Featuring music that originated in Vallejo or from Vallejoans, we had a blast at this event, connecting with local volunteers and artists for a good cause and some important local history of inclusion and diversity. Fabulous Board President Liat Meitzenheimer is speaking during this portion.
Someone else’s trash in Benicia now adorns the front porch. I love it, and it matches the color of the house trim!
The first house on the tour was on a hill in northern Vallejo and multiple tiers and outdoor structures with a view of the Mare Island Causeway. I love the one-of-a-kind sculptures.
Community Garden on Sonoma Blvd.:
Pennsylvania Street downtown:
Homeacres house:
House near community garden:
This was my first time at the Solano County Fairgrounds and I was impressed with the site. LGBTQMinusTobacco had a booth there that day. We saw lots of incredible art and enjoyed the part of the fairgrounds that we got to see.
Our friends Greg and Steve joined us for a trip to the art lofts in Benicia. I had never really wandered around there, nor did I know how cavernous the studios were. I also was very impressed the the gardens on the ground and some of the military (?) architecture even as it begins to look neglected.
One of the joys of living in Vallejo is that we are adjacent to Napa County. In the city of Napa itself, we had a wonderful meal with a bunch of friends and had a long walk through the downtown area to see many light exhibits. The revamped downtown is very Parisian. There was lots of nightlife, a lot of live music and joy, despite the chill in the air.
We ate at a great Mexican restaurant on the river with heating lamps outside. Walking around town I noticed at least two groups of people who were speaking Italian, to my surprise. Here are some images of our evening.
My friend, neighbor, and fellow Humane Society of the North Bay volunteer, Carlene Coury, directed a staged reading of The White Card, written by Claudia Rankine, at the Pinole Community Theater. In the audience were some activist Vallejoans I was able to introduce her to. After the reading, we got to discuss the multi-layered script with the cast and director. It was quite a moving and timely experience for Black History Month.
Many events have drawn me to this organization, including the fundraising Trivia Night, the Vallejo Garden Tour, and various symposia. I’m glad to further entrench myself in this community by supporting this amazing institution with a long history here in town.
While we lived here last year, I regret I was too exhausted from the Photos with Santa in 2021 to participate. This year both Shando and I participated. We were highly impressed with the whole shebang. We intend to be even better prepared next year when there will hopefully not be as much rain. I’m glad we all muddled through though!
In a very poignant gesture, Santa Tom Bilbo put a big pink “Q” at the back of the float, which represented our solidarity with our brothers and sisters who were targeted for being LGBTQ (as all of this float’s participants were in that category or an ally). It is also a symbol against gun violence and assault weapons being available for civilians, to paraphrase Tom when being interviewed for Vallejo Times Herald.
