BooKoo, the popular four-year-old Asian street food restaurant at 25 Miller Ave. downtown, has unveiled its expanded space along with a dazzling new interior design that includes 10 craft beer taps.

BooKoo owner Matt Holmes had been looking to expand the restaurant’s 680-square-foot space almost since its inception. The closure of Henry's Toyshop in the adjacent space in late 2013 provided the perfect opportunity, he says. The expansion more than doubles the restaurant’s square footage to 1,400 and its number of seats to 48.

The expansion also provided BooKoo with an opportunity to change its interior design. Gone are the bright hues that Holmes says were much needed in the previously tiny space. Those pastels and bright colors would’ve made the larger space seem “like the inside of a coloring book,” he says.

“With the expansion of Boo Koo, we had the opportunity to tear away from the pastel hues and multi-colored walls and introduce much broader design elements consistent with our Mill Valley roots and our Asian Street Food style,” says owner, Matt Holmes. 

The new design incorporates the work of San Francisco artist Adam Feibelman, whose “unique ceiling art and bar mural marry the elements of street art, playful themes, and restaurant design” Holmes says.  

Holmes also reached out to San Francisco husband-and-wife team of interior interior designers Parisa O'Connell and Clinton Miller, who sought to transform “the space into a rustic, yet modern attraction, with highly textural elements suggestive of a bustling gritty Bangkok alley.”

To do so, Holmes procured some salvaged barn wood and sheet metal from now-defunct Mill Valley garden retailer Smith & Hawken. The refreshed wood and metal now adorn the new BooKoo’s walls, tabletops, and 26-foot bar/countertop. 

"We wanted to bring a fresh urban appeal to the new space in fun unique way". An oversized custom light fixture was added as well, “fusing together the ever so bright red logo color along with concrete stains and white hex tile to create a beautiful and welcoming Asian-inspired restaurant experience.”

The expansion was critical, Holmes says, to putting all of BooKoo’s operations under one roof. He says “the logistics of running this business were so hard” because of the tight quarters, with him storing paper products in his house and “running out of food almost every day.”

Holmes says that in addition to paving the way for BooKoo’s craft beer program, the larger space allows for an expanded kitchen and thus a soon-to-expand menu that will include organic handmade artisan dumplings and the return of their popular line of Asian chicken wings.

“In the next few months, you’ll see a big step in our culinary innovation,” he says. “We’re really excited about it.”

The Asian street food restaurant first opened in December 2010 in the former Ino Sushi space as Charlie Hong Kong, a second location of Darryl and Carolyn Rudolph’s popular Santa Cruz restaurant of the same name. In August 2011, the restaurant broke away from that partnership and went through a name change and a tweak of its menu. The BooKoo name is a play on the French “beaucoup” (plentiful, bountiful) and has roots in Vietnamese slang. 

As BooKoo is only taking a portion of the former Henry's Toyshop space, Holmes is looking for a subtenant for the rest of it. Interested parties can contact Holmes, a principal at Retail West, by clicking here. 

The sub-leased space was temporarily occupied by Carolina Boutique, the retail shop owned by Carolina Loiacono, which moved into the space for a few months during a renovation of the building that included Carolina and Sofia Jewelry.

The 411: BooKoo is located at 25 Miller Avenue. It is open Mon.-Tue., 11am-8pm and Wed.-Sun., 11am-9pm. Click here for more info.

One of the most iconic athletes of all time and one of the most vilified actors ever take the stage together at the Marin Theatre Company beginning August 14, as the venerable local theater kicks off its 48th season with a production of Fetch Clay, Make Man.

The historical drama draws its inspiration from a peculiar event from the Civil Rights Era: a press conference at which heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, né Cassius Clay, introduced his “secret strategy man” – the former Hollywood comedic actor Stepin Fetchit, né Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry.

The play was written by San Francisco native and hip-hop theater pioneer Will Power and directed by Derrick Sanders (MTC’s Fences, April 2014). The latest collaboration between MTC and Sanders is the play’s West Coast premiere as part of a bi-coastal co-production with Maryland’s Round House Theatre, where the play will continue after it ends its MTC run on September 7.

“We are delighted to welcome back to Mill Valley Derrick Sanders, the incredible director who helmed our fantastic production of Fences last season,” MTC Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis says. “He has brought together a wonderful cast of actors to tell San Francisco native Will Power’s story of Ali and Step and the powerful battle that raged in the mid-1960s, both inside the ring and outside in the world.

Fetch Clay, Make Man examines black identity in the U.S. through the unlikely friendship between two African-American icons who became inseparable from their public personas. Ali, “The People’s Champion,” was viewed as a racial hero for embracing black pride (and white antagonism); Fetchit, “The Laziest Man in the World,” as a racial traitor for his “chitlin’ circuit” vaudeville and minstrel show character (that was so popular he became the first black actor to receive a featured screen credit).

