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A Muse inspiring others

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Sonoma Valley Sun

Each year, the Sonoma Community Center looks for someone who exemplifies its mission of brightening lives through the arts, education, and community-centered activities. For 2019, that person is Gary Edwards.

“That’s what a Muse does,” says John Gurney, SCC executive director, “provides the inspiration we all need to do our best.”

Edwards has been named the center’s 2019 Muse, its signature annual benefit to “honor those who have inspired community and imparted a lasting impression on Sonoma Valley.”

About the honor, Edwards told The Sun, “I have a deep love of the Community Center as it has over the years given the community a place to store the ‘Heart of the Sonoma Valley.’ There’s truly something for everybody.”
Since moving to Sonoma in 1994, Edwards has become an integral part of the community, serving with the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley, acting as a founding member of Citta Slow Sonoma, serving on the Sonoma Planning Commission, and being elected to the Sonoma City Council.

“For over 15 years he has has wrangled donations, organized fellow chefs, and cooked turkeys for the Center’s free Thanksgiving Dinner, one of the innumerable ways that Gary exemplifies the civic-minded nature he is so well known for,” Gurney said.

This year’s fundraising Muse celebration will be held on Saturday, August 10, 2019. The event supports the Center’s ongoing arts and cultural education programming including classes in ceramics, fiber, and music, the Artist-in-Residence program, free community events like the annual Thanksgiving Dinner (with food by Edwards himself), and Dia de los Muertos, along with the continuing restoration of the historic building at 276 W. Napa St.

Previous Muse honorees have included Steve and Holly Kyle, Chuck Williams, Jack Lundgren, Robert M. Lynch, and Jack London, among many others.




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