It’s Calistoga’s Harvest Season!

Your ticket earns a seat at one of the longest dining tables in the world

By Matt Larson

Can you remember the last time you attended a dinner party? Do you recall meeting some fun and interesting people? Was it also catered by 12 of Calistoga’s most amazing restaurants? And, final question, were you one of 800 guests who were eating on a string of tables stretching 1,000 feet down Lincoln Avenue? If your answer is a resounding “yes,” then you were one of the lucky ones who managed to get a ticket to sit at the Calistoga Harvest Table last year.

If you’re reading this now, however, we have terrible news—you’ll have to wait until next year to try and get tickets, as this year’s event on September 9th is already sold out. But wait, there is still good news! While they’ve reached capacity for the sit-down dinner at the thousand-foot table, they invite you all to arrive before dinner from the hours of 4:30-6 p.m. where you’ll find a lovely reception featuring more than 40 of Calistoga’s finest wines, available at eight separate wine bars that will be ready and waiting to serve you. You can mill about with your wine glass during this social hour-and-a-half whether you have a seat at the big table or not.

Many of you probably already knew about this event, tried getting tickets and, sadly, could not. Well in 2017 they sold out of all 800 dinner seats in a record-breaking 39 minutes. As of this writing, we’re not sure if the record was broken again this year, but what we do know is that by now they’re most definitely sold out. But it couldn’t hurt to double check.

Sitting at perhaps the most epic dinner table in history, you may be seated with close friends and family, but you may also be joined by some friendly strangers as well, as this is communal dining at its finest. “Half of the people who sit at the table are members of the community, and half of them are visitors, so it’s a great blending of the two,” said Visit Calistoga’s Marketing & PR Manager Charlene Peters. “A lot of friends and relatives plan this time of year in September to visit just so they can go to the Harvest Table event.” It’s even become known worldwide.

“We have people calling in from Calgary, and other visitors from the UK that come every year. Today we got a call from a sommelier in Italy who wants to come to the event; we get quite a bit of international visitors.” When world travelers come to visit Calistoga and find out about the event, they’ll often mark their calendars to try and get tickets for a triumphant return! “If they happen to be visiting during the event and see what’s going on, then they’ll want to come back and be a part of it.”

For Calistoga tourism, that visitor-meets-local facet of the event can create some especially wonderful experiences for tourists. “Visitors get this local immersion experience that they couldn’t get on a regular visit to Calistoga,” Peters said. “So they get to see the community spirit!” And they might even make a new friend or two in the process.

Each restaurant has a limited number of seats available along the thousand-foot stretch of tables, and just because one restaurant is sold out of seats, another restaurant may still have seats available. For example, if your top-choice restaurant only has three seats left and you’re with a party of four, the fourth person will have to find a second-choice restaurant and be seated with that section.

It’s recommended that you look at every restaurant’s customized menus first and pick your top three to five choices based on that, so that in the event your top choice is sold out, you already know which restaurant to turn to next because once tickets go on sale—time is of the essence. So remember this when your group tries to get their tickets next year.

The 12 restaurants featured at this year’s Calistoga Harvest Table include All Seasons Bistro, Culinary Institute, Napa Valley Crust, Cafe Sarafornia, Evangeline, Sam’s Social Club, Calistoga Inn, Hydro Grill, Tanit Pan-Asian, Checkers, Lovina, and Veraison. Most of these restaurants are all located right on site of the event on Lincoln Ave. Since the tables stretch on and on, they can prepare the food in their own kitchen and bring it out to the guests seated as closely to their establishment as possible. Only a couple restaurants are located a bit farther away will need to set up staging at the event to make their meals.

“Proximity of the restaurants to the tables is what makes this event work in such a way that we can have all of these restaurants involved,” Peters said. “The idea of the Calistoga Harvest Table is to showcase our culinary scene.” Lincoln Avenue is already set up like a sort of “restaurant row” in Calistoga (closed off to traffic on the day of the event) so attendees can see all of the great food options in town when they take their seat at the table.

For every ticket sold to this event, a portion of the profits goes to the Calistoga Cares food bank, which is a part of the Food Pantry Network of CAN-V (Community Action of Napa Valley). CAN-V provides basic needs to local residents, such as food and shelter, as well as emergency assistance and a variety of programs that can provide people with the skills they need to help rebuild their lives.

“Every year we present a check that’s based on the percentage of the ticket sales,” Peters explained. “We’re cognizant of the fact that not everybody can afford a ticket to this event, or can even afford food on their own table, so Calistoga Cares seems to be the right benefit.”

