Benicia Magazine May 2020

Three Generations of Dance and Theatre They Can't Cancel Mother's Day

***** ECR WSS ***** POSTAL CUSTOMER Please deliver 4/30

3.50

ECRWSS PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND OR PERMIT NO. 2160

Volume 15 Issue 7 May 2020

$

B FC

BENICIA FLOOR COMPANY 707-745-9024

M-F 10 to 5; Sat. 10 to 3 or by appointment 84 Solano Square in Safeway Shopping Center, Benicia

beniciafloorcompany.com

Large Showroom with Excellent Selection On-Time Installations Competitive Pricing Professional and Reliable

Hardwood I Laminate I Carpet I Tile 2 • Benicia Magazine

CSL #891342

Voted #1 Flooring Company in Solano County

TREATING YOUR SKIN TO A PARTY

Visit the new Christina S online store www.christinasbenicia.com/shop Celebrating women with Inspirational socks, French scarves, fashionable masks and designs you need now.

Fashion Destination ChristinaSBenicia.com • Facebook.com • Open Every Day 370 First Street, Downtown Benicia • 707.745.5125

BeniciaMagazine.com • 3

Benici

Benicia

Benici

Celebrating our 15th Year

B

Magazine Beniciamagazine.com

Benicia Editor-in-Chief

Mary Hand magazine

Benici

Benici

Art Director Margaret Bowles

Benicia Contributors

Susan Crawford Larnie Fox magazine Genevieve Hand Jeannine Mendoza Adriene Rockwell Christina Strawbridge Scott Strawbridge Maura Sullivan

Edgar Ventura

Administrative Assistant Solofo Evans

This is Curb Appeal A fresh coat of quality paint. There’s no better way to show off your home. Come see us to get started.

Website Specialist & Editorial Assistant Genevieve Hand

Photography Lisa Duncan

Social Media Specialist Bitsy Hall

Advertising Sales 707.980.1563 or 707.751.0100

Paint your home’s exterior with ben® exterior paint. ©2019 Benjamin Moore & Co. ben, Benjamin Moore, Gennex, and the triangle “M” symbol are registered trademarks licensed to Benjamin Moore & Co. All other marks are the property of their respective owner. 10/19

Adsales@beniciamagazine.com Advertising deadlines New ads: the 5th of the month prior to the issue month Ad changes: 6 weeks prior to the issue month

Contact Us

707.980.1563, Beniciamagazine.com editor@beniciamagazine.com

PUBLISHER

Scott and Christina Strawbridge

Pedrotti Ace Hardware 830 Southampton Road Benicia, CA 94510

707.745.NUTS (6887) acebenicia.com

4 • Benicia Magazine

Benicia Magazine is published monthly by Polygon Publishing, LLC. Copyright © 2019, all rights reserved.

Contents of Benicia Magazine cannot be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed in Benicia Magazine editorial or advertisements are those of the authors and advertisers, and may not reflect the opinion of Benicia Magazine’s management or publisher. Benicia Magazine, Downtown Benicia, CA 94510. 707.751.0100, Beniciamagazine.com.

Be

www.benicia.com Brenda Turner-Adams

#growtogether Your Local Provider of Premium Potting Soil and Organic Soil Amendments

Your Partner in Real Estate

Premium Soil Blends • Organic Soil Amendments Compost Tea • Coco Coir • Microbial Inoculants Worm Castings • Bulk Soil

Mention this ad for a

10%

discount!

707.738.9671

Experience Excellence

brenda@benicia.com 1015 First Streeet Benicia, CA 94510 BRE01039726

BENICIA PLUMBING INC.

Family Owned and Run 4271 Park Road, Benicia, CA 94510 www.harmony-organics.com • (707) 747-5051

This is a great month to plant.

PLUMBIN

.1

96

32

.

INC

E

ST

IA

G

BEN IC

“PEOPLE TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE...”

975

CSL

32

Repair or Replace • Water - Gas - Sewer Garbage Disposal • Water Heaters • Drain Line Clearing/Cleaning • Backflow Certification Testing Video Camera • Slab Leaks

Residential & Commercial Service 24/7

(800) 746-2930 www.BeniciaPlumbing.com

Best Of 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2103, 2014 & 2015

any purchase of $60 or more With this coupon • Expires 5/31/20

CELEBRATING OVER 63 YEARS IN BUSINESS!

MID CIT Y

NURSERY

Plant spring vegetables, herbs & flowers now!

Flowers, plants, trees, garden tools, decorative pots, garden accessories, low-water use plants, indoor plants & Master Nursery Products 3635 Highway 29, American Canyon

707.642.4167

midcitynursery.com BeniciaMagazine.com • 5

May 2020 Features Mother's Day 16 Farnsworth Women The show must go on

22

Health & Fitness

Workout from home – Online fitness class list Ergonomics while working from home

Food & Drink

Online happy hour

People

People & Places Community

It takes a village Memorial Day Benicia -since 1840

Philanthropy

Human services and arts organization-coping

Culture

Performing Arts May Day 6 • Benicia Magazine

Patty and Tom Gavin 10 11

12

26 30

In Every Issue Letter from the editor Open for Business

Trends 14 21

18 19

Groundhog Day Cover photo: Farnsworth dancers by Lisa Duncan

8 24

28

Voted “Best of” 15 Years in a Row

JEANNIE HAMANN

JEFF SCHLOSSER

513 1st Street, Benicia

& PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Giving A Hand Up to local cancer patients along their journey of Fighting Cancer

•

(707) 747-9300

Dine In Carry Out Delivery Online Ordering

ESTEY Since 1946

Banquet Rooms Available events, meetings & parties

Real Estate Sales & Professional Property Management

707-745-0924

216 First Street, Benicia esteyrealestate.com

Sales | Buying Investing Management Celebrating our 72nd year of Business

ILY SPECIAL! FAM

24.99

$

plus tax

A two-topping large pizza with 6 twists & 2 liter soda can not be combined with other offers, exp. 5/31/20

Round Table Pizza

878 Southampton Road, Benicia CaBRE # 00674738

707.746.7000 • roundtablepizza.com BeniciaMagazine.com • 7

FROM THE EDITOR May 2020

Rising to the Challenge Happy May my fellow Benicians!

I know, I know, you’re tired of looking at the same walls while doing the same thing day in and day out. But Benicians are a tough and resilient group that have risen to the occasion of making social distancing into a creative challenge.

Within the pages of this issue you will see just how well we respond to a crisis. We look at the incredible work of Bodil and Larnie Fox, who spearheaded the drive to make masks for our frontline health professionals and health support workers. Our human resource organizations are providing meals, groceries and support services for those less fortunate. Benicia citizens are donating and volunteering to help support these important organizations.

May is also a month in which we celebrate women, most notably, mothers. In one article we look at three generations of dancers, grandmother, mother and daughter, owners of Farnsworth Dance Academy. They have a compelling story of hard work, optimism and energy. Like many arts organizations, they have canceled or postponed performances and have created online classes for their students. Other performing arts organizations like VOENA Children’s Choir, Solano Community College Chorus, and Vallejo Choral Society are creating community online and are working on plans to deal with the serious financial shortfall that is inevitable with canceled programming.

Our small businesses, retail and restaurants, have pivoted to become online businesses, creating new websites, dreaming up enticements to encourage online shopping. And our restaurants are all over it. They are offering special menus, discounts and gourmet prix fixe dinners, all delivery or sidewalk pickup. My husband and I are trying to support our restaurants by ordering

@beniciamagazine

a meal from each and every restaurant. Which brings me to exercise. That’s right. We will have to leave our houses eventually, so we better get it together.

Fortunately, our gyms and workout studios have come up with a solution, you guessed it, online workouts. We have a list of all the gyms that are offering classes.

We are very fortunate to live in a town with so much community spirit. The citizens of Benicia, our city government, all the organizations who have stepped up to this challenge, you are to be commended.

