Benicia Magazine June 2019

Heather Hadley

17 year old Vallejo native goes for Legend Cars Semi-Pro Division World Championship

Musical Duo

Highly acclaimed local drummer Jeff Campitelli shares a love of music with daughter Gabby $

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June 2019 Features World-class drummer Jeff Campitelli shares a love of music with daughter Gabby Auto-racing veteran Heather Hadley a champ at age 17

Cover: Gabby and Jeff Campitelli, John Klycinski photographer Above: Gabby and Jeff Campitelli, Heather Hadley, Susan Johnson and Bob Nelson

6 • Benicia Magazine

Scene

Food and Drink

Culture

Help Benicia Main Street win national competition

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20

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Benicia Historical Museum expands permanent exhibit offerings 12

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Gardening

Using unique containers to enhance garden spaces

Cocktail culture and social media contribute to craft whiskey's meteoric rise

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In Every Issue

8

Music

24

Calendar

26

Trends

Real Estate

Will statewide rent control help or hurt housing affordability?

16

From the Editor

City Budget

Priority-based budgeting helps Benicia achieve goals

A bumper crop of food and entertainment for Benicia Farmers Market

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A visit to Bercy's MusĂŠe des Arts Forains inspires reminiscing about games past and present

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Art

Art galleries sponsor Benicia Art Passport; patrons can win $200

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Summertime lures Benicia Plein Air Gallery painters outdoors

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 7

FROM THE EDITOR

June 2019

Photo by Karla Bittner

Trying to come up with a pithy opening sentence, I’m smiling, drawing a blank. It’s a bittersweet smile that waxes nostalgic. Instead of telling you what’s in the mag this month (but I’d like to, because there are some really informative, interesting and fun stories in this issue), this is my swan song, and there are other things to report.

While the magazine will continue, with every expectation of lasting long after this one prints, I will no longer be a part of it. This issue’s completion heralds a much-anticipated permanent holiday: a retirement spent with family and more time with Mike, (who by the way, makes a wickedly good Manhattan; see the story on page 17), travel, cooking and gardening, crafting and swimming and hiking and reading and doing absolutely nothing, and, learning a lot from my 4-year old grandsons.

This is my 164th and final issue. What began in 2005 with a goal of unifying a divided town and coalescing around Benicia’s many wonderful assets has rewarded me in many deeply meaningful ways. To see the impact Benicia Magazine has made in appreciating our history, arts and culture, waterfront, shopping and dining and much more, trumpeted monthly for almost fifteen years in these pages, is the best possible conclusion for me as a publisher.

Scott and Christina Strawbridge, who have been involved in the community for many years, have stepped up to purchase the magazine, and are taking over as the new publishers. They have brought in Mary Hand, a longtime Benicia resident, as editor. Many of our current team members will stay on to help ensure a smooth transition, for both the print and online publications. Keep following us on social media as well!

An enormous debt of gratitude goes to Mike Steinmann, the love of my life—my mentor, my anchor and biggest cheerleader—who makes all things possible. And although I am deeply appreciative of those who have worked with me over time, I could not have done it without two remarkable women: Margaret Bowles and Rise Goebel. Their talent and commitment has helped to make Benicia Magazine the professional publication it is today. Many thanks also to our wonderful and dedicated advertisers (where would we be without you?); and to Beth, Yarrow, Kat and Jesse; to Kris Caplin, Lisa Duncan, Jenny Davis, Lori Lehman, our gifted writers, and of course all of you, dear readers! I'll see you out and about in our beautiful town. À bientôt, Jeanne Steinmann

Tweet, post or send your suggestions & ideas to: Editor@beniciamagazine.com I Beniciamagazine.com Facebook.com/beniciamagazine

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 9

Scene City Budget

City Looks at New Approaches to Benicia’s Budget

Benicia City Hall, Lisa Duncan Photography Tomoka Red St. Johns Two years ago, when Benicia city staff was crafting the 2017-19 budget, they were shorthanded. Important projections weren’t available until May—late for a budget that would be adopted by the city council within a few weeks.

Plus, its revenue shortfall had to be covered by dipping into reserves. City Manager Lorie Tinfow didn’t want that to happen this year. So last year, she introduced a new approach—PriorityBased Budgeting (PBB), described as a tool to help Benicia achieve its objectives and strengthen a “fragile” budget. Several public meetings explained the concept and welcomed public participation.

“We just finished setting up the PriorityBased Budgeting structure in early 2019, so we haven’t been able to optimize using it for this budget cycle,” Tinfow said. “However, Priority-Based Budgeting is being used in several ways.” This approach clarifies how staff time and funding help achieve the six results established by the city based on citizens’ comments. Those are: to protect community health and safety, maintain and enhance a high quality of life, preserve and enhance infrastructure, strengthen economic and fiscal conditions, protect and enhance the environment and have a high-performing government.

10 • Benicia Magazine

City staff can talk about expenditures by department and at the program level, she said. The latter is an easier “translation” of the budget that communicates its big numbers in ways that make better sense, she said. “For example, it’s challenging to understand the Fire Department’s total budget of $8.8 million and easier to see what we spend on Fire Department programs, such as emergency preparedness, weed abatement, etc.

In addition, the city has been developing an online portal so the public can see how much funding goes toward each program, such as pothole repair, in a particular fiscal year. Once again, the city’s pre-budget preparatory projections indicated revenue would fall shy of anticipated spending levels — $1.8 million in fiscal year 2019-20 and another $1.5 million in fiscal year 202021. Tinfow and other city employees knew they had their work cut out for them.

“Since then, we have been working to bridge the shortfall so we can bring forward a balanced budget,” the city manager said.

