Visions of the Wild Festival

I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.  –  John Muir

The Visions of the Wild Festival will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act from September 3-6 in Vallejo with the theme, “Connecting nature, culture, and community.” Organizers want urban residents to experience the wildness of nature around them. Festival sponsors include the U.S. Forest Service, the Vallejo Community Arts Foundation and a myriad of agencies and organizations. The Ranger Station at 419 Georgia Street will serve as the festival headquarters.

Expected to be the largest single Bay Area event celebrating the Wilderness Act, the festival will feature art shows, speakers, films, music and field trips. The event will offer a mix of free and fee events, all open to the general public.

Festival events will take place at seven different venues in historic downtown Vallejo – a city with cultural diversity, a waterfront setting and an active arts community. Locations include: the landmark Beaux Arts style Empress Theatre, “The Hub” (www.thehubvallejo.com), and the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.

Coordinating the event is Heather Davis, Student Conservation Association member and U.S. Forest Service Intern. Davis says, “We’re putting together a unique and varied menu of activities that will appeal to people of all ages and walks of life. There will be something for everyone. The festival will be a ‘one stop shop’ for wilderness information for residents across the Bay Area.”

Forest Service spokesman Steven Dunsky says: “Our regional headquarters for California and Pacific Islands has been in Vallejo for fifteen years, but we have not done anything like this in the community.  Our regional office employees are helping with the project; several of our wilderness rangers will be coming down to the Bay Area as well.  They will offer tips on how to visit the wilderness.”

On the importance of wilderness areas, Dunsky says, “First, these areas are places where we have chosen not to build roads and structures.  So much of our land has been developed; some would say overdeveloped.  Second, I think that people want to have the opportunity to experience wildness, even if it is sometimes just an illusion of wildness.  Third, wilderness has scientific value. It can be a good place to understand ecological processes.”

The idea that wilderness offers solace to city residents was noted by naturalist, author, and preservationist John Muir when he said, “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”

Near Vallejo, walkers can enjoy miles of easy trails with water views at the Benicia State Recreation Area. Or for an adventure in the hills, hikers, mountain bike riders and horseback riders can explore Solano Land Trust’s Lynch Canyon Open Space Park. Lynch Canyon offers nearly 10 miles of trails, including fantastic views atop Prairie Ridge Trail.

The San Pablo Bay Wildlife Refuge is within Vallejo itself. Another place to experience wetlands is Solano Land Trust’s Rush Ranch. The property spans 2,070 acres of marsh and rolling grassland on the northeast edge of Suisun Marsh, with historical buildings and five miles of walking trails. For directions, visit solanolandtrust.org.

In terms of federal wilderness areas located in Northern California, the closest is at Point Reyes National Seashore within the Philip Burton Wilderness. Managed by the National Park Service, it’s only about an hour’s drive from Vallejo. The closest national forest wilderness areas are Snow Mountain Wilderness in the Mendocino National Forest and the Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe in the Eldorado National Forest. The East Bay Regional Parks system also has areas that are designated as regional wildernesses areas including Ohlone, Las Trampas, and Sunol.

Most of the wilderness areas in the Central Sierra Nevada, Desolation, Mokelumne, Emigrant and Yosemite are all a half-day’s drive from Vallejo and the surrounding counties. Also, to the south of the Bay Area we have the Ventana and Silver Peak Wilderness areas in the Monterey district of the Los Padres NF. One of the smallest wilderness areas in the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) is the Farallon Islands.

Here is a link to a map and where one can see the NWPS and the proximity of areas to the Bay Area:
www.wilderness.net/map. The website, www.wilderness.net, is a resource to learn more about wilderness. The central website for information on 50th anniversary activities happening throughout the year and around the country is: www.wilderness50th.org.

Some wilderness areas are far busier than others. Dunsky offers this advice to wilderness visitors: “It is best to check with the local forest or park staff to see about any permits or restrictions. The agencies do manage the number of visitors in the more popular areas.  We want people to have a wilderness experience, which includes some level of solitude.” Dunsky suggests that those interested in reading more about the benefits of wilderness, both direct and indirect, visit this webpage: www.wilderness.net/NWPS/values.

Organizers are posting specifics times, dates, and location of festival events on the Visions of the Wild website, www.visionsofthewild.org, and its Facebook page.

Coordinator Heather Davis can be reached at hdavis@thesca.org.

Visions of the Wild Speakers

No word yet on whether Robert Redford or Al Gore will make guest appearances; the final program was not available when the print edition of Local Happenings Magazine went to press. The invited speakers include three authors.