Benicia Magazine depends solely on advertising revenue to publish the magazine every month. Our response to this crisis is to publish the May magazine in digital format. By doing this we are able to give our advertisers a significant break on advertising cost while allowing us to continue publishing. We are printing a thousand physical copies which will be available at Raley’s, Ace Hardware and Safeway. We hope to be back to full print and distribution very soon.

Take care everyone.

Stay safe. Be healthy.

Facebook.com/beniciamagazine

Mary

beniciamagazine

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

Beniciamagazine.com 8 • Benicia Magazine

All in-stock fireplaces, inserts and stoves

10% off

Clearance stoves

Family Owned & Operated Since 1972

up to

The 2019 Honda Accord The Most Impressive Honda Ever!

25% off

Celebrating 40 years!

800 Admiral Callaghan Lane, Vallejo, CA 94591 Exit Redwood Parkway 888-619-0063 • www.AveryGreeneHonda.com

Alonzo

AND

Calcomfort.com

707.745.5933 • 4680 E 2nd Street, Suite C, Benicia

Small

Insurance Agency

We are independent agents and brokers taking care of families and businesses since 1981 We work with five A+ rated companies to meet your insurance needs including your home, auto, rentals, watercraft, your business & more

1440 Military W. #202, Benicia Lic. #FB0518834

707.746.0590 • alonzosmall.com

...IT’S A FACT!

Residential & Commercial

CARPET • UPHOLSTERY • TILE & GROUT CLEANING

$

95 Special up to 350 sq ft

Excludes stairs, not valid with any other offers or coupons

spotlesscarpetcleaning.net 800 First Street, Ste. A, Benicia • 707-746-8656

Caring, Compassionate Service Serving the Benicia/Vallejo area for over 76 years Only on-site crematory in the area Funerals, Celebrations of Life, VA Burials

Free in-home consultation

John “Sherm” Passalacqua

Passalacqua Funeral Chapel

901 West Second St., Benicia • 707-745-3130 www.passalacquafuneralchapel.com Greg Silva

Twin Chapels Mortuary

1100 Tennessee St., Vallejo • 707-552-6696 www.twinchapelsmortuary.com Voted Best Funeral Home In Solano County 9 Years In A Row

Personal Style Consultant Locally owned & operated

707.447.2494

budgetblinds.com

Plantation Shutters from $21.99/Sq. Ft. Installed!

We have the styles you love!

CA Contractors Lic. #911005

BeniciaMagazine.com • 9

People and Places Community

It Takes a Village

Clockwise from top left: Bodil Fox sewing medical masks, Kaiser Permanente Vallejo nurses, Doctor at Alta Bates Berkeley, Nurses at Piner’s Nursing Home, Napa, Kaiser Permanente Vallejo nurses, Nurses at Alta Bates Berkeley

By Larnie Fox Benicians Bodil and Larnie Fox had assumed that they would be spending their shelter-in-place time working in their studios. Both of them are artists and also veterans of nonprofit organizations. Their plans quickly changed on a morning walk on March 20 when they ran into their neighbor, Marcella Spurgeon, a labor and delivery nurse at Kaiser Vallejo. A simple “how’s it going?” from Bodil elicited an emotional story about the lack of Personal Protective Equipment, especially medical masks, and the fear and uncertainty that the nurses there were experiencing. Bodil wondered if a hand-sewn mask would help, and Marcella responded with an enthusiastic “YES!” The next day Bodil began sewing masks, and found that her friend Ruby 10 • Benicia Magazine

Wallis was also sewing them and had designed one that could be sewn quickly, and worn over an N95 mask to extend its life. Bodil and Larnie made a video showing how to make a “Ruby” style mask, and posted it on YouTube. They sent out a group email asking for help making masks and identifying needs in the healthcare community. A call for help was placed on social media. The response was overwhelming, so Larnie volunteered to help coordinate the many people who wanted to sew or donate fabric and Benicia nurses desperate for any sort of protection, in an effort to free Bodil’s time for mask sewing.

That didn’t last long. Within a couple days it was obvious that coordinating the project would be a more than full-time job for

both of them, 10 or 11 hours every day of the week.

Fast forward to mid April. At this point the project has provided over 3,000 masks to 28 different healthcare facilities, including hospitals all over the Bay Area, nursing homes, veterans homes, and other medical facilities. The group is focusing only on front line nurses and other healthcare workers.

As Bodil says, “It takes a village — and that village is Benicia!” At this writing, over 50 people are sewing masks at home, with other volunteers cutting fabric, organizing, making delivery runs, doing free sewing machine repairs, and donating fabric and elastic. Neighbor Darrell Lee and people from the Benicia Makerspace led by Aaron Newcomb are using 3-D printers to make “ear guards“ that fit around the back of the head and pull the elastic away from the raw ears of our heroic healthcare workers. Bodil and Larnie’s porch has become the distribution center, with social distancing practiced, frequent spritzings with rubbing alcohol, and quarantining of materials coming and going. Most importantly, nurses and health care professionals, in addition to their life-saving work, are distributing hundreds of artistic, reusable, hand-sewn masks to their coworkers.

The nurses and their colleagues send cards and notes of gratitude like this one from Gina Mac of Kaiser Vacaville: “Thank you to the Benicia sewing group for the generous donation of beautiful masks. Your masks will help us stay safe and keep our patients safe. We are grateful for your hard work. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” The nurses also send pictures of themselves wearing masks which are shared with the mask makers, much to their delight — especially when they see a nurse wearing a mask that they have made.

Everyone involved knows that these masks are far from ideal, but they are much better than the nothing that many of our nurses, EMTs, and other professionals have been given.

Bodil and Larnie are looking forward to going out of business and back to their studios, just as soon as our heroic healthcare professionals get the PPE they need and deserve.

Memorial Day 2020 THE HISTORY OF MEMORIAL DAY

Two years after the Civil War ended, the first national celebration of Memorial Day took place on May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery. Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic issued General Order Number 11 designating May 30 as a memorial day “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land.” The national observance of Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, still takes place at Arlington National Cemetery, with the placing of a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the decoration of each grave with a small American flag. It became an official federal holiday in 1971.

MEMORIAL DAY IN BENICIA

Benicia has a robust military history, dating from 1849 to 1964. The first Memorial Day celebrations in Benicia were very small and quiet and most likely began around 1868. Through time, the tradition slowly faded away from public consciousness.

30 years ago, Benicia favorite son, Harry Wassmann, the founder of the Benicia Historical Society, restored the tradition of the Memorial Day ceremony.

The first couple of years attracted a few dignitaries, but as time went on, it grew to the point where the ceremony became an hourlong event with more than 400 people in attendance at the Benicia Military Cemetery.

BENICIA CEMETERY

The cemetery is known by a number of names, among them the Benicia Military Cemetery, the Benicia Army Cemetery, and the Benicia Post Cemetery. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Benicia Arsenal-Benicia Barracks Historic District. It is the oldest U.S. military post cemetery in the Pacific States. The cemetery burials date from 1849 through 1958.

This cemetery is the final resting place for 211 people; soldiers, civilians (including some women and children), and prisoners-of-war (Italian and German), as well as three dogs. Originally the graves were marked with wooden plaques but over the years became weather-worn to the point that the names could no longer be read. When renovations were done and marble headstones erected in place of the wooden ones, many then had to be marked as Unknown.

Unfortunately, this year there will be no Memorial Day ceremony, another casualty of COVID-19. Let us still remember all of the servicemen and women who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Let us hear the lone bugle ring out the solemn notes of taps, and let us be thankful.

BeniciaMagazine.com • 11

People and Places Philanthropy

Non-profit Superheroes in the time of the Pandemic

By Adriene Rockwell The word “philanthropy” comes from ancient Greek and means “love of humanity.” An entire sector of thriving organizations are built around this vital concept. It is a great mystery how these Zeus-like entities came to be called “nonprofit” organizations, because the label focuses on what these organizations don’t do, rather than what they actually do – which is to dramatically change the world for the better.

Without hubris or glory, these superheroes improve the quality of our lives, save our planet, educate our children, inspire spiritual meaning, cure disease, engage us in art, rescue animals, and among other herculean feats, feed us when we are hungry. They are not myths. These are fierce, strong organizations that lift civilizations. They are smart, nimble and strategic, with powerful leaders that get things done – even in the face of a global pandemic.

