Mars 3,000 years hence.
But in this brave new script—a rewrite—the Barbie doll has been saved just in the nick of time. She and her friends were pulled from the conveyor belt by the careful gloved hands at Recology waste and recycling, and reboxed for Sonoma Community Center.
In the first Barbie movie, anti-feminist Barbie was redeemed as a feminist icon.
In this story, its worthy sequel, plastic Barbie will have a chance at redemption as an ecological symbol. For newly recycled Barbie and friends are on their way to become models for doll clothing made of recycled trash at the Sonoma trash fashion program. … And Ken too.
The Trash Fashion Runway
Here at the home of Sonoma Trashion Fashion, the Sonoma Community Center, our story gets bigger. It gets bigger and bigger and finally pops in showers of confetti and glitter as the the 12-inch tall Barbie runway of mock-up clothing designs extends onto “junior” and “adult” runways with live models and full-scale “trash fashion” designs.
Dozens of amateur and professional designers from the Sonoma valley and as far away as New York and Japan volunteer months of hard work to make full-sized couture and ready-to-wear designs out of garbage.
SPOTLIGHT In its growth, staying power and progressive sophistication, Sonoma Trashion has slowly built a place for itself in the national recycled art movement. Photo byWilliam Murray
Some of these designers recreate the latest trends, others recreate archival classics from the great couture houses, while still others remake period costume, Mexican folkloric dress, fantasy archetypes or speculative futurism—all out of trash.
Whatever the year, and whatever the entries, this charity event is reliably one of the great spectacles of our region—as well-coached amateur models romp down the runway in tuxedos made of voided carnival tickets and opera gowns made of Cheetos bags, Ascot race hats studded with split soda cans blooming into flowers and cocktail dresses made of folded calendar pages, cowboy dusters stitched with hundreds of sprung keyboard keys and Baroque armor made of beer boxes—all to the certain relishment of whooping crowds.
Wine Country Saturnalia
Some use the word “Dada” or “Gaga” to describe the power of this spectacle in Sonoma. Others use the word “burlesque,” with its love of satire, or queer “camp,” with its love of trashiness (see John Waters, “The Pope of Trash”). Personally, I would evoke the Roman holiday of “Saturnalia”—the orgiastic festival of class inversions. It was a holiday where a peasant or a rag picker could become a king for a day … or for that matter, a stolid Sonoma matron can become a supermodel serving face in a frock made of trash.
Just one block from the high-end spas and artisanal cheese shops of Sonoma square plaza, the Sonoma Trashion runway serves as a one-day liberation for a town and valley cosseted and corseted by the universal victory of their own “gracious wine country living™” branding.
In Sonoma’s Trashion saturnalia, old men and sensitive children become diva supermodels, Barbie becomes an environmentalist, charitable giving becomes abundant, education programs are funded, clothing hobbyists become couturiers, good ecology becomes trendy, dreary and moralistic recycling become fun and sexy, human creativity is fully unleashed and communal love becomes palpable. If only for a day.
In the words of “The Trashion Icon™,” Spenser DeSylva, all “Trash becomes treasure” on this annual holiday in Sonoma.
However one sorts it, Sonoma’s Trash Bash is a smash, and the crowds can’t get enough. Two back-to-back sell-out runway shows are needed to accommodate all of its clamouring fans, and the event grows and grows year on year.
EXPECT The Trashion designers will surprise attendees with the range of their looks—some will recreate the latest trends, others will re-create archival classics from the great couture houses. Designer Leslie Blackenship created this look worn by Melinda Kelley. Photo byWilliam Murray
The Trashion Exec Council
According to Sonoma Trashion Fashion founder and outré costume designer Margaret Hatcher, even their first trashion event at a smaller venue was a total “mob scene,” with people hopping fences to grab standing room. Sonoma Community Center had discovered something for which people were thirsting.
Hatcher is still very active on the trashion scene but retired from the role of trashion fashion chairperson. Last week, she was honored by Sonoma Mayor Patricia Farrar-Rivas with a key to the city and awarded the status of “living cultural treasure.” In her shining moment, Hatcher was becomingly modest, declaiming any sagacity or originality for the trash fashion concept. Instead, she credited the community center’s core staff and many volunteers for continuing to grow the event into its 15th spring blossoming.
