Sonoma Spotlight

Writing the Watershed: Poetry and Prose Workshop with Elizabeth Herron
Laguna Environmental Center
Saturday, May 6, 2017 @ 10:00am

Whether you consider yourself a writer or simply enjoy putting words down in a journal or naturalist’s notebook, if you are interested in a deeper connection to our Sonoma County landscape, this writing workshop is open to you.

Elizabeth will talk about the craft of writing, there will be writing exercises, time outside in the paradise of the Laguna in spring, and time to share writings with each other. Participants will strengthen their engagement with the watershed and practice grounding their writing in the details of the natural world. Whether you write prose or poetry, this workshop will give you a more intimate experience of the Laguna de Santa Rosa and an opportunity to improve your writing skills.

Pre-registration required at www.lagunafoundation.org

Cost:
$85

Location:
Laguna Environmental Center
900 Sanford Road
Santa Rosa, California 95401

For More Information:
Anita Smith
(707) 527-9277 x110
anita@lagunafoundation.org

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Adopt-A-Play Petaluma Radio Players
Hotel Petaluma’s Goldman Ballroom
Thursday, May 11th, 2017 @ 7:00pm

In the past 24 months, the vintage and modern dramas, thrillers and comedies performed on stage and in studio by the Petaluma Radio Players have taken the North Bay theatrical scene by electromagnetic storm. Since our debut at the DiCarli Trolley Barn Theatre in 2015 and our sell-out, recorded live-on-stage performances at the Hotel Petaluma in 2016, and with our programming set to debut on Petaluma’s new KPCA 103.3FM, Petaluma Radio Players has established radio theatre as a creative force in North Bay entertainment.

On Thursday, May 11th at 7pm, Hotel Petaluma’s Goldman Ballroom is where you can enjoy a complimentary preview of our slate of radio plays.

This is your opportunity to hear samples from our entire slate of programming now in production and consider adopting one or more radio plays as a sponsor. Already quality businesses like AQUS CAFÉ and OUT WEST GARAGE are forging their reputations as patrons of the radio theatre arts while attracting new customers who hear about them through our live performances and online streaming podcasts. We encourage your attendance as we predict that our sponsorships will fill up quickly after our attending guests encounter the quality of programming produced by the Petaluma Radio Players.

Hear more at petalumaradioplayers.com

Free Admission

Location:
Goldman Ballroom, Petaluma Hotel
205 Kentucky Street
Petaluma, CA 94952
(At Washington Street, across from the Bank of America in downtown Petaluma.)

www.petalumaradioplayers.com
info@petalumaradioplayers.com
(707) 971-9419

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Solutions Beneath Our Feet: Regenerative Agriculture
Healdsburg SHED
Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017 @ 6:30pm

Some of the most hopeful news on the climate front is coming from scientists, farmers and ranchers who are developing new methods to regenerate the soil, revealing how agricultural productivity and environmental health can go hand-in-hand to confront our world’s greatest threat: climate change and humanity’s growing carbon footprint.

One practice now in the spotlight is the innovative use of compost and its capacity to draw CO2 out of the atmosphere and put it back in the soil all while also bolstering soil health, diverting waste and reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Dr. David C. Johnson, New Mexico State University & Director of the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural Research is the featured presenter.

Dr. David C. Johnson is a molecular biologist whose innovative research focuses on soil microbes as the primary drivers of soil regeneration and carbon sequestration.

Dr. Johnson and his wife, Hui-Chun Su Johnson, have developed the Johnson-Su Bio-Reactor, a composting process that results in a microbially diverse, fungal dominant compost that can be applied as a soil or seed inoculant. Test plots using this fungal rich compost have had exceptional results for both soil productivity and amount of soil carbon sequestered.

Dr. Johnson’s presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with the following participants:

Sara Tiffany, Climate Smart Farming Program Specialist for CAFF & The Famers Guild
Jessica Chiartas, Ph.D candidate in Soils and Biogeochemistry at UC Davis
Keith Abeles, Water Resources Specialist for Sonoma Resource Conversation District and former farm owner/ manager of Quetzal Farm
Paul Kaiser, co-owner and manager of Singing Frogs Farm

Sponsored by Regenerative Agriculture Group of 350 Sonoma, Healdsburg SHED and Farmer’s Guild/CAFF: North Coast Region.

