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Top Torn Tix 2012

Theater

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Dec 26, 2012

I can hardly fathom it. From January 2012 to the present, I have seen 89 plays and musicals. And that isn’t even everything that hit the stages in the North Bay.

Still, once a year I am compelled to name my top ten favorites among those shows I’ve actually seen. It’s no easy task, sorting through a year’s worth of torn theater tickets, arranging them from least to most favorite. But here they are: the shows I know I would not have wanted to miss, the ones that made me laugh the most, smile the most, feel the most. I give you my top 10 torn tickets of 2012.

1. The Lion in Winter (New Spreckels Theatre Co. and Main Stage West): James Goldman’s knotty Medieval drama, directed by Keith Baker, was a true dazzler, its first-rate cast wringing gallons of juicy humor and breath-catching heartbreak from an immensely entertaining script. As the feuding King Henry of England and his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, Barry Martin and Sheri Lee Miller electrified the stage from start to finish. So good, I saw it four times.

2. A Steady Rain (Marin Theatre Company): Stylishly directed by Meredith McDonough, Keith Huff’s riveting drama was an intense story of crime, corruption and cannibalism, told by two disgraced Chicago cops. The gritty performances by Khris Lewin and Kevin Rolston were nothing short of astonishing.

3. The Weir (Main Stage West): The cozy theater at the corner of Main Street and Bodega in Sebastopol was supernaturally transformed into an Irish pub for Conor McPherson’s lyrical drama about five lonely people swapping stories on a windy night. Directed by Sheri Lee Miller with spot-on delicacy, and brought to life by a brilliant cast, this unforgettably moving play was gorgeously haunting—in more ways than one.

4. The Ratcatcher (The Imaginists): In a wildly fruitful collaboration with local gypsy-roots band The Crux, this freaky, weird-ass adaptation of The Pied Piper of Hamlin was disturbingly electrifying. The deeply fractured fairytale took place in the creepy, shell-shocked town of Hamlin, a town still locked in dangerous denial ten years after the disappearance of its children, its fear-wracked elected leaders staunchly refusing to accept responsibility for the disastrous choices that took away their future. Performed with sublime physical commitment by a superb cast, The Ratcatcher was a work of theatrical dark magic, easily the best new musical of the year.

5. The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Sixth Street Playhouse): Rocking the house hard, director Barry Martin’s flashy, trashy crowd-pleaser about the low-rent denizens of the Armadillo Acres Trailer Park had tons of charm, a toe-tapping score and acres of heart.

6. 39 Steps (Sixth Street Playhouse): Alfred Hitchcock done Monty Python style! Director Craig Miller kept this wacky romp spinning through a madly labyrinthine plot involving spies, evil plots, cow-loving yokels and April Krautner’s hilarious parade of over-the-top femme fatales. My sides still hurt from laughing.

7. Other People’s Money (Main Stage West): Crisply directed by Beth Craven, Jerry Sterner’s perceptive fable about the pros and cons of corporate greed may have had a great cast (John Craven, Joan Hawley, Laura Lowry), but the show was stolen, corporate-raider-style, by Keith Baker, who took the meaty role of a disgustingly charming millionaire on the make and turned it into one of the most satisfyingly crude, outrageously funny performances of the year.

8. Rabbit Hole (Sixth Street Playhouse): Beautifully directed by David Lear, David Lindsay-Abaire’s aching tale of grieving parents never succumbed to easy sentimentality. With a superb, openhearted cast and a perfectly pitched tone, Rabbit Hole was among the most satisfying tearjerkers of the year.

9. Othello (Marin Theatre Company): I’ve lost count of how many productions I have seen of Shakespeare’s boat-rocking interracial romance-thriller. Directed with astonishing genius by Jasson Minadakis, this one, exploding with sexiness and impending tragedy, is without question the best.

10. Beauty and the Beast (Santa Rosa Junior College): Magic. Music. Students dressed as dancing spoons. Directed with contagious delight by Laura Downing Lee, Disney’s tuneful fairy tale has never been more fun than this engagingly splashy gem.

Pledge Our Hearts

Columns & Opinion

Juliane Poirier

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Dec 26, 2012

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Today marks the first day of Kwanzaa, which runs through Jan. 1. Kwanzaa is now in its 46th year of celebrating black cultural heritage in the United States and beyond, with active celebrants estimated in the millions.