In that blooming, the one-off event became an annual, and expanded from a day to a week to a whole month of programming—with classes, design workshops, the Barbie design runway, an educational and sponsoring partnership with Recology Sonoma-Marin, public school programs and at least one spin-off event—“Trashlantis” (one may assume, rising again out of the ocean’s “great garbage patch”).
In its growth, staying power and progressive sophistication, Sonoma Trashion has slowly built a place for itself in the national recycled art movement. It’s earned the attention of such luminaries as Debra “Debris” Rapport.
“Refuse” Rapport, a New York based recycled-fashion pioneer and influencer, is best known for her “stunner” hats and accessories made from scrap metal and toilet paper rolls (see link at end). Having seen Sonoma Trashion multiple years as a runway judge, she also commends the passion and the cohesion of the center’s “Trashion executive council,” now headed by engagement director Molly Spenser (with the guidance of executive director Vanessa Rognlien).
The Process and the Journey
Of course, there would be no show without the all-volunteer trashion fashion designers, who grow in their number and sophistication each year. According to Spenser DeSylva, “The Trashion Icon™,” their design process begins in thoughtful consideration of what they throw into our dump.
Day-by-day and week-by-week, our personal habits produce multiples of any given trash item. Over not very much time at all, a weekly bag of Cheetos, yogurt cup or webbed sack of oranges adds up to a stinking heap. At the prompting of Sonoma Trashion Fashion, we are all invited to consider how our personal trash might be re-worked into clothing and accessories. And that’s where the fun really begins.
With delightful ingenuity, designers spend months conducting their own DIY materials science, working and treating their trash in an exploratory process of hits and misses.
Last year, local artist Kara McHale was inspired by the love she shared with her father for cold cans of Diet Pepsi. The vision was a floor length disco dress of flashing silver coins punched out of the many cans they popped.
Unfortunately, McHale discovered the aluminum coins cut like a dress made of razor blades, so the coins were subsequently cornered and lacquered in a silvery rainbow of colors. The resulting dress of more than 400 colored coins stunned at last year’s show. The most remarkable thing about it was that it was indistinguishable from non-trashion couture.
While the funniest trashion designs wear their trashy origins on their mutton chop sleeves, the most subversive designs aren’t recognizable as recycling. They fully blend in. Those designs point to our potential independence from the world garment industry—the world’s third biggest polluter of the Earth (after agriculture and energy industries).
Three days before Earth Day, on April 19, McHalewill be joined by 40 some other trashion designers coming from similar journeys to produce this singularly lively and hopeful runway spectacular.
The Future Is Trash(ion)
At 15, this fundraiser for the Sonoma Community Center has become an institution. With their continuing presence and growth in the region, one can imagine the outgrowth of other annual programs at other venues for—say, the making of recycled children’s toys or redeemed art objects that have as much ingenuity and joy as Trashion Sonoma.
One can just see the budding of new annuals for recycled decor and interior design, recycled fencing and facades, whole ADUs, junked bikes and junker cars, all of them diverting more and more trash away from our monumental dump.
Together, these programs could produce a regional culture of recycling suffused with the same joy and communal love. There one has the vision at the heart of trashion.
It is generally supposed that the process of transitioning from a consumerist to an ecological culture will be hard and comfortless. Trashion Fashion Sonoma belies that deadly assumption. The transition to good ecology could be as fun and communal as a neighborhood scavenger hunt for old ties to complete a short cape. We might find that while we consume less, we have gained something we want even more than we want Shein or Temu.
That is a possible future. It is also a historically turbulent time, making the future even harder to predict. But whether we co-create a green ecotopia or consume and bomb our way into a Mad Max garbage wasteland, one can be certain that in the future, we will all be wearing trashion.
Perhaps Greta Gerwig will make Trashion Fashion the plot of Barbie 2.
The 15th Annual Trashion Fashion Runway offers two programs—a 2pm matinee and a 5pm evening show, both on April 19, at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall, 126 1st St. W., Sonoma. Tickets for the individual shows are available at sonomacommunitycenter.org/trashion-fashion.
‘Trash Bash,’ a free closing party co-hosted by Recology, will be held 11am to 3pm, April 26, at the Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St., Sonoma. Follow linktr.ee/trashionLINKS or scan the below qr code with a phone to learn more.
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