12 • Benicia Magazine

The spirit of service and giving goes back to the beginning of humanity, but in the U.S. it became more prominent during the Civil War, when many new charities sprung up. With the industrial age came a surge of big companies dealing in automobiles, rail, steel and oil. And with that came big philanthropists like Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller. During WWI, organizations like the Red Cross grew, and in 1917 legislation was enacted to give Americans tax write-offs for their charitable donations. Philanthropy continued to evolve and grow in response to the second world war, the civil rights movement, environmental concerns and so much more.

In this moment of global crisis, cause-driven organizations are on the front lines across the country, and in Benicia, pivoting and adapting to meet the growing needs of our communities.

Most are working twice as smart, with half the resources. Here

pandemic. But they can’t manage an onslaught of volunteers now, due to the health risks. “We’ll just keep on keeping on,” says Viola. “Like we always do.”

Arts and culture organizations are hit hard in times of crisis, as funders often divert funds to emergency services. And due to the recent wave of mandated event cancellations, there are even deeper earned revenue losses.

With the social distancing mandates, Arts Benicia’s city-wide programs came to a screeching halt in mid-March, including children’s arts programs and the annual Artists’ Open Studios events, a popular tradition and major source of livelihood for hundreds of local artists.

“We have been extremely financially challenged,” says Celeste Smeland, Executive Director. “We immediately had to cut our budget dramatically, which meant cutting staff time by 50%. And I had to let go of our Youth Art Coordinator.”

Like many non-profit leaders, Smeland is still working with her board and volunteers full-time, but is only taking half of her regular salary.

“We are focused on managing and revising what we have with our small staff,” says Smeland. “Luckily, we have 30 years of archives we can pull from for virtual exhibitions. And we’re excited about offering more artist-led classes online.” The best way to support Arts Benicia, she adds, is to renew your membership, make an online donation or take a virtual class.

Performing arts organizations such as Benicia Old Town Theater Group and VOENA children’s choir have had to postpone their major performances until the fall, but the show must go on. VOENA has created a series of virtual choir pieces and recorded solos that are going viral on social media. Music education programs will continue via Zoom and pre-recorded workshops for K-5 students as part of the VOENA in the Schools programs. The best way to support the ensemble now is to make a donation via their webpage towards the scholarship fund, a need that will be greater than ever as we emerge from this pandemic.

“More than ever with school closures music is especially important to bridge that emotional connection kids so desperately need right now,” says VOENA’s founder Annabelle Marie.

As our community comes away from this pandemic, we can’t wait to see you celebrating at your favorite restaurants again and gathering with your friends and families in our beautiful parks. And when you’re ready, we hope you’ll consider giving your time or resources to your favorite cause-driven charities, because one thing we know for sure is that our economic and cultural vitality depends on them.

They are our local heroes.

are just a few of the Benicia non-profits that are showing their resilience. (See a more comprehensive list of local nonprofits below.)

The long-standing Community Action Council (CAC) is still delivering hundreds of hot meals to local seniors. As an essential human services agency, CAC serves as the county administrator for the Chronicle’s Season of Sharing, a relief fund for families in crisis. In light of Covid-19, the number of families in need are multiplying while the staff is shrinking. “This is not an agency that can do its work remotely,” says Viola Robertson, CAC Executive Director. “At the same time, most of our volunteers are in their 70s, and they need to stay home and be safe.” Viola and her operations manager Roberta Cooper are now running things on their own, with the help of volunteer cooks. They are looking to hire one additional staff person, and say they could use donations of paper towels, toilet paper and cereal during the

HUMAN SERVICES Soroptimist International of Benicia, Heather McLaughlin, cakebakingwoman@gmail.com Society of St. Vincent De Paul – St. Dominic’s Chapter, 475 East I, 707.746.1773 Family Resource Center, 150 East K St., 707.746.4352 Community Action Council, 480 Military East, Michele Hughes, at 707.745.0900 Benicia Education Foundation, Neeley Silberman, 866.325.6395

THE ARTS Arts Benicia, 991 Tyler St. #114, 707.747.0131 Benicia Ballet Theatre, 938 Tyler Street - Studio 204, 707.746.6757 Benicia Historical Society, 150 E L St, 707.290.4377 Benicia Historical Museum at the Camel Barns, 2060 Camel Rd, 707.745.5435 Benicia Library Foundation, 150 East L St Benicia Old Town Theatre Group, 140 W J St., 707.746.1269 VOENA, 260 Semple Crossing, 707.751.1515

BeniciaMagazine.com • 13

People and Places Culture

FOR CHORAL GROUPS,

Community is Core

By Rebecca Gulick A chorus is all about gatherings—people in very close proximity, breathing together and joining their voices in song. Gatherings are how the art form is produced and experienced.

So in March an eerie quiet fell upon local choruses as the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 began wreaking havoc on life as we know it.

With tight restrictions on gatherings, choral groups such as VOENA Children’s Choir, Solano Community College Chorus, and Vallejo Choral Society faced the painful decision to cancel rehearsals, concerts, and entire seasons.

But there’s something else that defines a choir—community—and that has not been silenced. Choral groups are finding innovative ways to keep their communities intact and their musical bonds strong, thanks to their determined and resourceful directors and stewards.

The Pandemic’s Toll on Performing Arts Organizations This spring VOENA would have debuted “Voices of Love,” a concert about all aspects of love—relationships, friendships, self-love, hardships, and loss, according to Annabelle Marie, VOENA Founder and Director. “The kids were so excited for this concert! Now with this social distancing, our theme of love has taken on new meaning.”

VOENA singers are missing the ensemble, that irreplaceable in-person musical experience of singing together. “Music is especially important to bridge that emotional connection they so desperately need right now,” Marie explained. “They are lonely and isolated and missing each other. This worries me, as for many of these kids, VOENA is the highlight of their week and their sanctuary. We have a special connectedness with these kids that they have with each other. For some, it’s becoming a huge void that is leading to depression.”

Canceling rehearsals and concerts is not only heartbreaking for the singers and disappointing for audiences, it takes a financial toll on performing arts

14 • Benicia Magazine

organizations, which already operate on narrow margins. No doubt, the loss of concert revenue and membership will be financially devastating for many.

“We are very nervous right now and trying to have a hopeful attitude that it all will work out,” Annabelle Marie said. In addition to the support for VOENA’s operations and scholarships, funding for its workshops in Benicia schools is also jeopardized.

Sharing similar concerns, a first order of business for the Vallejo Choral Society board of directors’ March meeting was to ensure its two staff would be paid in full through

the remainder of this season. “We felt that was especially important, knowing as musicians their other gigs had dried up,” said Board President Laura Pyles. She added that the organization is looking at various scenarios for returning next season to work within as-yet-unknown budget constraints.

“We are working on a program for December performances that we can adjust in scale, if need be. Putting on artistic productions is always a challenge, so we are game to do what it takes.”

Taking Choir Online As weeks in quarantine turn to months, choral groups are becoming increasingly tech-savvy. Many are making use of online tools such as the popular Zoom video-conferencing app, even though the technology is cursed with an inherent lag issue that precludes singing together in real time.

“You really can’t have that choral experience,” said Michael Reilly, Artistic Director of Solano Community College Chorus and other Bay Area ensembles, “but what we can do is provide a balm for social isolation.” One of Reilly’s guiding principles when leading his online gatherings is acknowledging that everyone is experiencing real grief, the loss of our normal lives.

“So we come together on Zoom, and it’s kind of a free-forall. I don’t want to mute anybody, so it’s kind of messy, but people are able to talk. And then we go into breakout groups of 4 to 5 people. Sometimes I give a prompt, such as ‘share one thing you’re doing every day to help you stay sane.’ Then we come together at the end, and I’ve just been picking simple songs for us to sing. For that I have to mute everybody due to the lag, but people are still making music together, and they have enjoyed that. It’s not perfect, but I do think keeping that sense of community going is really important.”