When it was created in 1966, the Civil Rights and black power movements were both vibrant and still on the rise, so it was thought by originator Maulana Karenga that African Americans needed their own holiday, separate from the traditions of a country that enslaved them here centuries ago.

Yet this holiday has none of the anger that marked those turbulent political years. Instead, it carries hope for a better world, a more united people. Seven humanitarian principles unite the celebrants of Kwanzaa: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. All of these coincidentally represent the goals of the sustainability movement, about which I write every week.

So I wonder whether I can crash the Kwanzaa celebration just this once. On behalf of kids like my own who will inherit the planet’s problems, I’d also like all children to receive a great poet’s promise and blessing. In the 2009 award-winning film about Kwanzaa, The Black Candle, poet Maya Angelou sends a message to young people of color, a promise that may have found wings when, coincidentally, the first African-American president was inaugurated in the year of the film’s release.

My Kwanzaa wish is that Angleou’s powerful words would extend to all children, including my white son—whose freckles, I tell him, are deposits of pigment from every race of the world. I tell him we are all in this together, regardless of how skin pigments are expressed.

“Young women, young men of color,” recites Angelou, in a voiceover, “we add our voices to the voices of your ancestors who speak to you over ancient seas and across impossible mountaintops. Come up from the gloom of national neglect; you have already been paid for. Come out of the shadow of irrational prejudice; you owe no racial debt to history. The blood of our bodies and the prayers of our souls have bought you a future free from shame, and bright beyond the telling of it. We pledge ourselves and our resources to seek for you clean and well-furnished schools, safe and nonthreatening streets, employment which makes use of your talents, but does not degrade your dignity. You are the best we have. You are all we have. You are what we have become. We pledge you our whole hearts from this day forward.”

After the End of the World

Features

Nicolas Grizzle

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Dec 26, 2012

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So the world didn’t end—that’s reason enough to go out and celebrate. On top of that, the wretched/glorious (people had different seats in the arena) span of time known as 2012 is coming to an end. Dancing, music, food, Champagne and balloons are custom, but there’s some unusual ways to celebrate throughout the North Bay, too, for a variety of ticket prices. In case your savings went toward enough cans of Spam, evaporated milk and Cup-O-Noodles to last through the apocalypse, fear not! There are still plenty of affordable ways to party the year away. And midnight kisses are still free, right?

Sonoma County

Children of all ages ring in the new year at the Schulz Museum’s Charlie Brown New Year celebration, with two chances to toast with friends of the Peanuts gang. At noon (the “other” 12 o’clock), watch the up/down balloon drop and toast with root beer; at 3pm, ice cream is added for a root beer float toast. Why not do both? There’s also plenty of hands-on crafts and more kid fun, free with admission.

How do rhinos toast at midnight? Reserve a spot at Safari West for a wild New Year’s Eve adventure with KZST’s Brent Farris as he hosts this year’s Romp with the Beasts. For $100, guests can dine, dance, drink and encounter furry friends; or, for $500, two adults can do all of the above, and spend the night among wild animals and wake up next to Brent Farris to breakfast in a luxury safari tent.

You’ve got your dancing shoes strapped on tight, but where to guide them? Onye and the Messengers, a nine-piece Afro-worldbeat band, should get them kicking. A force for world peace and love between all peoples bring the year to an end at the Arlene Francis Center in Santa Rosa with DJs Loisaida, Broken Record, Kudjo, E Drum and Bankshot on the decks for $10–$15.

It can be tough (and expensive) to find a babysitter on New Year’s Eve, but the Flamingo Hotel has you covered. Each $75 adult admission to their family NYE celebration includes one child’s ticket, with additional child’s tickets available for $20. Fiz-Nik Rick DJs, and there’s a casino room for adults while kids can hang out in the movie room; there’s even an infant and toddler room. Everyone who’s not conked out by midnight can toast the new year, and an adults-only party gets swinging in the Lounge for $30 with Groove Foundation.

Choppin’ Broccoli brings the ’80s back in the best way possible, with tunes by Van Halen, Prince, Billy Idol and others at Russian River Brewing Company. No cover charge. Don’t be suspired to hear some Beastie Boys right after a Duran Duran tune. Oh, yeah, and all that delicious beer. So much beer . . .

