What's happening this week in Sebastopol?
The Valencia Baryton Trio, Science Buzz on fire technology, Tea with Thiebaud, Songs for Creative Revolution and more
Sebastopol Library this month: The Sebastopol Library building will be closed from Jan. 5-25, but the Sonoma County Library’s BiblioBus will be there on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 1 pm and 5 pm. During construction, the library’s classes and clubs for kids and teens will be happening at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. Find more info here.
The Art of Downsizing
Mondays, Jan. 12 to Feb. 9, 11 am to 12 pm, at the Sebastopol Area Senior Center, 167 N. High St., Sebastopol. Free.
Downsizing: The art of realizing you don’t need three fondue sets and a collection of garden gnomes to be happy. It’s like a treasure hunt, but instead of gold, you find freedom (and maybe that missing sock from 1985). Thinking about downsizing? Join our expert realtors, Brian Ledig and Shaka Folger-Basso, in a four-part series, as they share valuable tips for decluttering and organizing. Come with your questions, leave with a plan, and start your downsizing journey on the right foot. Call the Senior Center to register: 707-829-2440.
Science Buzz Cafe: Early Wildfire Detection—Fire Cameras, AI and Satellites
Monday, Jan. 12, 6 pm, at HopMonk (in The Abbey), 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. $10.
Meet Sebastopol resident Samuel Wallis, deputy director of Sonoma County Emergency Management, and learn about the latest efforts to provide early wildfire prevention and detection for Sonoma County. Following the 2017 fires, Sonoma built up a network of fire detection cameras. Starting in 2021, Sonoma became the first County in the country to experiment with artificial intelligence to detect wildfires early on. This two-year pilot program revealed a lot about the capability and limitations of the technology. Sam will talk about what has been done historically in wildfire detection and describe the developing camera network, how the AI system was implemented and its effectiveness. He will also mention other systems and technologies used for fire detection and prevention.
Peacetown presents: The Angel Choir
Wednesday, Jan. 14, 6 pm to 8:30 pm, at Hopmonk (in The Abbey), 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. Free.
This will be an exceptional evening of varied musical styles by four powerhouse female singers: Loralee Christensen, Ellie James, Alyson Paige and Dallis Craft. Rock, pop, blues and more. All four of these amazing women are artists in their own right but coming together they create something unique and beautiful.
Beginning Improv: A six-week series
Wednesdays, Jan. 14 to Feb. 18, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, 390 Morris St., Sebastopol. $215.26
This is a gentle and playful introduction to the world of improv, which will focus on games and exercises designed to get us out of our judging minds and into a playful state of flow. You’ll learn to think on your feet (which actually means to STOP thinking), trust your instincts, and work collaboratively with others. Expect lots of laughter, spontaneity, and unforgettable moments. You don’t consider yourself “naturally” quick, funny or outgoing? Perfect! You don’t need to be to do improv, all you need to do is show up—truly! You will surprise yourself, then watch your confidence grow. Get tickets.
Met Opera Live at the Rialto: I Puritani
Wednesday, Jan. 14, 1 pm and 6:30 pm, at Rialto Cinemas, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol. $31.
For gorgeous melody, spellbinding coloratura, and virtuoso vocal fireworks, I Puritani has few equals. This is the first new Met production of Bellini’s final masterpiece in nearly 50 years. Get tickets.
Introduction to Square Dance
Wednesday, Jan. 14, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, at Wischemann Hall, 465 Morris St., Sebastopol. First class is free.
Have a fun, free, night out with friends and learn to square dance. Modern Social Square Dancing is fun to learn and fun to dance with the club’s supportive community of square dancers. The caller teaches and sings to a variety of music, and you’ll be dancing in squares the very first night. No partner needed. Casual attire. Everyone is welcome—families (8+ w/ adult), singles, couples, lesbian, gay, straight. Come early for parking and registration. Bring a friend! Register here.
SebArts Socials: Tea with Thiebaud
Thursday, Jan. 15, 6 pm to 8 pm, at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High St., Sebastopol.
Members of SebArts are invited to meet-up in the gallery for a social gathering and docent tour of SebArts’ new exhibit, “The Unknown Thiebaud: Passionate Printmaker.” RSVP. (Not a member? Join now.)
Read the Sebastopol Times article about this exhibit.
Film: The Librarians, a film about censorship
Thursday, Jan. 15, 6:30 pm, at Rialto Cinemas Sebastopol, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol. $15.25.