“Sheltering in place has slowed us down, but it has not stopped us,” Pyles said of Vallejo Choral Society. “We have about 75% of our members joining Zoom sessions each week. The first week, we mastered the app’s mute function

to sing along with our Artistic Director, Derek Tam, as he led us through familiar folk and spiritual songs. Since then we've explored compositional insights on Vaughan Williams’ cantata Dona nobis pacem (which would have been the centerpiece of our season-finale concerts), covered some vocal technique, and are now venturing to learn another piece from our May repertoire with plans to record and mix. Perhaps the best part of our weekly gathering is getting to see everyone. I know I break out in a smile seeing dear friends altogether, even if on my laptop screen looking like a big Brady Bunch.”

As for VOENA, Marie turned to making videos that sequence the learning she had already planned. “I make videos every week to have available on our members’ website for the kids to practice with to maintain their forward momentum in preparing their music. This is including sectionals whereby I make separate videos for each part as if I was with them— altos, sopranos, melody, tenors.”

In the meantime, to give her singers an avenue for performance, she has assembled “virtual choir” pieces on YouTube. Singers record and submit a video of themselves singing their part with an accompaniment track, and then the individual videos are synchronized and combined into one single piece to create the virtual choir performance.

“The kids feel good that we are working so hard to keep them in the loop of their VOENA experience as best we can.”

To help sustain the connection, VOENA sends out newsletters with announcements and information about new videos for rehearsal, sight-singing, and drumming lessons. The resounding message is, “VOENA is still here and ongoing for all of you and expecting each of you to continue learning your music on your own during this worldwide health mandated circumstance, and we’re looking forward to seeing each other in person soon.”

Taking their programs online and leveraging technology is working to keep these choral communities intact and choristers feeling cared for and uplifted until that day comes when they can gather together again. “Everybody needs support and understanding in this unprecedented moment,” Reilly said. “I think we may have taken for granted just being able to be in a room together and sing. We never thought this was a luxury until now that that's been taken away from us. We’re going to be so happy to just come together again.”

In the words of VCS’s Pyles, “It’s all a grand experiment.”

Left: A still from VOENA’s virtual-choir video performance of the R&B song “Higher and Higher.”

Right: The Zoom “gallery view” from a recent Vallejo Choral Society online gathering.

BeniciaMagazine.com • 15

Mother’s Day 2020

By Jeannine Mendoza Ph.D After experiencing the weirdest Easter and Passover holidays in our lives, we are about to celebrate Mother’s Day in the shadow of the novel coronavirus.

Though many families will necessarily be separated by social distancing protocols, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate virtually and give a gift to show you care. Here are some suggestions that can help you have a safe and fun Mother’s Day. 16 • Benicia Magazine

IF YOUR MOM LIVES FAR AWAY, in a different time zone, Mother’s Day will be much the same as in other years. You can send flowers, gifts, gift cards, photos, and send a personal and heartfelt card or message. However, because your mother might be isolated as she shelters in place, this might be the year that you write a special note, or send her a meaningful photo, or extra-special gift. You might consider video conferencing that could include siblings or other relatives. This is the year to do something extra, because mom could use a little warmth and tenderness during these trying times.

IF YOUR MOTHER IS WITHIN VISITING DISTANCE, and you usually take her out to brunch or some other meal, or if you are used to family gatherings to celebrate the moms in your family, you have to rethink how you will celebrate. Many people will use an app like GotoMeeting, Zoom, Skype, Team App or Facetime to visit with their relatives. Try to work out the kinks before the date so that your virtual gathering goes smoothly. One thing is certain: Mother’s Day 2020 is one holiday that will be out of the ordinary.

IF YOU LIVE WITH YOUR MOM, OR SHE LIVES IN TOWN, you can make Mother’s Day special. Call or go online to order brunch and have them deliver Eggs Benedict and a Mimosa; or French Toast and a Bloody Mary; or Blueberry Pancakes, Waffles or whatever your mom likes for brunch.

Or, treat her to a fabulous dinner from one of our superb restaurants, or make her a special brunch or dinner. There are wonderful shops in Benicia from which you can order the perfect Mother’s Day gift. Most of the shops will deliver it beautifully wrapped, right to your door.

Or give her the gift of your time by walking her through an app, or repairing something of hers that needs attention. If you live with your mom, and your siblings and relatives live elsewhere, you could engineer the virtual meetings, phone calls and messaging. You could even do “drive by” visiting, and take your mother to relatives’ homes, so she can at least see her children, grandchildren and friends, and still maintain the required distance apart. These past weeks spent indoors and in isolation have been difficult, and getting out safely and for a short time would do everyone some good.

These uncertain times have been difficult and discouraging for all of us, and Mother’s Day offers us an opportunity to celebrate our family connections. The pandemic may have stopped us in our tracks and changed the way that we live, but it cannot dominate the bond we share with the ones we love. As the writer Susan Gale said, “Mothers are like glue, even when you can’t see them, they are still holding the family together.”

Get Mom something special while supporting our local businesses Arata Art Gallery www.aratafineart.com Bookshop Benicia https://bookshopbenicia.indielite.org/browse/book Christina S Fashion Destination www.christinasbenicia.com/shop Collektive Boutique www.calicollektive.com Daughter of Luna Floral Design www.dolfloral.com Pink Arrows Boutique www.pinkarrowsboutique.com Romancing the Home www.benicia-rth.com Sweetness & Light Flowers www.sweetnessandlightflowers.com/shop Please see our list of extraordinary Benicia Restaurants on page 24

BeniciaMagazine.com • 17

People and Places

Health and Fitness

How I didn’t let COVID-19 ruin my new year resolution

By Edgar Ventura “I’d like to get back to the gym and lose 10 to 15 pounds,” I said to myself on January 1, 2020 after a week-long trip to Maui celebrating the New Year Holiday. I laid out my workout clothes that night, matching black Nike Dri-FIT long-sleeve shirt, sweatpants, and running shoes; set an alarm for 4:30AM; and went to bed determined to follow through with my new year resolution.

I made my way to Benicia Health and Fitness Club the next morning for what would be the first of many early morning workouts.

I soon became a member of the “5AM club,” according to General Manager Michael Boyle, and was well on my way to meeting my new year resolution, when the Bay Area ordered “shelter-in-place.” While it didn’t initially affect Benicia Health and Fitness Club, I didn’t want to risk my health or the health of others and decided to stop working out, not only at the club but outdoors as well, until after the order was lifted.

Furthermore, I was fortunate that work continued from home, but it was now busier than ever helping local governments in a post COVID-19 world. Unable to run on treadmills or weight lift, my anxiety and depression worsened. With nowhere else to run (pun intended), I turned to Ayesha Curry’s Instagram account (@ayeshacurry) where I learned about the Peloton Bike.

The internet-connected fitness bike and it’s various inspirational and motivational instructor videos (over 5,000 live-streamed classes) have been uplifting during the pandemic. A favorite feature of mine

18 • Benicia Magazine

are virtual scenic rides of beautiful landscapes and cities. A perfect escape from our new normal that is shelter-at-home. Capable of monitoring calories burned and distance traveled each ride, I am better equipped than ever to meet my new year resolution.

I end by saying that while I appreciate the convenience that comes with home workouts, I miss the sense of community and plan to return to Benicia Health and Fitness Club once the order is lifted.

Benicia Health clubs and studios that provide online workouts: Benicia Fitness https://www.beniciafitness.com/videos Benicia Jazzercise https://www.jazzercise.com/Classes/start-here Jpowers Studio https://www.jpowerstudio.com/jpsondemand Yoga House https://www.beniciayogahouse.com/ From the Core https://www.pilatesfromthecore.com/

WFH Ergonomics

By Genevieve Hand During this time of shelter-in-place, many of us are being asked to work from home. And even if we’re not working, we’re spending a lot of time in front of screens, trying to stay informed or simply binging Netflix. If you’re like most people, you’re starting to notice the toll all this is taking on your body. So, here are a few tips for your WFH setup, which you can even take back to your office once it’s safe to do so.

