Community Calendar

Please join The Sanhedrin CNPS Chapter for a broom pull at Low Gap Park on Saturday, May 3rd from 8:00 - 10:00. The primary location for French broom removal will be along Orr Creek, on the north edge of the park. Please arrive at the parking lot before 8:00, so that we can team up and get right to work. Please note, the area we will be working in has poison oak.

Bring your own gloves, drinking water, and consider wearing shoes that can get wet as we’ll be working near the creek. We will bring breakfast snacks and tools.

If planning to attend, please RSVP by completing this online form so that we know how many people to expect:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeX2IDtrh0il1bfIWDW8ahXeBEY3j0Iq4xAtRmYxTUVQdgM6A/viewform

There are several invasive broom species in California. They are all highly flammable, degrade habitat and displace native vegetation. For more information about French broom and how to control it, check out the California Invasive Plant Council website:
https://www.cal-ipc.org/plants/profile/genista-monspessulana-profile/

Come dance and celebrate the Spring with a concert featuring music by Siren and Seer, Alyra Rose and Shovelman. There will be tea service by Inner Earth Tea, performance artists, craft cocktails, artisan vendors and a closing sound healing by Audrya Chancellor and Bryan Arnold. Event sponsored by Moon Lady Boutique and Carstar Kreations Body Shop in Willits.

Ukiah Players Theatre presents Anne of Green Gables, directed by Hannah Peterman and adapted from the beloved novel by L.M. Montgomery. Enjoy the timeless tale of young Anne's journey into adolescence, performed by an exceptional cast of performers young and old. The show opens Friday, April 25th and runs through Sunday, May 18th. Performance times are Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased at www.ukiahplayerstheatre.org.

The long-awaited world premiere of Serenity House shows May 2 through 18 at the Willits Community Theatre. An original play written and directed by Schuyler Marcier, the production is set in a group home for individuals navigating addiction and mental health recovery. Serenity House offers an unflinching yet deeply compassionate exploration of the relationships, struggles, and small triumphs that unfold behind closed doors. The play runs May 2 through 18, with shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00pm and Sunday Matinees at 2:00pm. Tickets are $20 and available at the door and online at: www.wctperformingartscenter.org.

Mendocino College Spring Dance Festival 2025
Experience the Magic!
Directed by Eryn Schon-Brunner

Experience the Magic! Join us for the Mendocino College Spring Dance Festival 2025, running for one weekend only from May 1 to May 4, 2025! This vibrant celebration showcases original dance works, live music, and stunning visual arts, featuring the talents of students, alumni, faculty, and guest artists. Experience the dynamic voices and perspectives of our creative community.

All Performances $15: Thursday, May 1 at 7:30pm. Scholarship Gala and show $15: Friday, May 2, Gala at 6:30pm (includes catered food and wine)—show at 7:30pm. Saturday, May 3, at 7:30 PM, and Sunday, May 4 at 2 PM. Explore the Mendocino College CVPA Gallery before the shows and during intermission. Tickets available at the door, Mendocino Book Company (Cash or Check only) or online at www.artsmendocino.org. For additional information, call (707) 468-3079. Grab your tickets now and be part of a celebration that inspires and uplifts!

MENDOCINO COLLEGE, CENTER THEATER, 1000 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah 95482
https://www.mendocino.edu/academics/programs/arts/dance-arts

Registration is now open for the 3rd annual Willits Center for the Arts Kid’s Summer Camp with Caroline Hambright, art teacher at Willits Charter School. July 7-11, 2025 Monday through Friday, Ages: 7 – 12, 10am - 3pm. Tuition is $325. Register at https://www.willitscenterforthearts.org.
Activities have included Street Art, still life draw/paint-along, plein air painting, butterfly symmetry monoprints, radial symmetry, mandala block printing, paper sculptures, paper mache ice cream cones, collage, assemblage, read-aloud, as well as park playtime.
Caroline Hambright’s recent work was born out of a passion for creating art that captures the beauty of nature, expresses the wonder of childhood, and inspires internal peace.
In addition to teaching children, Caroline is an accomplished fine artists. Caroline explores many sides of painting. She uses the Alla Prima oil painting method in order to capture the immediacy of her inspiration. While her subject matter may vary from epic vistas to old cars to kitchen items, her color palette remains subdued with pops of bright color. For her murals, Caroline uses acrylic paint. Through years of practice and experimentation, she has honed her craft and mastered different mediums and techniques. While her teaching expertise helps her create art pleasing to children, her background in fine art informs her creations for the seasoned eye.
A Santa Barbara native, Caroline has been making art since she could hold a pencil. She graduated from Santa Barbara High School’s Visual Arts and Design program and later studied art at Santa Barbara City College. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Art from San Francisco State University and is a credentialed teacher. While teaching art in Goleta, her Summer Solstice poster design earned her Summer Solstice Artist of the Year. She went on to create three separate parade floats. Caroline ended up turning her attention to murals, and between jobs she set up an oil painting studio at home. She now teaches junior high and high school art at Willits Charter School in Willits, CA.
more about Caroline: https://carolinehambright.com .
Register at https://www.willitscenterforthearts.org

