Roundup: Starts and arts for March
Roundup: Starts and arts for March
Veggie starts, garden art, wildflower walks and Analy's Jolene Johnson wins Arts award
We interrupt our analysis of the city budget to bring you something in the spirit of Voltaire and springtime: cultivate thy garden and thy creative side.
I have starts growing in the greenhouse. Peas, spinach, and some lettuce are already out in the beds. I usually wait until May 1 before planting tomatoes, cucumbers and beans in outside beds. May 1 is usually cited as the date of possible last frost, meaning that it’s generally safe to move plants outside. If you like to study probabilities, “you have a 90% chance that there will be no 36° nights by May 1.” Before that date, the odds starting working against you — 50/50 for March. (link)
Garden Art
At the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, there’s a six-week class on the fundamentals of creating ceramic garden totems by Maura Palmer. The example below is rather intriguing.
The class starts on Thursday, April 25th and you can find out more and register at Seb Arts. Students will work on creating a two-and-a-half foot garden sculpture.
Walk among the wildflowers
The Sonoma County Regional Parks reminds everyone that all its parks are good for finding wildflowers in bloom during the spring but “the most dizzying displays of wildflowers” are found among “meadows and vernal pools of our oak woodlands.”
Here are some recommendations:
Anytime in spring, from sunrise to sunset, is the right time to visit these parks for wildflower viewing. We recommend first downloading a digital copy of our wildflower guide as well as a digital map of the park you’re visiting. Regional Parks botanists also recommend logging in to iNaturalist, an app that crowd-sources observations by species, location and more. See this continuously updated list of all Regional Parks plant species logged on iNaturalist.
It also reminds people: please don’t pick the wildflowers.
The Sonoma County Tourism board has its own list of places to find wildflowers, some of which are regional parks.
There are also guided wildflower walks at different locations on Saturdays through the end of April. More info here at Happening Sonoma County.
Analy’s Jolene Johnson named first Arts Educator of the Year
Luther Burbank Center for the Arts and Creative Sonoma together have awarded Analy High School’s Jolene Johnson as Sonoma County’s first Arts Educator of the Year. March is Arts Education Month.
“I’m honored to be recognized for sharing my passion with the community and excited to continue inspiring others,” said Ms. Johnson. “Often, in the arts, we’re always looking for positive ways to help kids get through their day, find their passion, and have confidence in themselves. Teaching dance allows me to stay connected with the community and create opportunities in the arts for the students of West Sonoma County.”
Ms. Johnson will be officially presented the award on April 4 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at the Sonoma County Office of Education’s “A Festive Thought" Art Open House. The event is free and open to the public. Besides a plaque honoring her win, Ms. Johnson also will receive $500 honoraria and a $500 gift card to a local arts store of her choice for classroom supplies.
A resident of Santa Rosa for 40 years and an educator in Sonoma County since 2009, Ms. Johnson is a dance teacher at Analy High School in West Sonoma County and at Santa Rosa Junior College. She also teaches dance at the Movement Lab in Santa Rosa and has taught at the elementary school level in the county.
Sponsored by Daniels Chapel of the Roses, the award honors professional arts educators working with the K-12 population – in particular, arts and classroom instructors who teach visual art, music, drama, dance, or multimedia arts. It recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of arts education over an extended period.
Restaurant re-starts
Heather Irwin of Sonoma Magazine and Bite Club reports on two changes to Sebastopol restaurants.
A&M BBQ
Marvin Mckinzy of Marvin’s BBQ and Deli in Sebastopol has teamed up with Kris Austin of Austin’s Southern Smoke BBQ in Santa Rosa and the result is that Marvin’s BBQ will have a new name on April 1. Focusing on Texas BBQ and sounding like a well-known Texas university, the new A&M BBQ will make some changes coming to the dining area inside. (more info here.)
Wild Poppy
The former chef of the Gypsy Cafe, Martin Maigaard will be opening Wild Poppy in mid-April at the site of the former Fork Roadhouse, which closed at the end of 2022. (more info here)
The Week of March 16-23
Reader Linda Conley appreciated Laura’s reporting on the City budget: “You’ve done an amazing job of making a complex issue comprehensible. Thank you.” The City Council meeting was five hours long and interrupted once again by angry trolls. Laura promises to deliver Part 2 on Tuesday.
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