1. Choose your workspace.

As tempting as it might be to curl up in bed with your laptop, try to avoid working from bed and, if possible, try to remove your workstation from your bedroom altogether. It’s important, especially during these stressful times, to reserve the bedroom as a place of rest and sanctuary. When we condition ourselves, even subliminally, to think of bed as a place of work, it can increase anxiety or even lead to problems like insomnia.

2. Get the right chair.

A good desk chair is a sound investment for your body’s longevity.

You want something that works with your proportions. The seat of the chair should allow your tail to reach the base of the backrest and also allow the back of your knees to clear the front of the seat (if you have longer limbs, you probably don’t have a problem with this). It’s a bonus if your chair has a good lumbar support in its backrest. That’s the curve that fits into the corresponding curve in your low back. Everyone’s curve is different in size and placement, so shop around for the right fit.

If you don’t already have a chair like this at home, you can make do with a dining room chair. Use cushions or pillows to prop yourself up.

3. Set up your workstation.

When working on a computer, you want the keyboard and mouse to be close to you and at a height that puts your elbows in a 90˚ angle. Your upper arms should sit close to your sides, not out in front of you as this could lead to shoulder strain or

slouching over time. Depending on your desk or table, this may require you to adjust the height of your seat. Try adjusting your mouse settings so that you don’t have to move it in broad strokes while you’re working.

Your monitor should be placed at about arm’s length from you and at a height that puts the top of the screen at eye-level. This helps reduce eye and neck strain. If you find yourself constantly leaning forward to read your screen, try moving the monitor closer or increasing the display size in your system settings. If you can’t adjust your monitor’s height, prop it up with a stack of books. If you work with two monitors, place the one you use most directly in front of you. If you use both equally, set them up in symmetrical angles from your center focal point.

If you use a laptop, it is highly recommended that you use a separate monitor or keyboard and mouse.

4. Don’t forget about your feet.

Both of your feet should be able to be in full contact with the floor.

If your workstation setup leaves your feet dangling, find a sturdy box or some other kind of prop that fits under your feet and allows them to sit hip-distance apart. Try to avoid bad habits like crossing your legs – this reduces circulation in your legs and sets your pelvis offbalance, which can lead to sciatic problems and back pain.

5. Fidget!

We are designed to move, not sit – or even stand – at a desk for hours on end. Let your leg shake or foot tap under your desk. Periodically stretch your neck by tucking your chin while looking straight ahead (you’re doing this one right if the result is an exaggerated double-chin). Roll your shoulders up, back, and down a few times. All this helps reset your posture and increase circulation. You should also get up and walk around at least once every hour. Take a trip to the kitchen to fill up your water bottle, get a cup of tea, or simply look out the window. Your body with thank you for the opportunity to reset, and your eyes will thank you for giving them a break from the screen.

BeniciaMagazine.com • 19

Directory

of Local Businesses

PUPS ’N’ PURRZ Specializing in All of Your Pet’s Needs!

Mexican Food

Personal Training Studio griffinfitness.com

707.747.6677

10:30-6 Mon, Thurs, Fri, 10:30-5:30 Sat. 11-4 Sunday closed Tuesday 422 First Street, Benicia • 707.748.7433

pupsnpurrz.com

Lisa McVeigh, Owner

2038 Columbus Pkwy, Benicia, CA 94510 Benicia Chamber of Commerce 2017 Business of the Year

640 First Street 707.746.7830

Joseph L. Wilder Financial Advisor 707.745.1004 1017 First St. Benicia, CA 94510

COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR

joseph.wilder@edwardjones.com

707.745.9649

edwardjones.com/joseph-wilder CA Insurance License OC24309

Michael Trahan • Interior Design www.michaeltrahan.com 707.748.1080

1601486

Closed on Tuesdays

Dinner Sun-Thurs until 9pm Fri/Sat 10pm

I’m here to help life go right, by saving you time and money when you combine your home and auto insurance.

CALL ME TODAY.

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Indemnity Company State Farm Fire and Casualty Company State Farm General Insurance Company; Bloomington, IL

Tune-up 10% Off

Open Monday-Sunday 11:30

See why millions trust us for Home & Auto.

Steve McClure Ins Agency Inc Steve McClure, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0I81284 Bus: 707-745-0848 steve@stevemcclure.net

4251 Park Road, Benicia, CA Mon-Thu 8am-5pm • Fri 8am-3pm

™

439 First Street Benicia 707.745.0943 luccabar.com

Half Price Bottles of Wine with $15 Food Purchase

Furniture, Collectibles & Household Items

431 First Street Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat Noon-9pm 707.999.0039

JOR DA N R E A L E S TAT E Renee Marie Jordan

(707) 746-4864 —— Lunch, afternoon tea, housemade desserts, fine teas & tea accessories

from all of us at

Benicia Magazine 20 • Benicia Magazine

Camellia Tea Room

828 First Street • Downtown Benicia 707.746.5293 camelliatearoom.com

Guiding you home since 1989…Get the market expertise YOU deserve!

DRE: #01064502

www.JordanRealEstate.com

Reinventing Judy Foster

Senior Sales Counselor

707.480.5970

900 First Street, Benicia jfoster@coldwellbanker.com CalBRE #0117856

SOLANO PACIFIC

License #748221

Connections in the month of May

Interior/Exterior Residential & Commercial Painting and more!

707.747.0427 • hobsonpainting@gmail.com

hobsonpainting.com

Hire My Husband Quality Painting & Home Repair

707-746-7958 • 925-969-0133 hiremyhusband.com hiremyhusband@comcast.net CA Contractor Lic. # 943231 WINNER ANGI E’ S LI ST SUPER SERVI CE AWARD 7 YEARS RUNNI NG!

Certified Personal Trainer NASM CPT, CES, PES PWR!Moves ® for Parkinson’s Disease Benicia Health and Fitness Club 1150 West 7th St. Benicia facebook.com/carolkemperfitness cekemper@sbcglobal.net 707. 297. 5769 exparkbenicia.com

By Susan Crawford May Day is a May 1 celebration with a long and varied history, dating back millennia. Throughout the years, there have been many different events and festivities worldwide, most with the express purpose of welcoming in a change of season to share new bounty and to bless life in its new and tender forms. To this day, in many countries, a May Queen is crowned with a garland of flowers; a Maypole is danced around with the flowing circle of ribbons creating a focus of hope. This, of course, included food and offerings to neighbors and friends in the form of bread, flowers, wreaths and treats. It’s a lovely picture; dancing around the Maypole, colorful and lively, sharing bounty with one another.

Celebrating the renewal of life within the earth and above it, between friends and inside our hearts can still be done today. Even with social distancing as a societal norm, the small things that can be done to invest in one’s faith and resiliency, like the cycles of nature, are abundant and necessary. I cannot think of a more profound time to tell someone, via basket delivery, virtual Zoom fest, or flowers carefully curated from your garden (with glove and mask), that you are thinking about them.

This holds true for Mother’s Day as well. Whereas, May Day is ancient, Mother’s Day is purely and beautifully an American tradition. These celebrations give us time to reflect on our abundancies and derive security from our connections. We connect to the earth, family and friends in any celebratory way we can. Visit your garden. Bake or buy some bread. Pick up some treats to sprinkle in a basket. Pick up a ribbon or two. Celebrate Mother’s Day in every permutation you wish.

This is not the year to avoid connecting with others, it’s the year to reinvent it.

Highly recommended by over 50 Benicia customers Licensed and insured

Jose’s Junk Removal See what others are saying on Benicia Junk Removal-Jose Rios

Providing high quality & reliable full service junk removal for Benicia and beyond.

License: 03111662

Call or text 707.712.1073 • Junkremoval707@yahoo.com

BeniciaMagazine.com • 21

By Genevieve Hand The show must go on. The phrase is ubiquitous in virtually every staged production, and it’s one that the founders of Farnsworth Dance Academy have adopted as their school’s slogan. What’s more, it seems to hold a particular symbolism in their lives.

