The Buzz

<p>A fishing trip with Assemblymember Jared Huffman was one of the auction items at the Friends of the Petaluma River fund-raising event Saturday.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>The top bidder paid $1,000 for a chance to go fishing on the Petaluma River with Huffman and David Yearsley, executive director of Friends of the Petaluma River. The fund-raiser, the first of its kind for the nonprofit group, drew 120 guests and volunteers to Sid and Gigi Hendricks’ Rockin’ H Ranch on Lakeville Highway, next to the Petaluma River. Another auction item also went for $1,000: lunch for six with former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt. Gephardt has retired to Sonoma County and was the guest of one of the event’s corporate sponsors. Auctioneer Arnie Cohen suggested to Gephardt that he offer himself as an auction item while they were driving to the event, and Gephardt agreed. “The focus of the fund-raiser was the River Heritage Center,” said Yearsley, referring to the former livery stable that is located at Steamer Landing Park on McNear Peninsula. Co-chairs of the event were Elizabeth Howland, Elizabeth Mori and Babs Kavanagh. See a photo gallery of the event at www.petaluma360.com.</p><p>——</p><p>Playing the Mystic: For any musician who grew up in Petaluma or lives here, the ultimate thrill is to play at the Mystic Theatre — on the same stage where the likes of Van Morrison, J.J. Cale, Tower of Power, Jefferson Starship and hundreds of other top recording artists have performed. On Aug. 5, that dream came true for several of them. It was the West Coast Songwriters North Bay Competition Playoffs, hosted by Petaluma resident and singer-songwriter Jan White. Eight winners of the monthly competitions were competing for “Song of the Year.” Local finalists included Larry Potts, Giovanni Mandala and Jimmy James Page. Finalists Sam Misner and Stacy Keith both grew up in Petaluma, but no longer live here. The winner was Mark Keller, a Sausalito resident, who will advance to the finals at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley on Aug. 31. “They were all so thrilled to play the Mystic,” said White, “and so was I.” She sang two of her songs to open the show.</p><p>——</p><p>Treasure hunting: The Great Petaluma Treasure Hunt isn’t until Saturday, Aug. 22, but the folks at Cinnabar Theater, along with a few select friends and family members, participated in a trial run of the hunt on Aug. 1 to see what it was like. The verdict? “It was the most fun thing I’ve ever done in the streets of Petaluma,” said Elly Lichenstein, executive director of Cinnabar Theater. “We were howling with laughter, running around and having just a great time.” The Great Petaluma Treasure Hunt is an “Amazing Race” style hunt where teams work together to solve puzzles, break codes and race around trying to beat other teams to the finish. The hunt begins at 1 p.m. in Theatre Square, with signups beginning at noon. Cost is $15 per person or $50 per team. Those who don’t have a team, will be placed in a team with other individual players. The hunt is appropriate for ages 12 and up. For tickets and information, call 763-8920 or visit www.cinnabartheater.org. </p><p>——</p><p>Celebrity servers take a break: For the last three years, one of the hallmarks of the Petaluma Educational Foundation’s annual fund-raising Bash has been its “celebrity servers.” Wearing red bow ties, local community leaders have volunteered to wait on tables. “Our celebrity servers have helped make the Bash an incredible success,” said Janet Ramatici, executive director of PEF. “But by popular request, we are not having celebrity servers this year.” Last year, some 600 people turned out for the Brick House Bash at the old silk mill at Jefferson and Lakeville streets, and the event raised more than $300,000 for PEF. This year, the Bash is moving to South McDowell Landing, located at 1800-2000 S. McDowell Blvd., next to Shollenberger Park. It will be held on Sept. 12. This year, one of the three corporate sponsors is Moonalice, a seven-piece rock band. The $150-per-person price includes a sit-down, three-course dinner, drinks and dancing to Moonalice. The semi-formal social extravaganza will include live and silent auctions, an exclusive cocktail lounge and pre-dinner refreshments. Contact PEF at 778-4632 or visit www.pefinfo.com for details.</p><p>——</p><p>Got an item for The Buzz? E-mail it to argus@arguscourier.com. Put “The Buzz” in the subject line.</p>