Fetch Clay, Make Man takes place in the run-up to the controversial 1965 rematch between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, which famously ended after Liston went down less than two minutes into the first round after a “phantom punch” that few saw delivered by Ali. The play puts that infamous fight in the background, with the imagined drama taking place in Ali’s dressing room at the fore.

From the shadow boxing of personalities between Ali and Stepin Fetchit, whom Ali has brought in to teach him heavyweight champion Jack Johnson’s “anchor punch,” to the struggle of Ali and his wife with their new life in the Nation of Islam, “plenty of verbal punches are thrown” in this “eye-popping [and] intriguing” (The New York Times) new play that is also a “fascinating [and] bracing look at the politics of identity” (Backstage.com).

Fetch Clay, Make Man premiered in 2010 at the McCarter Theatre Center in New Jersey and received its second production at New York Theatre Workshop in August 2013. Born in Harlem and raised in San Francisco’s Fillmore district, playwright Will Power “has been hailed by critics as ‘the best verse playwright in America’ and is known for bridging the gap between contemporary hip-hop and performance theater” (Dallas Magazine).

The 411: The production of Fetch Clay, Make Man will run for a limited engagement of 29 performances from August 14 through September 7. Opening night is Tuesday, August 19. Marin Theatre Company is located at 397 Miller Avenue in Mill Valley. Click here to buy tickets.    

The Mill Valley Film Festival has cemented its vaunted reputation in recent years, screening five of the past six films that went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Now our hometown festival is ready to show off some of the most technologically innovative short films its 37th edition, set for October 3-13. In a partnership with Sharp Electronics, THX and Red Digital Cinema, the Sharp Art of Amazing 4K Film Competition “asks filmmakers to highlight the benefits of ultra high resolution entertainment through compelling, short 4K films.” 4K has become the term used for ultra high-definition televisions.

"If you've experienced high-quality, 4K content on a beautiful large screen Ultra HD TV, you know high resolution can allow viewers to see more, feel more and actually experience more," Sharp Electronics Mark Viken says. "We share filmmakers' passion for delivering the ultimate high-resolution entertainment experience, and look forward to seeing this year's submissions."  

For the competition, filmmakers will submit films made specifically for Ultra HD screens like those manufactured by Sharp. The winners of the contest will have their films screening at MVFF37, with $65,000 in prizes for filmmakers and fans doled out in the process. Contest winners will also receive filmmaker festival passes and a private THX tour of the world-renowned Skywalker Ranch – birthplace of Star Wars and THX.

The panel of judges for the competition will include representatives from Sharp, THX, RED, Lucasfilm, Adobe and the California Film Institute, the producer of the Mill Valley Film Festival.

Films can be submitted through September 7. Visit www.sharpusa.com/ArtofAmazing for official rules and submission details.

On September 14, up to 15 finalists will be posted in the Art of Amazing Film gallery  Fans can view all finalists and then vote for their favorite film for a chance to win a 4K prize package. 

The 37th Mill Valley Film Festival runs October 2-12, bringing more than 200 filmmakers representing more than 50 countries to the CineArts@Sequoia (25 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley), Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center (1118 Fourth Street, San Rafael), and other venues throughout Marin.

A nearly 30-year-old Mill Valley tradition kicks off this Sunday with the first of Arts Commission’s Concerts in the Plaza over the next four weekends.

The event – free and open to the public on the Depot Plaza – features two bands each on the first three Sunday afternoons, with Beso Negro headlining the entire two-hour final show on Sunday, Aug. 24.

Concerts on the Plaza begins at 1 pm Sunday with the T Sisters, a trio of Bay Area sisters whose “subtle throwback aesthetic calls to mind classic trios past, from the Andrews Sisters and 1960′s girl groups to the sirens from the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? Steep Ravine, a folk-bluegrass band that draws its lyrical inspiration from Mount Tamalpais, follows the T Sisters at 2 pm.

Those who loved the soundtrack to the 2007 film Into the Wild should check out the August 10 performance of Jerry Hannan, who wrote one of the songs performed by Eddie Vedder in the film. Hannan, “a storyteller, known for his thought provoking and poignant lyrics and exuberant performances,” hits the stage at 1 pm, with flautist Matt Eakle, best known for his extensive work over the years with the likes of David Grisman and Jerry Garcia.

On August 17, rock n roll fans will get a chance to take a trip in the Wayback Machine and get a look at one of the Bay Area’s emerging, buzzworthy bands, all in the span of two hours. Beatles Flashback, a tribute to the Fab Four, kicks the day off at 1 pm, with local prodigies Matt Jaffe & the Distractions following at 2 pm. Frontman and guitarist Jaffe is joined by Terra Linda resident Alex Coltharp on drums and Novato musician Sammie Fischer on bass. The group plays a sharp brand of smart indie rock, drawing on a range of influences from the Talking Heads and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists to the Decemberists and Django Reinhardt.

