Fun in the streets at Petaluma Art & Garden Festival

The Petaluma Art & Garden Festival takes over two blocks of downtown Petaluma July 12 with a free street party of live music, food, wine and beer and some 145 booths with vendors selling creative home and garden décor as well as jewelry and art.

Now in its 14th year, the festival is known as a showcase for good music. This year a new band, Following Ghosts, will make its debut on the stage at Fourth and B streets near the Petaluma Historical Museum from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The band includes Miles Shon of Novato, who has performed on stage many times with his famous father, Neal Shon of the super ‘80s band “Journey,” and drummer Danny Thompson, who has toured internationally as the drummer for the Alan Parsons Project. The band will be joined onstage by special guest star Adam Lasher, a bassist and star of “American Idol” who also happens to be the newphew of Carlos Santana. They will play some original music as well as familiar tuns by Journey, Alan Parson and the Stone Temple Pilots.

Also returning is Zebop!, a Santana tribute band, Saffell, a Petaluma-based indie soul band, and the Petaluma singer-songwriter Bobby Jo Valentine.

The event will include kid’s crafts and activities like bounce houses, face painting and reptiles from the Petaluma Wildlife Center and an Italian chalk art competition for all ages between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Among the beer and wine vendors are Lagunitas, Fogline Vineyards, Sonoma Portworks, Heidrun Meadery, Henhouse Brewing, Petaluma Hills, Golden State Cider and Sonoma Coast Spirits. Offering food will be Preferred Sonoma Caterers, Bert’s Desserts, Petaluma Creamery, Pongos, Brixx, Harvest, King Catering and Bro’s BBQ.

The festival spreads out along Kentucky and Fourth streets in downtown Petaluma between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Food, beer and wine tasting packages are available for $25, including a commemorative wine or beer glass designed by local artist Lisa Krieshok. Each year, the festival’s artwork spotlights a different flower or plant, making it a fun collectible. This year’s featured plant is the pink trumpet flower. The glasses can be purchased for $5 with individual taste tickets sold for $1.50. For more information call 762-9348 or visit petalumadowntown.com.

You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com or 521-5204. On Twitter @megmcconahey.