A $10 donation is suggested for each event.

Location:
Healdsburg SHED
25 North Street
Healdsburg, California 95448

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Positive Vibes Jazz
Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Friday, April 28th, 2017 @ 7:30pm

What if the music you experience could change your world? Accentuate the Positive as the song goes, and Watch What Happens! Songwriters Narayan & Janet Baltzo create every songs to uplift others and have a positive impact and it really works!
After moving from Seattle 3 years ago, the duo released their 4th CD of upbeat originals entitled “We Are All Connected” featuring Narayan on trumpet, Janet on keyboards and the duos exquisite vocal harmonies.
Narayan & Janet are lifelong musicians and songwriters are dedicated to creating music with a positive impact. Their unique blend of jazz, Motown, Beatles and pop/rock feature their vocals, keyboards, trumpet and a lot of passion for life, love and human evolution.

Tickets:
$15 General
$10 Students
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2831508

Location:
Sebastopol Center for the Arts (View)
282 S High St.
Sebastopol, CA 95472

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A Friendship Like Ours
Charles M. Schulz Museum
April 26th – November 6th, 2017

Peppermint Patty and Marcie, Charlie Brown and Linus, Snoopy and Woodstock—these are a few of the enduring friendships we see at the heart of the Peanuts comic strip. The Charles M. Schulz Museum’s new exhibition, A Friendship Like Ours, on view April 26 through November 6, 2017, explores friendship in its many forms with a display featuring 69 original comic strips, original sketches, and Peanuts ephemera.

Admission:
$12 Adults
$8 Seniors (62 and over with ID)
$5 Children (4-18)
$5 College students (with valid I.D. card)

Location:
Charles M. Schulz Museum
2301 Hardies Lane
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 579-4452

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The Children’s Hour
6th Street Playhouse
April 21st – May 7th, 2017

The Children’s Hour is one of the great successes of the American dramatic canon. After a malicious youngster starts a rumor about two women who run a school for girls, the rumor soon turns to scandal. As the young girl comes to comprehend the power her lies wield, she sticks by her story, which precipitates potential tragedy for the women. The gossip is pure invention, but is it devoid of truth? Has irreparable damage been done? Don’t miss this American Classic in a rare revival at the Playhouse!

Tickets:
$15 – $33
(707) 523-4185
boxoffice@6thstreetplayhouse.com

Location:
6th Street Playhouse
52 W. 6th Street
Santa Rosa, California 95401

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Vieux Farka Touré
Live Music Lantern
Sunday, April 30th, 2017 @ 7:00pm

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear the world renown African guitarist, Vieux Farka Touré and his band play at this historic venue in Sonoma County, CA.

Often referred to as The Hendrix of the Sahara, Vieux Farka Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981. He is the son of legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré, who died in 2006. Ali Farka Touré came from a historical tribe of soldiers, and defied his parents in becoming a musician. When Vieux was in his teens, he declared that he also wanted to be a musician. His father dissaproved due to the pressures he had experienced being a musician. Rather, he wanted Vieux to become a soldier. But with help from family friend the kora maestro Toumani Diabaté, Vieux eventually convinced his father to give him his blessing to become a musician shortly before Ali passed.

Vieux was initially a drummer / calabash player at Malis Institut National des Arts, but secretly began playing guitar in 2001. Ali Farka Touré was weakened with cancer when Vieux announced that he was going to record an album. Ali recorded a couple of tracks with him, and these recordings, which can be heard on Vieuxs debut CD, were amongst his final ones. It has been said that the senior Touré played rough mixes of these songs when people visited him in his final days, at peace with, and proud of, his sons talent as a musician.

This is a benefit show for LiveMusicLantern.org which provides self care in the form of live music to social service providers and educators in Sonoma County!

Tickets:
$25 Advance
$30/Day of Show

Recommended for all ages

Location:
Congregation Ner Shalom
(Formerly the Cotati Cabaret)
85 La Plaza
Cotati, CA 94931

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Season Showcase 2017
Left Edge Theater
Saturday, April 22nd, 2017 @ 7:00pm
Sunday, April 23rd, 2017 @ 6:00pm

Come see Left Edge Theatre’s Second Annual Season Showcase 2017 and participate in our mission of creating daring theatre for adventurous audiences.

