VALLEJO — The circus is in town! Ventura Circus presents “The Dream,” wholesome family fun featuring a variety of renowned artists from around the world, at a tent on the waterfront through July 24. Showtimes are 7 p.m. weekdays and 2, 4 and 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
This Friday is also the second Friday of the month, and that means Art Walk! You will find hand-made crafts by local artists, open shops, and live music and street performers out at the end of a long, warm day. Several downtown restaurants will be open late and offering a variety of cuisine.
If you missed them last week, On the Fringe Youth Theatre will perform “The Wolves” on Friday and Saturday at the Vallejo Museum.
If you’re into reading, you can catch “Literary Dialogues” with Nina Serrano on Ozcat Radio on Thursday, or attend “Books on Tap” library book club meeting at Napa Smith Brewery next Tuesday.
The Vallejo Seaweed broke a losing streak yesterday! They have games scheduled at Wilson Park on Sunday and Monday and will be sure to appreciate your cheers from the stands.
A couple of somber events round out this week. A Celebration of Life and fundraiser will be held on Sunday at Vino Godfather for Nancy Orpilla, schoolteacher and wife of Filipino-American National Historical Society founder Mel Orpilla.
The beloved educator taught at Federal Terrace Elementary School for a decade before she stopped in January as she struggled with cancer. Proceeds will go to The Nancy Orpilla Memorial Scholarship Fund to provide a yearly scholarship to a graduating senior who will be pursuing a career in teaching.
And later today the Vallejo Police Department will host a Community Town Hall meeting at 4 p.m. to address the officer-involved shooting that occurred on June 27. The meeting will be held at 4 p.m. at Elmer Cave Language Academy, 770 Tregaskis Ave.
These are just some of the highlights happening this week. Check the event listings below for live music listings and community events in store.
Wednesday, July 12
Vallejo Police Department Community Town Hall
The Vallejo Police Department will host a meeting to address the officer-involved shooting that occurred on June 27. Vallejo residents and stakeholders are encouraged to attend this meeting.
- Wed, 4 to 6 p.m.
- Elmer Cave Language Academy
- 770 Tregaskis Ave.
Mare Island Community Workshop
Hear expert speakers give a brief overview of the State’s environmental review process, Mare Island’s existing environmental conditions and their implications for the future Specific Plan.
- Wed, 5:30 to 8 p.m.
- Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum
- 734 Marin St.
WMPH? – What Makes People Happy?
There’s a tremendous amount of talent and experience in this one group of musicians who have played with Etta James, Zazu Pitts Memorial Orchestra, and the Robert Cray Band, to name a few.
- Wed, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
- Empress Theatre Lounge
- 324 Virginia St.
Ventura Circus
Fun for everyone, featuring all the classics of a real American family circus! High-flying acrobats, jugglers, clowns, and more!
- Wed, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
- Waterfront Parking Lot B
- 150 Georgia St.
Thursday, July 13
Art Beat Radio Show – Literary Dialogues
Literary Dialogues with Nina Serrano
- Thu, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Ozcat Radio
- 89.5 FM KZCT
Storytime at Children's Wonderland
Join our friends from the Solano County Library for storytime, a free program offered to the community.
- Thu, 11 a.m. to 11:45 am
- Children’s Wonderland
- 360 Glenn Street
Ventura Circus
Fun for everyone, featuring all the classics of a real American family circus! High-flying acrobats, jugglers, clowns, and more!
- Thu, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
- Waterfront Parking Lot B
- 150 Georgia St.
Friday, July 14
2nd Friday Art Walk
The Vallejo Art Walk takes place all over the downtown area and includes street vendors, musicians and local merchants restaurants open late.
- Fri, 5 to 9 p.m.
- Downtown Vallejo
- Georgia and Marin
Let Clay Lead the Way - Lony Maya Neubauer
Come see the work of Lony Maya Neubauer of Hippottery, creator of happy, colorful ceramics. Wayne Goodman to perform piano music from 6-8pm! Refreshments to be served
- Fri, 5 to 9 p.m.