Audrey Peterman

The author of the travel guide Our True Nature, Audrey Peterman and her husband Frank are dedicated to bringing information about the wilderness to communities of color and the urban public and well as physically challenged individuals. On a 20,000-mile road trip around the country visiting National Parks, the Petermans experienced “the glorious legacy of the National Park System” and “less than a handful of Americans of African, Asian, Hispanic or Native descent in the parks.” They’re determined to connect a more diverse mix of Americans to wilderness areas.

Mark Harvey

Mark Harvey is the author of Wilderness Forever: Howard Zahniser and the Path to the Wilderness Act. A book he edited, The Wilderness Writings of Howard Zahniser, was published by the University of Washington Press in the early summer of 2014, in time to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Dr. Harvey tells the story of Howard Zahniser, the person most responsible for getting the Wilderness Act through Congress.

Jon Mooallem

Jon Mooallem is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and author of Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story About Looking at People Looking at Animals in America. Mooallem’s book examines the environmental movement and the sometimes-eccentric cultural history of people and wild animals in America.

Among other topics, he explores public fascination with webcams that stream bald eagle family reality shows into our living rooms. Mooallem writes, “Maybe it just feels good to know they’re still out there, in some safe-seeming corner of the wilderness. And maybe that’s why we’ve pointed a bunch of webcams at them: so we can check in whenever we want and keep watch.”

Juried Art Exhibition

The Visions of the Wild juried art exhibition will feature wilderness-related paintings, photography, sculpture and mixed media, and run from September 3 through November 8. The art show will be at the Temple Arts Lofts, which is next door to the Empress Theatre. On September 5, an opening reception will honor artists and works selected for the juried art exhibit. The Vallejo Community Arts Foundation is sponsoring the exhibit. Art selected for the show will explore the event’s theme in any of the following ways:

1. What wilderness means in a diverse cultural context.

2. How wilderness is expressed through art.

3. What urban wilderness looks like.

4. How we re-wild our humanized landscapes.

5. How our understandings of wilderness and wilderness conservation paradigms will change in an era of global environmental change.

Principles of Leave-No-Trace

Wilderness visitors are often advised  to follow the recommendations of the “Leave-No-Trace” movement. Advocates of Leave-No-Trace use the motto

“Take nothing but pictures.
Leave nothing but footprints.”

Many groups and individuals promote this approach to outdoor recreation, including the Boy Scouts of America. The Leave-No-Trace movement recommends seven principles:

1. Plan ahead and prepare.

2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces.

3. Dispose of waste properly (Pack It In, Pack It Out).

4. Leave what you find.

5. Minimize campfire impact.

6. Respect wildlife. Minimize impact on wildlife and ecosystems.

7. Be considerate of other visitors.

Kristine Mietzner is a writer who lives in northern California.

Let’s take it to Lindsay

Whenever a family in Solano, Contra Costa, or Alameda counties stumbles upon an animal in need—say an injured baby raccoon, or a sparrow with a broken wing—the phrase “Let’s take it to Lindsay” is bound to come up.

Located on the Briones Regional Park side of Walnut Creek, the Lindsay Wildlife Center has been an icon in the Bay Area for generations, well known for having a hospital that accepts injured or abandoned native California wild animals and covers 100% of the medical costs. Anyone who’s grown up within 30 miles of the center has probably stopped by at least once or twice for either a birthday party or a field trip.

The Lindsay Museum has been around for more than half a century. It began in the mid-1950s as an elementary school that emphasized well-rounded, hands-on, nature education, and wasn’t fully established as a museum until 1962. To many Bay Area residents, especially young people, the Lindsay Museum has always been here. But it was actually our nation’s first wildlife rehabilitation center. Norma Bishop, Lindsay Wildlife Museums recently appointed Executive Director, says it is a staple, unique to Northern California.

“We create magical encounters between people and wildlife,” says Bishop.  “Whether that’s an injured animal that our volunteer staff will treat and hopefully release into their environment, or children who come into our museum and are inspired by that eye-to-eye contact they get to experience with our animals.”

The Lindsay Museum is all about California—its hospital and museum are dedicated to healing and showcasing species that are native to this state. Visit the museum and you’re sure to encounter all sorts of living critters, including eagles, turkey vultures and other birds of prey that normally appear about as big as an inch against a blue-sky backdrop from afar.