A chance to win $100,000? And a disco party? It’s happening at River Rock Casino, with four wheel spins throughout the night for prizes between $10,000 and $100,000. What casino experience would be complete without a prime-rib buffet ($19.99)? If 2012 wasn’t your year, maybe the final hours will bring good luck.

Poverty and strife have never been so funny with ‘A Couple of Blaguards,‘ which follows the McCourt brothers’ life in impoverished Ireland and their escape to America. Starring Tim Kniffin and Steven Abbott, the play opens New Year’s Eve and runs through Jan. 20, with a special anniversary gala after the opening show. Tickets are $25–$35 for the play, $65-$75 for the gala.

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Hoping for an early bedtime? Take in a classical concert of Beethoven and Brahms at the Petaluma Museum with players from the San Francisco Symphony accompanying pianists Marilyn Thompson and Elizabeth Walter beginning at the friendly hour of 7pm. True to form, wine and cheese will be served. $35–$45.

Pink Floyd tribute band House of Floyd brings back your favorite psychedelic memories with support from fellow trippers Moonalice at Guerneville’s historic River Theater. Yes, there will be a laser show. Be ready; $40 includes “celebrities galore.”

Let the vibes flow through your body with the legendary “Gimme No Crack” reggae-rap star Shinehead on the mic and on the turntables at Sebastopol’s Hopmonk Tavern. With $3 Red Stripes all night long, try not to get cross-faded from second-hand (or first-hand) smoke. The party starts at 10pm and costs a reasonable $20. Over at Hopmonk’s Sonoma location, Loosely Covered plays a special acoustic set of their heaviest tunes. Well, other bands’ tunes, actually, hence the band name. Free.

Do the musicians in Wonderbread 5 ever get to celebrate New Year’s offstage? Probably not, because their big-haired antics and classic cover tunes create the ultimate dance atmosphere. Find your groove with Wonderbread 5 and Pete Stringfellow at the Last Day Saloon in Santa Rosa for $50.

Aubergine in Sebastopol hosts the Artists and Models NYE Ball with music by Free Peoples, David T. Carter and others, replete with exotic dancers, performers and famed rock artist Stanley Mouse. Cocktails and “good Champagne” available. $30–$35.

Get down with the Alameda All Stars at the Tradewinds Bar in Cotati for $15, including a midnight toast and party favors. . . . The French Garden in Sebastopol swings with the Susan Comstock Swingtet and luxurious dinner beginning at 5pm, $28–$78. . . . Tommy Castro and the Painkillers come back to the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma with Lost Dog Found, $51. . . . Santa Rosa’s Sixth Street Playhouse features Sandy and Richard Riccardi in an All-Comedy Cabaret with 10 sexy new songs, $25. . . . Cynthia Carr and the Carrtunes play at Murphy’s Irish Pub in Sonoma, free. . . . The Thugz play the Redwood Café in Cotati, $8. . . . ADD/C and Shotgun Harlot play at Spancky’s in Cotati. . . . Enter the new year with Dances of Universal Peace at the Sebastopol Community Center Annex for $20. . . . Lucky 13 plays a disco party at Jasper O’Farrell’s in Sebastopol for $13. . . . Rocker Oysterfeller’s in Valley Ford is hosting a 1960s-themed four-course réveillon dinner for $75.

Marin County

El Radio Fantastique rings in the new year at Dance Palace in Pt. Reyes, but don’t be alarmed if it feels like New Year’s 1923. This group is full of old-timey surprises and mischievous songs and stage antics. Horns, washboards, pots and pans are all fair game. Tickets are $55–$65.

The Best of the San Francisco Comedy Competition comes to the Marin Center in San Rafael. This year features Mike E. Winfield, Robert Duchaine, Sammy Obeid and Tommy Savitt, serving up the much-needed year-end laughs. $35.

The Tubes had a couple of hit songs, but they’re much more than just some white punks on dope. They’re one of those groups for which the magic is the entire live experience; theatrical shows are the norm for these one-in-a-million new wavers. They play at George’s in San Rafael with Fee Waybill for $55–$65.