- McCune Room, John F. Kennedy Library
- 505 Santa Clara St.
Idlewild West
Enjoy dinner, drinks and dancing to a Idlewild West, sharing the music of the Allman Brothers.
- Fri, 6 to 9 p.m.
- Bambino’s
- 301 Georgia St. #122
Ventura Circus
Fun for everyone, featuring all the classics of a real American family circus! High-flying acrobats, jugglers, clowns, and more!
- Fri, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
- Waterfront Parking Lot B
- 150 Georgia St.
The Wolves
On The Fringe Youth Theatre presents The Wolves, the debut play of up-and-coming playwright Sarah DeLappe. The Wolves chronicles six Saturday mornings in the lives of a female soccer team in suburban America.
- Fri, 7:30 to 10 p.m.
- Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum
- 734 Marin St.
Saturday, July 15
Community Coffee Tasting
Mingle with friends and neighbors while sipping free coffee samples. There’s a new cafe at the roasting site with an espresso machine and an outdoor grill offering made-to-order crêpes.
- Sat, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Moschetti Coffee
- 11 Sixth St. (Curtola Pkwy. & Solano Ave.)
Community Garage Sale
One man's trash is another one's treasure! De-clutter your home today and bring your items to sell.
- Sat, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Children’s Wonderland
- 360 Glenn Street
Free Family Day
Free admission all day the third Saturday of every month. Join us at 11:00 am for story time recommended for children aged 8 and under. Participants under age five receive a free new book, a healthy snack, a plush toy and an hour-long story time program.
- Sat, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum
- 734 Marin St.
Vallejo Reptile & Oddities Expo
Check out the large selection of snakes, lizards, spiders, amphibians and all the supplies you will need for an amazing set up! This is NOT your ordinary reptile expo, we will have a great selection of reputable breeders on site to answer all your questions and needs.
- Sat, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Solano County Fairgrounds
- 900 Fairgrounds Drive
Vallejo Teaching Artists & Art@Arc Open House
Vallejo Teaching Artists, Inc. is proud to announce that we will be partnering with The Arc-Solano to support artists with developmental disabilities. Artists, Teaching Artists and Friends are invited to come and visit. Arc-Solano's Art@Arc program provides a critical space for artists with developmental disabilities to create, exhibit and sell their art work.
- Sat, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Arc-Solano
- 3272 Sonoma Blvd. Suite 4
Lenny Williams
Vino Godfather Presents legendary vocalist and performer Lenny Williams, best known as the lead singer for the soul/funk group Tower of Power in the early 1970s.
- Sat, 1 to 4 p.m.
- Vino Godfather Winery
- 1005 Walnut Ave. @ Kansas St.
Ventura Circus
Fun for everyone, featuring all the classics of a real American family circus! High-flying acrobats, jugglers, clowns, and more!
- Sat, shows at 2, 4 and 7 p.m.
- Waterfront Parking Lot B
- 150 Georgia St.
Tradewinds
Enjoy dinner, drinks and dancing Saturday. Tradewinds will be on stage playing your favorite classics from the 50's, 60's and 70's!
- Sat, 6 to 9 p.m.
- Bambino’s
- 301 Georgia St. #122
Live Music with S.R. Laws
Laws serves up an original style of rock, roll, rhythm, and soul.
- Sat, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
- Mare Island Brewing Co. Taproom
- 289 Mare Island Way
The Wolves
On The Fringe Youth Theatre presents The Wolves, the debut play of up-and-coming playwright Sarah DeLappe. The Wolves chronicles six Saturday mornings in the lives of a female soccer team in suburban America.
- Sat, 7:30 to 10 p.m.
- Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum
- 734 Marin St.
Three Queens - music of Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner and Diana Ross
3 Queens is a high energy tribute show featuring the legendary music of "The Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin, "Queen of Rock," Tina Turner, and the "Queen of Motown," Diana Ross.
- Sat, 8 to 10:30 p.m.
- Empress Theatre
- 330 Virginia St.