You’ll also probably bump into a recreated wildlife setting using stuffed, deceased animals, like bears or mountain lions (things you probably wouldn’t want to meet face-to-face—while it was living, anyway), but the Lindsay Museum makes a point of never using critters that were hunted—if it’s there on display, it either died of natural causes, by an accident, or it was an animal that the hospital wasn’t able to save.

All in all, there are more than 50 different species of live, non-releasable, California animals being exhibited by the Lindsay Museum, from foxes to tarantulas, with a large emphasis on live birds. Guests can even witness surgical procedures taking place firsthand through a glass window, depending on the schedule during a particular visit. For many of the thousands of children that visit Lindsay each year, this provides first-time opportunities to see wildlife up close and personal.

“We see children absolutely stop still when they encounter that animal—they’re actually within arm’s reach of these magnificent birds, which they can only see floating in the clouds above Mt. Diablo, ordinarily,” Bishop says. “It’s a great experience for families with young children who don’t have pets and want to show their kids what it’s like to care for an animal.”

The difficulties associated with animal care are something that’s never lost on the staff at the Lindsay Museum. In addition to accepting visits from thousands of kids, the center provides medical care to thousands of animals each year, too. In fact, they have more than 1,000 animals in care at the moment, which can range from smaller animals, like hummingbirds, to larger ones like raptors, possums and foxes—orphaned or injured. For that reason, they have to rely not only on their pro staff of about 35, but also one a volunteer core of more than 500 Bay Area residents, who are so dedicated they sometimes have to go extreme lengths to ensure that the critters under their care stay safe and healthy.

“Some of our people take home baby hummingbirds that have to be fed every 20 minutes. Can you imagine?” Bishop says. “We’re very grateful to [volunteers], and to the folks who donate animal food.”

Bishop added that, oftentimes, food that’s not up to standards for human consumption is perfectly fine for animals to eat and can be repackaged for those purposes. So they actively accept donations of old food (or animal food) and even partner with local food banks. It’s a great way to ensure that expired food doesn’t go to waste, so if you have food that can’t be donated to the food bank but isn’t rotten or moldy, consider taking it on down to Lindsay Museum. As mentioned before, Lindsay’s hospital covers all of the medical costs associated with caring for the animals that come through their facilities, which, as you probably can imagine, requires a large pool of donors and volunteers as well.

“It takes an enormous amount of funding to do this work, and this is a great place to invest—it’s an investment in the future in the best possible way,” Bishop says.

On the educational front, in addition to providing face time between guests and animals, and showing scenes of animals in their natural habitat, the Lindsay Museum takes care to teach their guests (and the general public) about animal safety for when they encounter any of the vast array of different wild species that roam California. Mostly, especially with dangerous predators, its best for everyone if contact is limited to visual contact from a distance. It’s important for people to remember that, when they’re visiting California wildlife, they’re the visitors, and can often do more harm to the animal than the other way around.

“Most often, even for animals we consider dangerous, encounters with humans are much more dangerous for them than they are for us,” Bishop says.

Bishop joined up with the organization in January, moving here from Wyoming specifically to do this kind of work. Her initial impressions of the facility have been great, and she sees working with children and animals as a means of providing a better, more empathetic future.

“I’m thrilled to be here—this is an organization that not only serves animals, but people,” Bishop says. “I believe our lives are made richer by our connections with animals and nature. It creates a better life for all of us, especially children. If we can create that connection with them, those children will grow up into the kind of adults that not only care about nature and the environment, but they become more compassionate people.”

The Lindsay Wildlife Museum is located on 1931 First Ave. in Walnut Creek. Admission is $8.50 for adults, $6.50 for kids and $7.50 for seniors. Their hours vary, but they’ll be open Wed-Fri from noon-5pm until June 15, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. From June 18-Labor Day, they’ll be open Wed-Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

They can be reached by telephone at (925) 935-1978 or online at www.wildlife-museum.org.

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.

Trust in the Solano Land Trust Forever maintaining the Solano County Landscape

Solano County is comprised of many bustling communities, full of economic development that will keep business thriving here for generations to come. It is also home to some of the most majestic landscapes in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area and the Solano Land Trust aims to keep it that way.

Since 1986 the Solano Land Trust has been actively protecting and preserving Solano County’s farmland, ranch land and open space. Changing its name from Solano County Farmlands and Open Space Foundation in 2004, the Solano Land Trust has permanently protected 22,161 acres of natural areas and agricultural lands over its nearly 30-year career.

