THE BUZZ

THE BUZZ: Wild animal found in tree, publicist wears tutu for a good cause, and more.|

Rare South American coati found loose in Petaluma: It looks like a raccoon, or a small bear with an ant-eater obsession, and its name is easily confused that that of a certain small town slightly to our North. It’s a coati, and under normal circumstances it lives in South America, Texas, and portions of Southern California. So what one was doing hanging about in Petaluma last Thursday, September 14, no one can guess. Most likely, it had been in the care of someone who owned it illegally, and it someone escaped. Or maybe he did walk all the way from the South. Regardless, there he was, happily up a tree, requiring Animal Control services to climb much higher off the ground than they usually prefer to. The gorgeous little guy has since been delivered to Wildlife Rescue, who will, as they are trained to do, figure out what the best thing to do with him is. Several other highly attractive snaps were posted on the Petaluma Animal Services Facebook page.

Local publicist raises money for breast cancer, joins dancers on field at Sacramento River Cats game: Petaluma’s Shelley Klaner can’t quite believe she did it, but on Aug. 31, she donned a bright neon tutu, joined a bunch of other women - all members of the Kaia FIT club in Citrus Heights (Klaner was representing the Petaluma Kaia FIT club) - and danced like crazy out on the field at a Sacramento River Cats baseball game.

“The song we danced to was ‘Mi Mi Mi’ by Serebro,” she reports. “Then we did ‘burpees’ on the field in honor of our upcoming Burpees for Boobs fundraiser.”

Burpees, she explains, are a high-energy fitness exercise in which practitioners drop, do a push up, then jump up and clap.

“I have video of me doing burpees at the River Cats game,” she says.

The breast cancer fundraiser, taking place on Oct. 7, is sponsored by the full Kaia FIT operation, headquartered in Carson City, Nevada. The company operates a number of women’s fitness and nutrition studios all over, including one in Petaluma, where Klaner has been taking dance lessons. Participants will do burpees for 31 minutes, marking America’s 3.1 million breast cancer survivors. The Petaluma studio hopes to raise at least $1000 with the event, money that will go to The Breast Cancer Charities Feeling Beautiful Again Project. Klaner is currently seeking sponsors willing to pledge a donation in support of her training for the 31-minute burpee-thon. To donate, visit donate.thebreastcancercharities.org/fundraiser/1077512. Once the Burpees for Boobs event is over, Klaner has no plans to start relaxing.

“I’ve been asked to dance with the group again on November 17,” she says. “At half time for the Sacramento Kings basketball team.”

MAN OF LA MANCHA SOLD OUT FOR REST OF RUN: Selling out a show is pretty much an impossible dream for most theaters these days, even relatively small ones like Petaluma’s Cinnabar Theater. But that’s what they’ve done with their current production of the musical “Man of La Mancha.” After an opening weekend of stellar word-of-mouth and strong praise from North Bay critics, Cinnabar started selling seats faster than the actors-dressed-as-prisoners consume a pile of stale bread in the opening moments of the show. All remaining shows are sold out, though a waiting list will be made for those willing to take a chance that a seat might open up at the last minute. Till then, you might want to get a head start on the next Cinnabar show, and snag your tickets now for the comedy-drama “Quartet,” opening on October 13. Heads up: the production boasts a cast of Cinnabar all-stars (Liz Jahren, Michael Fontaine, Laura Jorgensen, and regular Argus-Courier contributor Clark Miller). Cinnabar.org.

PETALUMA THEATER FOLKS NOMINATED FOR MARQUEE THEATER AWARDS: Cinnabar Theater has been announced as a nominee in two categories in the second annual Marquee Theater Journalists Awards competition, formed by a small alliance of Sonoma County theater critics. Actor Chad Yarish was nominated for his impressive supporting role in Cinnabar’s production of “The Odd Couple,” and graphic designer Victoria Von Thal was nominated for her gorgeous poster design for the recent opera production “Pagliacci.” Another Petaluma nominee is actor-comedian-director Larry Williams, named for his participation as director in Spreckels Theater Company’s Outstanding Production of a Musical, for the ornate historical epic “1776.” The winners will be announced in a total of 14 categories, on Monday, Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m., during a casual announcement party at Confluence Tap Room and Lounge in Santa Rosa.

