Loud Noises

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Loud Noises

The name “Andy Lopez” has inspired large marches for justice, several memorials and a makeshift park at the southwest Santa Rosa site where he was shot to death by sheriff’s deputy Erick Gelhaus on Oct. 22. Now the power of Andy Lopez is affecting political campaigns.

The Andy Lopez Organizing Group plans a loud protest on Dec. 3 outside Sonoma County district attorney Jill Ravitch’s pasta feed fundraiser at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building. “We’re going to bring the demand that Gelhaus be indicted for murder right to her front door at the pasta feed,” says Jonathan Melrod, a member of the group.

But even if the Santa Rosa Police Department were to conclude in its official investigation that Gelhaus was out of line for shooting the 13-year-old, it’s unlikely that Ravitch would try a member of the sheriff’s department for murder due to the strong mutual political support between the district attorney and Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Steve Freitas gave a fiery speech at Ravitch’s re-election kickoff event earlier this year (pictured above); Ravitch, likewise, has warmly endorsed Freitas, even introducing him at his campaign kickoff event in September.

Unless Ravitch recuses herself from the review of the SRPD’s investigation, pressure will surely continue to mount while Ravitch and Freitas campaign for re-election. “We feel that in the court of public opinion [Ravitch] is guilty of a conflict of interest with the sheriff’s department,” says Melrod.

The Andy Lopez Organizing group will meet with noisemakers, drums and anything loud on Tuesday, Dec. 3, in the parking area under Highway 12, across from the Veterans Memorial Building at 1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa. 4:30pm.

Pardon the Turkey

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Pardon the Turkey

There are those vegetarians among us who are perfectly happy to give thanks at the minimum rate of once a year, but prefer not to mark the holiday by chomping down on dead bird. What wine, then, pairs best with the most popular turkey alternatives available on the market today?

In the interest of addressing this vexing question, I recently cooked one Tofurky and one Field Roast brand Celebration Roast, accompanied by mashed potatoes (with real butter—hey, I’m no savage), mashed yams, green beans, Brussels sprouts and, to cover all bases, cranberry sauce, and tricked a few friends into offering opinions on the result, matched with a few representative wines. Our findings:

Martin Ray 2012 Russian River Valley Pinot Gris ($16) Perfectly innocuous, with aromas of white flowers and dry perry. Tofurky enhances its apply zest, but it’s too bright for the fare.

Francis Coppola 2012 ‘Director’s Cut’ Alexander Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($21) Sour apple, honeydew melon-rind aromas; zesty, grassy lime flavors. Choice quaff, but it’s sour-down with cranberry sauce and only OK paired with the alarmingly high-sodium Tofurky.

Chateau St. Jean 2012 Alexander Valley Riesling ($20) I assumed that this would be sweeter. Aiming for a dry style, ol’ Jeanie made an interesting floral and pineapple-scented wine, with vitamin C tablet sourness. Riesling is my recommendation for T-Day generally, but this wine just left me wishing I liked it more—and you’re not fooling anyone at the table if you think they won’t notice.

Benziger 2011 Sonoma County Chardonnay ($16) Lemon meringue, custard tart and fresh white grape with a caramel gloss make the Tofurky sing! Not rich enough to complement the mashed potatoes; still, the Benziger was acclaimed as a nice, Plain Jane Chardonnay that won’t offend anyone, not even the green beans.

La Crema 2012 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($25) Dependably flavorful combination of sweet and spicy coriander, rhubarb pie, dried cherry and cranberry—like drinking Christmas. Better with the earthy Celebration Roast than with Tofurky, while the mash accentuates sweet strawberry notes.

Cline 2010 Sonoma County Syrah ($12) Wild, sweaty Syrah aromas give way to sweet plum, licorice, blueberry and vanilla. Douses the Tofurky and Roast with sweet blueberry sauce, leaving a lingering, sinuous center. Surprise hit.

Frank Family 2011 Napa Valley Zinfandel ($36.75) Toasted vanilla bean, raspberry wine, bright berry jam aromas—it’s fun, good with yams, cozy with cranberries, but kinda brash with the veggie products.

Rodney Strong 2010 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon ($20) With gentle aromas of mixed berries and a soft, fruity palate, this nice-guy Cab gets along with everyone. Except for cranberry sauce: fight! Cab loses.

Prison Punch

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Prison Punch

After serving 13 months in prison, Piper Kerman left hungry for two things. The first? A slice of pizza. The second? A drive to tell the diverse and often heartbreaking stories of the women she met while serving time at a federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut.

“It was really clear to me that there was a great interest in what happens behind the walls of prisons and jails,” Kerman recalls by phone. “It is a very hidden, very intentionally hidden world.”

These stories, along with her own, became the best-selling 2010 memoir Orange is the New Black: My Year in Women’s Prison. The title is familiar for fans of the Netflix original Orange is the New Black, a brutal, racy, darkly funny and highly addictive series that’s become a much-buzzed-about hit after its premiere earlier this year. Kerman speaks Nov. 18 at Sonoma State University.

Created by Jenji Kohan—producer of the controversial Showtime series Weeds—the show revolves around Piper Chapman, an affluent and privileged Park Slope denizen sentenced to 15 months for a low-level, ten-year-old drug offense. While in her early twenties, just like Kerman, Piper Chapman became romantically involved with an older, sophisticated woman who happened to work for an international drug cartel. Also like Kerman, a one-time rash decision to carry drug money across international borders ends in a money laundering and drug trafficking conviction.

The show is lauded for the racial, sexual and socio-economic diversity of its cast, while simultaneously critiqued for employing a white woman as the entry point into a marginalized prison society, a charge that Kohan responded to in an NPR interview. “In a lot of ways Piper was my Trojan Horse,” Kohan told Terri Gross on Fresh Air. “You’re not going to go into a network and sell a show on really fascinating tales of black women, and Latina women, and old women and criminals. But if you take this white girl, this sort of fish out of water, and you follow her in, you can then expand your world and tell all of those other stories.”

What the show does incredibly well is capture the humanity and the multi-layered narratives of America’s fastest growing prison population. The number of incarcerated women has grown 646 percent between 1980 and 2010. Most are low-level offenders who’ve made serious mistakes but pose little threat of violence, says Kerman. Also, 80 percent of criminal defendants are too poor to afford a lawyer, leading to serious questions about the inequity of access to justice and fairness in sentencing.