Benicia Industrial Park is one of the city’s most significant economic drivers, and two businesses there have experienced troubles. In March, Valero Benicia Refinery enacted a controlled shut down after a release of emissions containing coke carbon particles that prompted a brief health advisory.

Late in December 2018, the Federal Bureau of Investigation shut down DC Solar and its related companies, which this year declared bankruptcy after an FBI agent said its owners were involved in a Ponzi-type defrauding scheme.

Fortunately for the city, Tinfow said, “We are not anticipating any negative impacts from activities in the Industrial Park.” Still, Benicia needs to increase its revenues and find ways to deliver its services more efficiently, she said. “I would agree that ‘fragile’ is a good descriptor of the city’s finances,” she said.

The 2019-21 budget may not reflect many changes, “because there hasn’t been time to develop them fully yet,” she said. “I would say that we have a good handle on the problems and are actively working on figuring out the solutions.”

A tool that will help them look even farther ahead is the recently updated general fund five-year financial forecast that extends into 2024. Tinfow called it a dynamic tool to create “a sustainable financial vision” based on multiple “reasonable outcomes.”

The forecast sets the groundwork for the new budget, she said.

Tinfow had some good news about the new budget. “We are not expecting to rely on reserves or other one-time funds to balance the 2019-21 budget,” she said.

“Our goal is always to have a balanced budget by June 30, and we expect to achieve it this year as well.”

Scene Real Estate

Housing Shortage, Rent Control and Potential State Legislation

Eric P. Hoglund Lately, the news has been all about housing affordability and the need for more housing throughout the state. What you may not be aware of is legislation being proposed in Sacramento that pertains to housing density and also state-imposed rent control. In my opinion, the proposed bill will not solve current housing issues, and will likely make things worse, as it has in other states.

In the wake of recent fires throughout the state, stopgap measures were put in place to prevent predatory landlord practices. Now Statewide Rent Control is being proposed. This will make it harder for landlords to perform necessary tenant evictions; and will make it less likely for landlords to upgrade, or even perform necessary maintenance to existing properties. My fear is that, in the long run, rent control will make California less affordable, not more affordable, as has been the case in other cities where rent control is in affect, with San Francisco and New York City being prime examples.

In March of this year, legislation is also in the works to increase housing density near transportation hubs. The proposed SB50 is something to pay attention to, as it would impact suburban

neighborhoods across the state. For example, if passed, developers could build multi-unit housing in areas that are currently zoned for single-family homes.

New zoning could vary substantially as transit service levels fluctuate, and may

“These decisions should be made locally, however, not at the state level.”

affect noise levels, parking, traffic, and property values. Any rapid increase in population in some cities could cause significant issues with city services such as police, fire and infrastructure like sewer and water.

We need more housing, and we should look at community planning and density.

These decisions should be made locally, however, not at the state level. Let the local communities remain in control, as they know best what is needed for their area. Obviously, we should be looking to build more in California, and where appropriate, build multifamily housing, or even expand single-family construction, to meet each individual community’s needs.

Contact your state legislator and let your opinion to be known regarding SB50 and rent control measures. We live in one of the most beautiful and desirable places in the nation, that just happens to be highly regulated. It is our responsibility to stay informed about what’s happening in local government and on the state level. We all have a part to play, it is important that our voices are heard.

Eric Hoglund is a Broker Associate with Estey Real Estate & Property Management, California BRE Lic.# 01420325, RMP, SRES, GRI

BeniciaMagazine.com • 11

Scene Culture

Breathing New Life into Museum Exhibits Rebecca Gulick Benicia Historical Museum, a popular destination for heritage tourists as well as students from area schools, recently expanded its permanent exhibit offerings and added an all-new display entitled Early California Exploration, Colonization, and Immigration.

“Going back two years, we started to recast some of the permanent exhibits that didn’t include all the material they should, especially in terms of the information students receive,” said Elizabeth d’Huart, the museum’s Executive Director. guidance from California

With Department of Education and local teachers—and through support from the Rotary Club of Benicia Foundation and the Rotary District Grant Fund—the museum’s staff and volunteers have redesigned and expanded existing displays and introduced new ones. These include a large California Goldrush exhibit that features a working model of a Yuba Gold Dredge, and a new display entitled The History of California Through Its Currency, which has become especially popular with student visitors.

d’Huart said numerous enhancements to storyboard designs, with images and backstory details, add engaging context to the artifacts on display. Benicia Historical Museum, with its mission to share the story of Benicia’s place in the history of California, showcases other exhibits such as Early Explorers, Spanish and Mexican California, General Vallejo and the Bear Flag Rebellion, Rancho Suscol and Land Claims, and Westward Ho! In addition to its exhibits, the museum hosts concerts and events such as screenings of A City Named Benicia, a new documentary directed and produced

by Sam Chohan, local resident and historian. In September the museum will open a new exhibit about Robert Semple entitled Birth of Benicia.

Benicia Historical Museum at the Camel Barns is located at 2060 Camel Road in the Historic Arsenal District, and is open Wednesday through Sunday 1-4pm. More information, including a calendar of events, is available online at beniciahistoricalmuseum.org.

Lisa Duncan Photography

Benicia Main Street Quarterfinalist Seeks Votes in Contest Tomoka Red St. Johns Benicia Main Street is a quarterfinalist in Independent We Stand’s “America’s Main Streets” contest, and needs public votes to progress to the top, said Deborah Housman, event manager.

Independent We Stand is a national small business movement, and is offering a $25,000 grand prize to the winner.

Benicia Main Street would use the money as grant-matching funds to make its building, the Southern Pacific Depot at 90 First St., accessible to the disabled.

This would provide access to nearly 1,000 square feet of underused space for historic displays and an art gallery, Housman said.

