Paul's Picks + E & M presents two family-friendly shows
By Paul Franson and Sasha Paulsen
Paul’s Picks for the weekend of June 9
By Paul Franson
After the intense weekends of BottleRock and Auction Napa Valley, things have quieted a bit, but the summer community concerts start next week to usher in a lively summer of fun.
Learn about Napa history this week with five tours. Napa County Historical Society offers walking tours of downtown and of Tulocay Cemetery on Friday and Sunday, and local history buff and Napa Mayor Scott Sedgley leads a walking tour about Riverfront Captains and Mansions on Saturday.
Lucky Penny’s hilarious “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” continues this weekend.
Valley Players will have readings of short new plays, some by local authors, Friday and Saturday at Crosswalk Community Church.
The American Canyon entertainment scene is heating up, and the Jammin’ Fil-Ams now play live music at the Table 29 Terrace at the Doubletree every Friday from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The Chardonnay/Pinot Noir Classic, an homage to the classic grapes of Burgundy, comes to the Meritage Resort this weekend Friday through Sunday.
Savor After Hours brings cabaret music, dancing and illusion plus winetasting to the JaM Ballroom at the Napa Valley Opera House.
Every Sunday Buster’s Southern BBQ in Calistoga features jazz and blues with a rotating selection of musicians from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Sing Napa Valley brings the Sounds of the Sixties back to the Presbyterian Church Auditorium in Napa on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Sixties clothing encouraged.
It’s Pride Month, and Yountville is celebrating Pride Week, which culminates in Pride in The Park, a free, festive and family-friendly Pride Music in Veterans Park on Sunday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Lucky Devils Band plays.
You get two chances to hear classic jazz singer Elaine Jennings this week, Friday at The Saint in St. Helena and Sunday at her usual gig at Hydro Bar in Calistoga.
If you’d like to find out more about these events and many, many more, subscribe to NapaLife, a weekly newsletter that focuses on news and events about food, wine and the arts – visual, literary and performing. The cost is $50 a year for individuals at www.napalife.com, where you can find a recent example.
E & M brings two family-friendly shows to Napa Valley
By Sasha Paulsen
When Evy Warshawski was director of the Napa Valley Opera House from 2004 to 2011, some of her favorite shows to book were ones created for kids and their families.
Soul Street Dance, TheatreWorks USA, Jack Hanna, Ziggy Marley, the Amazing Bubble Man, the Moscow Cats, and the Zoppe Italian Family Circus “were just a smattering of attractions that brought smiling faces and moments of wonder to new, younger audiences,” Warshawski said.
After she left the opera house, Warshawski said she and her husband, Morrie, studied the “arts ecosystem in the Napa Valley and found a missing cultural niche.” In 2015 they formed E & M Presents, a nonprofit to bring professionally created arts performances that “inspire, educate and entertain young minds.”
Two such shows are just around the corner: On Saturday, June 17, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., David Epley and his alter-ego, Doktor Kaboom, bring “Look Out, Science Is Coming” to the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center.
Epley’s mythical character is an over-the-top German physicist with a love of science that knows no bounds. Sporting peroxide-spiked hair, chrome goggles, orange lab coat and motorcycle boots, Kaboom captivates audiences with his hilarious series of increasingly spectacular and sometimes successful demonstrations of the physical sciences, including an homage to Mister Wizard.
Epley, the father of two, hails from Seattle. He discovered his calling as an actor and comedian after exploring professions such as research physicist, biomedical engineer, mathematician, astrophysicist, chemical engineer and marine biologist.
“Science is for everyone,” said Epley. “If you apply yourself over time, you can do science. It’s not bad, but it does take effort, but that’s not hard, that’s just work, that’s just life.”
Coming up on July 2, E & M Presents brings the Okee Dokee Brothers to the Yountville Community Center with shows at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. It has taken more than three years of trying for the Warshawskis to book the popular duo, a five-time Parents’ Choice Award and Grammy-winners.
As childhood friends growing up in Denver, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing were always exploring the outdoors. Whether it was rafting down their neighborhood creek or discovering hiking trails through the Rocky Mountains, the boys were born adventurers. This spirit and love of the outdoors are at the heart of their brand of Americana folk music.
The “brothers” record and perform family music with a goal to inspire children and their parents to step outside and get creative. Through their six albums and two books they share their belief that kids can gain greater respect for the natural world and their communities by exploring nature.
The Okee Dokee Brothers’ accomplishments have garnered praise from NPR’s “All Things Considered” and “USA Today,” where they have been lauded as two of family music’s best songwriters.
“Joe and Justin are an absolute national treasure,” wrote Minnesota Parent Magazine. “These songs are just what the world needs right now.”
For more information and a link to tickets, visit www.eandmpresents.org