Comedians Michael Meehan, Bill Dwyer and Mark Cordes present an evening of poignant and funny observations about relationships in a Year-End Comedy Show at the Osher Marin JCC in San Rafael. Party and toast in the new year with the comedians after the show. Tickets start at $25.

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Accordions are loud. Good parties are loud. This is not a coincidence. Party down Cajun style with the Zydeco Flames at Rancho Nicasio with party favors and a Champagne toast for $35–$45.

Get swept away with rock group New Monsoon at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley. The evening also features an intriguing dinner menu built around the theme “Soiree from the Spice Route.” Tickets are $37 for show only, $77 for dinner and show.

Singer-songwriter Joan Osborne burns down the house with two sets of her country, blues and folk stylings and Mark Karan opens the night with rock and roll at Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael. Tickets are $45.

Get down with the Monophonics and the Ironsides at 19 Broadway in Fairfax, $18–$25. . . . Brewnell plays at the Old Western Saloon in Pt. Reyes. . . . Stir it up for a reggae party at Smiley’s in Bolinas. . . . Guitarist Bart Hopkin plays at Station House Café in Pt. Reyes. . . . Tom Finch Group takes the stage at the Sleeping Lady in Fairfax. . . . Petty Theft steals Tom Petty’s best tunes at Hopmonk in Novato, $45. . . . Sausalito’s Osteria Divino offers a Tuscan dinner with music by the James Moseley Quartet, and it’s $10 if you want music only. . . . The Presidio Yacht Club in Sausalito hosts the Lonestar Retrobates with fireworks at midnight, $40.

Napa County

If only every train were as elegant as that one in Harry Potter. Well, there is one that outclasses even that: the Wine Train. Spend New Year’s Eve in luxury with caviar, bubbly, a gourmet meal and dancing, all on a moving train! Well, moving some of the time—it returns to the station at 11pm, but the party keeps rolling until 1am. Tickets are $237, $267 or $45 for the afterparty only.

Celebrate in Monaco, figuratively speaking, at a Monte Carlo-style Casino at 1313 Main in Napa. Dress to impress, the flyer says, .007-style. Hopefully that doesn’t include fighting two hired goons in a Komodo dragon pit (James Bond wouldn’t mind, but you might). Tickets are $40–$135.

Westin Verasa Napa and La Toque host a Red Tie Affair, which includes a five-course dinner at La Toque and dancing held at the Westin Verasa Napa. Tickets start at $75.

Blues Brothers tribute band Briefcase Full of Blues plays two shows at Silo’s in Napa, $45 (early show) to $75 (late show). . . . Domaine Chandon in Yountville hosts a Carnival New Year’s Eve celebration and dinner for $300. . . . Silverado Resort and Spa offers dancing, Champagne and a midnight balloon drop for $50. . . . Longmeadow Ranch Winery in St. Helena offers a four-course farm-to-table meal and live music for $85. See you later, 2012!

Tiny Bubbles

Dining

James Knight

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Dec 26, 2012

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This year’s holiday edition Swirl celebrates a small, new trend in local sparkling wine. It’s North Bay wine country’s equivalent of the Champagne region’s grower-produced bubbles. “Farmers fizz,” for fun.

This year, we’re raising a glass to the little guys. These are medium to small wineries whose main business is still table wines, many of them solely farmers and winemakers by trade, who’ve opted to punch up their tasting-room experience with a little bubbly. Easier desired than done. Most are only able to offer this thanks to a Hopland outfit called Rack and Riddle that specializes in turning their estate-grown grapes into twinkling starlight.

“The equipment to do this properly is so very expensive that I do not know any grower-producers that are doing all of this themselves,” says Kathleen Inman, who made our second-ranked sparkling wine with their help. “Many make the base wines in their own facilities and bring them up to a custom crush for bottling, but quite frankly, the facility at Rack and Riddle is like a candy shop for a small winemaker.”

What better way to celebrate the signal moments of the coming year than with sparkling wine that’s truly one-of-a-kind?

As is our annual custom, members of the Bohemian staff assembled to taste, rate and heatedly debate a roster of locally produced sparkling wines. The idea is to get first impressions and preferences from casual wine consumers. Blind-tasted, listed in order of the group’s averaged rating, and scored more generally from one to five stars.