President of the Benicia Main Street Board of Directors, Mike Caplin, said, “I was delighted to be informed this morning by Nancy Martinez, our executive director, that BMS has again reached the quarterfinals in the national America’s Main Streets Contest. We ask all of you to please continue to vote daily for Benicia Main Street to recognize the wonderful work that the organization does for our community.”

12 • Benicia Magazine

The voting began April 29 at MainStreetContest.com, and continues through May 26. Voters can cast ballots online at mainstreetcontest.com/profile/33.

Benicia Main Street is one of 232 Main Street organizations originally entered in the contest, and faces 24 rivals in this phase. It is the sole remaining California representative.

The top 10 semifinalists will be announced May 27, and the winner will be announced June 3. The winner will announce how the prize will be spent during a “Main Streets Make Us Better” celebration July 4.

Other contest prizes are $1,000 worth of outdoor power equipment from STIHL, founding sponsor of Independent We Stand and presenting sponsor of the America’s Main Streets contest; $500 shopping sprees at Do It Best Corp.; Nationwide Marketing Group and PPG Paints; a free one-day Downtown Assessment from “Flip This Town;” public relations and social media recognition and a winner’s plaque.

Lisa Duncan Photography

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 13

Scene Container Gardening

Go Nuts Creating Unique Container Gardens

Staff writer One of the easiest ways to enhance an outdoor space is using containers for seasonal planting. There are many clever and creative vessels that can be repurposed, turning small spaces into a calm respite or an oasis of color.

It’s not too late to start a container garden with herbs, flowering shrubs or vines, small trees or seasonal flowers.

14 • Benicia Magazine

The fun part is hunting for unique items in which to show off your lovely plantings.

There are endless sources of ideas: Pinterest, of course, or in the attic, basement, garage, flea markets, grocery stores, free piles—just about anywhere.

Look no further than landscapes here in Benicia—many offer inspiration with plants growing in repurposed items

such as vintage furniture, old bathtubs, bicycles, wooden pallets, teacups, urns, watering cans, old shoes—anything goes as long as it has an appealing charm, a level of elegance or a touch of whimsy.

Wheelbarrows, old or new, can offer a spectacular display, with the opportunity to give the arrangement height as well as plants that spill over the edge.

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Plan, protect, prune correctly and preserve trees and shrubs to maintain value.

The beauty of container gardening is that it’s a fun and easy project (no need for shoveling into hard ground). Ace Hardware and local plant nurseries stock potting soil and organic fertilizers. Just make sure you have the right environment for the plant in terms of sun, shade and the right amount of water for for plants to thrive. As mid-summer approaches, deadhead flowers and pinch back scraggly branches.

Any area can be updated with the addition of a potted plant.

Add charm and cheer with just one variety or several plants to make a grouping. For the most successful arrangements, vary the heights of vessels. Groupings are attractive with a limited color scheme or a riot of brightly hued flowers. Go all green with ferns and non-flowering shrubs or stick with classic white—the sky’s the limit. Plants in containers play well with their in-ground cousins, too.

Aside from yard enhancement, the real point of planting in containers is that it’s fun and creative, limited only to one’s imagination. Plants can be easily updated with changing seasons, providing an opportunity to be outside and communing, no matter how small, with nature.

Trees and shrubs have many functions and benefits: Evergreens: privacy & protection from winter winds Flowering: beautify & enhance Fruit: spring flowers & autumn harvest Others: shade, wind deflection, windbreak & sound barrier For more info visit: www.ci.benicia.ca.us Parks & Community Services

www.beniciatrees.org BeniciaMagazine.com • 15

Scene Food and Drink

Benicia’s Farmers Market PROVIDES SUMMER BOUNTY Tomoka Red St. Johns When Benicia Main Street’s Certified Farmers Market opened in April, shoppers discovered the “first fruits” from Bay Area produce growers. By summer, California’s full bounty is available, and the choices can be impressive.

“It’s a bumper crop—absolutely!” said Nancy Martinez, Main Street’s executive director. “You’re always going to have the strawberries,” she said. But alongside those plump red berries are two types of blueberries. Summer also means that blackberries, which were barely ripening earlier this year, also are available in quantity. “They will be coming, and we’re really excited about that,” Martinez said.

If those aren’t enough, summer is the time of stone fruit, such as peaches, plums cherries, apricots and nectarines.

These can be the perfect summer snack or dessert, especially for those who want to shed a few pounds to look swimsuit sleek. A cup of most stone fruit has fewer than 70 calories, and berries have an even lower calorie count. Both are packed with essential vitamins, minerals and fiber as well as good flavors.

But that’s not all that’s awaiting farmers market shoppers. “You get the full variety of summer veggies,” Martinez said. Strolling among the Main Street vendors, a shopper can pick up lettuce, 16 • Benicia Magazine

tomatoes and carrots for a fresh salad as well as olive oil and flavored vinegars for dressings (also check out Sepay Groves olive oil in the row of shops in the Treasury Commons building on the east side of the farmers market).

For those who want to shop local, the market brings in cheeses from Petaluma, eggs from Pescadero and honey from Benicia’s own Gourmet Temptations and Knightsen’s Rose Lane Farms. Rose Lane Farms also is selling fresh-cut flowers, Martinez said.

Other produce comes in from Watsonville, Fowler and Hughson.

One of the newest vendors is Jewel Date Company, selling date paste, gift packages and, of course, organic dates.

Although this is its first year at the Benicia Farmers Market, the company began in 1995 to market dried fruit. Two years later, it bought Covalda Date Company, founded in 1935. Jewel still uses the same processing secrets used by Covalda.

Spreads, dips, chutney, jams, jellies, preserves, vegetable snacks, baked goods and breads also are available.