In Texas, the Krause List targets 850 books focused on race and LGBTQia+ stories, triggering sweeping book bans across the U.S. at an unprecedented rate. As tensions escalate, librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of extremism fueling the censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work, the librarians’ rallying cry for the freedom to read is a chilling cautionary tale. Q&A to follow with director Kim Snyder. Co-presented by OutWatch. Get tickets.
Death Medicine: An open mic exploration of death and grief
Friday, Jan. 16, 7 pm to 10 pm, at Main Street Theater, 104 N. Main St., Sebastopol. $15.
The event will be an open mic format where people can sing, dance, recite poetry, or speak extemporaneously about their experiences of death and grief and be witnessed and heard by a radically present and loving audience in a well-held container. There are no rules other than a share cannot last longer than five minutes. You need not perform to attend. The witnessing is at least as important as the performing. We imagine it as a community grief ritual. Sometimes a couple hours of cathartic release and tender listening and holding can do more to heal than years on a therapist’s couch. Reserve your spot.
Misner & Smith
Friday, Jan. 16, 8 pm, at HopMonk Sebastopol (in The Abbey), 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. $30.57.
Fresh off the release of their critically acclaimed new album, “All is Song,” the unclassifiable duo of Misner & Smith return home to Sonoma County to play a special full band show. The beauty of their vocal harmonies combined with truly inventive songwriting has made the band one of the most acclaimed acts in the Americana world. Get tickets.
Atascadero /Green Valley Watershed Council Quarterly Gathering
Saturday, Jan. 17, 10 am to 12 pm, at Burbank Heights and Orchards Social Hall, 7777 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol. Free.
The guest speaker will be Veronica Bowers, founding director of Native Songbird Care & Conservation. Veronica Bowers has been rehabilitating and re-wilding sick, orphaned & injured native songbirds for decades. Her integrative approach features promoting native plants, shrubs and trees to provide birds and other creatures a rich array of shelter, water and food.
Future Styles Dance Competition
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2 pm to 5 pm, at Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, 390 Morris St., Sebastopol. $10, kids free.
Future Styles Dance Competition is an exciting and inspirational break-dancing experience for dancers and spectators alike. Future Crew Dance Showcase, free Breaking Foundations for Beginners class. All ages event for the whole family to enjoy! Learn more.
Valencia Baryton Trio (Valencia, Spain)
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2 pm, at the Community Church of Sebastopol, 1000 Gravenstein Hwy., Sebastopol. $35/$40.
Transport yourself to the court of Prince Esterházy, Joseph Haydn’s greatest patron, as the internationally-celebrated Valencia Baryton Project performs in January. Led by barytonist Matthew Baker, the trio brings to life the magnificent works of Haydn and others written for the baryton, a rare 18th-century bowed string instrument, with a distinctive wide neck that is hollowed out to accommodate a second set of resonant metal strings behind the fingerboard. A favorite of critics and audiences across the Americas and Europe, this ensemble’s exquisite chamber music promises a soundscape unlike any other. Get tickets.
Boot Juice
Saturday, Jan. 17, 8 pm, at HopMonk, (in The Abbey), 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. $26.94.
Boot Juice defies the typical assumption that a big band with horns is sticking to the well-worn path of funk and jazz. They certainly infuse those genres into the mix. More than anything though, this is an unabashed cosmic rock band intent on taking audiences into an alternate dimension of pure freedom and dance euphoria where the outside world ceases to exist. Their three-part vocal harmonies are an intoxicating soul and blues, and their passionate musicianship and group synergy resonates in their pure sense of joy. Get tickets.
Songs for Creative Revolution
Sunday, Jan. 18, 3 pm to 5 pm, at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 South High St., Sebastopol. $15.
Join four Bay Area singer-songwriters, Karen Joy Brown and Katie Phillips, former bandmates of Sonoma County’s beloved Bootleg Honeys, along with Cassidy Frost and Bridget Boyle for an afternoon of original songs that beautifully sing the unsayable and unapologetically confront internal and external obstacles to personal and artistic freedom. This “All Songs Considered” style performance and discussion explores the stories and creative process behind the songs. A unique songwriter-in-the-round experience that will leave listeners feeling inspired and empowered to incite their own creative revolution. Get tickets.
Want us to feature your event in “What’s happening this week in Sebastopol?” Submit your events to the Sebastopol Community Calendar. This is one of the many resources I use to put this column together. Submitting your event to the community calendar doesn’t guarantee that your event will make it into “What’s Happening this Week,” but it means that I will see it and consider it.
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