MIDDLETOWN
RECIPROCITY: EcoArts Sculpture Walk at Trailside Park, opening reception
The Middletown Art Center (MAC) is thrilled to announce the grand opening reception for RECIPROCITY, EcoArts Sculpture Walk at Trailside Park on Saturday, August 10, from 6 PM to 8 PM. See new work, meet the artists, enjoy poetry, music, community and nature! The event is free to the public. Middletown’s Trailside County Park is located at 21435 Dry Creek Cutoff off Hwy 175.
The EcoArts Sculpture Walk, previously dormant due to the devastating 2015 Valley Fire and subsequent challenges of COVID, is now experiencing a renaissance thanks to the dedication of local artists and community members.
“Up until the Valley Fire burned the park and Sculpture Walk in 2015, we opened 13 outdoor exhibits,” said MAC’s Artistic and Executive DIrector Lisa Kaplan. “While we were able to reopen in 2019 with support from a National Endowment for the Arts Challenge Grant, COVID stymied our momentum. It has been 5 years since we installed new work at the park! We are excited to share new work with the public, as well as how much the park has rebounded since the fire.”
In 2023, the California Art Council launched a program aimed at supporting and amplifying the work of artists and cultural practitioners called the California Creative Corps. The Upstate California Creative Corps or Northern California region, is administered by the Nevada County Arts Council, which partnered with county arts councils across the region including the Lake County Arts Council, to form selection panels and provide support to grantees.
As part of this effort, MAC brought together 19 artists and culture bearers to embark on an art-making journey designed to unite people in nature. The RECIPROCITY project focused on learning about land stewardship and honoring each other’s cultural and personal identities. Over the course of a year, free public art-making workshops were held, offering opportunities to create from natural and discarded materials, learn about fire mitigation, native and non-native species, the role of pollinators, the plight of the Hitch, organism habitats, using plants to make cordage and cultural diversity.
To learn more and donate to support this or other MAC arts and cultural programs visit middletownartcenter.org. For inquiries or further information, please contact the Middletown Art Center at 707-355-4465 or email info@middletownartcenter.org. The MAC is located at 21456 State Hwy 175 in Middletown.
—Submitted
SONOMA COUNTY
Arrest made in connection to Wednesday’s Flora Fire in Geyserville
CAL FIRE Law Enforcement arrested an adult male from Anderson, Calif. in connection to the cause of the 36-acre Flora Fire Wednesday off Chalk Hill Road in northern Sonoma County.
Justin Roy Jones, 44, was booked into the Sonoma County Jail in Santa Rosa at approximately 7:25 p.m. and charged with two felony counts.
The charges were for violations of Penal Code § 452 (c) for unlawfully and recklessly starting a fire to any structure, forestland or property, and Penal Code § 1203.2 for a violating terms of his probation.
The subject was observed driving his truck with no right front tire for over four miles, creating sparks as the truck grinded on the asphalt. This caused three separate fires along Chalk Hill Road, threatening multiple structures and burned 36 acres.
The fire was first reported at 4:39 p.m. near the 12000 block of Chalk Hill Road. The road was closed to traffic between Spurgeon Road and Flora Ranch Road into late Wednesday evening. The wind driven fire quickly grew to 36 acres before firefighters were able to stop its forward progress at 7:15 p.m.
Assisting agencies on the fire include Northern Sonoma County FPD, Sonoma County Fire District, Santa Rosa Fire, Healdsburg Fire, Dry Creek Rancheria Fire, Gold Ridge FPD, South Lake County FPD and California Highway Patrol. Visit fire.ca.gov to stay up-to-date on all fire activity across California and to learn more about preparing for the threat of wildfire, visit ReadyForWildfire.org.
—Submitted