Anyone who wants to dine while they shop can find plenty of options, too.

Choices from area food trucks range from crepes to corn dogs, tacos to island-style loco moco, and a full array of sliders, wings, roasted corn, fried veggies,

chicken tenders and lumpia, and for dessert, funnel cakes and doughnuts.

More than just a chance to buy fresh produce and just-made foods, the farmers market also is a weekly family-friendly entertainment event. Live performers have been lined up for each week, Martinez said. In addition, Salina Wirbick and her “Jump, Jump and Away” business has brought in its jumping house, which she sets up on the First Street Green. This newest jumping house is decorated with unicorns, “so the kids love that,” Martinez said.

Henna by Cori is back, she said, giving both youth and adults the opportunity to be decorated in intricate temporary designs using this ancient, plant-based stain.

Youngsters who want more colorful artwork can visit one of the farmers market’s face painters.

The Benicia Farmers Market is in its 27th season and is open on First Street between B and D streets from 4-8pm, Thursdays through the end of August, and will be open 4-7pm in September and October. Shoppers can find lists of specific vendors as well as entertainers on Benicia Main Street’s website, beniciamainstreet.org/benicia-farmersmarket-2019/.

American Craft Whiskey’s Meteoric Rise and the

Perfect Manhattan Mike Steinmann Over the past decade, the surge of craft distilleries has catapulted American whiskey to cult status. Demand for American craft spirits has grown to over $3.7 billion dollars and about 600,000 cases exported alone, according to the American Craft Spirits Association. The ASCA defines craft spirts as distilled spirits (including vodka, gin and others) produced in the US by licensed producers that have no more than 750,000 proof gallons removed by bond.

This month on May 18, we celebrate the 7th annual World Whiskey Day. Founded in 2012 by Blair Bowman, a whiskey industry consultant and author, and now owned

by Edinburgh’s White Light Media, World Whisky Day champions all things whiskey, encouraging thousands of events around the globe to celebrate the compelling libation. On its website, Bowman says, “World Whisky Day is all about making whisky fun and enjoyable. It’s not about being exclusive or prescriptive. You can drink it however you enjoy it (ice, water,

mixer—whatever works for you). We want to be all inclusive and that means any kind of whisky—whisky from anywhere in the world.”

Why the skyrocketing of American whiskey? Some credit TV shows like Mad Men, along with social media, industry trends and today’s mixology culture.

Others liken it to the rise of craft beer brewing. According to the ACSA 2018 Annual Craft Spirits Data Project, the number of active craft distillers in the US grew by 15.5% over the past year to 1,835.

California has the largest number of craft distillers at 156.

Today’s cocktail culture inspires the intrigue surrounding whiskey, prompting global conversations about master distillers, barrel aging, flavor profiles, types, price points and more. Whiskey is an ideal cocktail base spirit. Its spicy, round, robust yet balanced flavors are enhanced and mellowed by the addition of traditional herbal mixes such as vermouth and Amaro, while comfortably supporting some sweetness and bittering.

My favorite whiskey cocktail is the Manhattan, which plays off the spiciness of rye whiskey with the herbaceousness of sweet vermouth. Top it off with a couple dashes of citrus and cherry bitters, and a bourbon-soaked cherry for an ideal classic libation.

MIKE’S PERFECT MANHATTAN 1 ½ oz Bulleit 95 Rye whiskey 1 ½ oz Carpano Antica Vermouth 2 droppers Bitter Brothers Orange Bitters 1 dash Woodford Reserve spiced cherry bitters 2 Woodford Reserve Bourbon Cherries (Fake maraschino cherries not allowed)

Shake all ingredients except cherries in an iced cocktail shaker.

Serve in your favorite cocktail glass and garnish with the cherries.

BeniciaMagazine.com • 17

Q & A WITH

Jeff and Gabby

Adriene Rockwell Jeff and Gabby Campitelli are a father and daughter duo who share a musical calling. As the long-time drummer for Joe Satriani, Jeff is considered one of the best percussionists in the country. He’s performed in London’s Hyde Park with Aerosmith and toured the Netherlands alongside Iron Maiden, Motörhead and B.B. King. Meanwhile, Gabby has sung with VOENA children’s choir since she was ten, touring the globe to festivals on the Amalfi Coast and performing for the Crown

18 • Benicia Magazine

Prince of Abu Dhabi. But none of this has gone to their heads because the pair are the salt of the earth.

Gabby remembers playing her first Barbie drum kit as a little girl, and watching The Lawrence Welk Show with her dad every Tuesday, but she says her parents never pushed her into music. They let her follow her own path, and it turns out music is in her blood. Here’s what Gabby and Jeff have to say about their musical journey together.

:We are the best dad and daughter GABBY CAMPITELLI GC duo ever! He is my best friend. Not only

BM: Gabby, what is your favorite

VOENA story?

GC: I would have to say it was when we

performed in Dublin, Ireland in a cathedral singing “Prayer of the Children.” It was during our trip to perform at the 2012 London Olympics and we did a lot of small shows and “flash mob” type performances.

There was a stunning sound in this cathedral. The doors were open to the public, and everyone was feeling the magic of the music. It was so powerful.

BM: Where are you going to college?

GC: I will be attending University of the

Pacific (UOP) this upcoming fall to study Music Therapy. It’s such a broad field, but technically it’s about helping people through the power of music. For example, when working with seniors, or kids with autism—music sparks a part of the brain that other stimulants can’t. And for me, it’s a way to do something I love while also helping change someone’s life.

UOP is also the oldest music conservatory west of the Mississippi, so Gabby will be getting a classical music education too. She’s chosen classical guitar as her primary instrument.

BM: What do you plan on doing after

college?