Speaking of Reinhardt, Beso Negro, the final group of the Concerts in the Plaza series, has built its reputation by drawing its influence from the famed gypsy jazz guitarist and injecting it with a modern sensibility, transforming the genre “into a vibrant new beats” that is “darker, faster, more danceable, more blues, more Gypsy.” Beso Negro has been burning up stages throughout the Bay Area in recent years and its August 24 performance should serve as a fitting capper to this stretch of fantastic and free live shows  in the Depot Plaza. 

The 411: Concerts in the Plaza begins Sunday, August 3, from 1 pm – 3 pm and runs at the same times through August 24. Bring lawn chairs and your dancing shoes. Click here for more details.

The rumor mill has been buzzing for months about the possible closure of Toast Mill Valley, the 11-year-old comfort food eatery at 31 Sunnyside Avenue.

Toast owner Feri Bijan confirmed those rumors this week, saying the restaurant will close on September 1 when its lease is up.

“I was just losing too much money on it,” Bijan says of the Mill Valley location, noting that Toast Novato, her 5-year-old location in downtown Novato, is alive and doing very well. “And the rent was too high.”

Feri Bijan took over ownership of Toast in 2012 from her son Shahram Bijan, the tech entrepreneur-turned-restaurateur who in 2004 also opened the First Crush wine bar and restaurant across the street at 24 Sunnyside, the space that’s now home to Prabh Indian Kitchen. Bijam closed First Crush after two years and tried three more concepts in that same space. Shahram Bijan now runs Blink Design, an apparel design firm in Los Angeles.

Foodies conditioned to heading to 31 Sunnyside for breakfast-brunch-lunch won’t have to wait long for Toast’s successor. Steven Choi, the San Francisco restaurateur whose lineup includes Fred’s Coffee Shop in Sausalito, is set to open Kitchen Sunnyside, a breakfast-lunch spot, in late October or early November, after a renovation of the space.

“It will be a similar menu to what is there now, but a little more upscale,” Choi says. “It will be new American cuisine rather than traditional American cuisine. And it will look a lot nicer inside.”

Choi says most of Toast’s 25 employees will be staying on, as long as they can wait out the projected six-week renovation that will begin in September.

Choi, a San Francisco resident originally from South Korea who plans to buy a house in Tiburon, has built himself something of a brunch mini-empire in recent years. In addition to Fred’s Coffee Shop in Sausalito, he owns Taylor Street Coffee Shop, Sweet Maple (opened in October 2010) and American-Thai fusion restaurant Blackwood (June 2012) in San Francisco. He also opened Kitchen Story, which serves up Asian-influenced California cuisine in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood, in November 2012.

In doing so, according to the Wall Street Journal, Choi, originally a bioengineer, invented what he dubbed "millionaire's bacon," the “thick-sliced, slow-cooked, sugar-and-spice-coated delicacy has since attracted the attention of the Food Network and legions of brunch-goers.

Choi says he had been looking for a larger space in Mill Valley for a while but settled on 31 Sunnyside because of its proximity to downtown and the space’s longtime home as a community restaurant. Before Bijan opened Toast there in 2003, the Sunnyside Café existed there for more than a dozen years.

Having placed their contemporary fine gallery at the center of the local arts scene over the past two years, Donna Seager and Suzanne Gray are moving it to the heart of downtown.

Seager Gray Gallery is set to relocate from 23 Sunnyside Ave., where it’s been since November 2011, to 108 Throckmorton Ave., one of downtown’s most prominent locations, on September 1, with a grand opening event to follow on September 6.

“We’re so excited,” Seager says of the move, which adds some square footage, provides separate offices and a small outdoor space in the back. “It’s been really great for us here (at 24 Sunnyside) – we saw our business improve from the get-go when we moved to Mill Valley, and it has continued to grow from there.”

Seager Gray's move comes on the heels of the closure David Bina's furniture shop at 108 Throckmorton on June 29. Bina said he's moving his retail operation entirely online.

The gallery's move to the space marks the fifth business at 108 Throckmorton in the past two years. In February 2012, Yasmine McGrane closed her 9-year-old shop of French-inspired home and garden products to focus on web sales as well as a lifestyle book via Chronicle Books and a series of one-off events. Boutique clothing shop Showroom moved into the space that same month from its former digs at 30 Miller Ave., moving to San Francisco in 2013. Bina opened up a "curated interiors" shop in the fall of 2013 with Carie Meier called David Carie, but quickly went solo and changed the name to his own moniker.