Ramazzotti Wine NV North Coast Frizzante Brut ($35)

As soon as somebody said “cream soda,” everyone else had to jump on the bandwagon. Tinted a light pink-bronze hue, our highest-rated sparkler has rich, nutty aromas of pecan pie and cream soda. It’s fairly dry, filling the pie hole with a foamy wealth of light, creamy bubbles. Chardonnay from the grower’s own Mariani Ranch in Dry Creek Valley contributes 75 percent of the blend, some North Coast Pinot Noir making up the balance. We’re not the only fans; since we acquired our sample, this wine has already sold out. Happily, the next release is scheduled for the very beginning of 2013. ★★★★½

Inman Family Wines 2009 ‘Endless Crush’ Brut Rosé Nature ($68)

Long before it was revealed to have been created by Kathleen Inman to celebrate the Inman’s 25th wedding anniversary, mind you, the women among our group were unanimous in their appraisal: it’s a “feel-good,” perfect “wedding wine” that’s just “lovely.” Take note, romantics. It’s a pretty light, pink rose hue, with essence of cherry flavor and cranberry-cherry-muffin aroma, and a very active mousse. No dosage added, but the tart, clean finish feels balanced. The fruit is estate-grown on Olivet Road; 138 cases produced. ★★★★½

River Road Family Vineyards NV Russian River Valley Brut ($18.99)

Widely considered the most likely to fit “Champagne” expectations, this lean brut has austere, floral aromas. Impressions ranged from “cotton candy” to “traditional, stately,” “white carnation” and “unripe pear.” Flavor trends toward dry pear cider, and the finish is clean, fresh. Little wonder: the tasting notes date this NV brut to 2011, bottled late March 2012. River Road, which has been quietly making competitively priced Russian River Valley wine for decades, was purchased in 2011 by Republic of Tea owner Ron Rubin; 408 cases. ★★★★

Ram’s Gate Winery NV North Coast Brut ($30)

Light gold color; sweet tarts, pear cotlet aromas; Gravenstein apple flavor and a lean, foamy finish. Ram’s Gate is laid out more like a resort hotel lounge than tasting room, complete with fireplaces roaring in midday and sweeping views. The menu is oriented to small-plate food pairings, so it’s easy to see why a house sparkling is a wise addition to their program. Forty percent estate-grown Pinot Noir; 499 cases produced.★★★★

Harvest Moon Estate 2009 Russian River Valley Sparkling Gewürztraminer ($38)

A unique, bone-dry méthode champenoise Gewürz that highlights the difference in aroma perception between individuals. Where some found fresh pine needles and sweet gardenia, others insisted on vanilla and marzipan. The creamy, nutty flavor of marzipan and orgeat, however, was both unmistakable and widely praised as remarkable. Visitors will see these old vines flanking the driveway to this industrious little family winery. Sorry, this just sold out, too; instead, check out their just-released Sparkling Pinot ($36) rosé that didn’t make it into our tasting. ★★★★

Hagafen Cellars 2007 Napa Valley Brut, late disgorged ($42)

Good for an expanded roster of holidays and celebrations throughout the new year, this sparkling wine is certified kosher. Light tint of salmon-pink, with rosewater, faint raspberry aroma; the austere, raspberry beer flavor is offset by a full, creamy mousse. A crowd-pleasing bubbly. Four hundred cases. ★★★★

Hagafen Cellars 2007 Prix Napa Valley Brut ($60)

Also light, salmon pink, with strawberry and cream, pie crust aromas. Pleasant and approachable, with medium-vigorous bubbles and a dry, lingering finish. Also kosher. Ninety-two cases. ★★★½

Frank Family Vineyards 2008 Blanc de Noirs ($45)

Watermelon candy, maybe peach flavors, with brisk bubbles and scoury acidity on a steely, chalky finish. Frank Family is a Napa Valley favorite, in part because a glass of this welcomes visitors when they walk through the door. They get to call it “Napa Valley Champagne” because Hanns Kornell’s efforts on this same site grandfathered in the term. ★★★½

Cline Cellars 2011 Nancy’s Cuvée Sonoma Coast ($23)

Light copper color, aromas of sour beer and something “eggy.” Retasted, the Cuvée did not recover from its slightly off, sulfury aroma, bitter palate and timid effervescence. One bottle tasted. ★★½

