What's happening this week in Sebastopol?
Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival Program Launch, Russian River Fungi Fest, an amazing train talk, plus art, music, comedy, burlesque, and more
Free Tax Preparation
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 9 am to 3:30 pm, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 292 S. High St., Sebastopol. Free.
AARP Tax-Aide will be providing free tax preparation on Tuesdays through April 14. You do not need to be a senior or a member of AARP to use this service. There are no age or income restrictions. Tax packets are available at the Sebastopol Senior Center, Sebastopol Library and the SebArts Gallery. Text or call for an appointment: 707-582-0251.
Documentary: Cutting Through Rocks
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 1 pm and 7pm, at Rialto Cinemas, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol. $16.
Patriarchy reigns in the rural Iranian village where 37-year-old Sara Shahverdi—divorced, childless, and an avid motorcyclist—became the first woman elected to city council. Wife and husband team Khaki and Eyni, followed Shahverdi’s journey over eight years, tracking her inspiring, upstream efforts to subvert economic systems and transform local attitudes (of men and women alike) that destine girls to matrimony and dependence. A midwife and one of nine children, Sara is both deeply connected to the everyday lives of her fellow villagers and a radical lone voice advocating—at great personal cost—for education over marriage, home co-ownership, and girls on bikes. Oscar nominee for Best Documentary. Get tickets.
Social Service Day
Tuesday, Feb 17, 1:30 pm to 3 pm, at Sebastopol Regional Library, 7140 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol. Free.
On a quarterly basis, Sebastopol Regional Library hosts a Social Service Day, where local organizations with public service missions will table in the forum room to support community needs. This week organizations include Buckelew; CA Human Development; County Clerk-Recorder; HICAP (Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program); Homeless Encampment Assistance & Resource Team (HEART); Legal Aid of Sonoma County; Mobile Support Team; Nation’s Finest; West County Community Services; West County Health Center. Learn more.
Sebastopol City Council
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 6 pm, at Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris St., Sebastopol. Free.
There will be a public hearing on the BOLD Program, which is designed to help municipalities, schools and land developers work together to finance public infrastructure projects, development fees and public services attributable to new development (in this case, The Canopy Project). The council will also hold its annual surveillance public hearing. In addition, the council will discuss short-term and long-term plans for Sebastopol Cultural Community Center; the closure of the BAYREN Water Savings Program; and a discussion of the upcoming City Council Goals and Priorities meeting. See the agenda and documentation, as well as the link to attend this meeting via Zoom, here.
Keeping Families Healthy with Julia Green
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 6 pm to 8 pm, at Permaculture Artisans, 2185 Hwy. 116, Sebastopol. $15-$40.
Rooted in traditional plant wisdom, holistic nutrition, and practical experience, this class looks at how families can use medicinal herbs and whole foods to support everyday health. Julia will cover common ailments, seasonal rhythms, and the home practices and natural remedies she has used for over two decades to keep her family healthy. Reserve your spot.
National Theatre Live at the Rialto: Life of Pi
Thursday, Feb. 19, 1 pm to 7 pm, at Rialto Cinemas Sebastopol, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol. $23-$31.
Puppetry, magic and storytelling combine in a unique, Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation of the best-selling novel. After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, a 16-year-old boy named Pi is stranded on a lifeboat with four other survivors—a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive? Get tickets.
Paul McCartney: Man on the Rush
Thursday, Feb. 19, 7 pm, at Rialto Cinemas, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol. $16.50.
What happens when you wake up the morning after leaving the most important rock band of all time? In April 1970, Paul released his first solo album, McCartney. When asked what he’d do next, he said his only plan was to grow up. “Man on the Run,” from Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning director Morgan Neville, captures Paul’s transformative decade in the wake of The Beatles’ break-up and the rise of his new band, Wings. Get tickets.
Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival Program Launch
Friday, Feb. 20, 5:30 pm to 7 pm, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 South High St., Sebastopol. Free.
Join SebArts for the SDFF Launch Party when this year’s official selections are revealed and tickets are released to the public. This annual gathering brings together artists, filmmakers, supporters, and curious minds who believe in documentary film as a vital art form — one rooted in environmental awareness, social justice, and human connection. It’s a chance to celebrate the power of storytelling, reconnect with community, and build excitement for the days ahead. Be among the first to discover the films that will move, challenge, and inspire us at this year’s festival. The Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival will take place April 9-12, 2026. RSVP.
Live Music with Scherrer and Emeritus at Region
Friday, Feb. 20, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, at Region Sonoma, 180 Morris St., Sebastopol
An evening of live music and exceptional wine, featuring winemaker and guitarist Fred Scherrer, jamming live and setting the vibe for an unforgettable evening. Emeritus Winery will be pouring featured wines from magnum bottles, and there may even be a special surprise pour of Hallberg Ranch Pinot Noir from Scherrer himself. Come sip, listen, and relax with great music, standout wines, and that easygoing Friday night energy you love. Grab a glass, settle in, and kick off your weekend at Region. Reserve your spot.
Our Wild Watershed: The Beauty of Mushrooms
Friday, Feb. 20, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, at the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa. $11.74 to $27.24.
Join David Campbell for a presentation full of photos and a lifetime of insight into the rich, wild, fungal activity in local forests and watersheds. This is an interactive, welcoming session where open discussion and questions are encouraged. Attendees are invited to bring recently collected mushroom specimens of interest for observation and identification during the meeting. Get tickets.