Seager, a Novato resident who has been a fixture in the art scene for more than 35 years, including a 10-year stint at Robert Green Fine Arts, says she’s thrilled to see her gallery grow, particularly given its journey over the past nine years.

Seager Gallery opened on Fourth Street in San Rafael in 2005. During the recession, the always-tough art business became downright lethargic. Lucky for Seager, her loyal supporters – both artists and patrons – rallied to her side, holding a fundraiser to help her stay afloat until the economy rebounded.

“It brings a tear to my eye every time I say it,” she says. “I have gone back to those people to thank them and let them know that they kept me open. That’s unheard of.”

Soon after, Gray, who lives in downtown Mill Valley, began working for Seager, quickly establishing herself as much more than an employee.

“The success of the gallery has a ton to do with Suzanne,” Seager says. “She brought skills to the table that I didn’t really have – she’s a natural gallerist – this has been a great partnership.”

The pair became partners in the Seager Gray Gallery when they moved to Mill Valley in late 2011, a shift southward that drew a bigger audience. Seager says the gallery saw a 30 percent spike from its first year to its second in Mill Valley – “and even more than that since then.” 

“People like to come to Mill Valley and the clients we brought with us from San Rafael have been very happy to follow us," she says, adding that their active in involvement in the San Francisco Art Dealer's Association and the San Francisco Center for the Book has helped. "And our reputation has really grown over the years as well.”

“We’re interested in art that combines content with a mastery of materials,” Seager adds, noting their focus on books – both handmade books and altered books, i.e., things made out of books. “Craftsmanship is sometimes a bad word in the art world – we happen to love it, and we call it ‘mastery of materials.’”

Seager Gray will celebrate its new location with a Sept. 6 grand opening and reception for oil painter Chris Gwaltney’s “Time Is…” exhibit.

Seager says they’re working with an as-yet-unnamed potential subtenant to take over their space at 23 Sunnyside for the rest of their lease through March 2015.

We’ve had more than a week to chew and stew on the San Francisco Chronicle’s July 12 piece on our little town, “Are tech-sector newcomers elbowing out Mill Valley’s funky-arty vibe?” And after a deluge of reaction on social media and in the comments section of the article itself (450 comments and counting), we want to hear what you think about it.

Did the story get it right? Is the tech industry specifically changing Mill Valley? It seems "Mill Valley is changing for the worse" has been the theory du jour in town for years, if not decades. Is the Chronicle onto something new and different this time around?

As we see it, there’s no doubt that Mill Valley faces some huge challenges, namely in the way of traffic, housing affordability and school district enrollment. And we’re really glad the writer spoke to the likes of Mayor Stephanie Moulton-Peters and local business owners Will Hutchinson (Prooflab) and Susan Griffin-Black (EO Products) – they all provided some good context and, in Susan’s case, some Seinfeld-inspired levity.

But we were left feeling a bit underwhelmed by the piece, particularly from a “How is this really news?” perspective. Demographic changes have been occurring in the 94941 for decades – “new money” has been coming here for so long that it’s now long since “old money.” The median single-family home price in Mill Valley in April 2014 was $1.83 million, and it was nearly $1.5 million for the same month 10 years ago. And while traffic has indeed spiked in recent months, the connection of the dots between gridlock and the latest tech boom seem tenuous at best.

We would’ve loved to read a single quote from or an anecdote about a “tech-sector newcomer” who recently moved to town, or at least more than a mention of a “former venture capitalist” who was once a contestant on “ABC’s “Wife Swap.” It would’ve been nice if the premise of the article – the tech industry’s boom specifically changing Mill Valley – was supported by some evidence other than somebody who saw someone flying a consumer drone. Right?

A few other minor points of contention:

• Mickey McGowan closed his Unknown Museum in 1989, having been initially been displaced by Smith & Hawken, the gardening store that was born in Mill Valley and which shut down in 2009. You can’t blame Twitter and Facebook money for the loss – 25 years ago – of a quirky cultural institution.
• Charlie Deal, creator of the toilet-seat guitar, passed away in 2007. Not sure that occurrence can be laid at the feet of the tech industry.
• Ditto with the original Sweetwater, which closed in 2007.
• And what does a guy from Kentfield badly beating someone up while riding his bike through town have to do with Mill Valley?
  

Hutchinson perhaps said it best: “I think that the tech boom that's happening in San Francisco sends waves out in every direction, so it's impossible not to be affected by that.”

The impact of the latest tech boom is being felt virtually everywhere in the Bay Area. Mill Valley is not immune to that, better or worse. The only thing that feels unique about its impact on Mill Valley is that the history of the 94941 is more colorful and interesting than many of its counterparts.

What did you think of the Chronicle story? Tell us in the Comments below.

City of Mill Valley's annual Creative Achievement Awards will also highlight the O'Hanlon Center for the Arts, event gurus Murphy Productions, architect and former Mayor Chris Raker and longtime arts supporter Gage Schubert.