Just last year, the Land Trust Accreditation Commission finally awarded its national accreditation to the Solano Land Trust. “We’re really proud of being in that group of land trusts across the nation that is meeting and exceeding the best management practices,” says Nicole Byrd, Executive Director of the Solano Land Trust. “We promise to do things forever—to care for these lands forever, to be the stewards of these conservation agreements forever—so we’re always striving to meet really high standards to make sure that we sustain ourselves and can do what we said we’re going to do.”

The Solano Land Trust is in charge of Jepson Prairie, King-Swett Ranches, Lynch Canyon, Rockville Trails Preserve and Rush Ranch. Their most recent undertaking is the Rockville Trails Preserve, which turned out to be a pretty popular endeavor. “It had substantially more community involvement than any other project we’ve worked on,” says Byrd. “The majority of funds came from grants, but about $650,000 came in from individual donors. That has never happened before.”

Additionally, they had an unprecedented amount of volunteers come in to help with the fundraising and acquisition of the Rockville Trails Preserve, and the Solano Land Trust has continued to work with them. “Since we bought Rockville they have continued to volunteer and kind of shape what the natural park will look like in the future,” says Byrd. “The next thing is getting Rockville open to the public.”

In order to develop Rockville Trails the Solano Land Trust is currently working through the process of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). “They require that if you are changing the environment you’ve got to look at the impacts and provide opportunity for the public to comment,” Byrd explains. “We’re currently raising funds to build an entrance and a parking lot, a staging area, trails, bathrooms—things to turn it into a natural park.” They’ve already had help from a team of community volunteers to envision the future of Rockville Trails, offering a lot of input and design. They’ll offer the public an opportunity to comment again as part of that process as production continues.

Now, if you’re reading this thinking, “Wait a tick … I’ve already been to Rockville Park!” remain calm. You have. Rockville Trails Preserve is located right across the street from the currently operational Rockville Hills Regional Park in Green Valley. “The development was called Rockville Trails Estate, we just shortened it to Rockville Trails and that’s what we’ve been calling it, but we do need a new name,” said Byrd. “That’s another project on my radar to engage the community in helping us find a new name for Rockville Trails.”

The Solano Land Trust is also responsible for one of the most exciting events in Solano County: The Lynch Canyon Trail Run. The 7th annual event takes (or took) place on June 7th of this year. “More and more people have started to come from all over the Bay Area, Sacramento, they fly in from out of state … it’s really popular,” says Byrd. The weather tends to change from year to year so veteran runners always have plenty to talk about. “There are a lot of stories about the year you came when it was really hot, or the year you came when there was a monsoon in June.” Monsoon? “Yeah. I was there,” says Byrd. “It was pouring. Just crazy weather, rain and wind … it seemed like a monsoon to me. And people were having a great time!” The Lynch Canyon Trail Run has become known as one of the most challenging runs in our region, and one of the most beautiful as well. “It’s gorgeous,” says Byrd. “Sometimes, if it’s really clear, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, the marsh, the Napa River, a little into Napa Valley … it’s another way that I think we’ve really raised the perception of Solano County, how we’re more than just I-80. We have some really beautiful, special places.”

For Solano Land Trust’s second annual fundraiser, mark your calendars for August 16 to attend their fourth annual Aim for Ag & Open Space Sporting Clay Shoot. Held at Birds Landing, this clay shoot event is a nice homage to the hunters who have helped keep this land sacred over the years. “The Suisun Marsh was protected by hunters in the first place,” says Byrd. “They’ve definitely left their mark in terms of conservation here in Solano County and are partners in taking care of preserving the land out there in the marsh.” In addition to the clay shoot, expect a fantastic BBQ lunch provided by your neighborhood farmers. “We always feature local food,” says Byrd. “We’ll partner with a local rancher and the meat we’ll serve will come from right here in Solano County. We always try and bring that aspect into our events.” You may even have the opportunity to meet the farmer who grows your food.

It is quite an undertaking to manage all of these land areas, especially with a team of just 12 people. “Solano County doesn’t have a parks district, so the Land Trust is trying to fill that role,” says Byrd. “We have a lot of partners in doing that, lots of volunteer organizations and Solano County Parks, but it’s really expensive to maintain big natural parks for the community to enjoy; so that is a challenge.” Be sure to attend their two big fundraisers every year if you can, or at least spread the word. Also, though not a fundraising event, the Lynch Canyon Kite Festival is something else to look forward to next year. If nothing else, try and offer your efforts as a volunteer.

“We have over 400 people that volunteer at different capacities,” says Byrd. “We’re able to be a big presence and really be a huge community asset because we’ve got all these volunteers supporting what we do. It’s pretty amazing actually.”

