Courtesy Photo
This is what the Jazz and Blues by the Bay looked like before the pandemic. It’s coming back on July 2.
Marinscope Photo
Congregants of a San Francisco Buddhist temple gathered in San Rafael last Sunday for a ceremony.
Photo by Penny Hansen
Novato’s Art Stroll last weekend brough big crowds out in the first major gathering post the pandemic.
Marinscope Photo
Early shoppers at the Novato Art Stroll on Sunday morning. The weather was perfect on the blocked-off, tree-lined main drag of Marin County’s most northern city.
The smell of delicious food wafted through Downtown Novato. The Art Stroll was the first big in-person festival post-COVID-19 and people showed up ready to participate.
Sherman R. Frederick
Marinscope
It was the first in-person festival in Marin county for more than a year. The Novato Chamber of Commerce’s Art Stroll kicked off last weekend in Downtown Novato with a full array of local artisans displaying their wares. The crowds — mostly maskless — were plentiful and appreciative.
The Chamber scaled down this year’s event in an abundance of caution. Food vendors were limited to a handful and the music venues were limited to acoustic-style acts. There were no big-stage events.
It kicked off the re-awakening of Marin’s art and festival scene.
While the “big boy” events of the Marin County Fair and the Sausalito Arts Festival will not be held this year (Sausalito’s event was caught up in the homeless situation at Dunphy Park and the fair was hung up by the COVID-19 response using the grounds) other traditional events are going full speed ahead.
The Mill Valley Film Festival organizers told Marinscope that the October event is back “with in-person screenings at the CinéArts Sequoia in Mill Valley and Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael for the full 11-day duration of the festival. Additionally, we will be returning to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) for a select number of screenings.”
The annual “big reveal” and “preview” events will return in person, with California Film Institute donors and members catching an early glimpse of the festival program. Organizers say they will also be hosting Opening Night and Closing night premieres, in addition to a Member Reception and a Filmmaker Lounge where we expect to host visiting filmmakers.
The 2021 Festival will continue to build on its reputation as a world-class festival, celebrating the best in American Independent and International cinema alongside high-profile and prestigious award contenders and continuing MVFF’s tradition of delivering the season’s most anticipated films. In addition, the Festival will continue to showcase meaningful documentaries, films for the entire family, and an exciting selection of short films.
A robust program of online screenings to audiences nationwide, accessible through the CAFILM Streaming Room, will also be featured.
Members and donors of the California Film Institute receive the earliest access to MVFF44 tickets, in addition to a range of benefits including all access passes, discounted tickets, and more. Members and Donors will also receive the first information about Early Bird sales which will begin in early August.
Festival tickets go on sale mid-September with Member tiered access.
The venerable music venue in Mill Valley, Sweetwater, also is poised to return this summer. It’s been reorganized and a line-up of acts will be announced soon.
Last weekend, a celebration with food and music was held in Marin City to hail Archie Williams, who was recently selected as the new namesake for Drake High School. Williams was a U.C. Berkeley athlete who won a Gold Medal in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. He went on to become a beloved teacher at Drake High School.
About 150 Buddhists from San Francisco graced the Loch Lomond marina on Sunday for a ceremony celebrating the crab population in the Bay. And a Pride month celebration took place Saturday at Novato City Hall.
The reawakening of Marin continues with another popular event in Marin is Sausalito’s Jazz and Blues by the Bay. It will start up again this Friday (July 2) with free weekly concerts in Gabrielson Park. The first event is billed as a “no frills” show and then will be followed by eight shows with all the amenities from July 9 to Aug.t 27. The band lineup will be posted soon to the Parks and Recreation Department’s Jazz and Blues by the Bay website.
Sausalito leaders told Marinscope that they made a priority of the speedy return of Parks and Recreation special events like Jazz and Blues by the Bay.
The show on July 2 will get underway at 6:30 p.m. There will be no tables, so the entire lawn area of Gabrielson Park will be available for attendees. Remember to bring a blanket or a low-backed beach chair so those around you can see all the action. Picnics are encouraged, as the event will be without food and beverage vendors.
Season and nightly tables will be available for purchase for the remainder of the Jazz and Blues by the Bay concerts from July 9 to August 27, with sponsor tables going on sale beginning June 28 and resident tables on July 5. Each table seats six people.
Sponsor tables will go on sale at the Diamond ($2,100) level on June 28, Platinum ($1,300) level on June 29, Gold ($700) level on June 30, and Silver ($500) level on July 2. More information on sponsorships is available on the website.
Although not required, Sausalito Parks and Recreation encourages attendees to wear masks and maintain more social distance than in past years. Fewer tables will be available this year to increase social distance.
As things continue to open up in Marin, preparations are well on the way for the 44th Mill Valley Film Festival (October 7-17, 2021).
Perhaps the most anticipated event in Marin is the Mill Valley Film Festival.
In Marin City, the community gathered in-person to celebrate the life of Archie Williams, an African-American teacher at Drake High School for whom the school was re-named.
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