From the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival to hundreds of events every year in seemingly all artistic media, Mill Valley’s calendar is always chock full of reminders of the vitality of the local arts and entertainment scene.

Perhaps no single event defines that vitality – and the history that continues to inspire it – more than the Milley Awards, the City of Mill Valley’s annual chance to honor creative achievement and distinguished accomplishments in the arts. The 2014 Milley Awards, produced by a volunteer board of directors under the auspices of the Mill Valley Arts Commission, is set for Oct. 19 at the Mill Valley Community Center.

It promises to be another star-studded affair.

The 2014 honorees include legendary comedian Mort Sahl, famed author Joyce Maynard, prolific music producer Scott Mathews, architect and former Mayor Chris Raker and Murphy Productions, the event production and promotion company that has been an engine for the local arts scene for more then a decade. The O’Hanlon Center for the Arts is receiving the Vera Schultz Award for its “lasting contributions to the cultural life of our community.”

In addition, Gage Schubert, longtime local supporter of the arts and the husband of the late, great puppeteer Lettie Schubert, is set to receive the Sali Lieberman Award, a lifetime achievement award for “individuals who embody Marin Theatre Company founder Sali Lieberman's inspiration, courage and determination and who, like him, have contributed significantly to the cultural life of Mill Valley.”

Rita Abrams, best known for recording the song “Mill Valley” with her third grade class at Strawberry Point Elementary School in 1970, along with Milley Awards co-founder Abby Wasserman, will serve as emcees for the event. Abrams garnered a Milley in 1996 while Wasserman won the Sali Lieberman Award in 2009.

The Milley Award itself is a bronze statuette created by John Libberton of Sausalito. Here are brief bios of the 2014 Milley Award recipients:

Scott Mathews - Achievement in the Musical Arts

The list of artists who Mathews has produced at his Tiki Town studio in Mill Valley or elsewhere is staggering: Elvis Costello, Roy Orbison, Roseann Cash, Jerry Garcia, Huey Lewis, John Hiatt, Nick Lowe, Dick Dale and Milley Award winner Sammy Hagar. Mathews has also written songs and/or recorded with Barbra Streisand, John Lee Hooker, Keith Richards, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, The Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, David Bowie, Steve Perry, Johnny Cash, Todd Rungren, Robert Cray, Ry Cooder, The Tubes, Jefferson Starship and Raphael Saadiq. Mathews has tallied sales of more than 35 million records sold as a producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist.

Chris Raker - Achievement in the Visual Arts

From the Outdoor Art Club to the Marin Theatre Company, Raker has put his architectural imprint all over the local arts scene for more than 25 years. The former two-term Mill Valley Mayor’s retrofit design “deserves significant recognition as it is under-the-radar kind of preservation work that has fully impacted the community, though not necessarily seen through the naked eye,” according to the Milley Awards committee.

That preservation work is on vivid display in his Raker’s latest project, the restoration of the Mill Valley Lumber Yard in conjunction with Matt and Jan Mathews.

Joyce Maynard - Achievement in the Literary Arts

A household in American literary circles and beyond, Maynard first came to national attention with the publication of her New York Times Magazine cover story “An Eighteen-Year-Old Looks Back on Life” in the April 23, 1972 issue, when she was 19 and a freshman at Yale. In her 1998 memoir, At Home in the World, Maynard revealed the story of the relationship she had with author J. D. Salinger when he was 53 and she was 18. The memoir has since been translated into 15 languages.

Maynard has written nine novels and four non-fiction books, plus a bevy of columns, articles and essays, including a stint as a reporter and columnist for the The New York Times and as a syndicated newspaper columnist whose “Domestic Affairs” column appeared in 65 papers nationwide. 

In 2013, the Times ran Maynard’s paean to the Sleeping Lady in an essay titled, “Echoes of the Savage and Sublime on Mount Tamalpais.” After she moved to Mill Valley in 1996, Maynard frequently led day-long intensive writing workshops at Book Passage. Her novel To Die For was made into a 1995 film directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Nicole Kidman and Joaquin Phoenix, while her novel Labor Day was made into a 2013 film directed by Jason Reitman and starring Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet. Her most recent novel, After Her, is set in Mill Valley. She now lives in the East Bay.

Mort Sahl - Achievement in the Performing Arts

For the past four years, one of the most important comedians of all time has called Mill Valley home. Sahl, widely considered the father of political comedy, was the first comic to appear on the cover of Time magazine. He was the first non-musician to receive a Grammy award and, in fact, he hosted the first-ever Grammy Awards in 1959). He’s poked fun at every president from Eisenhower to Obama, and managed to maintain friendships with quite a few of them, too.