Registration is now open for the 3rd annual Willits Center for the Arts Kid’s Summer Camp with Caroline Hambright, art teacher at Willits Charter School. July 7-11, 2025 Monday through Friday, Ages: 7 – 12, 10am - 3pm. Tuition is $325. Register at https://www.willitscenterforthearts.org.
Activities have included Street Art, still life draw/paint-along, plein air painting, butterfly symmetry monoprints, radial symmetry, mandala block printing, paper sculptures, paper mache ice cream cones, collage, assemblage, read-aloud, as well as park playtime.
Caroline Hambright’s recent work was born out of a passion for creating art that captures the beauty of nature, expresses the wonder of childhood, and inspires internal peace.
In addition to teaching children, Caroline is an accomplished fine artists. Caroline explores many sides of painting. She uses the Alla Prima oil painting method in order to capture the immediacy of her inspiration. While her subject matter may vary from epic vistas to old cars to kitchen items, her color palette remains subdued with pops of bright color. For her murals, Caroline uses acrylic paint. Through years of practice and experimentation, she has honed her craft and mastered different mediums and techniques. While her teaching expertise helps her create art pleasing to children, her background in fine art informs her creations for the seasoned eye.
A Santa Barbara native, Caroline has been making art since she could hold a pencil. She graduated from Santa Barbara High School’s Visual Arts and Design program and later studied art at Santa Barbara City College. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Art from San Francisco State University and is a credentialed teacher. While teaching art in Goleta, her Summer Solstice poster design earned her Summer Solstice Artist of the Year. She went on to create three separate parade floats. Caroline ended up turning her attention to murals, and between jobs she set up an oil painting studio at home. She now teaches junior high and high school art at Willits Charter School in Willits, CA.
more about Caroline: https://carolinehambright.com .
Register at https://www.willitscenterforthearts.org

Hey there: Are you a wanna- be gardener, but have no yard, or place to cultivate a garden/vegi garden ,or exercise that passion? Well look no further, then to our very own Community Garden here in" Happy Willits," located next to the Recreation Grove; (adjacent to the Social Service Dept.) A Non Profit Project. With once a year fee (like renting a plot) grow whatever you want, but must commit for a year, no abandoning it. Serious gardeners welcomed. There's limited spaces-sign ups begin in March. Contact Mike Adair, Garden Manager, at 707-456-4395. Hope to see you there!!

Each year, the Noyo Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society (ARS) partners with Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens to showcase some of the best rhodie specimens on the west coast. The 46th annual John Druecker Memorial Rhododendron Show will be held at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens on Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4. The juried show is quite possibly the largest in California with a typical show displaying more than 800 entries and filling the big tent with cascades of color and fragrance.

The Rhododendron Show is free to attend and open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. In addition to hundreds of individual flower entries, there will be plants, bonsai, photos, floral arrangements, hourly plant raffles, and educational displays. A large selection of rhododendrons and other plants will be available for purchase in the big tent and at the Gardens' Nursery. Local growers and Noyo Chapter ARS members will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the best plants for your garden.

Regular admission rates apply to visit the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens during the show. The Gardens is home to one of the nation’s largest collections of rhododendrons—many hybridized on the Mendocino Coast—and they promise to fill the formal gardens and woodlands with riotous color. The Gardens’ Rhododendron Collection includes over 124 species and 315 taxa. More than 1,000 rhododendrons can be seen blooming throughout the Gardens from early spring until June!

ENTER THE SHOW!
Everyone is welcome to enter their best rhododendrons and azaleas for judging. Bring your best trusses to the big tent to the south end of the Gardens’ main parking lot on Thursday, May 1 between 3PM – 7PM and Friday, May 2, between 9AM – 12PM. Ribbons and trophies will be awarded to top entries in a wide range of categories. Check www.rhododendrons-mendocino.org for more information on entering.

Come join us in our little sanctuary, where we all love to play/work in the dirt/mud (and those words aren't dirty words either!)
The Non-Profit Community Garden in Willits is "NOW" accepting sign-ups to reserve garden spots. If you are interested in growing your own produce, yet have no place to do so, then get on the ball and call Michael ADair at 707-456-4395.