Petaluma: We Show Up

#215, May 23, 2007

When I read that Santa Rosa and Sebastopol were paying consultants some serious shekels to concoct slogans for their cities, I naturally believed I could do the same for the City of Petaluma. I thought the creative process would be fun, but unfortunately an idea popped immediately to mind, blocking any further ideas. It’s not tres cool like Sebatopol’s “Local Flavor, Global Vision”. I can guarantee will never become Petaluma’s slogan, but it meant so much to me I had to tell you about.

Here it is: “We Show Up.” What? Nothing about our rich history, the charm and vitality of downtown? Nothing about Petaluma Nature: the western hills, the River and creeks, Lafferty Ranch, our wonderful fog tunnel weather? As much as these things means to me, they are not the defining characteristic. What I like most about my home town is the nature of the people who live here. When there are crises great or small, or just everyday opportunities to care for each other, we are there. When real estate developers were poised to bankrupt the City with unchecked sprawl, we showed up in the Supreme Court to establish the public’s right to limit growth. When Polly disappeared, we showed up everywhere in search. We show up at events to help the homeless, to plant community gardens, to take back a parks and paths from vandals and drug dealers. We turn out to fund our schools and open space. We show up at City Hall to demand a healthy and sustainable community.

My favorite “showing up” story is how Petaluma saved the Phoenix Theater for our kids. Since then, the Phoenix has been off the front page news, but there’s no lack of action behind those tall gray walls. On a recent Friday afternoon visit, I settled into a comfy old sofa, tapped into the Phoenix’s free wi-fi. Fifteen young boys rode skateboards in the cavernous main room while three young girls admired them from a safe distance. Another girl snoozed in solitude on a piano room sofa. In the lobby, two late-teens performed an improvised broom-on-shoe balance ballet for their friends, one of whom was eating a fragrant mini-pizza freshly nuked in the snack bar. Some older boys pitched quarters just outside. Manager Tom Gaffey stood by the bank of glass front doors, on the phone (again!) with another local band seeking a booking. Way back in the green room, a pair of aspiring rockers got a lesson from Phoenix School of Music’s Gio Benedetti.

With the exception of the (weekly) music class, that’s an everyday scene. And there’s more. So far this year, the Phoenix has hosted: 3 memorial services; benefits for half a dozen school and community projects; poetry and art showcases; the Petaluma Junior High Rock and Roll 101 graduation performance; free movies; meetings of youth political and health groups; free barbeques; karaoke; an alternative Christian group’s Easter service; twice-monthly Sunday afternoon jam sessions led by Gio; free practice space for young bands, with top of the line donated guitars, amps, and drums; two wall art projects; free rental space for non-profit groups; and the weekly free health clinic and quarterly dental clinics.

Above all, the Phoenix is a place for music. As a non-profit teen center, the Phoenix is fortunate to have the weekend shows, revenues from which cover roughly half of the overall expenses. Fund-raising must do the rest. On Saturday, June 2, 7PM to midnight, the Phoenix is hosting the First Annual Friends of the Phoenix Festival. The fund raiser will bring a variety of rock and roll talent to the stage, from the local-legendary Bronze Hog (featuring Zone Music’s Frank Hayhurst) to the Phoenix Jam Band (including two guys named Hagen.) Indeed, the kids are mixing it up with the adults, with guitarist and event organizer Gary Vogenson’s band providing the backup for some of the younger musicians. Tom says there’s a nine-year-old girl that belts out an amazing version of Ernest Tubbs’ “Thanks A Lot”. Only at the Phoenix!

You can buy tickets online at www.petalumaphoenix.org or at the door. Do yourself and the kids of Petaluma a favor -- show up.