Farnsworth Dance Academy opened in 2017 and is owned and operated by mother-daughter duo, Carla Farnsworth and Juliet Farnsworth-Perry. The Farnsworth women are part of three generations of performers, starting with Elizabeth “Honey” Farnsworth – Carla’s mother, who just celebrated her 93rd birthday – and her two sisters, Donna and Eleanor. Honey, Bunny, and Sunny, as they were affectionately nicknamed, performed in various dance forms professionally for 10 years all over the Midwest before each opening dance schools of their own in the 1950s, one of which is still operational as the Cole Academy.

Honey’s school was the original Farnsworth Dance Academy. It’s where Carla recalls spending much of her youth – and where she realized what a chore running a dance studio can be. Casting out any desire to own a studio of her own, she instead pursued her performance career.

A move to New York brought her success when she was quickly picked up as a dancer for Bob Fosse. From then, she never went longer than three weeks without a gig – quite a feat for any kind of performer in NYC. Her resume includes five Broadway shows, appearing as an original cast member of shows like “Chicago” and “A Chorus Line,” as well as many national tours. At age 36, she decided it was time to hang up her dancing shoes and move to Los Angeles, where she met Juliet’s father.

Carla and Andy’s work moved them to various locations until they eventually settled in Benicia, where they raised Juliet. “I never wanted to push her to dance,” says Carla, and she didn’t have to. Juliet joined Stage One Dance Center when she was six and showed an early love of, not just dance, but the community and friendships that the studio gave her. When the owner learned about Carla’s background, she asked her to join the studio as a teacher.

As Juliet grew as a dancer, she also began teaching and even headed her own competition team as a teen, coming into her own as a choreographer. However, Juliet’s primary passion was performing. She danced and toured with the Tremaine performance program for five years, attended a performing arts college in Los Angeles with some of the same girls she grew up dancing with, and performed at Six

22 • Benicia Magazine

Flags Discovery Kingdom. Plagued by a chronic knee injury, she realized dancing professionally was no longer in the cards for her, and so she returned home to teach alongside Carla, who at this point was teaching multiple classes nearly every day.

In 2017, Juliet had decided to leave Benicia and Stage One. She was to move back to Los Angeles to pursue acting, and Carla was to limit her teaching schedule from 20 classes per week to 8, in favor of some much-deserved downtime. At least, that was the plan until they received news that Stage One Dance Center was to shutter. The Farnsworth women were struck by the fact that the closure of this institution, which had become a place of community for so many families, would leave many dancers without a home. It would break up the bonds that students had made with each other as they would be forced to find a new studio or possibly quit dance altogether.

So, Carla and Juliet stepped up. They opened Farnsworth Dance Academy, the namesake of Honey’s school, and took in all of Stage One’s kids who wished to continue. They started out in Stage One’s old location, but soon found that location no longer available. For five months, the school existed out of four different locations until its current home in Glen Cove was secured. A testament to the strength of their community, students and teachers alike stuck by the Farnsworths’ side during this tumultuous time. Despite Carla’s early misgivings about owning a dance studio, both she and Juliet describe their new charge as a labor of love.

Farnsworth Dance Academy offers a variety of dance classes, including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, conditioning, and even choreography classes. Students can audition to join competitive teams, which are designated by age and ability and have won many awards in competitions around the Bay Area. Farnsworth Dance Academy has also appeared at various dance conventions and has been known to bring in guest choreographers and teachers to give their students well-rounded training. The Farnsworths pride themselves on providing the best dance education possible to their students, and they also work hard to instill in them an appreciation for the history of their artform.

“Dance training is life training,” says Juliet, “It teaches you discipline, teamwork, respect, and so many other life skills. We have students come in who we know might just stay for one semester, students who want to have a career in dance, and some who don’t. But, we know that, no matter what they go on to do, our graduates are going to be alright.”

Amid the reality of COVID-19, Farnsworth Dance Academy has closed their studio and is now offering classes online. They are proceeding as normal, working on putting dances together for their end of year show, though the performance may be moved to late summer or postponed further depending on COVID-related developments. At a time like this, community is paramount, and thankfully the Farnsworths have a formidable one. As they help provide some normalcy to their families, it seems fitting to revisit their school motto: the show must go on. And if dance training is life training, then life must go on. Their message is implicit but impactful: Life is unpredictable. We must adapt, come what may, and do so with grace. We must take care of each other and carry on together.

Farnsworth Dance Academy is located at 155 Glen Cove Marina Road, Suite 200B, Vallejo, CA. For timely updates on their class offerings, performance company auditions, etc. please follow @farnsworthdanceacademy on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

BeniciaMagazine.com • 23

Restaurants and Retail open as of 4/20/20

Links to businesses on this list are on Beniciamagazine.com

R E S TAU R A N T S & F O O D Aroma Indian Cuisine 818 First St., 707.745.1870 Aung Maylika 836 Southamton Rd #E # E 707.361.5675 Benicia Main Street 90 First St., 707.745.9791 Bella Siena Restaurant & Bar 127 First St., 707.805.0575 Benicia Coffee & Tea Company 2036 Columbus Pwkwy 707.746.1242 Benicia Grill, 4760 E 2nd St 707.751.0155 Benicia Main Street See's Candies 1383 E 2nd St 707.745.9791 Bottom of the Fifth 498 Military E 707.745.9949 Camellia Tea Room 828 1st St C, 707.746.5293 Char’s Hot Dogs 131.A First St., 707.745.4476 Dianna’s Bakery & Café 639 First St., 707.297.6186 Elviarita’s Mexican Bar & Grill 727 First St., 707.751.1705 Ensenada Restaurant 864 Southampton Rd 707.745.5563 Farm & Flour, 700 First St., 707.750.5345 First Street Café 440 First St., 707.745.1400 Fox & Fawn Bakehouse 305 First St., 707.280.0667 Freshly Rooted Tribe 252 First St., 707.315.5947 Got Plate Lunch 1034 First St., 707.745.4751 Izakaya Japanese Tapas & Sushi 920 First St., 707.853.8262 Java Point Café Re.opening Tuesday, April 14th Juice House Co. 611 First St., 707.400.5638 Kaigan Sushi, 560 First St., 707.747.1084 Kimono’s 1654 E Second St, 707.750.5418 Lucca Bar and Grill 439 1st St, 707.745.3749 Mai Thai Cuisine 807 First St., 707.747.1868 Mirchi Indian Grill 2032 Columbus Pkwy 707.297.6328 Napoli Pizza 2062 Columbus Pkwy, 707.746.8906

24 • Benicia Magazine

The Cellar 685 Stone Rd #1, 707. 297.6457 The Loft Wine Bar & Restaurant 280 First St., 707.745.4200 The Workshop 511 Claverie Wy., 707.7476028 Union Hotel Restaurant & Bar 401 First St., 707.746.7847 Venticellos 911 First St., 707.747.5263 Whipt Cookies 1440 East 2nd Street #A, 707. 742.3125

R E TA I L & OT H E R

One House Bakery, 918 First St., 707.361.5919 Pacifica Pizza, 915 First St., 707.746.1790 Panda Express, 804 Southampton Rd, 707.745.3763 Pearl Thai, 879 Southampton Rd, 707.747.9777 Pizza Pirate 72 Solano Sq, (707) 745–1667 Rosie's Café 3001 Bayshore Rd # 1 (707) 745.1154 Round Table Pizza 878 Southampton Rd, (707) 746.7000 Rrags Caffe 1383 E 2nd St., 707) 748.4247 Sailor Jack’s, 123 First St., 707.746.8500 Sandoval’s Mexican Food 640 First St., 707.746.7830 Sepay Groves Olive Oil 364 First St., 707.434.8222 South Villa Chinese Restaurant 2040 Columbus Pkwy, 707.747.1688 Sprankle's Deli 155 Military E, 707.297.6119 Szechwan House 500 First St., 707.745.4743

Albertson’s Abbey Carpet & Floor, 707.746.0324 (by appointment only) Angel Heart 4 You, 707.745.2024 (call for phone readings & products) Arata Art Gallery online sales at for paintings, jewelry, decorated glasses and bottles.