Community is what this event is truly all about. It’s produced by Visit Calistoga, also known as the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce, so bringing the community together is at the forefront of their priorities. This year marks the fifth edition of Calistoga Harvest Table, and the greater Calistoga community has responded with plenty of support as they’ve sold out the event every year to date. “There’s great music, great food, and great wine all in one place!” Peters exclaimed. “It’s a great party.”

Peters tells us that not only is the Calistoga Harvest Table event showcasing the fabulous culinary options you can also find in Calistoga, but it’s also showing off wines from the region that put Napa Valley on the viticultural map. “A lot of people don’t realize what a premiere wine destination we are,” she said. “We’re at the top of the Napa Valley—where it all began. You can start at the top and work your way down.”

Plus, if someone is flying into California for their Napa Valley visit, Calistoga is a great place for them to start their tour as well, Peters explained. “We are one of the most easily accessible places within the Napa Valley,” she said. “You can fly into the Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa and it’s a 28-minute drive to Calistoga.”

So at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 9th, 2018, we highly suggest you try out some of these world-renowned Calistoga AVA wines during their Harvest Table social hour (and a half). For an extensive list of all the wineries that will be present at the event, as well as which wine bar they’ll be located at so you can easily find what you’re looking for, head to their website at calistogaharvesttable.com. You can call their welcome center at (707) 942-6333 and head to visitcalistoga.com for additional insider tips to make your Calistoga visit as full as can be.

Invite some friends to the social hour so you can all get equally excited for next year’s harvest table. The more friends you invite, the more luck you’ll have getting 2019 tickets, because the more friends you have refreshing the tickets page online, the better your chances of beating the rest of the world to the dining table will be. So for next year, cross your fingers and watch the countdown for tickets on their website. This year, come on out and celebrate Calistoga’s harvest season!

Larson is an actor/comedian/director from Vallejo who lives a double life between the Bay and LA. When he’s not writing for Local Happenings Magazine he could be editing a short film or working on his next rap album—who knows!

Keep up with all things Larson at www.MarsLegstrong.com.

The USS Hornet, CVS-12

Ghosts and Memories from WWII to Vietnam

By Nate Gartrell

In 1969, after they splashed into the Pacific Ocean following humanity’s first trip to the moon, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were greeted by the USS Hornet, a ship made famous by its combat record during World War II.

Today, anyone in the Bay Area can visit the great ship at its final resting place, the Jimmy Doolittle Pier in the city of Alameda. The USS Hornet—decommissioned after its final mission picking up the Apollo 12 crew—is permanently docked in the East Bay where it has become a museum, as well as a venue for all kinds of events. “It preserves the history. Our motto is to preserve, educate and inspire,” said USS Hornet Communications Manager Rainie Lao. “The ship is restored based on when it was decommissioned. Everything is the same, everything you can see now is how it was in the 1970s.”

The USS Hornet is an Essex class aircraft carrier, built during the heat of World War II. From its commission date in 1943 to its final mission in 1970, the Hornet managed to touch on so many different pieces of United States history. Although it is best known for its involvement in the Apollo missions, the Hornet survived dozens of attacks, and was heavily involved in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. It was also deployed during the Vietnam War.

Including the Hornet, there are only four aircraft carriers available to the public, and only one of them—the USS Midway, docked in San Diego—is on the West Coast. “People don’t expect to see so many things here. They might plan to stay for one to two hours but will end up spending the whole day here because there is so much to see,” Rainie said. “You can’t even see the whole ship in a day. That’s why people tend to come back.”

Not only is the Hornet a living piece of history, but the people who work there are too. Several of the docents were there when the Apollo 11 landed, and experienced the historic moment firsthand. “You can talk to them if you come aboard on certain dates,” Rainie said. “Most of them were young at the time, and now they’re in their 70s.”

The Hornet is a gigantic ship—almost as long as the RMS Titanic—and features at least 11 decks for the public. Seven decks are made available to the general public, including the flight deck. Others are opened during special events. The museum includes a training landing module from the Apollo 11 mission, as well as numerous exhibits on the military history of the ship. “People love science,” Rainie said. “If you tell them about World War II history they might not know much, but if you tell them about Apollo, they will be very interested. It’s for everyone.”

