Happy Friday.

Wow, we are pretty much in August.

Sorry for the slightly sad introduction but I am just reminiscing a little. Is it not crazy how slowly summer seems to arrive, and then somehow slips away from us before we even realize it?

The good news is that we are heading into what many people consider the best part of the year. Fall in Napa is beautiful, the holidays are not too far behind it, and there is still plenty of summer left to enjoy.

The bad news is that time goes very, very quickly.

So there you have it. Let’s take advantage of it and find some cool things to do, just as we have every weekend in this wonderful town.

For this week’s Game Plan, I marked down a few interesting options around Napa. Some are bigger, more Wine Country-style events that I pulled from DoNapa, along with one that feels much more local. I also included a few things happening around the larger Bay Area that I thought many of our readers would genuinely enjoy.

Thank you for being here. It truly means the world.

Now, here is your trivia.

As we know, the Grateful Dead were a prolific touring band. They played roughly 2,300 shows over their 30-year career, from 1965 through 1995.

But here is the question:

How many times did the Grateful Dead perform in Napa?

A. 1
B. 3
C. 7
D. 12

This one actually made the newsletter.

I had a whole section written about the Young Farmers & Ranchers Barn Dance (originally this sat. Aug 1st). I thought it was a great fit for this week's Game Plan.

Then, while doing one last round of fact-checking before sending this out, I realized it had been postponed.

What's strange is that a few local calendars are still showing it as happening this Saturday, so if you happened to have this one on your radar, don't make the drive.

It has been moved to next year.

Honestly, showing up to an empty field ready to square dance has to be one of the more disappointing ways to spend a Saturday night.

Just wanted to save at least one of you the trip.

Hey guys, sorry. This one technically happened last weekend, and I somehow missed it.

But I still thought it was too interesting, and too Napa, not to tell you about.

Everybody expects wine tastings in Wine Country. Maybe a food festival. Maybe a concert. Probably not a boxing ring in the middle of a vineyard. But that is exactly what happened last Saturday.

Raymond Vineyards hosted Napa Knockout, a charity event featuring MMA, boxing and kickboxing matches, all to raise money for California’s retired fighters pension fund and a charity supporting retired fighters.

A pretty ridiculous group of recognizable names from the combat sports world was expected too, including Ronda Rousey, Nate Diaz, Randy Couture and Andre Ward.

Apparently, it was the first professional boxing and MMA event ever held on the Napa Valley floor. Naturally, I checked to see when the next one is.

As of now, I could not find another date announced. The people behind it did say they hoped this would be a stepping stone toward more events like it, though, so hopefully this was not our only chance to watch people fight in the middle of a vineyard.

I will do a better job catching it next time.

Not every event around here needs some crazy show. Sometimes it is just a good old-fashioned Saturday morning with free pancakes and a parking lot full of classic cars.

Cornerstone Fellowship is hosting Hotcakes & Hotrods on Saturday morning, featuring vintage cars, trucks, muscle cars and hot rods from around the Napa Valley. There will also be free pancakes and coffee, along with games and activities for families.

I am not entirely sure why pancakes and classic cars work so well together, but they really do.

Maybe I am just sick of standing around a grill in the deep summer heat, and having somebody else make breakfast sounds especially good right now.

The event is free to attend, and it is also free to bring and display a vintage car or truck. Since it is being hosted by a church as a community outreach event, there will be a short message before the awards are handed out at the end of the morning.

Then, at noon, the cars will pull out together for a classic cruise down Soscol to In-N-Out, which honestly feels like the correct way to end a car show in Napa.

Details

I know this one will not be for everybody.

But I also know there are more than a few Deadheads reading this, and for you, this might be one of the better weekends of the entire summer.

Saturday would have been Jerry Garcia’s 84th birthday. Every year, the stretch between his birthday on August 1 and the anniversary of his death on August 9 is known as the Days Between.

Around the Bay Area, that basically means nine straight days of tribute concerts, art shows, jam sessions and people finding another reason to pull the tie-dye out of the closet.

The biggest gathering this weekend is the 24th annual Jerry Day at McLaren Park in San Francisco. It is free, runs from 11:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. on Saturday and includes Melvin Seals & JGB, Stu Allen & Mars Hotel and a handful of other performers.

There are also shows happening all around the Bay. Dark Star Orchestra is playing two nights at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, while Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley is stretching the celebration across several days.

And Napa is not sitting this one out…

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is playing Blue Note Napa Summer Sessions at The Meritage on Sunday night. From what I have heard…they take the songs, speed them up, stretch them out and push them in a jazzier, more improvisational direction.

So whether you want to head into San Francisco for the full Jerry Day experience, make the trip to Berkeley or just stay right here in Napa, you have options.

Basically, if Jerry Garcia has ever taken up an unreasonable amount of space in your music life, this weekend was made for you.

Local Details

Regional Options

Please note these are only a handful of the events that I decided to include, there are many more out there!

The answer was A. One.

Despite playing roughly 2,300 shows over three decades, the Grateful Dead only performed in Napa once, at the Napa County Fairgrounds on May 29, 1967.

Here is the show page if you want to check it out:

https://www.dead.net/show/may-29-1967

And just to circle back to the beginning, there is always something happening, but you do have to pay attention. Summer moves quickly, events come and go, and sometimes the thing you meant to check out is over before you realize it.

So take advantage of it. August is already here.

Have a great weekend, stay cool, and I’ll see you Monday for Town Notes.

Callie