Join us for an incredible evening of surprises, suspense and spectacle as Left Edge unveils the final plays under consideration for next season. You play a special part in the proceedings. An amazing ensemble of actors will present scenes from 10 plays and audiences vote on their favorite 5 plays. And, the plays receiving the most votes will be selected for our 2017/18 Season.

Our showcase will include excerpts from the following plays:

Bakersfield Mist by Stephen Sachs
Poor Behavior by Theresa Rebeck
Sex with Strangers by Laura Eason
The Nether by Jennifer Haley
Sideways by Rex Pickett
Women in Jeopardy by Wendy MacLeod
Drumming with Anubis by David Templeton
The Realistic Joneses by Will Eno
Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar
Honky by Greg Kalleres
And there will be a few unannounced surprises!

Tickets:
$45 General
https://www.leftedgetheatre.com/tickets

Location:
Left Edge Theatre
50 Mark West Springs Road
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 536-1620
info@LeftEdgeTheatre.com

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Inaugural Student Jazz Combo Competition
Glaser Center
Saturday, April 22nd, 2017 @ 10:00am

Healdsburg Jazz launches a friendly competition for Sonoma County High School Jazz Combos − Come check them out and get inspired!

While many schools across the country have cut music programs along with other arts education programs, we know that learning music, playing it and hearing it, can inspire and educate like nothing else. That’s why we’re committed to jazz education in Sonoma County schools, and that’s why we’re sponsoring the first-ever Student Jazz Combo Competition (SJCC) in Sonoma County.

Ten jazz combos comprised of Sonoma County high school musicians will participate.

Come hear for yourself on April 22, at a special day-long immersion in the art and practice of jazz improvisation. From 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., students from 10 area high schools will demonstrate their growing creativity and confidence on their instruments in ensembles of up to six, under the direction of their local music teachers.

Student groups from Casa Grande, El Molino High bands 1 and 2, Healdsburg High, Montgomery High bands 1 and 2, Petaluma High, Rincon Valley High, Sonoma Academy, and Windsor High will perform in 30-minute slots throughout the day. This is a juried competition – see judging criteria here – and each half-hour performance by the 9-12 graders will include material that reflects their personal vision of jazz. Their selection should include at least one “swing” number, but can also draw from bebop, Latin jazz, funk jazz – even original compositions.

If you’re a student in a local school, you should find the day-long event inspiring and fun. Cheer on your school but stay positive for everyone, this is a friendly competition. Get inspired to play, and start a combo to compete next year – you could win a prize! Students under 18 are admitted free (though we do ask you pre-register so we know you’re coming).

The winning bands will be announced at 5:00pm

First Place: $1,000 and a place on stage at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival on June 9, 2017
Second Place: $500
Third Place: $250

Tickets:
$10 General – Under 18 free
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2911341

Location:
Glaser Center
547 Mendocino Ave
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(707) 327-8108

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Ranch Readiness Day
Sonoma County Fairgrounds
Sunday, April 30, 2017 @ 10:00am

Ranch Readiness Day 2017 is the only Bay Area preparedness event that benefits ALL animals and connects the whole community! Join farmers & ranchers, firefighters, veterinarians, search & rescue teams, emergency, shelter & facility managers, educators, and your neighbors, for an inspirational and empowering day in Sonoma County!

Ranch Readiness Day is a community event dedicated to preparing rural families and the animals they love for emergencies. Ranch Readiness Day 2017 will provide educational demonstrations and family fun.

Ranch Readiness Day is the only preparedness fair in the Bay Area especially for rural residents, farmers and ranchers, equine facility managers, boarders and backyard animal owners.

Join the internationally acclaimed speakers, local agencies and services, rescue team demonstrations, and exciting education and equipment resources.

Admission is free.

For more information:
info@julieatwoodevents.com
http://www.ranchreadinessday.com/

Location:
Saralee & Richard’s Barn
Sonoma County Fairgraounds
1350 Bennett Valley Road
Santa Rosa, California 95404

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