Southern Sonoma Country Life

Petaluma Arts Center Sip & Shop Pop-Up Market of Art & Crafts & Original Works - Free Entry Sat June 22nd 2-8pm — Cocktail Happy Hour 5-8pm

Mixed Media Collage Workshops (No Experience Needed) With Sonoma County Artists Jane Murphy & Michelle Chayes at SwallowTail Studios June 29th or July 13th

 

Workshops will be offered on Saturday June 29th OR July 13 2019. 10-2. 

Cost is $125. All materials will be supplied.

Future dates to  follow. Classes are limited to 8 people per workshop.

All materials will be supplied but you are encouraged to bring any personal images or bits that you’d like to work with. 

Class participants are going to work on wood panels prepped with a background paint and pieces will be started using two different transfer techniques, adding paper, images, stamps and paint to complete each piece. 

 

Email with questions or to sign up:

billchayes71@gmail.com

Swallowtail Studios is 5 minutes from Downtown Petaluma and easy to find.

It is suggested that you bring a bag lunch.

Michelle's work can be seen at: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/michellechayes/

Jane's work can be seen on her Pinterest “My Stuff” page:  https://www.pinterest.com/janeemurphy/my-stuff/

Wines & Sunsets Live Music & Food Trucks Events Return to Paradise Ridge Winery's Russian River Valley Estate Amphitheater June 19th through September 18th

This summer, Wednesday nights once again mean Wines & Sunsets at Paradise Ridge Winery’s Russian River Valley Estate Amphitheater in Santa Rosa, June 19 to Sept. 18.

The Wines & Sunsets series was voted “Best Winery Event in Sonoma County” in 2017, just prior to the fires that ravaged the winery and many of the buildings on the property. This year’s Wines & Sunsets series will be held in the hillside amphitheater just below the tasting room and events center, which is being rebuilt and is set to reopen in November.

The amphitheater offers expansive views of vineyards and the Russian River Valley. Wines & Sunsets features festive live music, wines by the glass or bottle, and goodies from gourmet food trucks. Two of this year’s evenings are themed: Red, White & Bubbles on July 3 and Hot Havana Nights on Aug. 21.

Seating is family style, with everyone sharing tables. Click here for Advance tickets are $10 general or $5 for wine clubs members, and may sell out; if tickets are available at the door, it’s $15 general or $10 for club members.

Wines & Sunsets

Paradise Ridge Winery Estate
4545 Thomas Lake Harris Drive
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
707-528-9463

prwinery.com/

Also, The Ranch at Lake Sonoma welcomes us to its warm weather line up. 

Listen to live music and watch the sun setting over the water at the new Sunset Music Series concerts at The Ranch at Lake Sonoma, in northern Sonoma County.

Enjoy local food, beer, and wine, and savor the view from the scenic Redwood Barn, perched high above Lake Sonoma, Sonoma County’s largest and most picturesque park. Held from 4 p.m. until sunset on the second and fourth Sundays from June 9 to Sept. 8, the free concerts will benefit local nonprofit groups.

The schedule includes: June 9, electric blues by Johnny Sansone & The Remedies; June 23, Two Lions Band singer-songwriters; July 14, indie rock by Justin Schaefers & The Blind Barbers; July 28, funk and soul by Trace Repeat; Aug. 11, brass and soul by Spike’s Awesome Hotcakes; Aug. 25, The Thugz jam band; and Sept. 8, country music by The Easy Leaves.

The Ranch at Lake Sonoma offers scenic horseback tours for all levels of experience, as well as providing a stunningly scenic rustic venue for weddings, corporate events, dinners, parties, and other gatherings.

 

Sunset Music Series

The Ranch at Lake Sonoma
100 Marina Road, Lot A
Geyserville, CA 95441
707-494-4449

www.theranchatlakesonoma.com

Let's Build A Park — Informational Town Meetings for Petaluma River Park Plans on the McNear Peninsula 5.30pm June 13th at Hotel Petaluma, June 24th at The Petaluma Library

Petaluma River Park is a nonprofit organization by forward thinking locals on a mission to build a public park for recreation, education, conservation, culture and community. A park for everyone. 

My husband, Timo is brokering the sale of the land from the historic McNear Family to Petaluma River Park group and is a keen supporter of the project. He'll be at both of the public town hall meetings this June on to speak and answer any questions from the transfer of ownership perspective. This will be a dream come true for our community. 

PLEASE NOTE THERE IS A TYPO ON THE DATE IN THIS IMAGE - PETALUMA LIBRARY DATE IS MONDAY JUNE 24th. 

