Petaluma
Shifting Ground
Northern California artist Karen Olsen-Dunn takes a familiar landscape and rearranges the view in Terrain Shift, her solo exhibition at Petaluma’s G Street Gallery. Drawing inspiration from Sonoma County, The Sea Ranch and the Northern California coast, Olsen-Dunn begins with recognizable bluffs, cypress groves, pathways, fences and vegetation, then rebuilds them through saturated color, geometric interruptions, repeated lines and layered perspectives. Working across painting, printmaking, pigment transfer and shaped birch panels, the artist considers landscape less as scenery than something continually altered by erosion, climate, memory and perception. Olsen-Dunn, whose work appeared in the de Young Open 2023, will be on hand for the exhibition reception. 4–7pm, Saturday, Sept. 26, at G Street Gallery at the Watershed Building, 429 First St., Petaluma. Gallery hours 9am–5pm, Monday–Friday; weekend visits by appointment. karenolsendunn.com.
Sebastopol
Core Values
Gold Ridge Organic Farms celebrates Sonoma County’s apple heritage—and a new chapter for local growers—at its Fifth Annual Heirloom Apple Festival. The 88-acre organic olive orchard and heirloom apple farm recently expanded its mission with the Heritage Apple Press, a new 20,000-square-foot Santa Rosa processing facility designed to give regional organic apple growers and cider producers some much-needed local capacity. Managing director Merrilee Olson, a chef and artisan food producer, calls supporting small farms through “right size” processing a longtime passion. Festivalgoers can taste the fruits of that labor with heirloom apples, olive oil, cheese-and-apple pairings, wood-fired pizza, apple crumble and cider slushies, accompanied by live music, trolley rides and—because every proper farm party needs them—goats. Saturday, Sept. 19, at Gold Ridge Organic Farms, 3387 Canfield Rd., Sebastopol. 707.823.3110. GoldridgeOrganicFarms.com.
Larkspur
Hit the Road, Ray
The genius of Ray Charles gets an all-star Bay Area salute when The Ray Charles Project takes over the Lark Theater. The sextet digs into highlights from Charles’ formidable songbook with a lineup led by 11-time Grammy-winning Santana vocalist Tony Lindsay and blues guitarist Chris Cain. Behind them is a rhythm section with serious road mileage: drummer Kevin Hayes has played with the Robert Cray Band, John Lee Hooker and B.B. King; bassist Myron Dove is a Santana veteran; and keyboardist Eamonn Flynn’s credits include Michael Franti and Spearhead, Elvin Bishop, Coco Montoya and Maria Muldaur. It’s less imitation than celebration—seasoned jazz, blues and soul players keeping the spirit of Brother Ray swinging. 7:30pm, Saturday, Sept. 19, at Lark Theater, 549 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. $60 GA; $75 VIP. larktheater.net.
Sausalito
Golden Counsel
Marin County Women Lawyers marks a half-century of breaking barriers with its 50th Anniversary Golden Dinner Celebration. Founded in 1976, the organization has spent five decades advancing women in Marin’s legal profession through mentorship, education, advocacy and support for women seeking judicial and public office. The anniversary gala honors MCWL founder Lois A. Prentice, Esq., whose leadership helped launch an organization that would become an enduring force for equality within the county’s legal community. Members of the bench and bar, past presidents and community leaders will gather at the Spinnaker Restaurant to toast 50 years of progress—and the women who made their case for it. 6–10pm, Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Spinnaker Restaurant, Sausalito. Tickets and sponsorship information at mcwlawyers.org.