GC: After I graduate, I will have a music

therapy internship. I’ve yet to find out what I’m really good at, but I really enjoy working with kids. Hopefully my music therapy degree will allow me to spread my love of music to children. And it depends on where the jobs are.

BM: What are you doing musically?

GC: I am currently finishing up my last

season in the VOENA choir. I sit in with my dad when he plays at Lucca, and also teach private music lessons. I’ve been teaching vocal music, percussion, ukulele and guitar. I also help my dad teach at Mary Farmar Elementary.

BM

: With Father’s Day coming up, how would you describe your relationship with your dad?

do we get along, but we are able to share our passion for music, which is so rare. I was fortunate enough to think that what my dad does is really cool. We just get each other.

JEFF CAMPITELLI BM: Jeff, where did you grow up?

JC: I was born in Southern California,

but ended up in the Bay Area in 5th grade in Danville.

BM: What groups have you performed

BM

: Any new projects/gigs on the horizon?

JC

: One of my favorite new projects is a band I put together with Jeff Tamelier (guitarist from Tower of Power, Jefferson Starship) that plays down at Lucca every month or so called Camp Jeff.

We rotate the other members and always end up with some of the best players from the Bay Area. You never know who will show up to sit in, and the audience is always having such a blast that we just feed off of the energy.

Another one is playing with Peppino D’Agostino and Stef Burns. We did a show at the Empress Theater not too long ago and it was really a fun night. I’d like to make that happen again.

with?

JC

: Joe Satriani, Eddie Money, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, and Robert Fripp.

BM: In how many countries have you

performed?

JC

: That’s a tough one to count, but around 45 countries on five continents over a 20-year span.

BM

: How did you keep perspective while you were on tour?

JC

: One day I’d be in France performing to 8,000 people and the next in Luxembourg to 1,000 in a small club. But I still had to stand in line at the airport, just like everybody else. You can’t let it get to you, or it can really mess you up. When I focus on making the music the most important thing, it always works out. And when I come home to this sweet little town and to my wife, Christie, who was my high school sweetheart, it keeps it real. And I love teaching music to kids at Mary Farmar and at Studio 851.

BM

: 4. What are your favorite activities outside of music?

JC

: Since so much of my life was spent in hotels, airports and dressing rooms, I love simple things. Camping with the family in our vintage airstream, riding my bicycle with my other Benicia dad buddies. Pretty boring actually!

BM

: How has your style changed, or has it? And why?

JC

: I’m constantly refining how I approach whatever instrument it is I’m playing to be a good player technically, but the absolute most important thing is to forget about all the technique and just make the music feel the best it can.

That’s when the magic happens.

BM: Who are your favorite musicians?

JC: Right now, I am really into acoustic

guitar-based stuff—which I know sounds strange coming from a drummer—but I’ve been listening to a lot of John Prine, Gillian Welsh and David Rawlings, Guy Clark. It’s Folk music that transforms simple lyrics with the deepest meaning.

It’s organic and refreshing.

BM

: With Father’s Day coming up, what’s your wish for Gabby?

JC

: I always tell her, “Don’t go changing.” I want her to be happy, and to be where she’s supposed to be. I wouldn’t wish fame on her, unless that’s what she wanted. She’s always been very caring and aware. She’s followed her heart, and she’s found work that brings her joy. I’m really happy for her.

John Klycinski photographer

BeniciaMagazine.com • 19

17 Year-Old

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Already a

�hamp— and Wants

�ore 20 • Benicia Magazine

“The most important part about getting girls into the sport is helping them realize that we’re at this point in history where girls can be accepted and supported for joining almost any sport they want.”

Tomoka Red St. Johns

Heather Hadley at the racetrack, courtesy photos

Heather Hadley is just 17, but she’s an eight-year auto racing veteran who has earned seven championship trophies and is setting her sights on more accomplishments.

She is a Vallejo native who lives part time there and part time in Larkspur, where she attends Tamiscal High School. The school accommodates her racing schedule. And she’s being mentored on the tracks by Benicia’s own Legends world champion, Phil Joy. The training has paid off. Three of those trophies are in the Legends class. One came this February, when she became the first woman Silver Star Semi-Pro Champion in Las Vegas, earning four wins, four additional podium finishes and the Rookie of the Year title.

She’s referred to as “The Heat.” While it sounds like she earned it for burning speed on the track, the name came from a different source.

“Funny story — my dad gave me the nickname when I played softball

at about 7 or 8 years old,” she said. I originally had the nickname ‘Freight Train,’ but I didn’t like that my dad called me a train. So I asked him to change it.” Damon Handley did just that. “Nine years later, and I still have the same nickname,” Hadley said.

Shortly after getting the name, she traded the softball field for a racetrack, with her father as her first guide. Once behind the wheel, she was hooked.

Under her father’s tutelage, she took her first green flag at nine years old at Driven Raceway, a Fairfield indoor karting track where she racked up 104 victories in 107 races—a 99.98 winning percentage.

Six months later, Hadley began Simraceway’s Jim Russell program at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma County, and began driving kart races in Dixon, Davis, Stockton, Fresno, Reno and other tracks. Often driving two different types of cars in different classes, she frequently went home with two separate trophies.

With Joy giving her further direction, Hadley won two Gold Rush Series, two Race of Champions

Championships and two second place positions for Race of the Championship.

At KPX Karting level, she was first in the championship her first year and second in another.

She’s been marketed by Mazda Motorsports in Racer and SCCA monthly magazines, and spoke at the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Runoffs at Laguna Seca. Of her accolades, she’s proudest of being the first female driver to capture the Silver State Winter Series Championship in Legends Car and winning one championship and finishing second in another during her first season in Legend Cars.

