What's happening this week in Sebastopol?
Films about Elie Weisel and Catherine the Log Lady, Sister City Friendship Dinner, a burlesque winter gala, art, music and more
According to the Sonoma County Library’s online calendar, the Sebastopol Library re-opens today, Monday, Jan. 26, at 10 am.
Science Buzz Cafe: Examining Changes to the Environment thru a Molecular Lens
Monday, Jan. 26, 6 pm, at HopMonk (in The Abbey), 230 Petaluma Ave. Sebastopol. $10.
Using the Klamath River restoration as a backdrop, Molecular Ecologist Cheryl Dean will examine the use of molecular ecology as a tool to monitor system-wide habitat change. Cheryl will give a brief history describing how changes to the tools used by geneticists to visualize DNA have allowed us to “see” all species (bacteria, fungi, plants, animals) living within a stream from a water sample. Cheryl will explain water sample collection of environmental DNA (eDNA) and how it enables the development of a molecular library that categorizes all life using genetic code. The presentation will then explain the Klamath dam removal process and how the Molecular Library is being created to track the return of salmon and changes to other species in the Klamath River.
Film — Elie Wiesel: Soul On Fire
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 1 pm and 7 pm, at Rialto Cinemas, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol.
As perhaps the world’s most eloquent witness to the Holocaust, writer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel’s legacy would seem to be firmly attached to the singular horror that he both experienced and spent his life memorializing—the murder of six million Jews at the hands of the Nazis. But this poetic and powerful documentary reveals that Wiesel’s astounding moral clarity and his outspokenness against the indifference that humans can display to suffering are deeply resonant in our own time. Wiesel’s clarion call to remember the victims and to resist hate wherever it appears feels not a matter of history but urgent today. Wiesel’s story is told largely in his own words and testimony and is hauntingly illustrated by Joel Orloff’s hand-painted animations. Q&A with Phyllis Rosenfield, executive director of Listening for a Change, to follow both screenings. Get tickets.
Sebastopol Planning Commission
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 6 pm, at the Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris St., Sebastopol. Free.
At the Sebastopol Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, there will be a Public Hearing on the initial Parks Commission review of Rotary’s Ives Park Improvements for Centennial Plaza. (This item is being continued from the Oct. 14, 2025, planning commission meeting.) The public input portion of the hearing will be opened following a presentation by City staff and a Rotary representative. See agenda and documentation here.
Winging It Wednesday
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 8:30 am to 10:30 am. Meet at the Laguna de Santa Rosa Trail parking lot off Hwy. 12 (just after the Chevron station east of town). Free.
Whether you’re a long-time birder or don’t know a California scrub jay from a Canada goose, you’ll see and learn something new on these monthly walks. Although they don’t cover much distance, these outings provide boundless opportunities to enjoy nature, each other’s company, and the unique avian friends found at each park. Bring your binoculars or borrow a pair from us. Registration recommended but not required. Parking fees apply but are waived with a Regional Parks membership pass. Learn more about this event here.
Met Opera Live: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 1 pm and 6:30 pm, at Rialto Cinemas, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol. $32.
The Met-premiere production of Mason Bates’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay arrives in cinemas, recorded live earlier this season. The exhilarating operatic adaptation of Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel follows two Jewish cousins who create a comic-book superhero, hoping to recruit America into the fight against Nazism. Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the dynamic new production by Tony Award–winning director Bartlett Sher. Get tickets.
Wayne Thiebaud: The Whole Story
Thursday, Jan. 29, 5 pm to 6:15 pm, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 South High St., Sebastopol. $15.
When we think of Wayne Theibaud, one of America’s best-loved modern artists, we conjure up pies, cakes, paint cans and hot dogs. Theibaud was a versatile and dynamic artist who brought us not only delicious paintings but also landscapes and figures. will look at his famous works, review his life, and learn about his extraordinary printmaking skills, which are highlighted in the current SebArts exhibit, “The Unknown Thiebaud.” Come learn more about this amazing artist who is said to have reinvented “still-life.” Get tickets.