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“We are not necessarily accustomed to seeing people who are in prison, or people who are caught up in the criminal justice system, humanized, as opposed to demonized,” says Kerman, who serves on the board of the Women’s Prison Association and speaks widely about the need for indigent defense and sentencing reform. “A recognition that each and every person who goes through that system has a complicated story, and that they are the protagonists of their own story, is really important.”

Though aspects of the show’s storyline mirror her real life, it is an adaptation instead of a bio-pic, Kerman says. For example, the fictionalized Piper ends up confronting her ex-lover (played by Laura Prepon) in prison and reigniting their affair, even as her hapless fiancé Larry waits for her at home. In real life, Kerman did run into her one-time lover Nora, but it led to no more than a friendly act of letting bygones be bygones. And though the show features illicit dalliances between prison guards and inmates (one which results in a forbidden love child), a corrupt official embezzling money from the prison, a fight to the death between Chapman and the methamphetamine-damaged, fake born-again Christian Pennsatucky, and lesbian love triangles galore, none of these events actually happened.

“Television demands an enormous level of conflict in every single episode that would be almost unreadable in a book,” explains Kerman. “It’s a really different medium. I think they work hard to create conflict in a show that is fascinating, including conflicts that didn’t really exist in my own life.”

But the main goal, to humanize a dehumanized population—a crucial issue in the United States where the prison population has grown from 500,000 in 1980 to 2.3 million today, and when the Supreme Court has ruled the overly crowded conditions in California prisons to be inhumane—is the same.

Kerman’s kept busy with speaking engagements, the buzz around the show, and life with her toddler and husband Larry Smith in Brooklyn. But overall, she feels lucky to be able to do her life’s work and use her voice to pull more people into the conversation about a dysfunctional criminal justice system. “By and large, a lot of the public recognizes that we need some significant changes and it’s time to talk about what those changes should be,” she says. “There’s less debate about whether the criminal justice system needs to be reformed, and more and more, what is the best way to fix it.”

Formative Years

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Formative Years

When playwright Kenneth Lonergan first introduced audiences to his self-absorbed, drug-using, post-adolescent characters Dennis, Warren and Jessica, audiences didn’t know what to think of This is Our Youth. The play, a dark comedy, steeped in drug use, strong profanity and references from H.R. Pufnstuf to Major Matt Mason.

If you’re too old for those references, you might be among those who feel a tad uncomfortable with Lonergan’s raw and honest slice of Reagan-era life. At Sebastopol’s Main Stage West, a first-rate cast is taking a good, entertaining crack at ‘This is Our Youth,’ with fine results.

Directed by Keith Baker with a confident, laidback style that’s nonetheless engaging—even if it lacks some of the intensity and high-stakes drama of other productions—the play takes place in the apartment of Dennis, a brash, articulate part-time drug dealer who reluctantly agrees to let his friend Warren (a frequent customer) stay over after he gets kicked out of the house by his abusive lingerie-tycoon father. Warren stole five grand in cash before he vacated his dad’s house, and now he has to figure out how to replace the cash he’s already spent before he can risk a return to his home.

Into this mix steps Jessica, the wary yet game-to-party object of Warren’s desire. Eager to impress her with offers of expensive hotels and room service, Warren digs deeper into his pile of stolen money—and digs himself deeper into trouble.

A drug deal is proposed to earn the missing money. It does not go well.

As Dennis, Jimmy Gagarin is sensational, hilariously primal at times, like an angry, pot-smoking rooster, but not above collapsing into tears when he finds himself moved by Warren’s puppy-dog sense of misplaced hero-worship. Lukas Thompson, as Warren, has a wonderfully nerdy, wounded-but-defiant attitude, blending a sense of amiable hurt with a fragile hopefulness as he grows from adolescent to adult before our eyes. And as Jessica, Lauren Heney, with less stage time than the others, holds her own in scenes with Thompson and Gagarin, allowing her to show tiny flashes of girlish glee beneath the character’s calculated veneer of distanced cool.

With stunningly good dialogue and cleverly constructed storytelling, This is Our Youth is well worth a trip, whether it makes you remember your own youth, or worry—just a little—about what your own kids might be up to.

Rating: ★★★★

‘This is Our Youth’ runs Thursday-Sunday through Nov. 17 at Main Stage West. 106 N. Main St., Sebastopol. Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 5pm. $15-$25. 707.823.0177.

Dreams on Hold

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Dreams on Hold

A neighborhood battle over a center for homeless youth in Santa Rosa continues to raise accusations of both NIMBY-ism on one side and distorted facts on the other.

The Dream Center, a proposed development in Bennett Valley by the nonprofit Social Advocates for Youth (SAY), would provide short- and long-term affordable housing units for youth between the ages of 18 and 24, a contingent that’s grown steadily. SAY’s annual homeless youth count in 2009 found 268 people between the ages of 12 and 24 living on the streets; in 2013, that number is 1,128.

After discovering that the 38,000-square-foot former Warrack Hospital had sat empty since 2008, SAY’s executive director Matt Martin approached Sutter about taking over the building. Sutter agreed, and SAY proposed the Dream Center, a full-service facility with administrative offices, job training and employment counseling, healthcare services and on-site housing.

SAY cites the success of Tamayo Village, an existing 25-unit development down the road, as a model for the future center. But Community Unite, a coalition of Bennett Valley residents, began raising opposition at planning meetings in the spring, citing safety concerns and accusing SAY of misrepresenting the facts.

“There are issues with Tamayo Village, which is the benchmark for this facility,” says Brenda Chatelain, a homeowner who lives within 300 yards of the Warrack Hospital site. “We can confirm that Tamayo has had sex offenders, gang members and violent felons.”

Chatelain charges that SAY has not been forthcoming about the criminal element at Tamayo Village. She cites a September 2013 letter, “written on behalf of 12 Sonoma County deputy probation officers,” which asserts that gang members, sex offenders and violent felons have all been either supervised, seen at or housed in Tamayo Village.

