By David Bolling
If there were a police report, it might look like this:
First Name: Trixie
Last Name: Unknown
Age: Decades
Sex: Not in a very long time, if ever.
Ok, then, Gender: Mannequin/Femme (?)
Height sitting: 4-feet, 3-inches.
Height standing: 3-feet, 2-inches
Weight: Hollow
Notable physical characteristics: No legs, (not really a butt either
Eyes: Glassy
Hair: Blonde (usually)
Home address: 476 First Street East, Sonoma
Work address: Sebastiani Theatre Ticket Kiosk
Occupation: Greeter, Icon, Controversial Fixture
Status: Missed work weeks in a row; many people didn’t notice; others cheered; fans grieved. HR report indicates slipping effectiveness at job; some longtime associates suggest redefining the position, or work-share arrangement. Impassioned fan base demands she return.
The fate of Trixie, the stoic, silent, synthetic someone ensconced, according to one knowledgeable source, for some 30 years in the Sebastiani Ticket booth, a nearly beatific (or at least benign) semi-smile on her frozen lips, is evolving, perhaps even as you read this. One thing is clear: she’s not occupying her familiar position inside the booth, which is now empty of any bodily form.
Reliable sources confirm she is safe, not forcibly restrained, although her significant mobility limitations would make an unassisted departure from the historic and beloved facility a challenge, at the least.
In exploring her absence, further investigative research has revealed elements of her life story not widely known even by those who revere her, or those who don’t. Most people don’t know, for instance, that she once (on good authority) had a position at the old Valley of the Moon Saloon, in the Springs. No one is sure what role she played there – barmaid, chanteuse, cook, “lady of the night” (heaven forbid), or simply a lonely lager lover looking for the meaning of life in the bottom of a bottle.
What is known is that at some point, in that 30-year window, she came to the attention of Sonoma Valley DJ, crooner and radio show host Jeff Gilbert who (according to legend and anonymous testimony) introduced Trixie to Roger Rhoten, the Magic Man whose single-pointed passion kept the Sebastiani Theatre alive for countless challenging years.
As legend has it, a now-long gone junk man either contributed, deposited or discarded Trixie at the once-popular saloon, and Gilbert’s mother, (or someone’s mother) thought it was a good idea to dress her up and keep her in the bar. As legend has it, Gilbert’s mother, Georgia Bostedt, supplied both her clothes, and the name – Trixie – to the now-moderately animated mannequin, whose presence in the bar was recorded in a photograph in the exalted New York Times.
Gilbert, so the legend goes, brought Trixie to Rhoten’s attention, believing perhaps that a historic movie theatre was a safer place for a single, pressure-molded female – no matter how synthetic – to spend long, solo nights, than in a dive bar. And thus a legend was born. Trixie’s patient presence has invited countless passersby to stop at the kiosk, lean into the grate and engage Trixie in conversation. Rhoten recalls a “drunk guy” who, upon exiting the next-door bar, leaned into Trixie’s little window and spent the next 30 minutes “laying out his life story. People,” says Rhoten, “love to talk to her.”
But other people, according to considerable testimony, find Trixie’s immobile presence, in a word, “creepy.” Some passersby confuse Trixie as part of a museum exhibit, and are distracted from the performances actually available inside.
And so, our investigative reporting unveiled, the recently reshaped board of the nonprofit Sebastiani Theatre Foundation, in a split decision, decided to retire Trixie from the front kiosk while discussing what other useful purpose she could serve.
Meanwhile, this community newspaper, decided to poll the community, to see how the public feels about Trixie’s disappearance. The results are still rolling in, but after some two weeks, the tally reveals a clear public preference.
After 53 votes were logged, the results were . . . unanimous. Everyone who sent an email vote agreed they wanted Trixie to return. Clearly, this is not a scientific survey. Make of it what you will. But the vast majority of voters also shared their strong opinions. What follows is a random sampling of how some Sonomans feel about Trixie. Names have been removed only because securing consent for identities to be printed exceeded our bandwidth.
The Public speaks:
Yes, yes, yes! Trixie should come back! She is as much an icon as those famous San Francisco twin sisters. She might be old, and kitsch, but she’s been a faithful employee for decades, even through the COVID lockdowns.
For decades Trixie has brought a whimsy charm to the Sebastiani Theatre, welcoming children, visitors and old friends with her reliably sincere and sly smile. She is a beloved figure in Sonoma.
Bring her “home”!!!
Trixie should return to the Sebastiani Theatre. Tell the board I won’t contribute any more money until she is returned to her rightful seat.
Yes, TRIXIE should return. She is a historic piece of our Sonoma community. Period.
YES, only if she wants to!
Trixie should stay! She’s a Sonoma Icon!
What’s next? Moving the General’s Daughter beautiful building for apartments!
What a fun, quaint and quirky surprise she is to young and old. I love walking by and seeing her look and style change with the seasons. She totally befits the era of the theater and leaves a bit of charm still remaining in our charming town.
Should Trixie return? YES,YES, YES!
She is missed!
Trixie reminds me of wanting to be an actress in my teens, all starry eyed, the old nasty cigarettes, and dreams of the future that everyone went to the movies for. The dreams that help create our life that now seem to slip through our fingers. She is a vital icon in our community and is more important than we know. She is history in all its forms. To ask that she come back should not even be in question.
She is unique and charming detail in a stroll around the plaza.
It’s things like this that make Sonoma unique.
She’s iconic and well loved. I miss her smiling face.
Sonoma isn’t the same without her.
As quirky and dated as Trixie may seem at first glance, she is an iconic member of our community. Her presence welcomes residents and visitors to our historic Sebastiani Theatre and is part of its fabric and legacy.
This is silly, but we need silly right now; reality pretty much bites.
This is not acceptable. Bring Trixie back,
I’m extremely upset that she is missing. Trixie is a part of my family, in that she provided complimentary security services for a private surprise party I held at the Sebastiani Theatre, last February for my wife’s 70th birthday.
Yes, Trixie should be returned. Only on a volunteer basis of course. Perhaps she was kidnapped and now suffers from Stockholm Syndrome?
If her removal was based on some political or woke reasoning, I will be very disappointed. Bring her back if for no other reason than the smile she elicits from us all as we enter the theatre. Lord knows we could all use more of that.
Trixie should ABSOLUTELY come back!
Absolutely, positively Trixie should return.
The theatre is NOT the same without her.
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