Art and horses; horses and art. What better way to spend a Sunday than at the Petaluma Art and Equestrian Festival? Watch a demonstration polo match, horse jumping contest and western dressage, plus local artists will have arts and crafts on display and for sale. There’s a wine and beer tasting, food, music and activities for children. The event supports Rotary projects for children in Sonoma County and worldwide. The starting bell rings at 11 a.m. July 29, and the festival concludes at 4 p.m. at the San Francisco Polo Club Ranch, 7650 Lakeville Highway. Price is $10 to $20. Call (800) 937-5799 or go to paefestival.org.
Interested in learning more about paddling on the river? A one-week camp for youth from 12 to 18 is offered this week from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., beginning Monday, July 30. Campers will learn rowing, kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddling and water safety instructions. Campers should take their own sunscreen, lunch, water bottle and change of clothes; snacks, water, t-shirts will be supplied. Cost is $185. Call 658-1365 or click here for more information.
Hey kids! Do hoops cause you to holler; dribbling make you delirious? Zack Dee, local basketball coach, offers a week-long summer basketball camp for children from fourth through eighth grades. The camp focuses on fundamentals and skills. Petaluma Junior High School hosts the event at 700 Bantam Way from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. starting Monday, July 30. Cost is $130. E-mail Dee at hoopfrk@hotmail.com or go to pjhspe.com/dee/basketball for more information.
Creating an innovative start-up on your own is challenging. The free Business Essentials series at Aqus Café can help move the company forward. The series continues at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 31. This month’s topic is “Finding Your ‘Why’—The Foundation to Long Term Success.” Speaker is Brian Ostrovsky, entrepreneur in residence at the SSU school of business and economics and founder of Locable: Creating the Main Street of the 21st Century. Aqus is at 189 H St. Call 668-6060.
Camping. Almost everyone has been, and almost everyone has a story to tell about it. Join West Side Stories and host Dave Pokorny from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1 for a chance to share your camping tale or listen to others as they take the stage for five minutes to tell their story. Random audience members score the tales, and the winner gets $50. West Side Stories is hosted at Sonoma Valley Portworks, 613 Second St. Cost is $5. Call 477-4416 or visit the Facebook page for more information.
Two men walk into a bar. No, wait. You haven’t heard this one. What if the two men are Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso? What if the bar is Le Lapin Agile in Paris? What if comedian Steve Martin decided to write a play about this imaginary meeting, a play that considers and comments on genius and talent? Intrigued? Then hop down to the Phoenix Theater to see, and hear, what it’s all about. Opening night for “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” is 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2. Other performances are Aug. 4 and Aug. 10, both at 8 p.m., and at 2 p.m. Aug. 5 and Aug. 11. The Phoenix is at 201 Washington St. Tickets are $19.44 at picasso.eventbrite.com. For more information, go to the Facebook page.
Is there anything wrong with having an invisible friend? An invisible friend who happens to be an extra-tall rabbit named Harvey? Not to gentle, affable Elwood P. Dowd, who spends all his time with his pal. However, Dowd’s relatives don’t agree. Mary Chase’s classic comedy “Harvey” plays the Phoenix Theater this week and next. Opening night is at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3. Subsequent evening shows are Aug. 8 and 11. Matinees, at 2 p.m., are Aug. 4 and 12. Tickers are $19.44 and available at harvey2012eventbrite.com. For more information, go to facebook.com/ThreeRabbit.
Is August your month to de-clutter? Then take advantage of the free e-waste recycling event at Goodwill on Lakeville. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., residents can drop off working or nonworking computer equipment, televisions, consumer electronics, office equipment, kitchen and household appliances. Fluorescent lamps and large appliances or office equipment cannot be accepted, and batteries should be removed from all items. Drop them off at 1000 Lakeville St. Call 565-3375 or go to recyclenow.org.
Here it is, music lovers, the fifth annual Petaluma Music Festival. Experience a day of tunes, upbeat to relaxed, at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, listening to jazz and rock, blues and bluegrass, funk and punk. Performers include Jackie Greene, The Pimps of Joytime, Poor Man’s Whiskey, Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers, Diego’s Umbrella, the Peter Welker Sextet, the Pulsators, Old Man Markley and Frobeck. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door, or $75 VIP. The guitars start strumming at 11 a.m. and continue until 8:30 p.m. Call 769-9650 or go to petalumamusicfestival.org.
Join the Sonoma County Book Festival from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5, for its annual fundraiser, and conversations with sausage maker and writer Bruce Aidells and Press Democrat food columnist Michele Anna Jordan. Donation is $40 to $60 and supports the annual book festival, to be held Sept. 22. Windrush Farm is at 2263 Chileno Valley Road. Go to socobookfest.org.
Looking Ahead
On Saturday, Aug. 11, downtown does quilts as the annual Petaluma Quilt Show blankets parts of town in quilts large and small, old and new. The place to start is the Petaluma Historical Museum and Library, 20 Fourth St. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is $5. Call 762-4148 or go to petalumaquiltguild.org.
— Katie Watts