“We want to preserve the ship’s history,” she continued. “It is forgotten by a lot of people.” A previous USS Hornet ship, which sank in 1943, was involved in the first US attack on Japanese soil, following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Nicknamed the “Jimmy Doolittle Raid,” the attack was kept secret by President Franklin Roosevelt for more than a year. Coincidentally, former Oakland A’s pitcher Sean Doolittle is a distant relative of the late general, as a reporter discovered in 2013.

The raid—and the Alameda pier where the USS Hornet sits—was named after Gen. James Doolittle, who planned and led the raid and was later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The raid was launched from the Alameda pier.

“From the deck of the carrier Hornet, at 0825 hours on April 18, 1942, (then) Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle led a flight of sixteen B-25 bombers on a daring raid over Japan,” a plaque at the pier reads. “Hitting targets in Tokyo, Yokohama, and other cities, scoring a huge victory.”

However, not all of the ship’s past is as black and white as a history book; there are rumored to be “haunted” areas of the ship, according to Rainie, prompting the folks who run the Hornet’s museum to offer up “Paranormal Tours.” Their popularity has spread like crazy. “It’s a small group, so we’ll have around 30 people,” Rainie said. “No one is on the ship except you guys, and the docents will bring you everywhere that is reported as being haunted, and they’ll use some kind of machine to try to detect them.”

As noted in previous issues of Local Happenings, paranormal tours have caught on all over the Bay Area. Nowhere else, however, can those in search of spirits get to explore the depths of a World War II ship. “If you’re interested in ghosts or paranormal activities this is the one for you,” Rainie said. “That is the most popular tour on board.”

The Hornet also offers overnight stays, and flashlight tours where visitors get to see places where most folks aren’t allowed. “We’ll bring you to areas that aren’t usually open, like the combat information center on the ship,” Rainie said.

The Hornet accommodates large events and tours, from several hundred people to several thousand. One of the most popular, which just wrapped up this year, was the July 4th event, where folks are invited to watch firework shows all over the Bay Area from atop the Hornet’s flight deck. For this year, more than 2,000 people attended. “We have the best view,” Rainie said. “The backdrop is the San Francisco skyline. You can see all around San Francisco, Oakland, and Alameda. It’s the best location.”

The Hornet also hosts events, live music, and dances, including an upcoming October dance with a Halloween theme. “That is also one of our most popular events. You can swing dance there, and we offer ghost tours as well,” Rainie said. “People will dress up for Halloween, and there is vintage music. Last year it was 1940s music, like jazz and blues.”

On August 4th, a traveling exhibit is coming to the Hornet, where it will remain through October 15th. It is called Mail Call, and it deals with an element of military service that is not well talked about—illustrating the sacrifices made by those who serve, the history of the military’s postal system, and the efforts to get letters between those serving overseas and their loved ones. “A name is shouted out, and a parcel is handed through the crowd to its eager recipient—mail call is a moment when the front line and home front connect,” a news release on the exhibit reads. “Letters, news and packages from home unite families, boost morale and, in wartime, elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary.”

The USS Hornet is open every day except Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is docked at pier number 3 at 707 West Hornet Avenue in Alameda, near Old Alameda Point. For additional information, call (510) 521-8448, or visit www.uss-hornet.org. You can follow them on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook.

Nate Gartrell grew up in Benicia, studied journalism in college, and has written for a handful of media outlets since age 15. He aspires to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and to hit the trifecta at the horse track. 

The People Want Americana

Celebrate the roots of our nation’s art and culture this year at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville

By Matt Larson

Napa Valley’s Lincoln Theater has brought in a few Americana-style musical acts here and there, and they’ve always been very well received. Now, they’re presenting “Pure Americana,” a year-round series, celebrating the finest aspects of America via art and cultural offerings. The series features: live performances, screenings, spoken word events, and even a permanent exhibit at the Napa Valley Museum that was co-curated by the residents at the Veterans Home of California, Yountville. Americana will be thriving this year in Napa Valley.

“It all started when we brought out the Punch Brothers a couple years back,” said Director of Education and Outreach for the Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater Laila Aghaie. “It was such a hit! We’ve had so any requests since then for more music like that, so we started bringing out some other artists and people loved them.” These have always been just one-night-only style events; however, with such positive feedback, they’ve created this Pure Americana series.

One of the most American aspects of this series is the veterans. Founded in 1884, the Veterans Home in Yountville is the largest of its kind in the whole United States housing more than 1,000 retired veterans, and the Lincoln Theater exists on their grounds. “We have this really wonderful and large veteran community right at our doorstep, and they come to events all the time,” Aghaie said. “One of our goals was to create something that would be especially enjoyable for our veterans, who are just such incredible neighbors to us, so we’re partnering with the Napa Valley Museum (which is also right next door); they’re creating this permanent exhibit with all this cool memorabilia, historical documents, and things like that from all the veterans that live here.”

