Local

For many North Coast families, much of the upcoming week will be spent getting ready for a Thanksgiving feast. Yet even in times of plenty, some people struggle, and safety nets are thin. Providing shelter, food and other services requires prodigious efforts by charitable organizations, which in turn rely on gifts of time and money from their benefactors. If you want to help others put food on their table, here are some organizations in Sonoma County that provide holiday meals, groceries and other assistance for people in need: The Redwood Gospel Mission will host its annual Thanksgiving dinner for 5,000 […]

Were you discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” or a similar policy and want to correct your DD214? Do you want your current name and gender marker to be reflected? Do you need assistance filing a VA benefits claim for service-connected compensation or pension? Do you want more information on VA Health Care coverage for transgender care? If the answer to any of these is yes, please come to our LGBTQ Veteran Legal Clinic. The drop-in clinic will have staffed attorneys on-site to address topics such as VA benefits, correcting military documents, discharge upgrades for LGBTQ and other veterans, and name changes on […]

littlefour is a new, smartly curated shop and design studio now open at The Barlow in downtown Sebastopol at 120Morris Street, at the corner of Morris and McKinley. We provide a well-curated selection of unique handcrafted housewares, clothing, accessories, jewelry, paper goods, gifts, men’s goods, and fun things for children. In our shop, you will find local and independent artists and makers from the Bay Area and beyond, including in-house label littlefour by designer and owner Danielle Rodrigues. She creates a fun and inspired shopping and community experience that connects our customers to the artists and designers we carry. littlefour […]

An upcoming gallery exhibit at the Occidental Center for the Arts (OCA) will feature two nationally and internationally known sculptors Bruce Johnson. (www.formandenergy.com) and, Riis Burwell, (www.RiisBurwell.com) . The work of these two sculptors has a synergy derived from their similar response to the energy of the natural world. Johnson works primarily in wood and Burwell works in various metals. The juried paintings that accompany the sculpture exhibit are selected to enhance the abstract forms created by these two sculptors. The harmony between paintings and sculptures makes this show a viewer’s delight. Bruce Johnson has installed his work in such […]

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender seniors don’t seek needed social services, benefits and health care because they are reluctant to talk openly about their sexual orientation or gender identity with caregivers and service providers. For much of their lives, LGBT seniors knew they could be put in jail or a mental institution for revealing who they are. Due to prejudice about homosexuality, they have suffered the loss of family, friends, schooling, jobs and housing. To increase LGBT seniors’ comfort in accessing to essential social support services, such as money for food, low-cost housing or in-home support, the Sonoma County […]

The Occidental Center for the Arts will exhibit “New Paintings” by three local and well known artists—Adam Wolpert, Tony King, and Bill Wheeler. The gallery exhibit of landscape paintings runs from September 4 through November 1 at 3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental, CA. www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org Artists reception on Saturday, September 12 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Refreshments served. Free admission. Donations accepted. Three nationally-known, old friends and master painters –Tony King, Bill Wheeler and Adam Wolpert– present their newest paintings at the Occidental Center for the Arts (OCA). This will be the second time these three local artists, all of […]

EPTEMBER CLOVERDALE Independence Day: Celebrate Mexican Independence Day outdoors from noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 19 at St. Peter’s Church, 491 S. Franklin St.. The celebration includes a health and resources fair, dancers from different regions of Mexico, Aztec dancers, storytelling, arts and crafts, food vendors and music. Information: 529-0973. JENNER Camping: Latino Outdoors, REI and Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods offer a camping outing on Sept. 5 and 6 at the Willow Creek Campground, off state Highway 1. Information: 869-2394, april@stewardscr.org. PETALUMA Altar building: Learn how to build an altar for El Dia de los Muertos from 4 […]

Food For Thought will offer two upcoming workshops with attorney Naomi Metz, who focuses on working with the LBGT community. Join us in learning more about estate planning, understanding your rights, and making the best plan for you and your family. Workshop 1: Protect Your Legacy: An Estate Planning Workshop for the LGBT Community Thursday, September 17, 5:30-6:30 pm Topics covered will include How to make a plan How marriage and/or Domestic Partnership affect your estate plans What happens if you don’t make a plan? Workshop 2: What’s Next: What Happens to Your Estate (Everything You Now Own) After You’re […]

Calabash – A Festival of Gourds, Art, and the Garden will happen Sunday, October 4, 2015, 1-5 pm Food For Thought, in collaboration with the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, present the 15th annual Calabash – Sonoma County’s most colorful and inspiring harvest event. Calabash, named Best Fundraiser by readers of the North Bay Bohemian for the last three years, features a silent auction of fine gourd art, along with tours of Food For Thought’s beautiful organic gardens, which will be at their peak. Guests at Calabash enjoy a sumptuous array of fine food and wine from Sonoma County’s bountiful […]