Out of 25 Tamayo Village residents, one is currently on probation, says SAY communications manager Caitlin Childs. SAY works in partnership with the probation department to “ensure our youths’ joint success,” she adds via email, but clarifies that youth are not “sent” to live at Tamayo Village and that it isn’t a halfway house, as some have portrayed. Likewise, residents of the Dream Center would not be sent by the courts, but would voluntarily apply in an open-application process.

But Chatelain and others from Community Unite say they’re concerned about whether staff will be adequately trained, as well as the scope of the proposed Dream Center, which could contain as many as 63 units for homeless youth. “It’s pretty well known that the optimum environment for people transitioning out of probation, foster care or homelessness, where they really thrive, is six to 10 people,” Chatelain says.

After soliciting the neighborhood for feedback on the project in November 2012 and looking at models of already successful affordable housing in the county, such as Burbank Housing, the ambition to build a 100-unit facility was scaled down.

“We got a lot of feedback from neighbors that said it felt to big,” says SAY director of development Cat Cvengros. The current plan proposes 40 units of affordable housing for the first year. If successful, 14 units would be added over the next two years, capping at a maximum of 63 units. Potential residents would be subject to a criminal background check, a sex-offender check and a lease agreement. The facility will also offer 10 free, short-term housing slots of up to three months for residents that have been pre-drug- and alcohol-screened.

Courtney Lavelle, 22, has been an onsite facility manager at Tamayo Village for the past year. “Have you sat down and had a conversation with them?” Lavelle says. “They’re regular kids that go to high school, go to the JC. They’re regular kids who’ve had hardships in their lives. They’re beautiful creatures, in my opinion.”

Concerns raised by Bennett Valley neighbors have helped logistically, Cvengros says. “Out of it has come a lot of positive feedback to make this a place that will meet the youth’s needs and the needs of the neighborhood. The more people involved, the better the Dream Center will be.”

Meanwhile, Community Unite, according to Chatelain, demands a neutral, third-party socioeconomic impact report before any further decisions are made.

“It’s easy to be reflexive and say they’re about helping kids,” says Chatelain. “When you drill down, things are seldom black-and-white. It’s incumbent upon Bennett Valley residents to do due diligence. A neutral, third-party study is the only way to do it, because I believe there is an agenda in place that doesn’t necessarily serve anyone well.”

The application for the Dream Center is scheduled to go before the planning commission in early 2014, and then to the Santa Rosa City Council, where it will again be open to public comment.

Holiday Arts

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Holiday Arts

Events

Outdoor Skating

Dig out your ice skates for the opening of Napa’s full-scale outdoor skating rink. Open from Sat, Nov 15 through Sun, Jan 12. Second and Coombs Sts, Napa. $12. 707.227.7141.

Napa Wine Train Thanksgiving

Take in the beauty of Napa Valley on a real-life train while enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving feast. Thurs, Nov 28, 4–8:30pm. 1275 McKinstry St, Napa. $124–$159. 800.427.4124.

Festival of Lights

Yountville is gloriously illuminated for this 25th annual fest, featuring gourmet food and wine, a visit from Santa and carriage rides. Fri, Nov 29, 2–7pm. Downtown Yountville, Washington St. Free. 707.944.0904.

Heart of Sonoma Valley Open House

The 30th annual open house this year showcases 26 Sonoma Valley wineries, including Chateau St. Jean, Imagery Estate and Valley of the Moon. Fri–Sat, Nov 29-30, 11am–4pm. $45. 707.431.1137.

Napa Christmas Parade

Bundle up and enjoy an evening parade of lighted holiday floats while following Santa around town. Wed, Nov 26, 5-8pm. First and School Sts, downtown Napa. Free. 707.257.0322.

Festival of Lights

Winetasting celebration with carols, wreaths, pizza, movies, Santa and more. Nov 24 at Trentadue Winery, 19170 Geyserville Ave, Geyserville. 2–7pm. $15–$20. 707.433.3294.

Winter in the Wineries

A “passport” to some of the best wineries in the Napa Valley gives carte blanche for up to 15 tastings and discounts at participating vendors in Calistoga. Dec 6–Feb 9. $75. 866.306.5588.

Napa B&B Tour &
Taste Event

The bed and breakfasts of Napa invite you inside to savor select wines and tasty treats. Transportation and entertainment included. Sat, Dec 7, 3–7pm. $65 per person. See
www.napaholidaytour.com.

Lighted Tractor Parade

This small-town event features a lineup of vintage tractors, trucks and other fun vehicles all sparkled up. Santa makes an appearance. Sat, Dec 7, 7–8pm. Lincoln Ave, Calistoga. Free. 707.942.6333.

Luther Burbank Open House

Step into Luther Burbank’s former home and extraordinary gardens with a two-day open house. Cookies and spiced tea are served in the greenhouse by those in period costume. Sat and Sun, Dec 7-8, 10am–4pm. Luther Burbank Home and Gardens, Santa Rosa and Sonoma Aves, Santa Rosa. $2 ages 12 and older. 707.524.5445.

ICB Artists Winter
Open Studios

The ICB Artists Association presents works of over 80 artists in the 45th annual Winter Open Studios, “Artists Exposed,” in the huge, iconic barrel-roofed structure on the Sausalito waterfront. Fri, Dec 6, 6-9pm. 480 Gate Five Rd, Sausalito. 415.261.7640.

Hanukkah Hootenanny

Judd’s Hill Winery presents its 8th annual Hanukkah Hootenanny, featuring an “extravagant latke bar” and traditional jelly doughnuts. Sun, Dec 8, noon–2:30pm. 2332 Silverado Trail, Napa. $50. 707.255.2332.

Windsor Holiday Celebration

Downtown Windsor buzzes with holiday cheer as folks enjoy train rides ($1), carriage rides ($1) and photos with Santa ($10) while the tree is lit and the snow machines fire up. Thurs, Dec 5, 5–8pm. Town Green, Windsor. Free. 707.838.1260.