Frank Family Vineyards NV Rouge ($45)

A sparkling red wine, mostly Pinot Noir, with a dark but translucent color and a sort of Beaujolais nouveau aroma of light, new wine. This style has been done to good effect, but our tasters felt there was something lurid in the combination of smoky, meaty flavors and effervescence, and it did not win anyone over. ★★

Don’t Drive Drunk

News

Leilani Clark

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Dec 26, 2012

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New Year’s Eve may be the time for gulping down gargantuan amounts of Champagne, but it’s most definitely not the time for getting behind a wheel after high-flying indulgence. Enter Tipsy Tow, a program run by AAA that offers drivers, passengers, party hosts, bartenders and restaurant managers free rides for themselves or those they deem too drunk to drive; a vehicle tow is included. If you or someone you know needs a ride between 6pm on Monday, Dec. 31, and 6am on Tuesday, Jan. 1, just call 1.800.222.4357 to receive a free tow home of up to 10 miles. You don’t need to be an AAA member; all you have to do is slur into the phone, “I need a Tipsy Tow.”

CLEAN SLATE

Lynn Woolsey’s legacy as an advocate for the environment was cemented permanently with the Dec. 20 announcement that the Gulf of the Farallones and the Cordell Bank marine sanctuaries would be expanded. Woolsey first introduced a bill in 2004 seeking the expansion, and just one month before her retirement, the long-serving congresswoman sees the culmination of these efforts by herself and fellow Democratic lawmakers.

The process may take up to two years, but ultimately, the stretch of ocean between Bodega Bay and Point Arena will be off limits to oil drilling forever. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration agency holds a meeting to explain the proposal and listen to public comments on Thursday, Jan. 24, at the Bodega Bay Grange Hall. 1370 Bodega Ave., Bodega Bay. 6pm. Meetings are also scheduled in Gualala and Point Arena; see www.noaa.gov.

25 Days Project: Mission Ace

BohoBlog

Gabe Meline

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Dec 24, 2012

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When trying to support local merchants, it’s helpful to know that some stores you might think are chains are in actuality still independently owned. Such is the case with Ace Hardware stores, many of which were already small hometown operations before taking on the “Ace” name and inventory. My go-to hardware store is the family-owned Mission Ace on Hwy. 12 in Santa Rosa, which began life as a downtown Santa Rosa institution known as Levine’s Hardware, on Fourth Street. In the 1970s, when 12 square blocks of downtown were zoned for redevelopment to make way for the mall, the owners of Levine’s Hardware didn’t tear down their building. Instead, they cut it in two, put it on the back of a flatbed truck, and slowly moved it three miles down the road to its current location. Go there now and you’ll find the old wooden sidewalk transformed into a wraparound front porch, and you’ll see the old paint loft from Levine’s still intact. What also hasn’t changed is the helpful one-on-one service. I don’t know how many curveballs I’ve thrown at their employees over the years, but they always find me what I need—after all, the family has been in the hardware business since 1960. Tools, paint, electrical, plumbing, lumber—you name it, they know it, and they’ve even got an expansive Garden Loft perfect for perusing on weekends, when there are free coffee and donuts at the front door. Before you ask, yes, the beautiful old green 1947 Ford truck is still used for deliveries, but no, you can’t drive it. I’ve been asking for 12 years! 4310 Hwy. 12, Santa Rosa, 707.539.7070.

The 25 Days Project is an online series through the month of December spotlighting some of our favorite local businesses. Read more about the project here, and about our commitment to shopping locally here.

25 Days Project: Gardeners Aid

BohoBlog

Gabe Meline

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Dec 23, 2012

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For the longest time, I wondered where to get my lawnmower blade sharpened. If you mow a lawn, you know how it can get. Whole swaths of thick grass “chunked” instead of cut. Patterns of swirl atop seas of green. A slow, sand-in-the-gastank-like chugging slog while heaving your clunky relic across the front yard. Sigh. A perfect lawn not being my top priority, I went about my search for a fix in the most lackadaisical manner possible. To wit, I asked someone every four months or so where I could get a lawnmower blade sharpened. All of them said Gardener’s Aid, in Roseland. It was another four months before I stopped by. They were friendly. They were funny. They had a showroom full of mowers and weed whackers and trimmers and parts and accessories thereof, along with some newspaper clippings about their family in the window and some old stuff tacked to the wall behind the counter. I asked about the blade sharpening. “Seven bucks if you bring it in off the mower,” they said, “$12.50 if you need us to pull it off.” Not only am I headed there as soon as the rain stops with a haggard, blunt blade, I’ll be checking out the rest of their inventory, too. 1050 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, 707.545.7620.