Aside from maintaining these lands, the Solano Land Trust is heavily involved with the schools, youth organizations and colleges in the area. “We make sure we understand the curriculum for a specific grade so we can help bring their kids out on a field trip and meet some of the standards that the students require at the same time,” says Byrd. There’s also numerous scientific research studies being conducted on a regular basis.

“In terms of taking care of our lands, we partner with the UC Davis Natural Reserve System out at Jepsen Prairie,” says Byrd. “They’ve got long-term research going on related to vernal pools and adaptation to drought response.” At Rush Ranch they partner with the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (SF Bay NERR) who are part of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Rush Ranch has been identified as a key property serving as a window into the health of the marsh, so the SF Bay NERR researchers are performing intricate research projects on all aspects of the marsh and the Bay out at Rush Ranch, looking at data from high and low tide, salinity, how much matter is moving around the marsh, which tells us how parts of the marsh are getting shallower or deeper; they call it ‘mud on the move’.” The Solano Land Trust is constantly working with graduate students and professors and they have some really interesting projects going on that are worth inquiring about, especially if you’re an agricultural aficionado.

As if there are any skeptics, let it be known that the Solano Land Trust is here to help. “There are places to build and there are places to protect,” Byrd explains. “The Land Trust is not about stopping development. We are focused on protecting the places that make our community unique.” And the support from that community only strengthens their efforts. “People in Solano County really appreciate and value the way that our community looks and the quality of life that we have—a lot of that is based on having all this working agriculture here and having all these beautiful hills. We want to be able to pass that on to the next generation.”

For more information on the Solano Land Trust, to research which properties of theirs to visit, to donate your services, to attend their events—to get involved—please call (707) 432-0150 or visit www.solanolandtrust.org.

Native to Vallejo, Matt Larson is living in Greater LA to pursue all that is good in the entertainment world. Support his career and follow him on Twitter @mattnstuff. 

Yountville Summer: The Veterans Home of California at Yountville

A leafy canopy of tree branches arching over California Drive in Yountville provides a magical and memorable tunnel-like entrance to the Veterans Home of California in the summertime. The trees lining the entryway originally shaded visitors attending the Golden Gate Exhibition on San Francisco’s Treasure Island from 1939 to 1940. The other tall trees on the grounds comprise the largest collection of exotic trees in northern California. Many of these trees were gifts from friends of Colonel Nelson Holderman, a World War I hero and an early administrator of the home.

The Home is nestled on the slopes of the Napa Valley. A thousand men and women veterans and some non-veteran spouses call the grand campus their home. Started in 1884 by the Society of Mexican War Veterans and the Grand Army of the Republic, the Home was taken over by the State of California in 1897 after a period of financial struggles.

At that time, the Home had 55 steam-heated buildings with electric lighting, running water and a sewer system. The grounds also had a successful dairy, hog farm and chicken ranch, and were home to 800 veterans of the Mexican, Civil, and Indian wars.

Today the Veterans Home receives support from the California general fund, federal reimbursements, medical insurance, MediCal and MediCare, fees from residents and donations that are used for the Morale, Welfare and Recreation of the residents. The home’s current administrator is Donald Veverka, who took over the position in 2014.

Veterans share their input and recommendations with the administrator through the Veterans’ Home Allied Council, an official advisory body that is currently chaired by home resident Don Moore. The history of the Veterans’ Home of California at Yountville was the subject of a DVD produced in 2013 by Moore titled “Pearl of the Valley.”

Places to visit on the grounds include the Napa Valley Museum and the Lincoln Theater, a world-class venue that features performances by musicians and stage actors throughout the year. The theater is home to Symphony Napa Valley. The museum and theater offer educational programs for the residents of the home and others.

Winding one’s way along the north side of the home one will find the swimming pool. This pool is operated by the Town of Yountville and is open to the residents of the home and the public in the summer.

Beyond the pool is the Cleve Borman Baseball Field. California’s American Legion baseball finals are played here each year. The field has been described as one of the ten coolest high school baseball venues in the United States by MaxPreps sports website writer Leland Gordon, who says, “We know cool when we see it.”

Legend has it that more than a dozen major league athletes played baseball here in their youth, including Dusty Baker, the one-time manager of the San Francisco Giants. Veterans are given front row seats.

On July 4^th, the public is invited to celebrate Independence Day at the Home. Musicians entertain through a full day of activities. Residents and staff host booths in front of the administration building—food and other items are for sale. When darkness falls, fireworks light up the sky.

