Famous Rockers, “drag and dance party” among Fort Bragg options for Valentine’s Day
Mendo High kids offer “More legs, more fun’ improv tonight
Two legendary 1970s-era rockers will perform this Valentine’s Day evening in Fort Bragg just down the street from one another. And both bands will donate the proceeds of their night to two different and highly esteemed local charities.
David Hayes will perform with and for the Art Explorers at Headlands Coffee House in an event sponsored by KOZT radio which starts at 5 p.m. The disabled artists from Art Explorers will sell valentines along with CDs by Hayes, with all the money going to the beloved local art program. If you haven’t seen the art they do, you must stop in their gallery. I have bought art by the late and wonderful Mindy Peterson, Charles Unser and Allen Watters. Second Hand Grass, a popular folk band will perform with Gene Parsons at Tall Guy Brewery from 6 pm to 8 pm. That money goes to the Mendocino Food and Nutrition Program which runs The Fort Bragg Food Bank.
Hayes plied his rocker skills with the bass guitar with the likes of Van Morrisson and Country Joe McDonald while Parsons once played with The Birds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Their decade of fame was long ago and for decades they have been playing local venues, mostly for good causes. They have released at least one album together in recent years.
Tall Guy Brewing is a tap room, meaning the beer is served fresh and can’t be purchased elsewhere.
I broke the story about Patrick Broderick founding the Tall Guy. I saw his daughters grow up taking long walks with dad Patrick by my trailer at Otis Johnson Park. He always had time for that, while working his way up to co-master brewer at North Coast Brewing, that was his job when he left to build the tap room. I was dense and although I like Patrick a lot, I wasn’t sure his idea would work. Then, I found out you don’t ?think ? it out, you taste it! Delicious and some wacky fresh beers. Tall Guy has taken off and re energized Old Town Fort Bragg Franklin Street. Get the sampler before taking the big gamble and actually buying an entire glass! I am also taller than the Tall Guy himself but strangely, that line only got me a free beer once! I did Karaoke there a while back. I was the second oldest person in the packed room and I think they all feared I’d be doing Lawrence Welk or Neil Sedaka when I approached the mike, but they seemed to like theThree Dog Night song I belted out. There was a lot of Spanish singing, including one guy who did awesome highly adapted covers of Englishmen singing Rock and Roll. Thankfully, I got to follow some other middle-aged squacker and not that guy when I sang.
Across Franklin Street and down Laurel Street a half block is Headlands Coffee Shop, a locally owned business that offers coffee and food in the daytime and evening live music.
A lot of people are missing the 1970s these days, when rock music was glorious, something good was blowing in the wind and when many of us didn’t know any doctors on a first-name basis. Gene left the Byrds at the end of the 1960s after they scheduled a concert in then-apartheid South Africa. He has been doing all kinds of music from bluegrass to good ole rock and roll ever since. Hayes, Parsons, Gweneth Moreland and the Coast’s number one rocker Stephen Bates make up the Mendocino Quartet, described as a multi-generational string quartet.. Don’t miss them if you get the chance. My nephew and I saw David Hayes and Gweneth Moreland perform at Little River Inn , awesome!
Live music will also be featured at Noyo River Grill with a Drag and Dance Valentine’s Night Party lasting till 1:30 am. It’s also a benefit, this time for The Mendocino County Safe Space Project, a new well received and badly needed organization in these times.
Something really fun tonight is Mendocino High Improv Comedy at 7 pm at Matheson Performing Arts Center at Mendocino high school. You pick the scene and a group of wisecracking high school kids will play it out!
For those who need some frigid water after all that fun on Friday, there is the Special Olympics Polar Plunge in Noyo Harbor at Dolphin Isle Marina, 11 am to 12:30 pm on Saturday! Guaranteed to be a good time for a good cause and to make your nipples stand up all day (Ok this applies to all genders folks, don’t cancel me)
Here is more on the Mendocino High improv event provided to Mendocinocoast.news by local thespian Doug Nunn on the MCN Listserves.
Mendocino High School is happy to announce one more night of improvised theater on Thursday evening, February 13 at 7pm at the Matheson Performing Arts Center at 45096 Cahto St. in Mendocino. This is the 25th year running that Mendocino High School’s Improv Club has presented shows, following upon Comedy Revues presented between 1992-95.
More Legs, More Fun! is the name of the newest production of the Mendocino High School Improv Club where an ensemble of 15 wise-cracking teens will create scenes based on audience suggestions. Players include Bailey Anderson, Rye Baird Green, Frej Barty, Aaliyah Campbell, Zelda Clark, Joaquin Faiella, Vale Gauthier, Eli Griffen, Kali Hucek, Pun Inkun, Noah Krebs, Knute Kvinsland, Max Oatney, Lillian Owens, Colter Peckham, and Katan Sosnovec. The team is coached by Doug Nunn & Mindy Ballentine, and accompanied by keyboardist Marie Claire Dizin. The Improv Club is sponsored by teacher Tom Sosnovec.
Tickets will be available at the door, with the group asking for a $12 donation from adults and a $7 student contribution to support the Improv Club (Presale prices are $10 adults/$5 kids). We thank Mendocino High School, MUSE, and the community for their generous support over many years. For further information, please email Doug Nunn at dnunn@mcn.org <mailto:dnunn@mcn.org> or on Facebook
Hey folks! I’m looking for volunteer photographers for these community events, and writers too!