The 25 Days Project is an online series through the month of December spotlighting some of our favorite local businesses. Read more about the project here, and about our commitment to shopping locally here.

25 Days Project: Wee Three Children’s Store

BohoBlog

Gabe Meline

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Dec 22, 2012

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25 Days Project: Wee Three Children’s Store

The last thing a new parent wants is to be is overwhelmed. You think staying up all night and dealing with crying for hours is calming? You are either a Zen master, or don’t have a kid. That’s why, once, I stood in the aisles of some huge impersonal store full of baby stuff, unable to find anything I needed, unable to find any help, and walked out and drove straight to Wee Three Children’s Store. Finally, a simple, manageable shop with plenty of kids’ clothes and shoes and toys, with an inventory that wasn’t cookie-cutter but instead hand-selected by someone who obviously knows kids. There was even a used section, which, if I were President, every children’s store would be required to have. With the help of the person behind the counter, I found a perfect little pair of shoes that instantly attracted compliments. In short (no pun intended), a good little place that I wound up telling all my fellow parents about—and they, with bleary eyes and slurred speech, thanked me. 1007 West College Ave., Santa Rosa, 707.525.9333.

The 25 Days Project is an online series through the month of December spotlighting some of our favorite local businesses. Read more about the project here, and about our commitment to shopping locally here.

25 Days Project: County Regional Parks Pass

BohoBlog

Leilani Clark

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Dec 21, 2012

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25 Days Project: County Regional Parks Pass

We had our Christmas early this year, and my mom gave me the best present—a Sonoma County Regional Parks Pass gift card that I can redeem anytime during 2013 for a full year of access to the 55 parks in our brilliant, widespread regional parks system. Some of my favorite spots make the list: Helen Putnam in Petaluma, Riverfront outside of Healdsburg, Spring Lake, Doran (with a long stretch of sandy beach, it’s perfect for dogs and kids), Crane Creek (Frisbee Golf!), Hood Mountain (Hobbit-land), Ragle Ranch and so much more. It’s the perfect present for nature lovers, people with dogs (unlike state parks, most regional parks allow dogs on leash), and people who like to meander through trees rather than do death marches up mountains. With a baby on the way in January, the park will give us access to a summer of easy hikes with babe in tow, and across the greater North Bay. The pass costs $69—a bargain when you think about all of the adventures in store during a full year of use. Gift cards are the way to go because then the recipient can choose to register for the pass whenever they want. I’m waiting until March, when the whether starts to clear up and the hills and valleys begin to beckon. Gift cards can be purchased online, or locally at Oliver’s Markets in Santa Rosa and Cotati, Sebastopol Hardware Center, Frizelle Enos Feeds or Sonoma Outfitters. 145 Third Street, Santa Rosa. 707.528.1920.

The 25 Days Project is an online series through the month of December spotlighting some of our favorite local businesses. Read more about the project here, and about our commitment to shopping locally here.

Dec. 22: David Gans at the Redwood Cafe

Noted

Leilani Clark

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Dec 20, 2012

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He’s a journalist, radio DJ, producer, photographer, musician and author. But on this night, David Gans uses the guitar and voice to tell his tales. The Grateful Dead historian (his 1985 book on the band is highly regarded) played with Dead bassist Phil Lesh when he came out of retirement in the ’90s, and has played with several other folk and bluegrass icons. He now makes music with the Sycamore Slough String Band, which performs acoustic versions of Grateful Dead songs. After writing for almost every major music magazine in the Bay Area, including Rolling Stone, Gans now hosts Dead to the World on KPFA radio. David Gans plays with KRSH-FM DJ Andre de Channes on Saturday, Dec. 22, at the Redwood Cafe. 8240 Old Redwood Hwy., Cotati. 9pm. $5. 707.795.7868.