But Hadley isn’t resting on her laurels.

She is taking aim on the Legend Cars Semi-Pro division world championship.

Hadley, the first in her family to race, said she admires such women drivers as former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and Janet Guthrie, the first woman to enter both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.

“The most important part about getting girls into the sport is helping them realize that we’re at this point in history where girls can be accepted and supported for joining almost any sport they want,” she said. “Soon enough, racing will be just like any other, and women will no longer be in a ‘male dominated’ sport.”

Instead, she said, it will just be “a sport.”

Her inspiration, though, is the late Brazilian driver Ayerton Senna da Silva, the Formula One world champion in 1988, 1990 and 1991, who’s considered the best Formula One driver of all time.

He died in the 1994 San Marina Grand Prix.

Why Senna? “Simply because of his incredible talent,” she said. “But also his dedication and drive. He started with not much and worked his way to the top, just like I plan to do.”

BeniciaMagazine.com • 21

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 23

Live Music

June Music

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Jun 01, 1pm – 3:30pm JimBo Trout 6:30pm - 9pm Van Goat

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Jun 06, 6:30pm – 9pm The Foxcatchers w/ Jeff Tamelier & Christopher Cole

Jun 29, 7:30pm

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24 • Benicia Magazine

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 25

Calendar

June 2019 Events

Big Truck Round Up

6/1, 10am-2pm Northgate Christian Fellowship 2201 Lake Herman Road, Benicia Benicia Moms Group invites little ones of all ages and backgrounds to check out trucks big and small in the parking lot along with face painting, bounce houses, temporary tattoos and more, all included in admission. The first hour will be lights & horns free for those with sensory concerns.

The following companies/ organizations will be bringing vehicles this year include Benicia Fire Department, Benicia Fire Museum, Benicia Police Department, CA Highway Patrol, Benicia Public Works, Davey Tree Services and more! Proceeds benefit Benicia Teen Center.

Tickets are $5 online or the day of the event. Food and drink will be available for purchase.

Bigtruckroundup.com/2019event-details

Arts Benicia Presents: Enchanted Realm

6/1-7/7 Thurs-Sun, 12-5pm Reception 6/1, 6-8pm Arts Benicia 991 Tyler Street, Ste 114, Benicia This exhibit and associated public events seek to capture and explore the ways that birds influence our understanding of our place in the world. To understand ourselves and our surroundings, humans think in metaphor and view the world through an imagined lens. As the enchanted realm of birds provides a natural metaphor for the innate desires and aspirations of human existence, so too does it inspire the creation of art. The sheer scale of birds in nature, found in every earthly domain no matter how inhospitable, and their remarkable mechanisms of adaptation to land, air, and sea, contribute to our fascination.

Artsbenicia.org 707.747.0131

26 • Benicia Magazine

Benicia Art Walk

Diablo Regional Concert Band Spring Concert Family Art Day

6/2, 1-3pm, Drop-in Arts Benicia 991 Tyler Street, Ste 114, Benicia Children and their families are invited to explore the creative world of art with hands-on projects that engage and educate. Activities for each session are inspired by the exhibition in the Arts Benicia gallery as well as seasonal themes. These events are free and open to the public. Family Art Days are offered one Sunday per exhibition during most exhibitions throughout the year.

Artsbenicia.org 707.747.0131

Benicia Wine Walk

6/6/15, 1-5pm First Street Downtown Benicia Wine Walk welcomes summer with a wine tasting in Downtown Benicia. Different wines will be poured inside participating downtown shops, providing an enjoyable outing to “sip, walk, and shop” with friends. Tickets are $30 advance for a single ticket and $55 advance for pair of tickets. All tickets are $35 the day of the event. Ticket price includes up to 15 tastes and one complimentary Benicia Main Street wine glass per person.

Participants must be age 21 and over. Check-in starts at 12:30pm at Benicia Main Street, 90 First

Street. Wine glass, map of tasting locations, and wristband will be provided per ticket holder at check-in.

Beniciamainstreet.org 707.747.9791

Certified Farmers' Market

6/6, 13/20 & 27; 4-8pm First & B Streets, Benicia The Benicia Certified Farmers’ Market 27th season is open every Thursday in downtown Benicia and runs through October, offering farm fresh produce and fresh cut flowers along with arts and crafts vendors, specialty foods, baked goods, and numerous gourmet food vendors. Children can enjoy activities like face painting and the inflatable bounce house on the First Street Green.

Beniciamainstreet.org 707.747.9791

Diablo Regional Concert Band Spring Concert

6/7, 7:30pm Benicia Public Library 150 East L Street, Benicia Enjoy the annual spring concert with this Bay Area all-volunteer band. Cora Martens conducting.

Concert is free to the public.

Benicialibrary.org 707.746.4343

6/8, 2-7pm Downtown Benicia The Benicia Second Saturday Art Walk is a community-driven event, featuring resident and and local guest artists at a variety of galleries in downtown Benicia. This event is held the Second Saturday of each month, April through October. The Art Walk is free to the public and family friendly.

Facebook.com/BeniciaArtWalk

Arata Art Gallery Show & Artist Reception

6/8, 2-7pm Arata Art Gallery 637 First Street, Benicia Arata Art Gallery of Benicia will be bringing together two award-winning Solano County artists, painter Judy Neal and photographer Phillip Venable, for a dual exhibition of their art. Although Ms. Neal and Mr. Venable had previously never met nor collaborated with each other, they decided to show their works together because of their strong underlying common theme—the land. The exhibition runs through July 14. The public is invited to the reception honoring both during Benicia Art Walk.