If you’re trying to find a simple explanation as to what Americana music is like, there really isn’t one. “It’s not any one thing,” Aghaie explained. “It’s music that celebrates America’s finest elements, through art and culture. It provides different offerings that relate to, that speak to, and that celebrate all of the many things that we consider to be uniquely American.” When it comes to music, Americana tends to focus on any combination of folk, bluegrass, jazz, country, rhythm & blues, and rock & roll. When it comes to art, you could find everything from traditional folk art and quilting to modern art. “There is no specific definition, and it’s actually not very limited,” Aghaie added. “It’s fairly open, and it embraces a lot of different things.”

The first musical act to kick off the series will be Jayme Stone (pictured below), a banjoist, composer, and “instigator” whose album Jayme Stone’s Folklife was recently nominated for a Juno Award for Traditional Roots Album of the Year. On June 29th, Stone will be performing his folk, jazz, and stomp-down Appalachian dance tunes for the Lincoln Theater’s guests. He’ll also be offering a free workshop for both student and veteran musicians.

Up next, on July 6th, will be Billy Bob Thornton. Yes, you read that correctly. Known for such films as Bad Santa, Sling Blade, Monster’s Ball and so much more, Academy Award Winner Billy Bob Thornton will be performing with his band The Boxmasters. What some may perceive as American country rock/rockabilly, they play “psychobilly” music, which is their combination of ’60s hillbilly music and British invasion rock. Thornton is also a dedicated supporter of our veterans. He narrated the documentary Iron Will: Veterans’ Battle with PTSD, which will be screened the same day as their performance on July 6th.

Also part of the Pure Americana series is Reds, Whites and Bluegrass on August 18^th—yet it is a special event all its own. It brings together emerging bluegrass bands from all around the Bay Area, and one can also sample Napa Valley’s best red and white wines. To top it off, rather than the event being held in the Lincoln Theater, this one takes place at the beautiful outdoor amphitheater on the grounds of The CIA at COPIA.

Napa Valley Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering is a nationally renowned group comprised of actual ranchers. “These are people who actually work the land, but they’re also writers and musicians and just incredibly talented storytellers,” Aghaie said. “They come out, and they regale the audiences with their experiences of working the land—the heartbreak, the joy, and the love that they have for what they do.” The Gathering has become one the theater’s most enjoyable events over the past few years. And on September 8th, you can see them all, led by Grammy Winner Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, who just so happens to be a former mentor for Johnny Cash.

While the music series has select dates, year-round you can come and visit the permanent veterans Home Exhibition at the Napa Valley Museum. The entire exhibition celebrates the history of the Veterans Home, providing a showcase for their treasures, which includes mementos, uniforms, medals, letters from home, and more.

The Lincoln Theater presents concerts and events like these all the time. Pure Americana is different in that these attractions are all according to a general theme that is tailored for their local veterans. “We don’t have enough programs in the Valley that are so well targeted, and so well placed, for that community here, and we have a large community of veterans among us,” Aghaie said. We are all still in the grieving stages of the shooting at the Veterans Home in March that took the lives of three women who worked for the PTSD counseling program Pathway Home. “Three beloved staff members, who many had worked with, lost their lives. It’s been a tough few months for the residents here,” she laments. “It feels like maybe now might be a good time to find ways to remember what’s beautiful and what’s wonderful about life here in the Valley and in America as a whole.”

You can always find some way to celebrate the greatness of living in the Bay Area here at the Lincoln Theater, as they have all sorts of events held throughout the year. “We do a little bit of everything,” Aghaie said. “We are a community theater, first and foremost. We have all kinds of events where people come in for multiple days and do all kinds of performances.” They do jazz, rock, blues, bluegrass, and folk music. They do the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway (June 6-10th, if you can make it in time!), Festival Napa Valley, film festivals, the whole gamut. Plus, they’re very supportive of the local community.