Film: I Know Catherine, The Log Lady
Friday, Jan. 30, 5:30 pm to 8 pm, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 South High St., Sebastopol. $15.
Join SebArts for a special screening of “I Know Catherine, The Log Lady,” a documentary about the “true story of the inspiring death and big, big life of Catherine Coulson, cult icon as “the Log Lady” from Twin Peaks. Staring Catherine Coulson, David Lynch, Kyle MacLachlan, and Mark Frost. Following the movie will be a panel that includes the film’s director, Richard Green, and award-winning theater director and actress Timothy Near, discussing the film and the amazing Cathrine Coulson. Get tickets.
The Sam Chase & The Untraditional
Friday, Jan. 30, 8 pm, at HopMonk (in The Abbey), 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. $30.57.
The Sam Chase & The Untraditional hails from San Francisco, California. This juggernaut of a band blends rock ‘n’ roll with folk music while maintaining the sensibilities and attitudes that come from growing up on a healthy diet of punk rock. The leader of the band is Sam Chase himself, a natural storyteller with a voice that sounds as if it has weathered many an epic tale. Get tickets.
Printmaking: Copper Plate Drypoint & Monotype Techniques
Saturday & Sunday, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High St., Sebastopol. $335.
Join SebArts for a two-session, hands-on workshop that introduces the art and technique of copper-plate drypoint and water-based monotype printmaking. Designed in conjunction with the exhibition of Wayne Thiebaud’s prints, this program invites participants to explore the artist’s approach to printmaking while creating their own original works. Get tickets.
Sister City Friendship Dinner: Where Sushi Meets Borshch
Saturday, Jan. 31, 5 pm to 8 pm, at Enmanji Temple Memorial Hall, 1200 Gravenstein Hwy. S., Sebastopol. $20 – $30.
Come to the Sister City Friendship Dinner, the Sebastopol World Friends’ annual tradition, where the community gathers together to celebrate Sebastopol’s sister cities, their cultures and our work for world peace. Enjoy the delightful harmony of sushi from Japan and borshch from Ukraine. Also featured will be cultural entertainment by Zoloti Maky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and a local Japanese taiko drumming group, Sonoma County Taiko. Food service from 5 pm with a program featuring presentations and cultural entertainment starting at 6 pm. Pre-registration is suggested.
Sirens Prohibition Winter Gala
Saturday, Jan. 31, 7 pm to 11 pm, at Sirens Studio at Sebastopol Subud Hall, 234 Hutchins Ave., Sebastopol. $33 to $44.
Get ready to transport back to the roaring ’20s and celebrate in style. Dress in your finest vintage attire and prepare to dance the night away to live jazz music. See amazing burlesque dancers and gamble your funny money for real prizes. Indulge in delicious cocktails and mouthwatering bites as you mingle with fellow partygoers. Join the Sirens for this event filled with laughter, dancing, and good company. General admission, $44.52; couples admission, $33.85. Get tickets.
Greg Loiacono & Stingray
Saturday, Jan. 31, 8 pm, at HopMonk Sebastopol (in The Abbey), 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. $30.57.
While Greg Loiacono may be best known as a gritty rock and soul man from his work with The Mother Hips, the singer/songwriter has ventured out on his own with a variety of musical projects. His latest group, Stingray, is a dynamic, genre-blending band led by Greg and features some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s finest musicians, including Vicki Randle (Mavis Staples, George Benson), Michael Urbano (Lindsey Buckingham, Smash Mouth, John Hiatt), Kofy Brown, and Danny Eisenberg. The band merges elements of soul, rock, R&B, and funk into masterful songwriting, rich improvisation, intricate rhythms, and a deep attention to vocal harmony. Get tickets.
Sonoma County Klezmer Band
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2 pm to 3 pm, at the Sebastopol Library, 7140 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol. Free.
This acoustic-style klezmer band performs a lively mix of Freylachs, Bulgars, Horas, Chabad tunes, and Israeli and Sephardic melodies, rooted in traditional Jewish music from Eastern Europe and beyond. Their high-energy performances honor tradition while inspiring connection through music and creating a joyful, communal experience for audiences of all ages.
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