Sahl - a self-described political radical - began as a speechwriter for President Kennedy and later for President Johnson. He began performing at the hungry I music club in San Francisco’s North Beach in the early 1950s, before comedy clubs even existed. Sahl’s 1955 performance with Dave Brubeck, which was recorded and released, without Sahl's permission, and was sold as Mort Sahl At Sunset, was recently recognized by the Library of Congress as the first stand-up comedy record album.  
At the age of 87, Sahl continues to perform regularly, taking the stage at the Throckmorton Theatre every Thursday night during the theater’s year-long 19-year anniversary celebration.

Murphy Productions - Contributions to the Arts Community

Known for their successes at developing unknown venues, Erma Murphy and Daniel Patrick have created a unique and original style of producing musical events that are inclusive of a larger community.
Erma Murphy began as a local impresario in 2000, hosting a monthly musical party called First Friday at her home in Mill Valley. The evenings provided an opportunity for local and aspiring musicians to play together in an ensemble arrangement while sharing potluck, talking and dancing. Daniel Patrick met Erma at First Friday in 2001 and bonded over their love of music and community. Together, they became Murphy Productions in 2002. Over the years, they’ve produced shows all over, including the Larkspur Cafe Theatre, the Falkirk, the Belrose, he Stage Door Dance Studio, the Masonic Hall in downtown Mill Valley and the old Palm Ballroom in San Rafael. 
The company also serves as a publicity firm for the likes of Marin Open Studios, Marin Art Festival, The Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival and The Larkspur Flower and Food Festival.

Sali Leiberman Award – Gage Schubert

The Sali Lieberman Award was created by the Milley Awards Board of Directors to honor lifetime achievements of those individuals who embody Marin Theatre Company founder Sali Lieberman's inspiration, courage and determination and who, like him, have contributed significantly to the cultural life of Mill Valley.

Gage Schubert is receiving this award for his numerous contributions to the community. The list of recipients of Gage's largesse is long: Kiddo, Slide Ranch, Marin Theatre Company, Tamalpais Conservation Club, Mountain Play Association, West Point Inn, The Dipsea Race, Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival, the City of Mill Valley plus numerous other projects as well as the Milley Awards.

Schubert always sought to remain in the background, referring to himself as a "table and chair" man.  He no longer moves the tables, but is still actively involved with the Mountain Play Association. Gage and his late wife Lettie, a puppeteer and early Milley Awardee, started their community volunteering with the Alto School summer fairs and also worked to found the Scott Valley Swim and Tennis Club.  After that the community involvement never stopped.

Vera Schultz Award – O’Hanlon Center for the Arts

In 2002 the Vera Schultz Award was created to honor the achievements of organizations which embody the late Marin County Supervisor’s activism, leadership, courage and vision, and like Vera Schultz, have made lasting contributions to the cultural life of our community.

The O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, located in a sylvan setting in Mill Valley’s Cascade Canyon, offers workshops, performances, classes, discussions and events for people of all ages who desire to express themselves creatively or who simply love the arts. In an accepting and supportive atmosphere, they feel free to discover new ways of seeing and doing.  Continuing the teaching legacy of founders Ann and Richard O’Hanlon, who started the non-profit organization on their property in 1969, facilitators and teachers emphasize process over product, fellowship, and individual growth.  Professional artists and those who want to explore their creativity for the joy of it find O’Hanlon an egalitarian oasis. It is Mill Valley’s art center—where community and creativity meet.

The 411: Tickets for the Milley Awards are $75. They will go on sale in early September. 

Reading and walking at the same time aren't often a good idea – just ask the folks walking and texting in the "No Cellphones" lane on a DC sidewalk – but at the Mill Valley Public Library, the two make for the perfect combination for the Library’s 2014 Adult Reading Challenge: Steps, Lanes, and Paths. Inspired by Mill Valley’s extensive network of over 175 heritage paths dating back to the 1880s, the Library is serving up a literary expedition that encourages readers to explore new literary landscapes while becoming actively acquainted with the city that many call home.

The Adult Reading Challenge centers around a “reading map” featuring the steps, lanes, and paths of Mill Valley. The 133 steps, lanes, and paths featured on the reading map correspond to a particular reading challenge category relating to peoples, places, genres and much, much more. Participants are challenged to read one book for each path by the challenge’s end on December 31, 2014. As participants undertake the literary challenge, they are also encouraged (but not required) to explore Mill Valley and celebrate its perambulatory heritage by walking the corresponding steps, lanes, and paths on the reading map.

“It’s been a personal goal of mine to walk every step, lane, and path in Mill Valley,” said Ali Birnbach, reference librarian and organizer of the reading challenge. “I know how enjoyable and unexpectedly refreshing it can be to explore the city through its back roads, and a reading challenge seemed like the perfect way to share the experience. A good reading challenge gives participants a general guide and lets them decide how they want to approach it. This year’s theme lets you literally choose your own path(s).”
 