To learn more see PetalumaRiverPark.org

Herb Folk Seasonal Wellness Workshops — Vitality & Energy For Spring & Summer — May 4th, 1 - 4pm Tara Firma Farms

New on my radar for summer: Herb Folk Community Medicine

Clinic and Herb Shop

Opening June 2019 in downtown Petaluma

​

Herb Folk is a Sonoma County non-profit making holistic healthcare, providing accessible, affordable and empowering holistic community clinics, classes and workshops and locally sourced herbs, extracts and goods.

Learn how to naturally support your system during the Spring & Summer months with herbs, nutrition, self care & intention. Everyone who takes the spring season Herb Folk workshop by Seasonal Wellness Workshop at Tara Firma Farms, Petaluma, Saturday, May 4 from 1-4pm takes home a seasonal herb blend that may be used as a tea or herbal vinegar infusion. Proceeds benefit community clinics & charitable work. Click here to sign up. 

 

Adventure Into Another World With Off The Map Travel on the French Island La Reunion, Deep in the Indian Ocean Between Mauritius and Madagascar

In my search to share unique and original travel experience opportunities with my readers, I look for amazing adventures and locales that are not exclusively priced for just the multi-millionaire budget. This one certainly fits the bill as a once in a lifetime trip:

Off the Map Travel has introduced an adventure to “another world,” taking guests through prehistoric jungle scenery to spectacular volcanoes and a night sleeping under the stars in a clear bubble on La Reunion Island.

Deep in the Indian Ocean between Mauritius and Madagascar, La Reunion Island is the setting for the new “Like Nowhere Else on Earth” experience.

On this French island at the crossroads of African, Indian, European and Chinese cultures where English, French and Creole are spoken — and a place likened to Hawaii with its landscape and volcano-filled topography filled with overgrown trees, lush foliage and volcanoes, La Reunion offers a natural paradise where it’s easy to imagine dinosaurs roaming during the Mesozoic Era.   

Begin your island adventure with a helicopter flight over the cavernous ravines, moon-like volcanoes and lush forest before landing at Hiker’s Eden, a lodge retreat deep in the mountains. There you'll enjoy a Creole lunch cooked over an open fire followed by an on-land exploration upward through the area’s lava tubes and caves created by the island’s volcanic lava flow to a ziplining experience through the jungle.

The evening offers even more adventure. Just outside of the small village of Les Makes, 1500 meters above sea level and in the middle of the tropical forest, settle into one of four individual bubble accommodations where the night sky and surrounding wilderness form a natural outdoor blanket. Each transparent bubble provides a sleeping and relaxation space and is connected to a shared bathroom and lounge. “Picture Jurassic Park all around you,” commented Jonny Cooper, founder of Off the Map Travel.

“La Reunion is a dramatic land of fiery volcanoes, steep-sided jungle landscapes and starlit skies – off-the-beaten track and offering a taste of Creole culture with a splash of luxury,” Jonny Cooper continued. “It’s an area unmarred by tourism and filled with adventures.”

Off the Map Travel’s La Reunion “Like Nowhere on Earth” program is offered year-round, with the most popular travel months between May and October. Although the itinerary can be tailored to each guest, an example seven-night, eight-day itinerary with Off the Map Travel (www.offthemap.travel) is priced from $2465 USD per person, based on double occupancy (prices at the time of this writing).

Included in the price are:  daily breakfast; all transfers; accommodations in hotels and villas in the coastal town of Sainte-Gilles; one night in a see-through bubble; a tour into the lava caves; a jungle zipline and a heli-hiking experience to Hiker’s Eden with lunch. Flights are additional. 

For additional information, visit https://www.offthemap.travel/destinations/indian-ocean/la-reunion/.

Off the Map Travel

Off the Map Travel is a team of travel experts who work with experiences and destinations that allow people to explore hidden wonders of the world. Specializing in soft adventure and viewing of the Northern Lights, Off the Map Travel creates tailor-made itineraries that offer a distinctive vacation based on first-hand experience. Off the Map Travel vacations anticipate travelers’ needs with pre-planning and customization. Each bespoke itinerary is tailored to the ages of participants, creating experiences for families, groups, couples and singles that are comfortable and luxurious, with activity levels appropriate for all participants. www.offthemap.travel

For more information on tailor-made Off the Map Travel itineraries visit www.offthemap.travel; call 1-646-701-0041; email info@offthemap.travel or join in the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or Pinterest

 

Petaluma Downtown Association Presents Butter & Egg Days 2019 — Saturday, April 27

                 

 

Saturday, April 27th Petaluma's annual Butter & Egg Days parade steps off at noon and marches through historic downtown in a festival of fun and activities from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.   Clover Sonoma leads the Clover Kids’ Parade, which precedes the main parade at 11:30am with a procession of preschoolers and primary grade youngsters and their families. __________________________________________________________________________________   Join the Cutest Little Chick Contest! Petaluma Egg Farm is excited to host the 35th annual Cutest Little Chick in Town Contest. It's always such a treat to see all of the creative and cute costumes and those darling little people all decked out in yellow! Contest judging takes place in front of Copperfield’s Book Store on Kentucky St. Check in 9:45. The contest will start at 10:15.