Sunday, July 16
Vallejo Reptile & Oddities Expo
Check out the large selection of snakes, lizards, spiders, amphibians and all the supplies you will need for an amazing set up! This is NOT your ordinary reptile expo, we will have a great selection of reputable breeders on site to answer all your questions and needs.
- Sun, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Solano County Fairgrounds
- 900 Fairgrounds Drive
Kayak Practice and Fun
Paddle around Lake Chabot most Sundays. Kayak provided if you don’t have one. This group sometimes has field trips to Lake Solano or safety training at Cunningham pool. Time and location may be adjusted for tides and weather so check the Facebook group for updates.
- Sun, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Lake Chabot
- Dan Foley Park
The Letting Go Experience
Come make art in a safe environment, to surrender to the process of being in a state of flow, to embrace the unknown, the unexpected, the wonders of doing art without expectations or judgment.
- Sun, 12 to 4 p.m.
- Mare Island Art Studios
- 110 Pintado St.
Nancy Orpilla Celebration of Life
Nancy Orpilla passed away on April 25, after an eighteen-month struggle with cancer Proceeds will go to The Nancy Orpilla Memorial Scholarship Fund to provide a yearly scholarship to a graduating senior who will be pursuing a career in teaching..
- Sun, 1 to 5 p.m.
- Vino Godfather Winery
- 1005 Walnut Ave. @ Kansas St.
Ventura Circus
Fun for everyone, featuring all the classics of a real American family circus! High-flying acrobats, jugglers, clowns, and more!
- Sun, shows at 2, 4 and 7 p.m.
- Waterfront Parking Lot B
- 150 Georgia St.
Vallejo Seaweed Baseball vs San Rafael Pacifics
The Vallejo Seaweed are a Professional Baseball Team in the Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs.
- Sun, 6:35 pm to 10 p.m.
- Wilson Park
- 1007 Solano Ave.
Monday, July 17
Vallejo Seaweed Baseball vs Monterey Amberjacks
The Vallejo Seaweed are a Professional Baseball Team in the Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs.
- Mon, 6:35 pm to 10 p.m.
- Wilson Park
- 1007 Solano Ave.
Townhouse Ramblers
Acoustic Evening of Americana, Folk and Blues featuring Don Bassey, Pato Milo, Jeff Campitelli, Rich Adams, Mark Reed, Eric Wood, Erin Bakke, plus some very special guests.
- Mon, 7 to 10 p.m.
- Townhouse Cocktail Lounge
- 401A Georgia St.
Ventura Circus
Fun for everyone, featuring all the classics of a real American family circus! High-flying acrobats, jugglers, clowns, and more!
- Mon, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
- Waterfront Parking Lot B
- 150 Georgia St.
Tuesday, July 18
Books On Tap
Join Springstowne Library at Napa Smith for their monthly book club meeting. This month's theme will be: Myths/Fairytales/Folklore.
- Tue, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Napa Smith Brewery & Taproom
- 101 Yolano Drive
Ventura Circus
Fun for everyone, featuring all the classics of a real American family circus! High-flying acrobats, jugglers, clowns, and more!
- Tue, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
- Waterfront Parking Lot B
- 150 Georgia St.
Before you go...
It’s expensive to produce the kind of high-quality journalism we do at the Vallejo Sun. And we rely on reader support so we can keep publishing.
If you enjoy our regular beat reporting, in-depth investigations, and deep-dive podcast episodes, chip in so we can keep doing this work and bringing you the journalism you rely on.
Click here to become a sustaining member of our newsroom.
THE VALLEJO SUN NEWSLETTER
Investigative reporting, regular updates, events and more
![Gretchen Zimmermann](/content/images/size/w600/2022/10/11234975_1279367208755770_3473053989735599562_n.jpg)
Gretchen Zimmermann
Gretchen Zimmermann started volunteering with Vallejo Open Studios in 2010, launched the Vallejo Arts and Entertainment website in 2014 and creates mixed media sculpture at Mare Island Art Studios.
follow me :