The breadth of categories in this year’s challenge is extensive, from “Voyages of Discovery and Adventure” and “International Female Authors” to “How Can I Help You? The Service Industry” and “An Event or Experience Your Parents Lived Through,” among many others. Categories serve as inspirational starting points and are open to readers’ personal interpretation, meaning that readers are sure to find books to spark their interest. If that wasn’t motivation enough, over the duration of the challenge participants will have chances to win fantastic prizes, including an iPad Mini. For each book read, participants will earn one raffle ticket. The more books read, the more raffle tickets earned, and the more chances to win.

The Adult Reading Challenge is open now. Adults ages 18 and older are invited to register online through the Library’s website. Registrants should then stop by the Library Reference Desk to pick up a reading map. If participants are looking for reading suggestions, librarians at the Mill Valley Library can offer book recommendations. The Library’s website also features a wide array of book lists. 

“We announced our reading challenge last Monday and we currently have nearly 100 participants,” said Birnbach. “It’s a great start to what we hope will be one of our best reading challenges yet!”

In addition to the Adult Reading Challenge, the Mill Valley Public Library offers separate summer reading programs for kids, middle schoolers, and young adults. Visit the Library’s website for more information about any of these programs. 

With current stickers set to expire July 31, City is selling new purple RSVP stickers that allow residents to park at a metered space for free for two hours.

For residents wanting to shop downtown without lugging around change for the parking meters, it’s out with the red and in with the purple.

The City of Mill Valley’s Resident Shopper Vehicle Permit (RSVP) program, which allows 94941 residents to park for free at a metered space as a way to promote downtown businesses, is nearing the end of its fourth year, with new purple stickers on sale now to replace the red stickers of the past year.

The current RSVP stickers expire on July 31. The popular program regularly sells around 3,000 stickers per year, according to City officials.

Just like the past two years, the stickers are $40 for the first two vehicles, $60 each for a third or fourth permit for 94941 residents. For residents of zip codes 94965, 94920 and 94925, all permits are $60. The city accepts check or cash at the Public Safety Building (1 Hamilton Drive) during business hours, and permits can be purchased online here.

In an effort spur RSVP sales, the Mill Valley Market offers any of its customers who spends $350 or more at the market in the month of July a $30 discount on the purchase of an RSVP sticker. Participants can bring their market receipts totaling $350 from purchases within July, along with their receipt for their RSVP sticker purchase, to the Mill Valley Market and get a $30 discount on their next purchase.

You can purchase the parking stickers various ways:

• Online
  
• Mail application and check to: MVPD, 1 Hamilton Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941
  
• Fax application to: 415-389-4148
  
• In person at 1 Hamilton Drive (across from Hauke Park) 8-5 Monday - Thursday and 8-4 Friday
  

All RSVP stickers must be permanently  attached to the left rear driver's side bumper or lower left rear window. Stickers on vehicles not placed in the proper location will be cited and vehicles parked longer than time limit for the parking space will also be ticketed!

For more information, visit the RSVP FAQ page or call 389-4100.

Like many Mill Valley business owners, when Erin Seavey and Dave Tint sought inspiration for their newly expanded and newly named business, they simply looked up – to Mount Tamalpais.

In mid-July, the pair are launching Mt. Tam Dog Company at 6 Miller Ave., where Seavey has owned the Alpha Dog retail shop for more than two years. The new moniker is a reflection of an expanded business that includes a dog walking service and sees the Sleeping Lady as its muse and its playground.

“We’re using Mount Tam as the backdrop for everything we believe in for people and their pets,” says Seavey, a Marin native who grew up in Novato. “We’re all about the health and fitness of dogs, love of the great outdoors. On the mountain’s hiking trails, we have the ability to be out in nature with our dogs.”

Under the new model, Seavey is the “den mother” of the retail shop and Tint is the “pack leader” of the dog walking business.

Tint, a Tiburon resident who’s been walking dogs for years, says he’s “all about bringing accountability to the dog walking business,” namely by using GPS to map out every route he takes dogs on – mostly fire roads – allowing clients to know “where your dog has been and what kind of exercise they had.” The dog walking service will include a maximum of six dogs at a time, on leash, primarily on fire roads.

Clients can also have input into the process, as Tint has categorized all of the trails he uses just like ski resorts do with ski trails, from “bunny slopes to double black diamonds.”

“I always tell people that my job wouldn’t be the same if I lived in Texas,” he adds.

That focus on accountability, Tint says, was inspired by its antithesis: he recalls seeing dog walkers with 10 dogs at a time in San Francisco, sitting on a bench and drinking a latte while the dogs scurried about.