Artcentric Pottery & Glass Studio 707.745.9553 Arts Benicia 991 Tyler St. #114, 707.747.0131 Benicia Cleaners 81 Solano Sq, 707.745.1353 Benicia Fitness 707.745.1511 (videos online) Benicia Home Improvement (estimates via email at info@beniciahomeimp.com) Benicia Plein Air Gallery (see website for by email ordering) Benicia Spiritual Advisor 707.430.2720 (readings by phone) Bookshop Benicia 636 First Street, 707.747.5155 Christina S Fashion Destination 370 1st St., 707.745.5125 (shop online) Collektive Boutique 935 First St. (shop online) Computer 1 737 First Street, 707. 747.0417 (no house calls; drop off available right now) Daughter of Luna Floral Design 707.750.5167 (shop online & local porch delivery) Floors on First 707.747.5999 or email at floorsonfirst@yahoo.com

Happy Life Pottery, 632 First St., 707.742.3411 (DIY kits delivered in Benicia & online classes) Gallery 621, 309 First St., 707. 297.6860 Island Memories SF 946 Tyler St., 707.980.4427 Lindsay Art Glass 109 E F St., 707.748.1336 In Harmony Music (online classes) Mozart, Einstein & Me, 620 First Street, 707.746.7565 (make orders via phone & delivery available) Once Upon A Canvas 129 First Street, Suite J, 707.326.9369 (buy gift certificate online) Pedrotti Ace Hardware 830 Southampton Rd., 707.746.6887 Pet Food Express 838 Southampton Rd., 707.748.4477 Pink Arrows Boutique (shop online) Pups N Purrz 422 First Street, 707. 748.7433 (open check hours & curbside pickup available) Rags To Riches 946 Tyler St. Ste C, 707.747.5050 Raley's 890 Southampton Rd., 707.746.1203 Safeway Inc #774 50 Solano Sq., 707.745.4047 Shorelight Inn, 153 W E St., 707.297.6313 The Inn At Benicia Bay, 1450E D St., 707.746.1055 Sparkly Rags (shop social media accounts) Spotless Carpet Cleaning 707.746.8656 (call for appointment) Succulents and More (shop with them via DM on social media) Sweetness & Light Flowers 707.652.5599 (shop online) Zeppelin Comics 707.297.6126 (shop online)

Providing honest and reliable service since 1996 Commercial/Residential Installation

E WHY CHOOS

Solar, Windows, Insulation and Tankless Water Heaters

707.645-0734 Lic. #719381 A-1guaranteed.com

TEED?

A-1 GUARAN

ars mpany, 14 ye ing/cooling co at he st be d TV 4 • Vote 5 years, Kron of the Bay for • Voted best n stallatio /Residential In s • Commercial Award, 3 year ce uper Servi S st Li ’s ie ng or •A ing contract rade participat • Energy Upg & techs ned installers aintained • Factory-trai t enforced & m en nm ro vi en • Drug-free 21 years s Honor Roll, es in us B r te et •B ertified • Diamond C llence certified chnician Exce Te an ic er m A • North siness rtified green bu • Bay Area ce nd checked ou gr fully back s ee oy pl em ll •A

S A LO N S , S PA S & WELLNESS Bella Donna Skin Spa 707.853.7597 (buy products by text) Benicia Wellness Center, 707.745.2345 Bombshell Hair & Ink 707.748.7950 (shop products online) Buddahful Salon 707.745.4409 (buy products by phone) The Movement Chiropractic 707.297.6479 Wellness Wisdom products by text at 707.290.0888 BeniciaMagazine.com • 25

By Maura Sullivan I’m sure you’re reading this title and probably thinking... “Way ahead of you, Benicia Magazine!”

But listen, we’ve all been experiencing the same situations.

Wake up, jump on that conference call wearing a 50/50 outfit.

Something nice on top and ratty sweats on bottom. We’re not here to judge. We just want you to know, we can relate. This article is here to give you ideas. No need to hide what’s in your coffee mug. As quarantine hours slip together in a blur, we know many of you have inadvertently redefined what the term “happy hour” means.

When you think of happy hour, you think of being with friends, coworkers, a hot date and even the annoying loud mouth that insists on giving political advice to everyone at the bar. You even miss someone asking you what your astrological sign is.

Why do we miss these interactions? Happy hour is something we looked forward to, a break from the routine. Happy hour is a time when we can indulge in a few beverages, say things to coworkers we can’t say at work, and express our true feelings about the world in general. We know it happens. How can we replace that feeling? Of course, the Zoom app has been coming in handy for all kinds of meetings for all walks of life, both the technologically challenged and tech savvy. It’s an important part of the COVD-19 way of life, even if the resulting meetup looks like the opening of the Brady Bunch. If Zoom works for business meetings, it works for happy hour too. So, it’s time to get creative! It’s time for a virtual happy hour!

26 • Benicia Magazine

What is a virtual happy hour? It’s exactly what it sounds like.

Choose a platform, create a meeting time, and send out invites to friends or loved ones. Then, gather virtually with a libation or a snack, and catch up – from across town, or across the world.

Here’s how to begin. Start your chat off with a theme. I’m sure you have an old Harry Potter halloween costume lingering in the back of your closet. Being Madonna in your living room could be fun for an evening. Dress up, be something different. I’m sure your pajamas won’t miss you. The key is to do something different. Get out of the norm.

If the idea of making cocktails has always been scary to you, there are plenty of platforms to teach you the ways of a professional bartender. A great one I recently discovered, featuring a bartender from Bull Valley Inn located in Port Costa, can be found on Instagram at @happyhourlivewithmegandt.

They have live videos every night at 8:00 pm, PST, which give you education and a fun way to get creative with your cocktails.

If you want something more simplified, to-go cocktails are available at most Benicia restaurants.

You can support businesses in our area such as Mt. Beautiful, a well-known New Zealand wine that’s popular in the Benicia Bar scene. Old Bridge cellars, located in Napa, is offering 20% off their entire online wine store. These companies can ship directly to your home without the worry.

We hope everyone stays safe, well fed and drinking like kings and queens. Happy Quarantine!

Benicia Certified

Coming Soon!

Benicia Farmers Market will run from opening day to 10/29/2020 First Street between B & D Streets Sponsored by Benicia Main Street 90 First Street, Benicia

beniciamainstreet.org

707.745.9791

Real Estate Group

The heart of our business is bringing you home

Christie Sattler REALTOR ® m: 707.853.9787 DRE 01876823

Tina Hancock REALTOR ® m: 707.386.4354 o: 925.574.3181 DRE 02006363

Compass Benicia 560 1st St Ste C-103

shopbayareahomes@compass.com

ShopBayAreaHomes.com

Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01527235. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description.

All measurements and square footage are approximate.

BeniciaMagazine.com • 27

By Christina Strawbridge It is mid April, 2020 and every day seems to be a scene from the movie Groundhog Day. The routine of shelter at home is in its 5th week and consists of: wake up, coffee, check news, check emails, check Facebook, work, lunch, check news, emails, Facebook, work, maybe get dressed, dinner, check news, emails, Facebook, Netflix binge, go to bed...start all over again.

Some pandemic trends that have become popular are the use of pajamas as day and evening wear, alternated with sweats on odd days. The weeks/months of not seeing a barber, stylist or manicurist has made looking into a mirror non-essential. Face masks from medical, homemade to designer-label, offer some protection and cover most of the face, which means wearing lipstick or makeup is also non-essential when leaving the house.

It has been interesting to watch TV anchors and reporters adapt to doing their own makeup and hair. Their broadcasts are televised from their homes; staged in a bedroom, living area or a study with weird lighting. Backdrops might include art on the wall or bookshelves with identifiable top reads. Watching the reporter or anchor keep their composure while their children ask questions or display a tantrum makes for real TV. Popular pandemic terms, phrases and people associated with the crisis include Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Deborah Birx, Governor Andrew Cuomo, daily news conferences, “testing, testing

28 • Benicia Magazine

Day testing,� social distancing 6 ft. apart, shelter at home, flattening the curve, essential business, non-essential business, self-quarantine, home schooling, cooking, take-out, delivery apps, N95 masks, and frontline workers/heroes.