Aratafineartgallery.com 510.432.5167

Summer Shows: Fur, Scales & Tails

6/13, 11am-2pm Benicia City Gym 180 East L Street Tracy the Animal Guy will be showing a variety of animals, such as baby chicks, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, turtles, snakes, ducks, tortoises, lizards, tarantulas, roosters, hermit crabs, frogs, chickens, hairless rats and more! After the last animal is presented, the audience will get additional time to pet some of their favorite animal stars! Only

$2 per child. Please arrive 15 minutes early as a courtesy to the entertainers.

Ci.benicia.ca.us/pcs 707.746.4285

Good Bugs, Bad Bugs, Pesticide Free

6/13, 6-7:30pm Avant Garden Corner of First & D Streets, Benicia As we try to attract beneficial insects to our gardens, we also keep an eye out for those that may harm our plants, but how to manage the garden without damaging the ecosystem? Join Peter Swenson for this presentation on beneficial insects and how to attract them while managing pest insects without pesticides and chemicals.

Bring questions about pest challenges, and Peter will provide organic solutions! This class is sponsored by Republic Services.

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Father’s Day 6/16 Movie Night Unter the Stars: Mary Poppins Returns

6/21, 8pm City Park First Street & Military West, Benicia Bring pillows, blankets and low-back chairs, then sit back and enjoy the entertainment with free admission and free popcorn during the movie. Food and beverages are welcome, so don’t forget to pack a picnic dinner. The movie starts at dusk. This is a family event so, please, no smoking and no pets. Keep Benicia parks beautiful, please help clean up after the movie.

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6/22, 6-11pm Historic Clocktower 1189 Washington Street, Benicia A major fundraiser for the Benicia Chamber of Commerce, this event includes a catered BBQ buffet, no-host bar, live auction, music and fun!

For details, call or email info@beniciachamber.com Beniciachamber.com 707.745.2120

Hamiltunes

6/28, 7pm Benicia Library 150 East L Street, Benicia Benicia Public Library invites the public to a free community sing-along of songs from the hit musical, Hamilton. Costumes are encouraged.

Benicialibrary.org 707.746.4343

2019 San Francisco Pride Festival

6/29-30, All Day Civic Center Plaza 335 McAllister Street, San Francisco Celebrate LGBTQ San Francisco Pride with performances and exhibitors at Civic Center Plaza both days, a giant Pride Parade Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on Market Street (from Beale to 8th), and a VIP Party at City Hall.

SFpride.org/celebration

BeniciaMagazine.com • 27

Art

Passport to the Downtown Art Scene

Benicia Plein Air Gallery, Courtesy photo

Rebecca Gulick June marks the start of Benicia’s annual series of Art Walks, when downtown galleries pair their current exhibits with a variety of special demonstrations, fun activities, live entertainment and small sips.

Now in its eighth year, Benicia Art Walk takes place on the second Saturday in June, July, September, and October. The first one of the year is June 8, 2-7pm. This year the event features a unique new incentive for gallery visitors.

Through a consortium called Galleries of First Street, the 11 art spaces lining Benicia’s main street will give their guests the Benicia Art Passport, which they can have stamped at each location they visit. Passports with all 11 gallery stamps are entered in a drawing, and one lucky art connoisseur will win a gift certificate for $200 that can be spent at one of the galleries. Benicia Art Passport drawings will be held on the Monday after each Art Walk, and for the inaugural June 8 event, Mayor Elizabeth Patterson will draw the winning Passport on June 10 at HQ Gallery.

The Galleries of First Street group comprises Arata Fine Art Gallery, Benicia Plein Air Gallery, Cavallo: A Milinda Perry Gallery, Estey Gallery 216, Gallerie Renee Marie, Gallery 621, Happy Life Pottery and Gallery, HQ Gallery, Lindsay Art Glass, The Little Art Shop, and Once Upon a Canvas.

Summertime Lures Artists and Novices Outdoors to Paint

Mary Lou Correia painting lavender at Morningstar Nursery, Curtesy photo 28 • Benicia Magazine

Tomoka Red St. Johns Summer’s weather and sunny afternoons lure people outdoors.

That goes for Benicia’s plein air artists, too. “A sunny day does encourage a plein air painter to go outside and paint,” said Catherine Fasciato, a member of Benicia Plein Air Gallery, 307 First St. “Painting en plein air is easy once you get accustomed to your equipment, and is much more enjoyable than studio work,” she said.

One of Fasciato’s favorite memories is painting in Jamaica at Randy Sexton’s workshop—and winning a prize at the Carmel Art Festival.

The wind off the scenic Carquinez Strait can be challenging, so Fasciato has tips: “Wearing lots of layers and easels that are good on the wind.” Oil painter Iris Sabre ignores heat, cold, hunger or thirst. But wind can turn her canvas “into a sail.” Still, she loves being a plein air artist. “It is another way of experiencing the outdoors and becoming immersed in the environment. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by the beauty of it all that it seems like the ultimate conceit to try to interpret it with paint on canvas.”

The Bay Area’s famous fog “can be beautiful, and it has its own special challenges for light. In fog, there are no pronounced shadows. In deep fog, you cannot see much of anything.” Although inland sites can be hot, they have golden hills bathed in extremes of light and shadow, said Sabre.

Plein air painters must think ahead, she said. She first paints elements most likely to change and sticks to her original arrangement. “Nothing holds still … the shadows move with the sun,” she said. “I’m considered a fast painter—I usually complete a work

“It’s a great way for visitors and art lovers to get to know all the art that Benicia offers,” said Vicki Dennis, a local artist and chairperson for the group. “The galleries are very excited. There is a special energy about the first Art Walk.” With the Benicia Art Passport initiative, “our hope is that visitors spend some time with each gallery and get to know the artists.”