Light Up a Life

St. Joseph Hospices honor lives lost with annual candle- and tree-lighting ceremonies. Healdsburg tree-lighting takes place Sun, Dec 1, 5pm, Healdsburg Plaza, Healdsburg. Petaluma’s takes place Fri, Dec 6, 7pm, Center Park (the strip of trees outside the Mystic Theatre on Petaluma Boulevard South), Petaluma. Santa Rosa’s tree-lighting event is Sat, Dec 7, 6pm, Railroad Square Depot, Santa Rosa. Oakmont’s is Sun, Dec 8, 6pm, Star of Valley Parish Hall, Oakmont. A light can be dedicated to a loved one with a $10 donation. Events are free. 707.778.6242.

Petaluma Lighted
Boat Parade

A dazzling parade of sparkling boats shine on the Petaluma River to ring in the season. Dec 7, 6:30pm. Petaluma River Turning Basin, Petaluma. Free. 707.769.0429.

Napa Holiday Candlelight Tour

This year’s 25th annual candlelight house tour showcases the history and eclectic architecture of Napa’s “Tree Streets: West of Jefferson,” featuring seven houses ranging from Victorian cottages to Craftsman bungalows. Sat, Dec 14, 3–7pm. 1219 First St, Napa. $35–$40. 707.255.1836.

Day of Holiday Giving

Watch holiday films free of charge if you bring a non-perishable food item or a new toy to be given to the Redwood Empire Food Bank and the Boys and Girls Club. Dec 18 at noon, 2:15, 4:30, 7, and 9:15. Various theaters; visit www.sregmovies.com for details. 707.523.1586.

Holiday Open House

In support of the Redwood Empire Food Bank, Heart of Sonoma Valley Association (HOSVA) holds its 30th Annual Holiday Open House, where guests can enjoy two days of wine tasting at 26 participating wineries. Nov 29-30. Fri and Sat 11-4pm. Various locations. $45. 866.794.9463. www.heartofsonomavalley.com.

Shopping

Holiday Make-In

Multiple art-making stations hosted by local artists, featuring a wide range of favorite handmade holiday projects to involve the whole family. Nov 17, 11am–4pm. $15. Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, 551 Broadway, Sonoma. 707.939.7862.

Rohnert Park Holiday Arts & Crafts Faire

The Recreation Department celebrates its 33rd year of hand-made arts and crafts. Nov 29–30, 10am–4pm. Community Center, 5401 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. Free. 707.588.3456.

Dance Palace Holiday Crafts Fair

Find unique, quality gifts at the 41st incarnation of this shopping extravaganza. Talented artists provide jewelry, pottery, clothing and more for a fun day of seasonal shopping. Dec 6, 4-9pm; Dec 7, 10am–6pm; Dec 8, 10am–5pm. Dance Palace, Fifth and B Sts, Pt. Reyes Station. Free. 415.663.1075.

Muir Beach Quilters Holiday Arts Fair

Proceeds benefit the Muir Beach Quilters, who donate funds to many organizations that help those in need. A perfect complement to a day at the beach; free shuttle from Muir Beach parking lot. Dec 7, 10am–5pm; Dec 8,10am–4pm. Muir Beach Community Center, 19 Seascape Dr, Muir Beach. Free. 415.383.6762.

A Dickens of a
Holiday Crafts Faire

Over 70 booths with handcrafted treasures, jewelry, household goods, ceramics and plenty more. Dec 7-8. Sat, 9am-5pm; Sun, 10am-4pm. $2. Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Ave, Santa Rosa. 707.543.3737.

Goddess Crafts Faire

Handmade gifts by local and regional women while live music and good grooves abound. Dec 14–15, 11am–7pm. Sebastopol Community Center, 390 Morris St, Sebastopol. $5–$13; kids free. 707.823.1511.

Holiday Crafterino

Fifth annual craft show benefits COTS Committee on the Shelterless and includes jewelry, bath products, clothing, art, ceramics and much more. Food and free gift bags for early attendees. Nov. 30, 11am–4pm. Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building, 1094 Petaluma Blvd S, Petaluma. $1. 415.902.2034.

Occidental Holiday Crafts Faire

Over 35 local and regional artists showcase their art; attendees will have a chance to win special gift packages including art, wine, jewelry and other handmade crafts throughout the weekend. Dec 7-8. Sat 10-5pm; Sun 10-4pm. Bohemian Hwy and Graton Rd, Occidental. Free. 707.874.2242.

Holiday Home Tour and Winter Market

Enjoy a full day of touring stunningly decorated homes in Santa Rosa neighborhoods and shopping from various artisans. Dec 7, 11-5pm. 335 Round Barn Blvd, Santa Rosa. $45. 707.545.5567.

Becoming Independent Holiday Lights

Tenth annual arts and crafts show and sale with live performances, photos with Santa and more. Sat, Dec 7, 6-8pm. 1455 Corporate Center Pkwy, Santa Rosa. Free. 707.524.6600.

For the Kids

Santa’s Riverboat Arrival

Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by boat with candy canes before joining a horse-drawn procession through downtown. Nov 30 at noon. Turning Basin, Golden Eagle Shopping Center, 2-80 E. Washington Blvd, Petaluma. Free. 707.769.0429.

Ringing in the Season

Bring the family to make holiday ornaments and decorating cookies. Dec 8, 2pm. Napa Valley Museum, 55 Presidents Circle, Yountville. Free. 707.944.0500.

VOENA

The angelic voices of this multicultural children’s a cappella choir, beautiful Victorian costuming and magical musical arrangements all come together to create a lively holiday celebration. Audience participation encouraged. Dec 17, 7:30pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St, Napa. $35. 707.226.7372.

Stage

Great Russian ‘Nutcracker’

Beloved Russian fairy tale characters and larger-than-life puppets add to the whimsical and imaginative storytelling. Dec 18-19, 7pm. Wells Fargo Center, 50 Mark West Springs Rd, Santa Rosa. $28–$102. 707.546.3600.

‘Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol’

This festive ghost story runs Nov 21–Dec 15. Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat 8pm; Wed, 7:30pm; Sun, 7pm. Matinees every Sun 2pm; Sat, Nov 30 and Dec 14, 2pm; Thurs Dec 5, 1pm. $36–$57. Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Ave, Mill Valley. 415.388.5208.

‘The Nutcracker’

Contessi Ballet and the Petaluma North Bay Performing Arts Association present the timeless favorite. Nov 10-12 . Fri 8pm; Sat 2:30pm and 8pm; Sun 2:30pm. Spreckels Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $18–$20. 707.588.3400.