“We’re doing everything we can to reach beyond the arts and support the community as a whole,” Aghaie said. They have a very robust education program, which is one of the most extensive in the Valley when it comes to music. “We go into preschool classrooms every week, and we work with over 400 preschool children from the most underserved families in the Valley,” she said. “For many of those children, this is their first exposure to classical music.” They bring in about eleven different artists and residents from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to teach and perform. “We do community concerts with these artists and residents, including a Lollipop Concert for preschool kids where kids literally are crawling around, dancing, and playing with their friends and families to the music.”=

They also provide many other shows that they take into the schools, exposing children to mariachi music, classical guitars, and even the Napa Valley Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering. They give free tickets to students for all of their symphony productions, and for a lot of their other shows as well. Overall, they help more than two dozen nonprofits every year, including schools and social organizations. “We help them not only raise visibility, but we also work with them to raise money to do the work they need to do,” Aghaie added. “This is something that is a big part of our mission.”

If you’ve yet to attend an event at the Lincoln Theater, this may be the time to visit, especially with the draw of their Pure Americana series. The theater itself resides in a beautiful setting in the midst of gorgeous vineyards in the heart of Napa Valley. So head to lincolntheater.com and start marking your calendar now. You can call their box office Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at (707) 944-9900, and their address is 100 California Drive, Yountville.

To save you some time, upcoming Pure Americana event dates will be June 29th, July 6th, and August 18th. “I think that anyone who wanted to join us for any one of these concerts would absolutely love it and remember it for a long, long time,” Aghaie said. “The spirit of the event ends up inspiring everybody, and we all have a wonderful time.”

Larson is an actor/comedian/director from Vallejo who lives a double life between the Bay and LA. When he’s not writing for Local Happenings Magazine he could be editing a short film or working on his next rap album—who knows!

Keep up with all things Larson at www.MarsLegstrong.com.”

A Visit to Danville

With the Bay Area’s many vibrant nightlife, arts, and entertainment scenes, small towns like Danville often get overlooked. However, this quiet, suburban community nestled between Mt. Diablo and Las Trampas open space has some of the best shopping, hiking, dining spots, and car shows around.

“All signs are leaning towards a definite improvement in the local economy,” Danville Area Chamber of Commerce’s President/CEO Zae Perrin said in his public statement to the approximately 600 companies in the chamber. “New businesses are opening and merchants seem to overall have a positive outlook.”

This summer will feature several events and charity drives that have become long-standing traditions in Danville, as well as a new take on the town’s popular annual summer arts festival. There will also be exciting new plays, celebrations of the town’s Irish history, and of course a Saturday farmers market every week from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. And those who know the city well tell us that Danville is always adding to its dining scene, which is known around the state.

“There are new restaurants, bars, and lounges popping up all the time,” said Marcia Harmon, former president of the local chamber of commerce’s Discover Danville Association. “Within a block and a half of my shop, there are at least a half-dozen restaurants that are incredible. Overall, there are over 20 here that are just amazing.”

Some notable restaurants include Harvest, located at 500 Hartz Avenue featuring a mouthwatering menu compiled by Head Chef Tim Humphrey, who makes a point of finding high-quality, local sources for his ingredients.

“At Danville Harvest, I use the same philosophies that I learned cooking with my family on the farm in Florida. Find sustainably raised ingredients, sourced locally to support our culinary community, and cook them with respect utilizing techniques that let these spectacular products shine as the highlight of the dish,” Tim said in a public statement.

There is also Pete’s Brass Rail at 201 Hartz Avenue, an American cuisine restaurant with an extensive beer list, where they let you put your name on a wall of fame if you order enough beers (probably best to make more than one trip if you’re going for that). With respect to wine bars, there’s the Auburn Lounge at 321 Hartz Avenue, which features “the perfect mix of curated drinks and small plates.” “It’s like a little nightclub but it’s got an old speakeasy, vintage vibe going,” Marcia said of the Auburn Lounge.

“It takes more than one visit (to Danville) to see everything,” she continued. “We have something for all tastes and styles.”

Marcia is the owner and operator of Cottage Jewel, est. 1999, which sells antiques, jewelry, art, and other treasures that she’s assorted over the years. Located at 100 Prospect Avenue in the heart of Danville’s downtown, the store itself is a work of art; its layout contains a spirited assortment of various art pieces, furniture, necklaces, earrings, dining wares, and the like, where everything seems to jump at someone at once. Marcia’s passion for her work—which includes jewelry creation and repair—shines through when you talk to her. She describes the store as more than your typical antique store, but a “living museum” that’s “tiny but packed to the gunnels.”

“I’ve got embellishments, novelties, museum-quality rare portraits, old rose-cut diamonds and funky, kitch loot too,” she said. “It’s from mostly between 1850 and 1950, really a century of feminine frills and some ‘mantiques’ too.”