CALLING ALL MONSTERS: It’s casting time for this year’s Blind Scream Haunted House attraction, so if you like scaring people, or know someone who does, here’s the perfect opportunity. Every Halloween, for 19 days (Oct. 6-31), hundreds of part-time monsters, vampires, ghosts, killer clowns, cannibalistic hillbillies (and other hardy improv actors, young and old) are recruited to help scare the denizens of Sonoma County. The insanely popular Rohnert Park attraction, held at Rohnert Park’s SOMO Village, draws thousands of patrons to its three separate “haunts.” They range from a demented clown alley, a Chainsaw Massacre-themed “swamp shack,” and more. According to Michelle Marquez, an event assistant with the Windsor-based JGW Events, which produces the annual haunt, a large number of high school students from all over the county participate each year.

“Though we have actors of all ages,” she says. “We feed our actors every night, provide costumes, and do their makeup.” All actors are volunteers, and are asked to commit to at least four nights during the run of the attraction. “There are a variety of roles available,” she says, “and as someone who has acted in the haunts the last two years, I can testify that it is a LOT of fun. It’s much different from acting on stage in a play. You really need to be on your toes, and be ready to be spontaneous.”

Interested actors should call (707) 837-1928 or visit Blindscream.com to see the dates of the event.

KPCA HITS THE STREETS: Technically, it’s the sidewalk, the one right in front of Copperfield’s Book Store on Kentucky. The local radio station (103.3 FM) has been hosting live “pop up” radio broadcasts from the space in front of the storefront window currently decorated to celebrate KPCA’s rapid growth over the last several months. During the live outdoor broadcasts, passersby have been interviewed, music has been played and discussed, and all kinds of Petaluma-inspired conversation has ensued. There will be one more “pop up” on Sunday, Sept. 24, from 4-6 p.m.

DEAD AGAIN CALLS IT QUITS: Sad news was announced early Saturday morning, as the Facebook page for the Petaluma-based Grateful Dead cover/tribute band Dead Again suddenly contained the following posting. “Hello everyone. One final post before we take this page down, just to let you all know that Dead Again is no longer a band. We had fun while it lasted, and hope you did too. Faring thee well now - Dead Again.”

Well, it was indeed fun while it lasted, and that sure wasn’t long enough. Just last month, the ensemble packed the house at The Big Easy on a Thursday night, and folks were even seen dancing to the music out in Putnam Plaza. Thanks to all the members of the band for giving us a good reason to dance.

PASTOR ERIC DALE NEWLY INSTALLED AT METHODIST CHURCH: The Petaluma United Methodist Church has announced that Rev. Eric Dale, formerly of Seattle, Washington, is their new pastor. He is a graduate of Berkeley’s Pacific School of Religion, and the Jesuit School of Theology, and is the author of the book, “Bringing Heaven Down to Earth.”

“Having grown up in San Francisco, and having lived in Mendocino County previously, it’s great to be back in Northern California,” Dale says.

Rev. Dale’s wife, the Rev. Monique-?Cheri Pierre, is currently the pastor at Forestville United Methodist Church. Dale says he’s eager to meet his new community at Sunday services at 10:30 a.m.

RIVERFRONT GALLERY TURNS TEN YEARS OLD: Earlier this month, co-owners Jerrie Morago and Lance Kuehne celebrated the tenth anniversary of the opening of Riverfront Art Gallery. The party at the gallery included dozens of artists who’ve shown their work there over the last decade, inspiring Morago to write, in the gallery’s September newsletter, “Lance and I built this gallery, but without all the amazing artists that have joined us in the last ten years, we would never have been so successful.” It’s probably a chicken-and-egg thing, of course, since so many artists have pointed out its Kuehne and Morago’s support of and belief in local artists that lead them to want to show their work there in the first place.

(Have a BUZZ item to suggest? Write David at david.templeton@arguscourier.com)

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