‘Christmas with
the Crawfords’

The mother of all Christmas musicals, Christmas with the Crawfords is a cult holiday classic based on Mommie Dearest that will make you get out your old shoulder pads and hide every wire hanger in the house. Dec 6-7. Fri 7pm; Sat 7pm and 9:30pm. Lincoln Theater, 100 California Drive, Yountville. $45-$125. 707.994.9900.

Clark Sterling’s Broadway Holiday

The best of Broadway meets the holiday season with Broadway veteran Clark Sterling and singers Danielle Kane, Michelle Jordan, Wesla Whitfield, Mike Greensill and Robert Dornaus. Nov 24, 8pm; Nov 25, 3pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St, Napa. $20–$30. 707.226.7372.

‘Nightmare Before Christmas’

Travel back to Christmas Town with the Pumpkin King when Tamara Grose presents Tim Burton’s timeless movie as a whimsical ballet. Nov 30 and Dec 1, 7pm. Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $15–$20. 707.585.1137.

‘The Nutcracker’

The Stapleton Ballet presents its 25th “Nutcracker”, featuring vibrant new costumes and a magical tree that grows to over 40 feet. Dec 7–8, 1pm and 5pm. Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $20–$32. 415.499.6800.

‘Posada Navideña’

The Instituto Mazatlán Bellas Artes de Sacramento presents vibrant sounds and colors in a dance show celebrating the special traditions of a Mexican Christmas. Traditional Posada celebration following the performance. Dec 6 at 7pm. Wells Fargo Center, 50 Mark West Springs Rd, Santa Rosa. $5-$10. 707.546.3600.

Mayflower Community Chorus

Feel the spirit and be inspired by this African American tradition of vibrant gospel, blues and jazz harmonies from a full 45-piece chorus. Dec 9–10 at 8pm. Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $5–$20. 415.499.6800.

The ‘Nutcracker’

Enjoy the magic of Ballet Califia’s 18th annual production of the Nutcracker live onstage. Features choreography from David McNaughton and Shelley Scott. Dec 13–14. Fri at 8pm; Sat at 2:30pm and 8pm. Spreckels Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $18–$25. 707.588.3400.

The ‘Nutcracker’

The Marin Ballet culminates its 50th Anniversary Season with a production featuring stunning sets, intricate costuming, over 175 dancers and a sweet story to captivate the young at heart. Meet the cast at the candy cane party after the show. Dec 14-15. Sat at 1pm and 5pm; Sun at 1pm and 5pm. Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $25–$40. 415.499.6800.

The ‘Nutcracker’

Santa Rosa Dance Theater with the Santa Rosa Youth Ballet Company present the timeless tale of a bright-eyed Clara and her beloved nutcracker prince. Choreographed by SRDT artistic director Tamara Statkoun. Dec 6–8. Fri at 7pm; Sat at 2pm and 7pm; Sun at 2pm. Spreckels Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $20–$25. 707.588.3400.

‘Tapcracker’

Sherry Studio presents its 13th sensational year with this fun and offbeat performance. Students tap, jazz and hip-hop for a hilarious take on the Nutcracker that will keep you laughing throughout. Dec 21 at 2pm and 5:30pm. Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $12–$25. 415.499.6800.

‘Sophie and the Enchanted Toyshop’

Marin Dance Theatre performs this full-length, two-act children’s ballet in which a kindly toymaker gifts young Sophie with a magical journey to a beautiful snow kingdom. Meet the cast at the Teddy Bear Tea Party after the matinee. Dec 21 at 1pm and 5:30pm. Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $27–$37. 415.499.6800.

The ‘Nutcracker’

Sebastopol Ballet presents its 22th annual production, with complimentary sugar plum parties before matinees, starting at 1pm Dec 20–22. Fri at 7pm; Sat at 2pm and 7pm; Sun at 2pm. Analy High School, 6950 Analy Ave, Sebastopol. $10–$20. 707.824.8006.

‘Winnie the Pooh Christmas Tail’

Join Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and the rest of the gang in this magical holiday tale produced by local youth for young audiences. Dec 15–16 and Dec 18-21. 11am, 2pm, & 7pm. Raven Theater, 115 North St, Healdsburg. $10. 707.433.6335.

Music

A Rockapella Christmas

Rockapella is a group of five of the world’s lasting pop vocal singers who will bring a very special gift this holiday season with a Rockapella Christmas performance on Dec 5 at 8pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St, Napa. $40-$45. 707.226.7372.

‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’

David Benoit’s orchestra is joined by the local Napa Valley Children’s Chorus for classic show. Dec 13 at 8pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St, Napa. $35–$40. 707.226.7372.

Terry Bradford’s Community Chorus

Christmas favorites and pop favorites with special guests. Dec 12 at 8pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St, Napa. $30. 707.226.7372.

Windham Hill
Winter Solstice

The Windham Hill label brings some of its artists back to Napa to play traditional holiday music. Dec 14 at 8pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St, Napa. $20–$25. 707.226.7372.

A Visit to Santa’s Workshop

Santa’s toymakers invite you to visit their workshop with performances by Napa Valley Ballet on Dec 15 at 6:30pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St, Napa. $15–$25. 707.226.7372.

Hot Club of San Francisco

Gypsy-jazz group present swinging holiday show, “A Cool Yule,” in the style of Django Reinhardt on Dec 8 at 4pm. Occidental Center for the Arts. 3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental. $10-$30. 707.874.1124. Also performing on Dec 19 at 8pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St, Napa. $20–$25. 707.226.7372.

Starry Night

VOENA multi-cultural children’s choir brings to life traditional favorites while adding arrangements of holiday songs from around the world on Dec. 21 at 7:30pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St., Napa. $35. 707.226.7372.

A Hawaiian Holiday

Blending stories of aloha, hula, and traditional Hawaiian Holiday songs with Faith Ako, Steven Espaniola and Patrick Landeza on Nov 30 at 8pm. Uptown Theatre, 1350 Main St, Napa. $25-$30. 707.259.0123.

