Since opening in 2013, the Barlow has become west Sonoma County’s hub of local artisans and crafters, with over a dozen acres of industrial-chic structures currently housing brewers, distillers, restaurants, retail space, art galleries and more.

Much of that was in jeopardy during February’s flood, but the businesses that survived or opened since are savoring the summer weather. Now, the Sebastopol marketplace is unveiling a daylong celebration to showcase art and local businesses on Saturday, July 27.

The walkable art show is curated by Sebastopol artist Saree Robinson and encompasses the entire marketplace, with 10 newly painted mini-murals on display and special showings and events at venues throughout.

“I did a public art project in Petaluma along American Alley with O-Positive Festival in 2015,” Robinson says. “I wanted to do something like that in Sebastopol because I love this town and I want to see more public art here.”

Sonoma County artists selected by Robinson and a jury painted 10 murals, which feature a range of styles and techniques, from the graffiti-inspired art of Ricky Watts and Rhett Johnson, to the whimsically nature-influenced paintings by Angela Hunter Geiss and Mica Jennings (pictured). Local educational nonprofit group ArtStart even got in on the murals and contributed one created by several local summer art
camp students.

In addition, the Barlow’s three resident galleries—Adelle Stoll, Lori Austin Gallery and Gallery 300—will offer indoor-outdoor exhibits, and several Barlow business are hosting their own. .

Other artists whose work will be featured include Bradley Jacob Cox of Giant Eye Photography, West Coast mixed-media artists Sarah Hessinger and Nate Valensky, and Petaluma-based Michael Garlington, an internationally acclaimed photographer, sculptor and installation artist best known for his work with partner Natalia Bertotti.

Participating Barlow businesses include Sebastopol Community Market, Pax Wine Cellars, the Farmer’s Wife, Fern Bar, Woodfour Brewing Company and Crooked Goat Brewing—who will be hosting live music as well—among others.

“There’s a lot of great art involved in this event,” Robinson says. “I would love to see the entire community turn out and celebrate and support our
local artists.”

Sonoma County playwright, longtime theater critic and Bohemian contributor David Templeton was a self-described obsessive born-again kid growing up in 1970s Southern California, where he became immersed in the Jesus Movement.

“When I learned ‘Amazing Grace,’ I loved it so much that I literally learned it forwards and backwards,” says Templeton.

That song and Templeton’s childhood experiences of being saved from an overzealous religious community became the inspiration for his autobiographical one-man show, Wretch Like Me, which he performed for the first time 10 years ago, on July 17, 2009, at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa.

Now, a decade later, Templeton revisits the show, giving a 10-year anniversary performance of Wretch Like Me on Saturday, July 20, where it all began, at the Glaser Center.

But, back to “Amazing Grace.”

“Amongst other things, the teenage evangelicals that I associated with and I were very enthused with the idea of ‘Amazing Grace,’” Templeton says. “But the tune sounded so churchy that we were always looking for hip, alternative tunes. So, we would sing ‘Amazing Grace’ to everything from ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper,’ to ‘Jingle Bells.’ All of that is in the show, and I demonstrate what ‘Amazing Grace’ sounds like sung backwards.”

In addition to singing demonstrations, Templeton’s show hits on everything from fundamentalism to puppeteering to sheep. It’s a story he wanted to tell since the ‘80s, but which he only wrote 11 years ago, after two friends gave him a firm deadline of six weeks to produce a draft of the play.

Originally directed by David Yen, Wretch Like Me ran for a full two and a half hours when it debuted. Five years ago, Templeton took the play to the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, cutting the work into a lean 75-minute monologue for the festival.

“I completely rewrote it so that I could do it in a quick one-act,” Templeton says. Sheri Lee Miller directed that shorter version and joined Templeton in Scotland for the three-week run of the show.

That 75-minute version, with some minor adjustments, is the one that Templeton will perform on July 20. He says it’s likely his last time onstage with “Wretch Like Me.” The performance will also include a post-show discussion with Templeton, Miller and others who’ve been involved in the show.

“For this [performance], I’m trying to have as much fun with it as I can,” Templeton says. “It’s quite a thing to memorize 33 pages of text just for one performance, but it’s got to be good for my brain. Mostly I’m trying to remember to leave it all on the stage.”

‘Wretch Like Me’ runs Saturday, July 20, at Glaser Center, 547 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. 7pm. $25. 707.568.5381.