As for the retail shop, Seavey says longtime Alpha Dog customers will still be able to find their favorites, especially custom doggie beds and custom collars. But they’ll also notice a clear shift toward being an “mini REI for dogs and people,” with a heavy emphasis on dog products like travel food bowls, doggie boots for the desert and life jackets for four-legged seafarers.

“We’re all about reflecting an outdoor passion for nature and staying fit, both for dogs and people,” Seavey says.

The 411: Alpha Dog retail shop will close on July 9, and Mt. Tam Dog Company plans to reopen one week later. 6 Miller Avenue. 415.389.6500. Click here for more info.

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

My daughter loves food and will try anything. Part of having such an adventurous palate stems from knowing where her food comes. Which is why we do everything we can to support our local farms. By visiting the farms and getting to personally know the farmers we have learned how precious our organic farms are.

A spring trip to Windrush Farm and last autumn to Skyline Chestnuts gave us a reality check on how the farms we love struggle to keep their operations going. Because of the lack of rain this year, Skyline had no chestnuts and Windrush Farms has to give up half their flock.

So this summer, I‘m urging you to do what you can to support local organic farms. It’s easy to do and is a valuable lesson for us all. Start with the farmers at the market, look into Community Supported Agriculture (or CSA) boxes, venture out to a Pick Your Own farm, visit a local farm and try growing your own. Here are some simple suggestions to help get you started.

Farmers Markets
Buy food “in season” and make a list of what you plan to purchase. Food “in season” is usually less expensive and tastes better. Let your child pick one thing from that list they love to eat and encourage them to try something new. Set an example by picking something new too. Talk directly to the farmer at the stand with your child, let the farmer show you how to pick the best produce, ask for a taste and ask questions.

Pick out something that might not be on your list such as honey from Marshall’s Farm, olive oil from McEvoy Ranch, raw milk from Strauss, yogurt from Saint Benoît Creamery, butter from McClelland’s Dairy, and, in the case of Windrush Farm, Mimi’s gorgeous yarn!

Enquire about visiting their farm and the best time to go. Last year, I gathered our 4H group to visit the Achadinha Cheese Farm and learned all about making goat cheese. We went when they had baby goats to play with, milked the goats, learned all about making goat cheese and had a very memorable time.

You can also take a guided group tour of the farmers markets and let them introduce you to the farmers. Contact your local farmers market for more information.

Check out the full list of local farmers markets.

CSA
CSA stands for Community SupportedAgriculture. CSA gives us direct access to high quality, fresh produce grown locally by regional farmers. When you become a member of a CSA, you’re purchasing a share from a regional farmer. Here in Marin, we have a wide variety to choose from which include meat, produce, flowers, and home products. Just to name a few: Betty’s Organics, Eatwell Farm, Frog Hollow Farm, Full Belly Farm,Bloomfield Farm, Marin Sun Farms and you can meet many of these farmers at our local farmers markets too. When you open the box, expect to see something that you are not familiar with and get excited about it! Most CSA boxes include excellent recipes too.

U-Pick
The Bay Area has access to so many amazing farms that encourage visitors to pick your own food. Another amazing opportunity to teach kids about healthy seasonal eating. Check out the website PickYourOwn for a list of farms nearby. Dress for getting messy and bring your own bags you and your child can carry. Show your child how to look for the ripe produce. Even a 2 year old knows the red strawberries are the ones to pick.

Grow Your Own
And finally, have your child pick out one plant to care for over the summer. Nothing beats the hands on learning experience of caring for your own plant. You don’t need a garden, you can grow a plant in a pot. Sproutbot is a great website to learn what and when to start planting in your neighborhood. Some guidance and reminders are necessary but they will squealed with delight to pick and eat from their own plant.

Support our local organic farms and have a wonderful summer!

Tuesday, July 1, New Moon

Turbo, Century Rowland Plaza, Novato, 10am, 10 shows for $5 or $1 per show.

Little Sprouts: Jump and Dance, 11-11:45am, 5 and under, Jaime Lee Currier of Your Song My Song rocks classic kids’ songs, funky originals, and unique covers on her ukulele. With felt board puppetry and imagination adventures she leads the kids in a magical, interactive exploration, Mill Valley Library.

Julian Sterling Magician, 3:30pm, all ages, Mystery and magic from Julian Sterling, a local (young!) magician, Sausalito Library.

Lego Club, 3:30-4:30pm, Bring your imagination and we will supply you with everything you need to create with LEGOs, San Anselmo Library.

Fairfax filmmaker John Vigran recently unveiled this “Get on a Bike with MCBC” video to help promote the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, with the help of a team of coalition volunteers. On the heels of the coalition's fantastic work providing complimentary valet bicycle parking at the 2014 Mill Valley Market Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Tasting event, we thought it was a good time to share the love. See more of Vigran’s work at Wild Heart Pictures.

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