Concerts by Candlelight

Stephen McKersie conducts the Marin Symphony Chamber Orchestra as its chorus members invite listeners to join in the heart-warming harmonies. Dec 8 at 4pm. Church of Saint Raphael, 104 Fifth Ave, San Rafael. $25–$30. 415.479.8100.

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

Chip Davis brings the spirit alive with the Christmas music of Mannheim Steamroller and multimedia effects on Dec. 3 at 8pm. Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Rd, Santa Rosa. $55–$75. 707.546.3600.

‘Chris-Mix’

Matt Nathanson, Cicci Martinez and Parachute performing an acoustic set. Fundraiser for the Redwood Empire Food Bank. Dec 12 at 8pm. Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Rd, Santa Rosa. $25-$35. 707.546.3600.

Raise the Youth

This sixth annual fundraiser features performance highlights from this past year’s musical theater productions. Dec13 at 7pm. $15–$60. 142 Throckmorton Theater, 142 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.383.9600.

Kitka Wintersongs

An American women’s vocal arts ensemble, Kitka, is inspired by music rooted in Balkan, Slavic and Caucasian women’s vocal traditions. Dec 14 at 8pm. $15–$31. Dance Palace, 503 B St, Point Reyes Station. 707.663.1075.

Ensemble Galilei and Neal Conan

Ensemble Galilei celebrates the winter solstice with NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” host Neal Conan in an evening of music and spoken word. Dec 6 7:30pm. Glaser Center, 547 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa. $20–$25. 707.874.1124.

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

The great musical theatre story of two World War II veterans including a song-and-dance act and well-known standards like “Blue Skies”, “I Love a Piano”, “How Deep is the Ocean” and “White Christmas.” Nov 20-Dec 24. $46. Phoenix Theatre, 501 Washington St, Petaluma. 707.762.3565.

SingersMarin

Join Jan Pedersen Schiff and seven youth and adult choral ensembles for One in a Song. Caroling kids lead the audience in sing-along. Dec 22 at 4pm. Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $20–$30; students and children are half price. 415.499.6800.

A Chanticleer Christmas

Spiritual sounds of the season sung by the male chorus known around the world as “the orchestra of voices.” Dec 17 at 6pm. St. Vincent Church, 35 Liberty St, Petaluma. $35–$65. 415.252.8589.

Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show

The legendary group that’s been performing for more than 70 years. Dec 14 at 8pm. Uptown Theatre, 1350 Main St, Napa. $40. 707.259.0123.

Narada Michael Walden

Grammy award-winning Narada Michael Walden is the real Santa Claus, and he’ll look the part in this annual “jam funky dance party” benefit for his music education foundation. Dec 14 at 8pm. $100-$175. 142 Throckmorton Theater, 142 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.383.9600.

Sing-Along Messiah

Sing along with one hundred voices and a full orchestra to Handel’s “Messiah” while benefiting the music-education programs of the Santa Rosa Symphony in this 32nd installment of a Redwood Empire holiday tradition, conducted, as ever, by Dan Earl. Dec 21 at 7:30pm. Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $20. 707.522.8786.

A Very Merry
Holiday Pops

A full chorus joins the orchestra for special arrangements of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and holiday music from swing to rock in a pops concert on Sun, Dec 14, 3pm. Wells Fargo Center, 50 Mark West Springs Rd, Santa Rosa. $32-$75. 707.546.3600.

Dave Koz and Friends

Dave Koz and “friends” of extraordinary reputations perform hits and smooth jazz arrangements of holiday favorites for a family-friendly show on Fri, Dec 14, 8pm. Wells Fargo Center, 50 Mark West Springs Rd, Santa Rosa. $39-$69. 707.546.3600.

Pink Martini

The globetrotting band of cosmopolitan music-makers appear for the Napa Valley Opera House’s 10th annual holiday benefit concert. Sat, Dec 7, 7pm. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St, Napa. $65. 707.226.7372.

Marin Symphony Holiday Pops

Maestro Alasdair Neale conducts, joined by the Marin Symphony Chorus and the Marin Symphony Children’s Choir, dozens of Christmas classics from “White Christmas” to “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” on Tues, Dec 17, 7:30pm. Marin Center, 10 Ave of the Flags, San Rafael. $10-$70. 415.479.6400.

Toy Symphony

Leopold Mozart, father of Wolfgang Amadeus, wrote this short piece with parts for toy instruments. Features mezzo-soprano Christine Brandes on Mon, Dec 9, 8pm. Green Music Center, 1801 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park. $76-$525. 866.955.6040.

Handel’s ‘Messiah’

Amplified by superb acoustics, Handel’s Messiah is performed by one of America’s most admired music ensembles, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale on Sun, Dec 15, 3pm. Green Music Center, 1801 East Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park. $40-$85. 866.955.6040.

The Beatles x 100

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The Beatles x 100

There are your average stupid records—Having Fun With Elvis on Stage, most of Seals & Crofts’ catalog—and then there are your really stupid records, musical artifacts utterly bereft of any reason to exist other than to showcase their own uselessness.

These are the cacophonous curios that get played for a full 20 seconds before your theretofore pleasant company turns sour and pleads: “For the love of Peter Dinklage, turn it off.”

I am drawn to these records. On my shelves is a record of hundreds of manipulated Pachinko machines; a record of compact discs smashed with hammers, glued back together and played, skipping, in a CD player; and a record with 1,000 separate lock grooves that repeat 1,000 different sound loops, depending on where you drop the needle.

Rutherford Chang has just created my new favorite stupid record, and ironically, it’s made from what is many peoples’ favorite record of all time: The Beatles’ White Album.

Chang, who lives in New York City, runs an exhibition at Recess gallery in SoHo called We Buy White Albums. He sells nothing, and buys only first-edition copies of the White Album. His exhibition is set up like a record store, stocked with hundreds of copies of the White Album, arranged by the chronological number stamped on the front cover.

Chang doesn’t want pristine collector’s copies, instead preferring the many drawings, poetry and other errata that young Beatlemania-afflicted baby boomers opted to scrawl onto the blank canvas of the album’s cover while listening to “Revolution 9” in the Nixon era.