Friends of the Parade Button Discounts!
Spend $5 and save by shopping locally!

 

Discounts are  available from April 20th - 28th

at participating shops. 

To get the discount you must be wearing your button!

Buttons are available for purchase at the Petaluma Visitors Center, Lombardi's Deli, Raley's, Crown Hair Salon and Petaluma Market.

If that's not enough fun for one weekend, don't miss the open air Petaluma Antique faire, downtown  from 8 am to 4 pm.

Spring Events at McEvoy Ranch

Saturday, May 4th 
Spring hillsides are blooming and gardens are loving the sunshine after the long winter’s rains. McEvoy Ranch's Garden Manager, Patty Hawkley, makes the most of the bounty of the season by creating inviting wreaths placed around the Ranch. You can too! Join the team at McEvoy for this special spring wreath making workshop led by Francesca Perez of Francesca’s Flowers & Gardens in Santa Rosa. 

$150.00 Click here to register.

 

Sunday, May 12th
In honor of Moms everywhere McEvoy Ranch is setting aside normal tours and tastings for the day to celebrate moms with a special patio party.

What better way to celebrate Mom than surrounded by the beauty of an organic olive oil ranch and vineyard? Tear your Mom to this special Patio Party and enjoy a buffet of ranch nibbles, tickets for four wine tastings, live music, special sale prices on oil & natural beauty products and optional tours throughout the day. What a great way to celebrate, relax and soak up the sunshine and views.

 

$60.00 Click here to register.

 

Blossoms, Bees & Barnyard Babies — Sonoma County Farm Trails, Spring Tour April 27th & 28th

RSVP is required to receive event map.
Click here to join the fun !

Petaluma Arts Center April Session of The Ideas Lounge Series Features Molly Best & Timo Rivetti on The Arts & Managing the Art of Real Estate in Petaluma, Lagunitas Lounge, April 18th

 

The Idea Lounge
Thursday, April 18th
Lagunitas Lounge
Doors open at 6:30.  Program starts at 7

For the Arts: Molly Best "The Art of Managing an Arts Center"
For Life; Timo Rivetti "The Art of Real Estate"

Molly Best is thrilled to be surrounded by the talent that fills the Art Center.  She is now the PAC’s operational manager and has been busy getting up to speed over the last couple weeks. 
 
Having grown up in Petaluma and now raising her children here, she is very invested in helping her local community grow creatively.  She is an artist, a baker and in a past life, a butcher. 
 
You may recognize her from her days at the Tea Room Cafe or Thistle Meats.  She is no stranger to Petaluma and PAC is proud to welcome her as the newest member of its team. 

Timo Rivetti is a passionate practitioner in the art of real estate in Sonoma County. He enjoyed a diverse career background in his native UK and California prior to earning his reputation as a skilled Petaluma-based property negotiator and dealmaker. 

Timo credits his propensity for creative thinking and out-of-the-box ideas and solutions as the common thread that ties together his rich and varied past career experiences to his ongoing success as one of the region's consistently top performing real estate brokers. Born to Italian immigrant parents in Peterborough, UK, Timo left home at 16, attending Eastbourne Art College with a focus on photography in his late teens. 

This led to an introduction to the vibrant art and music scene in Brighton, England. Timo managed bands in his 20s, the most successful of which, Curiosity Killed the Cat, rose to number one in the British music charts. Timo brokered a deal in which he and the band worked with Andy Warhol at The Factory in New York, producing a music video. 

Numerous start-up opportunities followed on both sides of the Atlantic, with a brief move into the advertising industry bringing him to San Francisco in 1990. Timo tried his hand in various internet companies prior to the birth of his third son in 1998, the year he took the plunge and studied for his real estate license. 

After being in the business for over two decades, Timo has built a wide network of community connections and is focusing much of his attention on working with others in visualizing how to broker deals that better life in Petaluma for all. A long time soccer coach and hobby winemaker, Timo was a founding member of the Petaluma Gap Winemakers Association. He is married to Southern Sonoma Country Life editor & freelance writer/author, Frances Rivetti. Timo and Frances raised their three sons in the area.

Established in 2016, the Idea Lounge is an exciting series of talks with a twist! Two speakers: one from the arts, one not. The audience uncovers what they have in common, revealing connections between art & life. The Idea Lounge is part of PAC Out of the Box, a series featuring collaborative activities that take place literally and figuratively outside the walls of the Arts Center and outside the typical art exhibition. Now in its 5th season, the Idea Lounge has featured speakers of all paths of life, presenting on a variety of topics.

The Idea Lounge is produced by Petaluma Arts Center. Interested in speaking at a future event?

Contact Molly Best at mbest@petalumaartscenter.org