Evergreen Lodge

From its humble start in the early 1920s, the Evergreen has matured into what Frommer's calls "The classic Yosemite experience," where you can escape to your very own comfy cabin in the woods. Today you'll find 88 cabins scattered throughout 20 acres of towering pines, each with its own balcony to create a sense of privacy, yet within easy reach of the central plaza, tavern and recreation areas.

Wandering through the Evergreen you'll discover all sorts of surprise diversions for play or relaxation – hammocks, horseshoes, bocce, and zip lines, to name a few. Everything here is thoughtfully maintained to provide a sense of connection to nature, wilderness, and history, while still affording you the modern creature comforts and respecting the surrounding natural resources.

For more information call (209) 379-2606 or visit them on the web at www.evergreenlodge.com

The Evergreen’s staff includes a group of high-potential young adults from urban backgrounds who work as paid seasonal interns.

They leave the city and their normal lives behind and come to live and work in the mountains.

Not only do they learn a specific trade, they are also able to live in a supportive community and enjoy outdoor experiences that challenge, motivate and inspire them.

Our commitment to our youth program stems from two central beliefs:

1. Supportive employment can help young people build momentum in their lives and realize their fullest potential
2. The outdoors in general, and places like Yosemite in particular, should be accessible to everyone

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Artist Mary Sue Palmqist - Sutter Creek Gallery presents Mary Sue Palmquist, the October featured artist at Sutter Creek Gallery, discovered a love of artistic expression in a high school art class with a daily lesson of portrait drawing.  In college she majored in art, attending Ripon College and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design studying printmaking, graphic arts and typography, all before the advent of computers.  In 1983, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art from Rockford College with an emphasis in watercolor.

Before Palmquist could follow her passion for art further, she took over managing the family business, an historic theater in Rockford, Illinois, used for performing arts performances, meanwhile taking evening classes in painting and calligraphy.  After 18 years she went on to pursue the study of art therapy in a master’s program which led to teaching art in an after-school program until she moved to California in 2005.

She then took up her paint brushes and began studying watercolor under the tutelage of Sabina Turner, a local professional artist, as well as taking workshops and entering art shows and the local fair.  Palmquist is primarily a watercolorist but enjoys melding various mediums to create texture and bring abstraction into her work.  Lately, her favorite subjects are old buildings and old photographs.  “There’s so much story in them,” she says, “that I love to imagine the essence of what was going on.”

Palmquist is a member of the Sutter Creek Gallery where you can visit with her during a reception in her honor on Saturday, October 1, from 2 to 5 p.m.  She is one of twenty artists represented by the gallery located at 40 Main Street in the heart of Sutter Creek,  open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  On display are original paintings of all types, photographs, prints and cards, jewelry, pottery and gourds.  Custom matting and framing services are also available.  For additional information, call 209-267-0228

SUTTER CREEK GALLERY
September 3, 2022, from 2 to 5 p.m.

Inspiration comes to watercolor artist Judy Day in any number of ways.  As she puts it, “I see a combination of colors, shapes or textures and they reach out and grab me.”  At times these “combinations” occur when she paints a landscape plein air.  At other times when she travels around the world.  Or a barn or flower near her home may provide the inspiration.  During September, Judy Day will be featured at Sutter Creek Gallery  with an opening reception on Saturday, September 3, from 2 to 5 p.m.

The artist loves learning new techniques and trying out various color combinations while painting daily, even if only for a few minutes.  Day tackles a variety of subjects, including florals—sunflowers are a favorite subject—birds and other animals, vineyard scenes and other landscapes.  She frequently paints water scenes, such as views along the Mokelumne River and at upcountry lakes.  She employs hues both subtle and vibrant, varying them to suit the subject matter.

While Day has tried other media, and occasionally creates using graphite, watercolor is her passion.  She likes “the way the pigments mix on the paper and flow from the tip of the brush.  I can play for hours with paper, paint and water.  Add some salt and a spray bottle and I’m set.”  Her favorite materials are Arches 300 lb. cold pressed paper and Daniel Smith paints.

Judy Day is one of twenty artists represented by the Sutter Creek Gallery located at 40 Main Street in the heart of Sutter Creek.  The business is open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  On display are original paintings of all types, photographs, prints and cards, jewelry, pottery and gourds.  Custom matting and framing services are also available.  For additional information, call 209-267-0228, email

Bear Valley Music Festival Opens Friday, July 22nd

The 54th Bear Valley Music Festival kicks off on Friday, July 22nd and runs through Sunday, August 7th. With concerts tucked inside a large tent that holds 500, this iconic annual event is a wonderful way to escape the heat and enjoy some music and fresh mountain air in the outdoor wonderland of Bear Valley, CA.

Opening night on July 22nd features Tennessee River, a band that pays tribute to one of the most influential and vocally dynamic country bands of our time – Alabama. While Saturday night’s original Jefferson Starship show is sold out, Sunday afternoon is a perfect time to head to the mountains to beat the midday heat and hear the T Sisters, a crowd-favorite indie/folk Americana band. For an evening of soulful blues, don’t miss Chris Cain on Thursday night, August 4th.

The 58-musician symphony orchestra kicks off the classical portion of the Festival on Thursday, July 28th. This will be the first season for the festival’s new Music Director Alexander Mickelthwate, a worldrenowned conductor succeeding the festival’s long-time Music Director Michael Morgan, who tragically passed away last August. Mickelthwate is bringing a wide variety of music to the festival including blockbuster classical favorites like the Tchaikovsky violin concerto and Beethoven’s 7th, Broadway favorites from Sondheim to Gershwin, and California themed music from Mason Bates and John Williams.

Kids and classics fans alike will enjoy the Family Fusion concert, where youth 17 and under are free, and there are still opportunities for volunteer ushers at all shows.

Board of Directors president Julia Mee said, “Our main goal as a non-profit music festival is to build community and create concert events the entire highway 4 community will enjoy. From Jefferson Starship to Beethoven, we’ve got something for everyone. This is an historic year as we welcome only the fourth Music Director in 54 years and it’s going to be an experience not to be missed.”

Food is available to order for pre-concert dining under a shaded picnic area, and shuttle rides are available for purchase with stops from Murphys to Bear Valley for each Friday and Saturday night concert. For the full concert line-up, tickets, and other details visit bearvalleymusicfestival.org or phone the music festival office at 209-588-7344.

History

The inaugural concert at the Bear Valley Music Festival saw a 38-person orchestra brimming out of Bear Valley Lodge’s Cathedral Lounge. Residents opened their homes to musicians, served family-style meals in the Lodge Dining Room, and the lounge was packed to the balconies that flank the central room. During those humble beginnings, John Gosling shared his time between Bear Valley and the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Gosling and a dedicated group of founders, musicians, and volunteers continued to make music in a variety of venues – the Lodge, under the open skies, and finally in a large circus tent. The repertoire expanded to include: Broadway show tunes, opera, chamber music, educational programs, and guest artists from around the world.  

As the Festival grew, the classical music was supplemented with opera, Broadway show tunes, and opening weekend acts of contemporary and country music.