Early this year, Chang posted online an mp3 of 100 copies of the White Album played simultaneously. At the first chords of “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” the sound echoes boldly, covered in a patina of pops and scratches from 100 old records. But because of the fluctuations in pressing, and variations in turntable speed, the records slowly, over the course of Side A, play slightly off from each other. “Dear Prudence” sounds like it’s sung by a chorus of ghosts. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” is a total mess. “Wild Honey Pie” is barely recognizable, awash in noise.

And yet Chang has recorded all four sides of the White Album this way, following in the footsteps of other musicians who’ve presented intentionally faulty playback as art, such as Stefan Wolpe, John Cage, Jim Kirby and William Basinski. Just this week, he put up for sale professionally manufactured vinyl copies of his experiment as its own standalone record: 100 copies of the Beatles’ White Album played at the same time, condensed into one album. The cover, above, is a composite of 100 albums from his collection, complete with handwritten names, drawings and tape on the edges.

He’s selling copies of his record for $20, and you might want to buy it before it gets shut down for copyright infringement—that is, if you love stupid records as much as I do. Get one at at 100whitealbums.tumblr.com.

MacLaren Wine Company

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MacLaren Wine Company

I don’t know much about MacLaren when I walk into this tasting room, except that they’re new, they specialize in Syrah and their name sounds vaguely Scottish. I find them in the back of “Vine Alley” off Sonoma Plaza, past a gauntlet of retail shops and winetasting rooms. As soon as winemaker Steve Law greets me from behind the bar in the smartly but sparely decorated tasting lounge, it is confirmed: it’s a Scottish thing, all right.

MacLaren, that’s his clan name. Hailing from the land of another lovely, smoky beverage aged in oak casks, the former electronics engineer didn’t get bit by the wine bug until he worked for Hewlett-Packard in Grenoble, France. Weekends spent exploring the northern Rhône nurtured his love for Syrah, which he took with him to California.

After a weekend jaunt to Dry Creek Valley, Law became a friend of Zinfandel specialist Michael Talty. “When I took my vacation, I’d go and help with harvest,” he says. “You need to do something about this addiction,” his winemaker friends said. So in 2007, he started making some of his own at Tally’s winery.

Some retirement project this is not. Toward the end of the 2011 harvest, Law used up all of his vacation hours. After a productive conversation with his wife, an elementary school teacher, he switched gears to being a full-time winemaker. At just 1,000 cases a year, it was a wee bit of a gamble to open up a tasting room, Law admits. But direct-to-consumer sales are the way to go—particularly when trying to sell cool-climate, food-friendly Syrah in today’s market, although Law says that when he gets a chance to pour for chefs and somms, they’re instant fans.

The 2010 “Drouthy Neebors” ($30) is a blend chosen by democratic vote of wine club members. Meaning “thirsty neighbors” in the Scots language, it’s aromatic and elegant, with nice tension on the finish. The 2010 Russian River Valley Syrah ($30) sports licorice and liqueur notes, and might pleasingly surprise Bordeaux-centric wine drinkers.

Law describes the 2010 Samantha’s Vineyard, Russian River Valley Syrah ($40) as his biggest wine. It’s complex, with spicy oak and high-toned blueberry fruit, but did not entice me as much as the 2010 Judge Family Vineyard, Bennett Valley Syrah ($40). With savory aromas of Kalamata olive, and a sensuous mouthfeel, this wine remains lively and bright throughout. Despite its location in the center of Sonoma County, this vineyard is directly in the path of the Petaluma Gap fog line. “The only place colder,” jokes Law, “is probably Scotland!”

MacLaren Wine Company, 27 E. Napa St., Suite E, Sonoma. Open Monday–Thursday, noon–5pm; Friday–Sunday, noon–6pm. Tasting fee, $15. 707.938.7490.

Letters to the Editor: November 20, 2013

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Letters to the Editor: November 20, 2013

Deputy Shooting

Thank you for this detailed, unbiased article (“Gun Crazy,” Oct. 30) about the sickening, unnecessary death of 13-year-old Andy Lopez.

—Glory Kennemer O’Rooney

Via online

Two thoughts occur to me as I consider the shooting of Andy Lopez by a law enforcement officer. First, some people think that because Andy’s toy gun looked like the real thing, the officer was justified in shooting him. However, considering that the officer in question is a so-called firearms expert, he should have been able to tell the difference between a real AK-47 and a toy. For example, Andy was effortlessly carrying the rifle with one hand by the grip, which is difficult to do with a real AK-47. (Firing an AK-47 with one hand is very difficult and requires advanced training to be able to do so accurately.)

Secondly, some people say they would have done the same thing if they were the officer. Well, if I saw someone carrying what looked like an AK-47, I would not be so quick to confront such a person, even if I were a police officer. A more prudent approach might have been to observe the subject from a safe distance, and perhaps try to get their attention using the patrol car’s PA system while waiting for backup. The officer really didn’t need to put himself in a position of potential danger.

Yes, hindsight is 20/20, and I am Monday-morning quarterbacking, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to figure out what went wrong and fix it so it doesn’t happen again. If we don’t change law enforcement’s engagement policies and we don’t change officers’ training and we don’t hold officers accountable for their mistakes, then we are all in very real danger of being killed anytime, anywhere, just because we’re holding a toy gun or a cell phone that an officer thinks is a gun, or a wallet that an officer thinks is a gun, or a broom that an officer thinks it might hurt to be hit with (all of which have actually resulted in people being killed by police officers, none of whom were charged with a crime).

—Chris Wenmoth

Santa Rosa

There are situations where a police officer should be warranted to engage in open fire: (1) to retaliate when fired upon; (2) to save the life or well-being of a hostage held by someone with a weapon, after repeated verbal attempts to reason had failed; (3) to stop an armed suspect from fleeing the scene of the crime after committing a confirmed serious felony—after yelling a warning; and (4) in response to imminent risk during a dangerous event such as a drug bust, bank heist or prison revolt where a serious crime has already been committed.

However, is it appropriate that an officer opens fire in a routine drive-by when encountering a person of interest, where none of the above factors pertain? If personal safety becomes a concern, aren’t there other initial options available, including calling for backup, communicating via loudspeaker and using the patrol car as the shield it is? If official police training/protocol dictates otherwise, is it time for a re-evaluation by the community served?

