Gualala Arts Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961
The performance will showcase local musicians in a musical tribute to the extraordinary, sometimes quirky and always remarkable community that calls Mendonoma home. Many residents say living here fuels their creativity, a sentiment echoed by longtime local Frank Bell, who said “If you are lucky enough to live here, you are lucky enough.” Our very own local radio personalities from KGUA and KTDE, will emcee the evening.
The evening’s concert will feature:
Rudy Gallager – Guitar and vocals
Ken G. – Guitar and vocals
James Hayes – Bass
Richard Lotspeich – Guitar and vocals
Katrina Coffman – Flute
Jesse Hanna – Lap drum, guitar and vocals
Ty Kuhn – Guitar and vocals
Jim and Sharon Lieberman, aka Bards of a Feather – Guitar, mandolin and vocals
Kim Ghezzi – Vocals
Christine Kan – Violin
Ted Berman – Celtic harp
Carson Hunter – Banjo
But we want to do something special, something different than the usual. We want to give every Mendonoma resident a chance to tell the community about their experience of having the privilege to live here.
We invite you to contribute a short personal story, memory, reflection, or observation about life in Mendonoma. It can be heartfelt, funny, thoughtful, surprising, or simply a few words about what this place means to you. What brought you here? Why did you stay? What do you love about this place? Is there a special memory, a remarkable neighbor, a favorite spot, a funny experience, or a moment when you knew you had found home?Perhaps you grew up here. Perhaps you arrived last year. Perhaps you came for a visit and never left. Or perhaps your connection to Mendonoma is something entirely different. Whatever your story, we’d love to hear it. You don’t have to be a writer. A few honest sentences are all it takes. We will put your stories up on a wall at Gualala Arts Center and project them on a screen to create:
Our Mendonoma: Stories of the Place We Call Home
The concert is also a salute to the people who keep this remote coastal region running. Behind the dramatic coastline, redwoods, fog, sunsets and winding roads are the first responders, medical professionals, law enforcement officers, park personnel, contractors, builders, tradespeople, teachers, artists, musicians, restaurateurs, farmers, grocers, gallery owners, animal caretakers, hospitality workers, independent professionals and countless volunteers who make daily life possible.
Through music, photography and our stories, the event will highlight the character of a community at the end of a long, long road, where deliveries may arrive “next Tuesday,” but neighbors always show up for one another.
Jerry Seinfeld once joked about creating a “show about nothing.” This, organizers say, is a show about locals – and the place they proudly call home.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the event. They are available at the Dolphin Gallery, Gualala Arts and online at GualalaArts.org. Sponsor tickets, which include select seating, are $100 and available online only. Admission is free for ages 7–17.
Submit your Down-Home Mendonoma experiences here by January 3
For example- here is Ted’s Mendonoma story
