Page 43 - Sonoma County Gazette - August 2018

Russian River Pride Guerneville- August 25th & 26th
Did somebody say there’s gonna be another Pride parade in
Typically, Pride events are held in June, however this year Guerneville will be hosting a Russian River Pride parade and festival on the on the weekend of August 25th-26th. The events will actually begin on Saturday August 19th @ 8pm at the R3 resort, with a march to downtown for a lighting of the bridge ceremony. There will be a special Pride Art Walk on Friday August 24th, a drag show & pink party at the R3 resort on Saturday August 25th, and a list of events, along with the downtown Pride parade on Sunday August 26th. All events/venues are listed on the website at www.russianriverpride.org.
Summer is winding down except of course for Lazy Bear Weekend the first weekend in August and Russian River Pride the last weekend
in August. Traditions are important here in the River. They define us as a community. For over 20 years Lazy Bear Weekend has been held in Guerneville. It is the River’s biggest event of the year, it has the most impact on our economy, and they have donated close to $2 million to worthy causes. All this while having a good time. lazybearweekend.org Kudos to Rodger Jensen
August at the River? Huh? Yes, yes they did!
Sonoma County Pride celebrated it’s 31st year this year, on June 2nd
in downtown Santa Rosa, with the festival after the parade being held in Courthouse Square. Until this year, Sonoma County Pride had been hosted in Guerneville for about the last 9 years. It was originally moved to Guerneville by the non-profit Russian River Sister’s of the Perpetual Indulgence organization. Community volunteers were passed the reins a few years ago, and started a dedicated Sonoma County Pride non-profit organization.
The fireworks at Monte Rio beach were great as usual, and the crowds were much less than in previous years, probably due to the fact the fireworks were held on a Sunday and the actual holiday fell on a Wednesday. I, my dog, and I am sure all our doggies appreciated the reduced big bangs this year. Thanks also to the Bohemian Club for 107 years of great entertainment at the Monte Rio Variety Show.
In a county that has one of the highest rates of same sex marriages in the country, It became apparent that they had to start looking at other optionse. They found that they could host the event in Courthouse Square for a permit fee of about $300, recruit more volunteers from a larger pool, and be more accessible to the entire county, more than doubling attendance with the highest turn out in Sonoma County Pride history.
This year has brought changes to several of my River friends and community leaders. Although change is constant, it isn’t easy on those left behind. I’d like to mention two, although there are others as well who have left our area recently. Korie Shokmalli served for several years with me on Monte Rio Rec & Park board. She has always been easy-going, warm, and friendly. She has moved to Toronto to follow her love and will be missed. Mark Emmett started Guerneville Community Alliance, is the VP of Russian River Alliance, and also served on the Russian River Fire board for many years. He owned that house high up on the hill overlooking Guerneville. Mark has worked tirelessly attending meetings representing our lower Russian River interests. His efforts resulted in change for the better, for our businesses, our residents, and our environment. I appreciate his ethics, his compassion, his inspiration, his sense of humor, and above all else his friendship. Mark has moved to Santa Rosa and it will be hard to find others to fill his shoes. Life is short and as many of us enter our golden years, we appreciate and value the friendships and contributions of others that make our lives better every day. We also find joy in seeing people making life changes that are right for them.
Hey, but what about Guerneville? Guerneville has the largest concentration of LGBTQ year-round residents and visitors within Sonoma County, and has long been considered an LGBTQ resort destination, not only for people from California, but from around the world. Most everyone in this community is very accepting and supportive of LGBTQ folks.
It is also the only town within Sonoma County (or any surrounding county) that has LGBTQ bars, which have been a safe haven for LGBTQ gatherings, as well as for their straight friends and allies¬R3 resort and the Rainbow Cattle Company. It just doesn’t seem right to not have a Pride celebration here. It’s what we live everyday of the year in this community.
In good news for West County, the newly approved Department of Health Services includes a Mobile Support Team that will run along the lower Russian River for the first time ever. This will enable mental health clinicians to come at a moment’s notice to make sure that people in crisis get the help they need. The Mobile Support Team works hand in hand with law enforcement and can facilitate 5150s and transport to our Crisis Stabilization Unit.
No worries, we happen to have a few fabulous party planners that dwell among us in this part of the woods! Meet Rodger Jensen, party planner extraordinaire. For anyone who doesn’t know Rodger, he is the event planner and frequent master of ceremonies for the R3 resort in Guerneville. The R3 resort is one of the main attractions for LGBT visitors to the Russian River area.
The R3 resort is a hotel, full bar, and great restaurant (Betty Spaghetti), that is host to LGBTQ events all summer long, complete with an outdoor tiki bar, grill, and even a disco ball hanging over the pool in the middle of the beautiful forest, all right in the middle of downtown Guerneville. For most town parades, you will find Rodger atop the R3/Woods Resort finale float in some outlandish costume, entertaining the masses in the grand style which we have all come to cherish and look forward to in this community.
On the septic systems front, a community advisory group is looking into community septic systems (versus individual septic systems) for parts of Monte Rio and Villa Grande, variances for parcels that cannot obtain conventional septic systems, as well as continuing to look for sources of funding. The Board of Supervisors will next address our septic issues in October.
Rodger decided to re-create a local Pride event to celebrate the all of the diversity in the Russian River area, which is tailored to be more inclusive of the straight allies of the “LGBTQA” community that live here, adding the
A for allies. He said there will be no judgment; everyone will be a winner, with a street fair that is inclusive of all local businesses. He really wanted to thank all of the local sponsors of the event, one of which is his own Rodger’s Play Haus productions. The full list can be found on the website at www. russianriverpride.org. He asked that you please support the sponsors.
Sukey Rob-Wilder asked me to publicize the Redwood Caregiver
Resource Center. Redwood CRC is part of a statewide system of eleven nonprofit Caregiver Resource Centers (CRCs) offering support and assistance to caregivers of adults with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other brain impairments, as well as to the caregivers of the frail elderly, through education, research, services and advocacy. Redwood CRC offers services at little or no cost to caregivers and families in our area. The Russian River Support Group meets the 1st Tuesdays at the Russian River Senior Center between 1-3pm. For more information contact Maisie Hak, MSW (707)542-0282 or redwoodcrc.org.
On a personal note, I would like to thank all of the many people who have volunteered countless hours over the years, mostly behind the scenes with little to no recognition, to make Pride parades and festivals happen for all of us. Please come out and show your appreciation too. All you have to do is just show up and have some fun with us out at the River!
If you would like to learn more about the Lower River Area Community Alliances, become involved as a volunteer, or if you have some community concerns or solutions you would like to share, you can “like” our Guerneville Community Alliance and/or Russian River Alliance FB pages, or visit our website at www.russianriveralliance.org. You can also contact Mark Emmett at 707-529-0534 (Guerneville), Jeniffer Wertz at 707-483-7038 (Guerneville), or Chuck Ramsey at 707-239-1639 (Monte Rio).
Our Senior Center is offering more classes and activities all the time. There are exercise classes, art classes, legal aid, walking groups, book club, creative writing, golf, computer tutoring, and even an LGBT discussion group. westcountyservices.org
from r3 Hotel for stepping up to keep Pride in the River where it belongs. This year includes a River Float on Saturday, a Parade on Sunday, and parties all weekend long. russianriverpride.org
The next Monte Rio Supper Club is Monday August 6th featuring Saucy Mama’s Soul Food and music by Dark Bright. BYOB and enjoy an evening with friends and neighbors.
Vacation Wonderland, we just keep getting better!
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