How come we’re encouraged by some to own/hold/use guns proudly, while simple possession (toy or not) can get us killed? Is it appropriate that the existence of a removable colored tip on a toy be the deciding factor on whether a child’s life is in danger?

Finally, why would we try to equate the sadness a deputy surely feels following his shooting of an innocent toy-gun-toting child with the horrible grief of the dead child’s family? Doesn’t one involve a bad memory which in time will fade, while the other involves an everlasting agony like no other we could imagine?

—Rich Starkey

Penngrove

Beach Burn

A few days ago, without a public forum or announcement, the state parks department burned down all the driftwood structures that have stood on the beach in Jenner for some 50 years. A part of Sonoma County history, these whimsical lean-tos, buildings and sculptures represented a cultural moment in California history.

It took four fire trucks and two helicopters to clean up the mess after the “controlled burn” went out of control. Besides the structures, the fire burned up the entire hillside and threatened the 101 bridge. As one witness reported, “They told me they were gonna burn up the wood on the beach so no one would burn the wood on the beach.” Yeah—that about sums it up.

—Brian Whistler

Forestville

Write to us at le*****@******an.com.

Autumn Delight

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Autumn Delight

Sinatra impersonators are a dime a dozen, especially when one enters the 702 area code. No fly-by-night Vegas crooner, John DeMers is a master of recreating Sinatra’s phrasing and inflection—and he even looks like a late-era Ol’ Blue Eyes. On Wednesday, Nov. 20, DeMers hosts “Come Fly With Me,” a fundraiser for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, with a special dinner at Madrona Manor in Healdsburg prepared by chef Jesse Mallgren. Wine, dessert and dancing rounds out the cocktail-attire night, swinging and swaying from 5:30-9pm. Tickets, $150, can be had at
www.healdsburgjazzfestival.com.

Forty years ago, ‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving‘ first aired on TV, and a nation was introduced to Snoopy’s idea of Thanksgiving dinner: toast, pretzels, popcorn and jelly beans. That same meal is on offer Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Schulz Museum at 1:30pm; the special screens at 12:30pm and 3:30pm. Two cans of food equals one free children’s admission; for more, see
www.schulzmuseum.org.

The Model Bakery has been a Main Street mainstay in St. Helena for generations, and the just-released Model Bakery Cookbook (pictured) finally divulges some of its recipes for success. Fans of the joint can learn from the owners, Karen Mitchell and Sarah Mitchell Hansen, in a cooking class on Saturday, Nov. 16, at Whole Foods in Napa. $40 includes cookbook and take-home cookies and pie. To sign up, see
www.copperfieldsbooks.com.—Gabe Meline

Loud Noises

The name "Andy Lopez" has inspired large marches for justice, several memorials and a makeshift park at the southwest Santa Rosa site where he was shot to death by sheriff's deputy Erick Gelhaus on Oct. 22. Now the power of Andy Lopez is affecting political campaigns. The Andy Lopez Organizing Group plans a loud protest on Dec. 3 outside Sonoma...
Read more

Pardon the Turkey

There are those vegetarians among us who are perfectly happy to give thanks at the minimum rate of once a year, but prefer not to mark the holiday by chomping down on dead bird. What wine, then, pairs best with the most popular turkey alternatives available on the market today? In the interest of addressing this vexing question, I recently...
Read more

Prison Punch

After serving 13 months in prison, Piper Kerman left hungry for two things. The first? A slice of pizza. The second? A drive to tell the diverse and often heartbreaking stories of the women she met while serving time at a federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut. "It was really clear to me that there was a great interest in...
Read more

Formative Years

When playwright Kenneth Lonergan first introduced audiences to his self-absorbed, drug-using, post-adolescent characters Dennis, Warren and Jessica, audiences didn't know what to think of This is Our Youth. The play, a dark comedy, steeped in drug use, strong profanity and references from H.R. Pufnstuf to Major Matt Mason. If you're too old for those references, you might be among those...
Read more

Dreams on Hold

A neighborhood battle over a center for homeless youth in Santa Rosa continues to raise accusations of both NIMBY-ism on one side and distorted facts on the other. The Dream Center, a proposed development in Bennett Valley by the nonprofit Social Advocates for Youth (SAY), would provide short- and long-term affordable housing units for youth between the ages of 18...
Read more

Holiday Arts

Events Outdoor Skating Dig out your ice skates for the opening of Napa's full-scale outdoor skating rink. Open from Sat, Nov 15 through Sun, Jan 12. Second and Coombs Sts, Napa. $12. 707.227.7141. Napa Wine Train Thanksgiving Take in the beauty of Napa Valley on a real-life train while enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving feast. Thurs, Nov 28, 4–8:30pm. 1275 McKinstry St, Napa. $124–$159....
Read more

The Beatles x 100

There are your average stupid records—Having Fun With Elvis on Stage, most of Seals & Crofts' catalog—and then there are your really stupid records, musical artifacts utterly bereft of any reason to exist other than to showcase their own uselessness. These are the cacophonous curios that get played for a full 20 seconds before your theretofore pleasant company turns sour...
Read more

MacLaren Wine Company

I don't know much about MacLaren when I walk into this tasting room, except that they're new, they specialize in Syrah and their name sounds vaguely Scottish. I find them in the back of "Vine Alley" off Sonoma Plaza, past a gauntlet of retail shops and winetasting rooms. As soon as winemaker Steve Law greets me from behind the...
Read more

Letters to the Editor: November 20, 2013

Deputy Shooting Thank you for this detailed, unbiased article ("Gun Crazy," Oct. 30) about the sickening, unnecessary death of 13-year-old Andy Lopez. —Glory Kennemer O'Rooney Via online Two thoughts occur to me as I consider the shooting of Andy Lopez by a law enforcement officer. First, some people think that because Andy's toy gun looked like the real thing, the officer was justified...
Read more

Autumn Delight

Sinatra impersonators are a dime a dozen, especially when one enters the 702 area code. No fly-by-night Vegas crooner, John DeMers is a master of recreating Sinatra's phrasing and inflection—and he even looks like a late-era Ol' Blue Eyes. On Wednesday, Nov. 20, DeMers hosts "Come Fly With Me," a fundraiser for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, with a special...
Read more
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