Benicia Art Walk is sponsored by the City of Benicia through its Visit Benicia program, which provides maps and banners and coordinates the licensing so galleries can serve small sips. The event is co-sponsored by Downtown Benicia Alliance. “Art has really found a home on First Street,” said Teri Davena, Economic Development Specialist with the City of Benicia.

“When Benicia Plein Air Gallery artist Pat Ryll approached the City with the idea for an Art Walk eight years ago,” Davena said, “it was because the City of Benicia promotes Visit Benicia tourism through the City's Office of Economic Development. It was a perfect match for our tourism efforts.” She noted that the number of downtown galleries has almost doubled in just three years. “It has become something that other galleries want to be a part of.”

More info on Benicia Art Walk is available on the web at visitbenicia.org/events and on Facebook at facebook.com/ BeniciaArtWalk.

outdoors in about three hours.” While she recommends classes and workshops, Sabre said, “The only way to get proficient at plein air painting is to do it a lot.”

Mary Lou Correia sometimes sees wildlife on her plein air adventures. During a class at Matthew Turner Cove, she said, “I was blessed by bald eagles feeding among the shore birds as I painted.” Early one morning in Mendocino, she watched resting bobcats. At Yellowstone, she saw bison, and at Yosemite, a mother bear and her cubs. She couldn’t resist photographing them.

Sometimes painters themselves are photographed. Fasciato chats with spectators, lets them photograph her, then gives them her card, “so that they can send me the photo.”

Some interruptions are distracting, a few said, but it’s also fun to talk with admirers.

Judith Kunzle said summer’s bright light not only affects artists, it can make their paper or canvas blinding white. Some painters use sun umbrellas, but Kunzle turns to nature. “It’s best to find a spot in the shade while looking out into the wonderful contrasts of bright sunlight and deep, colorful shadows,” she said. Kunzle’s a watercolorist, and summer’s warmth helps her paint quickly. “I can work spontaneously without having to wait too long for the washes and paper to dry.” Painting outdoors, in country settings or those with urban or industrial scenery, is exciting because of the challenges, she said. “And, yes, it does motivate to keep cracking and to work fast.”

Artists look at colors and the quality of light and shadow.

“We intuitively choose colors to represent what we see—or we intentionally play with color for an interesting composition or to express what we feel,” said Kunzle, adding that “Plein air painting isn’t something you do once and take off, but if you persevere, it will always be fascinating.”

“It’s never the same, even if you paint in the same spot several times,” she said. Every day has different light and colors. When you start painting and drawing outside, you really start seeing things!

There is no better way to spend a beautiful day than setting up your easel and paint.”

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Trends

The Games We Play Christina Strawbridge The Notre Dame Cathedral bell towers thankfully can still be seen in the distance from the Bercy district in eastern Paris, where wine from the South of France arrived by rail in Paris 100 years ago.

The Cour Saint-Emilion (named after the French wine) and its 42 storehouses are registered on the French Historic Monuments list, and are all that remain of the Bercy storage areas where, for over a century, the largest wine market in the world existed. The architecture combines stone with steel and wood with glass, and has been repurposed as a village for shopping and dining along the railroad line. The tracks still exist!

Near the village is the Musée des Arts Forains (The Fairground Art Museum) dedicated to fairground artifacts, carnival games, theatre, music-hall objects and other curiosities. Only the privileged participated in these “Games of Thrones” with their intricate woodcarvings, colorful images and technical wizardry of the time. There are several carousels housed in the mammoth rooms where wine once was stored including an 1860s carousel (the oldest in the world), which is human powered. It is fitted with bikes that are manned by adults, who power the turning of the carousel by pedaling at a dizzying speed. It wouldn’t be a carnival without some midway games, including a game of skeet-ball with racing horses.

Monopoly was my family’s board game of choice. Amassing fortune and property with a roll of the dice was a great escape for our family with five kids.

My goal, besides driving my brothers into bankruptcy, was to own Park Place and Boardwalk. Those properties were the most expensive (more rent from houses and hotels) and sounded fashionably exotic. The game has kept up with inflation and market values. The board looks the same but the locations have been updated. Players now receive $2 million instead of $200 for passing GO; and railroads have been replaced by airports while Internet and cell phone providers are the new utilities.

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My beloved Park Place at $400 and Boardwalk at $350 is now Fenway Park at $3.5 million and Times Square at $4 million. Monopoly was derived from The Landlord’s Game, demonstrating that an economy that rewards wealth creation works better than market domination by a single entity.

There were other games in the house that occupied us children (and my parents) including weekly Bridge parties my Mom would host, and my Great Aunt Mary’s obsession with the card game Euchre. She had a card shuffler that was more fun to play with than the game.

A new generation of games has evolved with technology. Pong, one of the earliest video games, was released in 1972, helping to establish the success of the video game industry. In the 80s, video arcades in malls and entertainment centers became part of the pop culture. Names like Atari, Nintendo and PlayStation are synonymous with the ever-changing video gaming business.

Pokémon Go is a mobile game for iOS and Android devices. The purpose is to capture, battle and train virtual Pokémon creatures in real world locations using GPS. So when you see groups of people congregated on a corner of First Street, they are competing with 147 million monthly users chasing over 460 species of Pokémon. By the end of 2018, the game had grossed over $3 billion in revenue worldwide. The game has been a boom to some town economies, a social opportunity and in some cases, a traffic nuisance.

There are games of chance, love, sports, amusement, knowledge and skill.

Some games we play by ourselves, with a partner, as a team or as a fan. Some games withstand time while others never make the finish line. The wins and losses of games I played during my lifetime are some of my best memories. You probably won’t see me with the Pokémon Go crowd, but I am ready to pass GO and collect the $2 million.

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