Political Partying

Photos by Ryan Lely
The tickets are sold, the hotels booked, and if you find parking, it’s prob-ably in Virginia. The inauguration of President Obama is the event of year, and you have absolutely no hope of attend-ing, so let’s not even pretend. (And those guys scalping tickets? They’re Secret Service.) For-tunately, Sonoma offers a few options for those looking to celebrate our 44th president’s fi rst day on the job.For those whose political bone is yoked to their funny bone, the Sebastiani Theatre is hosting “The First Inaugural Obama-HaHa,” a matinee melee of political comedy. Featuring veteran stand-ups Will Durst, Johnny Steele, Dan St. Paul and Joe Klocek, the gig ramps up to the inauguration 2 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 18 at the historic venue, located at 476 First St. E. Advance tickets are $15 and can be had by call-ing 707.996.9756. Tickets at the door are $18.A bevy of local organizations will attempt to put the “party” back in “political party” come Tuesday, Jan. 20, when the Sonoma for Obama Inaugural Ball kicks off with a buffet dinner at 5:30 p.m. at the Sonoma Community Center.“Yeah, people want to continue to party, I would say there is a lot of excitement,” said Sonoma Mayor Ken Brown, whose Bear Flag Social Club, in concert with Noma Girl Events, Rocket Catering and the Sonoma Valley Demo-cratic Club, is presenting the ball. “I would say that President-elect Obama crosses party lines, so there are a lot of Obamicans out there.”In addition to the buffet dinner, beer, wine and coffee will be served throughout the eve-ning. A big-screen presentation of the inaugu-ral proceedings in Washington, D.C. is the main attraction for the evening, which also includes a raffl e and a commemorative Obama-themed wine glass. In many ways, the ball serves as a bookend of sorts to the popular election night party presented last November by the same partners.“When we had election night, we had over 300 people crowding together to see the big-screen,” recalled Emmy Kaplan of Noma Girl Events, who notes that kids are welcomed at the all-ages event. “I think people were really pleased to see the whole community together. I think in Sonoma we are pretty united in say-ing that we think Obama should be our next president.”Balancing the ticket, at least demographical-ly, is the Berry Brothers Band, a fi ve-man clas-sic rock garrison lead by bass virtuoso James Marshall Berry, who is also the Sun’s music columnist and host of the Sonoma Valley Music Scene on KSVY 91.3 FM.“It’s kinda like Jurassic Park, you walk through the forest, there are a couple of long-haired guys playing music,” Brown said of the Baby Boom-aged band with a laugh. “We’re rockin’ ‘n’ ‘rollin’. There will be dancing and music and good wines being poured at a very affordable price. This is a celebration – it’s not a time to be cloistered at home. I think the presi-dent would want you to go out.”The Sonoma for Obama Inaugural Ball begins at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20 at the Sonoma Com-munity Center, 276 East Napa St. Tickets with the buffet are $30 ($5 for kids 12 and under) and can be purchased only at Rocket Café, 18816 Sonoma Hwy, Sonoma. 707.933.9755.Tickets for the general ball are $10 and are available at the door. For more information, con-tact the Bear Flag Social Club at 707.938.8623.