There are many ways Benicia has been brought together safely through the talents of our citizens. Annabelle Marie and her nightly waterfront violin concerts, Voena Choir's virtual concert, artists that have shared their works on social media, a friend's funny post, the many volunteers that check in on and help our seniors and citizens in need, our first responders that keep a vigilant eye on our safety, the Benicia City staff that continue to work on our roads, treat our water, and maintain the services we rely on. Then there is you, who have stayed home and kept your distance, perhaps you've had to close your business or limit your operations in order to keep us all safe. Benicia has been fortunate in numbers of reported COVID-19 cases. Our town has shown <10, which means 0 to 10 cases, consistently since Solano County started reporting by city.

We are all adjusting to the new normal as we maneuver to find that light at the end of the tunnel and work to stop the Groundhog Day from repeating itself!

LINDA LEWIS R E A LTO R ®

M: (707) 567-5016 O: (925) 627-3096

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist No. 97517

linda.lewis@compass.com

1350 Hayes Street, Suite A33 Benicia, CA 94510

1646 N California Blvd, Suite 101 Walnut Creek, CA 94596

(707) 980-3331

DRE: #00908045

Have an odd job not listed?

Just ask!

“The SexyTrees.com crew is very efficient and passionate about the trees.”

• Moving • Run Errands • Yard Work • Event Help • Deliveries

Proud member Benicia Chamber of Commerce 925.233.6877 SexyTrees.com

ISA Certified Arborist WE-10796A Diamond Certified #2435 Licence# 980094

Licensed, Bonded and Insured Call (707) 297-6679 or E-mail Chris@wedooddjobsnorcal.com

Pruning, Thinning, Cleaning, Removal

www.wedooddjobsnorcal.com

FATHER OF EIGHT

DEPENDABLE and KNOWLEDGEABLE agent seeks customers looking for real PROTECTION and long term RELATIONSHIP. Look no further.

Stephanie Scanlan, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0H97107 739 First Street Benicia, CA 94510 Bus: 707-746-0350

to jump in and join the fun. Military training would be helpful.

ADVENTUROUS CAT LOVER seeks adventurous cat owner. Please be employed and willing to relocate.

Especially fond of black and white tuxedo cats. All responses will be answered. Looking for that Purrr-fect match.

GRANOLA EATING, CAMP LOVING, WORLD TRAVELER

Having one special person for your car, home and life insurance lets you get down to business with the rest of your life. It’s what I do.

GET TO A BETTER STATE. CALL ME TODAY. ™

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company, State Farm Fire and 1101201.1 Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, Bloomington, IL

A wonderful selection of unique Home & Decor, for most any room in your home 617 1st St Benicia, CA 707.747.1717

REEP & MITCHELL, LLP 1001 Madison Street, 2nd Floor Benicia, California 94510 SolanoLawGroup.com info@SolanoLawGroup.com 707-748-0900 Wills • Trusts • Estate Planning & Administration • Family Law Real Estate • Probate • DUI • Consumer Law • Business Law

Home Interior, Garden and Specialty Gift Shop For All Occasions

Full-line pet store Professional dog & cat grooming Do it yourself pet wash 1202 East 5th Street, Benicia 707.745.5016 • www.FeathererPet.com BeniciaMagazine.com • 29

People and Places

People

Tom and Patty Gavin Committed Benicia Couple

By Scott Strawbridge In a continuation of our series on Benicia Couples who are committed to our community, no Benicia list would be complete without Tom and Patty Gavin.

Where do we start? Ladies First!

Patty Gavin's service to Benicia goes in many directions. She taught for over 20 years at St. Dominic's School in a variety of positions, but most of the time as a sixth grade teacher. While at St. Dominic's, Patty started the Theatre Arts Program which continues today. In the 1990s, she was an instructor for the drug awareness program "Here's Looking at You 2000" at a number of elementary schools in Benicia. She also taught art for 10 years at Holy Spirit School in Fairfield.

Besides her legacy as a teacher, Patty's dedication to the Benicia Arts Community is exemplary. She served on the Benicia Arts and Culture Commission for 6 years and was the Chair from 2015-2016. She was a major force in helping to commission the public art piece "Wind, Water, Land" at the Community Center, and coordinated the collaboration of the 7 local artists who created it. While on the Commission, she helped write and adopt the Pubic Art Guidelines for the acquisition of public art for the City of Benicia. Her commitment to art continues today as the Committee Chair for Benicia Library's Marilyn O'Rourke Art Gallery, which oversees the installation of rotating exhibits during the year.

Patty has shared her talent on stage appearing in several Benicia Old Town Theatre Group performances, including Mack and Mable, Sugar Babies and a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Patty is an active member of Soroptimist International of Benicia. Her work on behalf of the Soroptimist House of Hope, a safe house for women and families in transition, has helped coordinate the donation of furniture, comfort baskets, books, toys, and Christmas decorations. She is currently working with fellow Soroptimists on the Centennial Celebration of the adoption of the 19th Amendment. This involvement and her leadership in helping form the first Relay For Life of Benicia has made a difference for those in need within our community.

Patty is a graduate of St. Vincent's High School and her 1969 women's basketball team was inducted into both the City of Vallejo and St. Patrick-St. Vincent Hall of Fame. Known for her tenacious defense on the court, Patty has brought that tenacity as a positive force in Benicia.

30 â&#x20AC;˘ Benicia Magazine

Although it may be hard to go toe to toe with his lovely wife, Tom Gavin has shown that he, too, is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Benicia.

Tom has held numerous positions in the community. He was the first Chairman of the Board of Solano Bank 2009, Former President of the Benicia Chamber of Commerce in 1987, Chairman of Valero Community Advisory Panel (CAP), Former President of Benicia Rotary, President of Benicia Main Street in 1988, Former Treasurer of Benicia Library Foundation, President of St. PatrickSt. Vincent Board of Regents, a candidate for Benicia City Council in 1987, Founding member of the Benicia Downtown Business Alliance and a student mentor at Liberty High School.

In his spare time, Tom is a full partner in Gavin and Schreiner Insurance Company along with Tami Schreiner. They must be doing something right because their business has been named twice as the Benicia Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year and they have also received the prestigious Spirit of Solano Award.

The Gavin's have been married 42 years and have two beautiful daughters, Meghan and Lauren, and two gorgeous granddaughters, Delaney and Brynn. Meghan is married and is an attorney in Sacramento. Lauren is a newlywed and lives in Washington DC, working for the Federal Government. Patty and Tom have been very active at St. Dominic's Church and School for over 40 years. Thanks to both of them for sharing their talents and dedication to serve Benicia!

Maximize the value of your home From painting to staging, sell your home faster and for more money

Ridge Real Estate Group 707.315.9803 RREG@RidgeRealEstateGroup.com RidgeRealEstateGroup.com DRE 01998765

Welcome to Tosch Dental

Feel at home -- even in the dental chair !

Full-service dentistry | In-house lab, ensures perfect fit | Orthodontics 50% off bleach with exam & cleaning | Relaxed and comfortable environment Proudly serving Benicia families for over 35 years.

Ronald J. Tosch, DDS l 118 West K St. 707.745.2130 l www.toschdental.com BeniciaMagazine.com â&#x20AC;˘ 31

Benicia's KITC H E N A ND B AT H E X P E RTS

Receive a $150 gift certificate to Romancing the Home with the purchase of a complete kitchen.

“Trevor and Taylor were a joy to work with. The wide variety of samples really sparked our imagination and allowed us to previsualize our kitchen. Trevor’s design expertise and attention to detail made it easy. The finished project far exceeded our expectations. We will happily recommend AQCC to anyone.”

— -Mark and Karen Stockton

AFFORDABLE QUALITY Cabinets and Countertops

707-745-2100 aqchome.com • Open Mon. - Fri. 9-5 weekends & evenings by appointment • 4852 East 2nd Street, Benicia

Owners Trevor Cotarelo and Taylor Kennedy