After an awful pair of weeks, arts venues in Napa and Sonoma Counties are trying to resume programming, even as their employees mourn their losses. My co-host this week, Ariana Proehl, grew up in Santa Rosa. She said how inspiring it’s been to see the community coming together, with generous help from first responders and volunteers. “My aunt, who’s a painter living in Sebastopol immediately emailed her artist friends looking to organize an art show to raise money for victims of the fires, and I trust we’ll be seeing lots more of that spirit in the days and weeks to come,” she said.
Rene and Irish Mike are hosting a fundraiser Saturday afternoon Oct 21, at the Longboard Margarita Bar in Pacifica. It’s free, but they’re passing the hat for the Sonoma Humane Society, with music by The Sam Chase, wunderkind Matt Jaffe and others. Details here.
Dean Biersch owns the The Hopmonk Taverns in Sonoma, Sebastopol and Novato. He’s scheduled shows this week so his clubs can be a gathering place for the community again. “And a close second for us,” Biersch told me by phone, “is to keep the staff employed. You know most of these people are working for hourly wages and tips, and this is going to hit very hard.”
The Green Music Center at Sonoma State in Rohnert Park plans to resume its regular schedule Sunday Oct. 22 with a concert by the jazz band Hudson. Director Jacob Yarrow says the center is offering free tickets for the rest of October to anyone impacted by the fire: “Pay as you can, come as you are, please come and just be with your community.”
The Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa is still standing, but the fires badly damaged the east wing, including a smaller auditorium. Luther Burbank plans to resume regular concerts Nov. 11 with a show by Air Supply.
