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| June 3, 2005
SUMMER FESTIVALS: Sausalito hums In summer the parties get bigger and better BY MATTHEW STAFFORD Sausalito has been a city of rambunctious pleasures since the rancho days of the 1840s, when founding patron William Richardson would throw grand fiestas at his hacienda beside the little cove across the bay from San Francisco. La dolce vita really took flight a couple of decades later after streets were laid out along the waterfront, hotels and saloons were established and the North Pacific Coast Railway built its southernmost terminal near the ferry landing. Yachting, bathing, picnicking and simpler pastimes like opium-smoking and rum-running were the order of the day. Especially popular was the Portuguese Pentecost Festival, when cattle festooned in bells and flowers were driven overland all the way from Bolinas to be sold at auction in Sausalito. Equally convivial were the annual Independence Day celebrations, which one year saw three waterfront hotels burning to the ground as a sort of grand finale. Today the city’s Fourth of July parade, while not quite as dynamic as the wing-dings of yore, is nevertheless a rakish delight. Among the bands and dignitaries of any standard processional you’re likely to spot a platoon of pith-helmeted carbinieri in close (if disorderly) formation, a posse of regulars from Smitty’s Bar & Grill and the occasional bearded ballerina complete with tutu. The parade goes down Bridgeway and Caledonia all the way to Dunphy Park, where a good old-fashioned July Fourth blowout takes place. Live music, food and drink, games, raffles and all manner of family frolic culminate with fireworks off Spinnaker Point, popularly observed from Gabrielson Park. The park also hosts Jazz & Blues by the Bay, a weekly showcase of marvelous live music. These free concerts take place every Friday evening through August and feature headliners like Wendy DeWitt, Max Perkoff, Natasha Miller and Eugene Huggins swinging, bopping and bluesifying against the incomparable backdrop of city, bay and Angel Island. Bring a picnic, lawn chair and blanket; food and drink are available for purchase. Also in Gabrielson Park (July 24 and 31): Arias in the Afternoon, two hours of free operatics from the professionals of SFO. Drop by early and work on your suntan. Live and lively music is all well and good, but what would summertime be without juicy peaches, corn on the cob and bramble-fresh blackberries? All the makings for a marvelous midsummer meal are available for purchase and consumption at the Sausalito Farmers Market, open every Friday through the season. Farm-fresh organic produce, artisan noshes and baked goods are offered up in a tasty example of community spirit every week. And if you’re too overcome with solstice languor to fire up the Weber, just mosey on over to Smitty’s for their annual lip-smacking Pig Feed on June 18: excellent barbecue with a full bar to boot. Another summertime staple, chili, is the raison d’etre of the Sausalito Chili Cook-Off, taking place September 11. Dunphy Park is turned into a fragrant bastion of Southwestern succulence as teams of skilled kettlemeisters compete for prizes and boasting rights. Previous concoctions have encompassed everything from turkey and cilantro to (gasp) beef and pinto beans, so prepare your taste buds for an invigorating experience. Chili’s best buddy, beer, is available as well in several microbrewed varieties. North of downtown is Marinship, where 15 Liberty ships, 16 fleet oilers and 62 tankers were constructed during World War II. Now artists’ studios and office space share the old shipyards with the Bay Model, a 2-acre hydraulic model of San Francisco Bay and the delta operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. (You can watch the model in action the last Saturday of each month and tour what’s left of the shipyards with Marinship vet John Pullin on alternate Saturdays.) Every Saturday from July 9-August 6 the model hosts its own Summer Music Series featuring boogie-friendly rhythms from a wide array of artists. The Bay Model is also the local HQ for Coastal Cleanup Day, which is celebrating its 21st birthday this year. Spend the morning of September 17 removing trash and debris from the coastline or inland waterway of your choice and help save the planet, a bit at a time. An excellent confluence of food, music and fine art is the Sausalito Art Festival, the West Coast’s number-one art extravaganza as well as a durable reminder of the town’s bohemian past. Sixty thousand connoisseurs from all over converge at the old shipyards north of downtown over Labor Day weekend to enjoy the top-drawer live music, gourmet grub, fine wines and over 20,000 original paintings, sculptures, photographs and textiles by 270 artists. Gorgeous bay vistas are an equally aesthetic aspect of this popular event, now in its 53rd year. It’s a fine excuse to eat, drink and make merry in the grand old Sausalito tradition. SUMMER FESTIVALS BY CITY Corte Madera |
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Jazz & Blues by the Bay, Fridays from 6:30-8pm through August in Gabrielson Park, by the ferry terminal. Free. Info: 415/289-4152. Pig Feed, Saturday, June 18. Smitty’s Bar & Grill, 214 Caledonia St. Info: 415/332-2637. Independence Day festivities, Monday, July 4. Parade through town begins at 10am. Picnic and live music begin at noon in Dunphy Park, corner of Bridgeway and Napa streets. Fireworks pre-show begins at 6:30pm in Gabrielson Park, by the ferry terminal. Free; donations accepted. Info: 415/289-4152. Summer Music Series, Saturdays, July 9-August 6 from 4-6pm at the Bay Model, 2100 Bridgeway. Free. Info: 415/332-1851. Arias in the Afternoon, Sundays, July 24 and 31. 2pm in Gabrielson Park, by the ferry terminal. Free. Info: 415/289-4152. Sausalito Art Festival, Saturday, September 3 and Sunday, September 4 from 9am-6pm and Monday, September 5 from 9am-5pm in Marinship Park, Marinship Way. $5-$20 admission. Info: 415/331-3757. Sausalito Chili Cook-Off, Sunday, September 11. 11:30am in Dunphy Park, corner of Bridgeway and Napa streets. Info: 415/289-4152. Coastal Cleanup Day, Saturday, September 17 along local coastlines and inland waterways. Free. Volunteer registration: 415/332-3871. |
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