One of the best places for shopping around town is the Danville Livery, located at 412 Sycamore Road, with its main entrance at the intersection of Sycamore and San Ramon Valley Roads. The Livery Shopping Center has a little bit of everything: home and gift shops (e.g. Misto Lino), Games Unlimited (the town’s “ultimate toy store and birthday gift headquarters”), and a number of great places for food or refreshing drinks. Across the street, near the Sycamore Square Shopping Center, Danville also has a great bowling alley (Danville Bowl), featuring 24 lanes, arcade games, and a full bar.

Moreover, for many decades, Danville was known for its annual Fine Arts Faire, a two-day art stroll that brought tens of thousands of folks from all over the Bay Area. The faire is still here, as of last year it has been rebranded as Summerfest, and it is expanding its scope. Marcia credited Zae with leading that transition.

“[Zae] is changing it from a common crafts show to really be town-centric,” Marcia said. “He’s bringing in local music and entertainers and non-profit groups, and high school dance and music groups. And they’re offering discounted booths for local businesses so that patrons can see more of what’s available in Danville every day.”

For a full list of Summerfest events, activities, and food, visit its website at danvillesummerfest.com.

Danville is known for car shows, and some of them have undergone re-brandings as well; Hot Summer Nights, for instance, is now known as Hot Summer Sundays and will be held on July 22 and August 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will feature not only classic cars, but also wares from local businesses and “good food, music, and family fun,” according to the event’s website.

There is also the Danville Concours d’Elegance, a classic cars charity event aimed at raising money to research Parkinson’s Disease. Since 2004, the event’s organizers have raised more than $5 million, and the cars aren’t too shabby either: last year’s featured car was a 1930 Cadillac V16 Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton from local car collector Steve Marini, a car that costs about as much as a two-story house, if one is lucky enough to find one for sale.

When it comes to hiking and outdoors, the Mt. Diablo State Park seems to overshadow everything, literally and figuratively. But on the other side of Danville, the Las Trampas Regional Wilderness has its fair share of gorgeous views and hiking trails. At the base of the wilderness area is Danville’s National Historic Site, the Tao House, a preserved reminder of the town’s link to one of history’s most accomplished playwrights, Eugene O’Neill.

O’Neill is the father of dozens of well-known plays like The Iceman Cometh, Anna Christie, and The Emperor Jones, who also won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1936 as well as four Pulitzers for drama. He lived in Danville for seven years, beginning in 1937 when he bought the Bryant Ranch with money won from the Nobel Prize. His home, now known as the Tao House, remains to this day and is currently the home of the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, which seeks to preserve his legacy and is partnering with local groups for a number of highly anticipated events this year.

On August 31, the Tao House will host the 19th Annual Eugene O’Neill Festival, featuring two plays and a concert, as well as a twist: the festival is part of One Festival, Two Countries, with the other part taking place in the town of New Ross, Danville’s new friendship city. If anyone wants to try and catch a flight out there, it kicks off on Oct. 9 at the St. Michael’s Theatre, located roughly 5,085 miles east of Danville.

“It’s neat for the whole community because there is a strong Irish following and everyone loves a good Irish party,” Marcia said. “It gives another layer of excitement to what we’re doing here.”

On July 7 and 8, the Tao House will host Valerie Joyce’s rousing one-woman play, the aptly-titled I Will Speak for Myself, which features the stories of 16 silenced black women from colonial times through Emancipation.

“It is just chilling; it’s so inspiring,” Marcia said.

With that in mind, and to promote the O’Neill events, Marcia said that during the car show on Summerfest’s Sunday, outside of her store will feature theater performances by local high school troupes. She extends an invitation to “come out and dress the period and come see the vintage cars, vintage O’Neill, and have a little reenactment during the art festival.”

For additional information on things to do in Danville, visit the chamber’s website at danvilleareachamber.com, or visit them at 117 E Town and Country Drive; for additional information about the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, visit eugeneoneill.org or visit the house from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at 205 Railroad Avenue; for additional information on the Hot Summer Sundays car shows visit dhsscs.com; to learn more about Danville d’Elegance, visit danville-delegance.org; and to learn more about Danville’s history, take a walking tour of the city’s historic sites, which you can learn more about by visiting ci.danville.ca.us.

Nate Gartrell grew up in Benicia, studied journalism in college, and has written for a handful of media outlets since age 15. He aspires to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and to hit the trifecta at the horse track.