Bob Marley’s Birthday Celebration featuring Black Uhuru
Friday, Feb. 20, 7 pm to 10:30 pm, at the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, 390 Morris St., Sebastopol. $23 – $45.
The return of Black Uhuru—one of the most popular and prolific reggae bands from Jamaica. These living legends will be joined by local talent AfriCali, described as a hearty cioppino of rock, blues, heavy rhythms and percussion of 1970s Ethiopian music, topped with coastal-psych seasoning. Get tickets.
Brave New Mind: The Art of Serene Readiness
Friday, Feb. 20, 7 pm to 8 pm, at Copperfield’s Books, 138 North Main St., Sebastopol. Free.
Mental health experts, psychologists, therapists, and counselors have reported the rising levels of stress, depression, anxiety, worry, and fear, year after year, for the last two decades. Brave New Mind offers ways to handle increasing stress in all areas of our lives; join the powers of serenity and alertness; cope with depression, anxiety, addiction, and other mental illnesses; find renewed strength and motivation; make new meaning and find our life purpose; and create a brave new mind equal to this moment. With author Eric Maisel, Ph.D., and Juliana Bruno. Get tickets.
Russian River Fungi Fest
Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21-22, 10 am to 6 pm, at various locations in and around Guerneville. $15.
West Sonoma County is known for towering redwoods, tasty wine, quirky small towns, and our stunning river. But it’s also one of the world’s most amazing places for mushrooms. This two-day festival will celebrate all our fantastic fungi. A weekend of mushroomy markets, workshops, foraging expeditions, educational talks, mycelial networking and more. Get tickets.
Community Gardening Workshop
Saturday, Feb. 21, 10 am to 11 am, at Sebastopol Regional Library, 7140 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol. Free.
Join the library’s permaculture teacher and learn about gardening all year long while creating a beautiful and delicious library landscape. Open to all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Paint Your Pet in Watercolor: SebArts & Humane Society of Sonoma County
Saturday, Feb. 21, 1 pm to 4 pm, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 South High St., Sebastopol. $95.
Paint Your Pet is a three-hour guided painting workshop where participants bring a photo of their pet (or choose from photos of adoptable pets featured by the Humane Society) and learn to create a custom portrait using watercolor paint. Participants will create a portrait of their beloved pet under the guidance of an experienced teaching artist, with proceeds shared between SebArts and the Humane Society of Sonoma County. Get tickets.
Comedy: Mark Christopher Lawrence at Balletto
Saturday, Feb. 21, 7 pm, at Balletto Vineyards, 5700 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa
Mark Christopher Lawrence is a celebrated actor and comedian, renowned for his clean, clever, and laugh-out-loud style, as well as his versatility on stage and screen. A two-time Emmy Award nominee, he’s beloved by fans as “Big Mike” on NBC’s hit show Chuck. His recent work includes starring in the holiday film “Bringing Back Christmas” (streaming on Amazon) and Season 4 of BET’s “All The Queen’s Men.” Get tickets.
Thotty’s Naughty Revue
Saturday, Feb. 21, 7:30 pm to 9 pm, at Main Street Theater, 104 N. Main St., Sebastopol. $25–$35.
Thotty McNaughty is thrilled to bring to Sebastopol a monthly revue featuring local and out-of-town performers. This February show will have Burlesque and pole performances from Penny PoundCake, Thotty McNaughty, Montana Skye, Mae D’Lovely, Velvet Thorn, Tasha, Kim, and Obscura Fox all the way from Portland. Get tickets.
Apple Blossom Fundraiser
Sunday, Feb. 22, 1 pm, at HopMonk Tavern, 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. $30.57.
This benefit for the Apple Blossom Festival and the Chamber of Commerce will feature David Luning, Bring Joy with Jason Beard, The Pulsators, Freestone Peaches, Marshall House Project, Weekend at Berine’s, Anna Jae, and The Love Choir. Help the Apple Blossom Festival to get off to a good start. Get tickets.
Sonoma County Seed Swap
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2 pm to 4 pm, Sebastopol Grange, 6000 Sebastopol Road (Hwy. 12), Sebastopol. Free.
Come to the Grange’s annual, community-powered seed swap. Bring seed you have saved, excess commercial seed, plants and resources to share. Label your seed varieties with date saved and details on how saved. Seedy experts will be available for questions. Lots of locally grown seeds from Occidental Arts & Ecology Center and The Community Seed Exchange. You don’t have to bring seeds to participate. Scroll down on this page to learn more.
Train Talk
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2 pm to 4 pm, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S High St., Sebastopol. Free.
Railroad historian and former Northwestern Pacific and Southern Pacific officer Fred Codoni will discuss the history of the railroad in Sonoma County, from the early horse-drawn streetcars – ‘horse car lines’ – to the formation of the Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railroad (P&SR) that went through Sebastopol. The current West County Museum in downtown Sebastopol was the terminal. Fred Codoni’s collection of over 14,000 railroad images across this history represents a powerful and unique set of artifacts that bring to life an amazing century of change across transportation, manufacturing, and rural life. He worked for the railroad industry starting in 1956 and is the last surviving member of the Northwest Pacific Railroad. As a member of the Western Railway Museum, Fred often ran P&SR passenger car No. 63 at the Western Railway museum at Rio Vista junction, the only remaining operating car from that railroad. This talk is a project from the Western Sonoma County Historical Society.
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