Every day of the year the chapel is open for visitors. Protestant, Catholic and Jewish services are held weekly. Guests may also attend the monthly services honoring the men and women who died at the Home the previous month. The chapel has large, brilliantly stained glass windows at the front and sides. A small stained-glass window above the entryway depicts four chaplains who, following a torpedo attacked on a transport ship during World War II, died arm-in-arm on the sinking vessel so that others could board lifeboats.

The gravesites of more than 5,500 veterans and non-veteran spouses who once lived at the home are maintained at the Veterans Home Cemetery on the grounds. Annually, a patriotic Memorial Day service is held at the cemetery that honors deceased veterans. Donated flowers are taken to the gravesites and placed as far as they will go. Among the remains at the cemetery are those of 2,308 Civil War soldiers.

Members of service clubs and veterans organizations from throughout the state volunteer their funds and time at the Home including, but not limited to, members of AMVETS, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and the American Legion.

A variety of opportunities are available for groups and individuals who wish to get involved with the home. Anyone interested in giving of his or her time may contact the Volunteer Office.

Leaving the Veterans Home, when the summer breeze rustles through the trees stretching over California Drive, the wind seems to whisper a reminder to remember those who served our country.

The Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at the Lincoln Theater and the Napa Valley Museum are located right on the grounds of the Veterans Home of California at Yountville. Here are some highlights of the events offered at these cultural institutions this summer.

The Napa Valley Performing Arts Center

The Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at the Lincoln Theater hosts “BottleRock Napa Valley” starting at noon on June 1st. The three-day event features over 60 bands on four stages. On June 9^th, the Lincoln Theater hosts a reading by Garrison Keillor, the “Prairie Home Companion” host and humorist at 7 p.m.  The New York Times bestselling author will read from his new book, “The Keillor Reader.”

The Lincoln Theater is the venue for Napa Valley Jazz Getaway featuring “Jazz Legends Night” starting at 7 p.m. on June 12^th with performances by Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, Earl Klugh, plus special guests Eric Marienthal and David Benoit. The Jazz Getaway continues on the evening of June 13th with “Friday Night Funk Night.” The entertainment begins with a silent auction benefitting the GRAMMY Foundation and complimentary wine tasting for all attendees. The auction will be followed with performances by The Ohio Players and special guest comedian Keenen Ivory Wayans from the popular show In Living Color.

Country artist and part-time Napa resident Jerry Jeff Walker appears at the Lincoln Theater at 7 p.m. on August 16^th. Walker brings his band and music to the stage including hits like Mr. Bojangles for his second annual “Napa Summer Camp” show.

The Napa Valley Museum

The Napa Valley Museum will hold an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 5th, for the exhibit “Walter H. Everett: American Illustrator.” Everett worked with Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth and completed works for The Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal and Colliers. His work will be on display at the museum all summer.

The museum’s opening reception for “Wayne Thiebaud: Works on Paper” takes place on Saturday, June 28th, with a members-only preview from 4 to 5 p.m. and a reception for the general public from 5 to 7 p.m.  The show features more than 100 of Thiebaud’s work and is on loan from the University Library Gallery at California State University, Sacramento. It will be on display from June 29th through September 14th.

On July 12th from 2 to 4 p.m., the museum hosts the “Free Family Fun Day: Painting like Thiebaud.” Artist Deborah Donahower will lead families in creating ice-cream cone acrylic paintings. She’ll show parents and children how to experiment with paint strokes, form, light and shadow. On July 19th from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. the museum hosts the Cake Plate Painting Workshop with ceramicist Amy Elliot. Attendees may paint their own Thiebaud-inspired dessert plates. The fee is $25.00 for members and $35.00 for non-members. Also at the Napa Valley Museum from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on August 2^nd, renowned artist Nancy Willis will teach the art of relief and monotype printing. The fee is $30.00 for museum members and $40.00 for non-members.

The museum’s Free Family Fun Day: Extreme Cupcake Decorating takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. on August 9^th. To launch the Wayne Thiebaud exhibit in August, a members-only tour and reception will be held at 4 p.m. on August 16^th. Director of the Library Gallery at California State University, Sacramento will lead the exhibition tour. The museum will show the film, “Kings of Pastry” on August 21^st from 7 to 9 p.m. The showing is free for members and $10.00 for non-members.

Kristine Mietzner worked for the Veterans Home of California at Yountville in 2013 and is currently an analyst with the California Department of Veterans Affairs in Sacramento.