Sonoma County was hit by the most severe storms and high winds in years. Meanwhile, Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency due to storms swirling up and down the state.
Rain began early Wednesday morning and winds began picking up in Sonoma County, with gusts forecast to reach up to 62 miles per hour. And with more storms expected over the weekend, plus power outages and flooding already set in, organizers of local parks and entertainment venues announced cancellations and closures on Wednesday and Thursday.
Meda Freeman, marketing manager for Sonoma County Regional Parks, said many parks were closed as of Thursday due to flooding and other impacts from the storm. These closures and details will continue to be updated on sonomacountyparks.org “as the situation evolves,” she said.
Organizers of several major events and activity venues in Sonoma County are hoping the storm will pass without having to cancel this weekend’s events.
“I’m a little superstitious about things like that,” said Tom Guffey, general manager of Petaluma’s Phoenix Theater. “Right now, I’d say the Phoenix Theater schedule is still heading into the weekend.” Shows are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at downtown theaters.
At other venues, organizers have taken a listen-and-listen approach to events scheduled for the weekend, refraining from canceling or postponing them unless storm conditions worsen.
Here’s a list of Sonoma County events and activities that have been canceled or postponed as of Thursday due to the storm.
Canceled: The Smathers Brothers, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Saturday at 8:00 pm. Ticket refunds or credits are available by calling 707-546-3600 or emailing patternservices@lutherburbankcenter.org. Ticket holders are encouraged to use their tickets as donations to support the arts.
Canceled: Nightclub Two-Step 30th Anniversary Dance Party at Monroe Hall in Santa Rosa. For more information, visit bit.ly/3iinEdi.
Postponed to Thursday: “Favorites” Intake at the Sevastopol Center for the Arts. The new dates for bringing in work and paying entry fees are January 12th from 11am to 4pm. The new opening reception date is January 14th from 2-4pm.
CANCELED: Suzie Straight Band At the Lost Church in Santa Rosa. 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Canceled due to family reasons. For more information, visit thelostchurch.org/santa-rosa.
POSTPONED: The Musers/Evie Ladin Band At the Occidental Center for the Arts. Due to local storms, it has been postponed to Saturday from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM and a rescheduling is planned. Tickets already purchased for Saturday’s show will be refunded. If you have any questions, please visit occasionalcenterforthearts.org or call 707-974-9392.
Sonoma County Regional Park Several local parks were closed as of Thursday, including one where group hikes and other events were planned. For the latest information, visit sonomacountyparks.org. The following parks are closed due to flooding and high winds.
Forestville: Forestville River Access, Steelhead Beach Regional Park, Sunset Beach River Park
Glen Ellen: Sonoma Valley Regional Park (Dog Park Only)
Gualala: Gualala Point Regional Park
Guerneville: Guerneville River Park
Healdsburg: Riverfront Regional Park
Petaluma: Helen Putnam Regional Park (Windsor Drive entrance only)
Santa Rosa: Hood Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve, Laguna de Santa Rosa Regional Trail (Hwy 12 entrance only), Spring Lake Regional Park
Sebastopol: West County Regional Trail (between Green Valley Road and Ross Station Road)
Sonoma Coast: Bird Walk Coastal Access Trail (Bodega Bay), Sea Ranch Coastal Access Trail, Soda Springs Preserve, Stillwater Cove Regional Park (Jenner)
For the latest information on the storm, check out pressdemocrat.com for live coverage.
Intern Lonnie Hayes can be reached at lonnie.hayes@pressdemocrat.com.