Chris Smith: Santa Rosa’s Matsuri! arts festival offers chance to aid quake victims

Five years ago, when a historically destructive earthquake struck northeast Japan, creators of Santa Rosa’s enchanting Matsuri arts festival abruptly reordered their priorities and shared proceeds of the event with victims of the disaster.

Now come the mid-April quakes that caused death and destruction in southern Japan. Organizers of the May 7 Matsuri (sonomamatsuri.com) are looking at splitting the dollars raised that day among scholarships and relief and rebuilding efforts related to both the 2011 quake and the latest ones.

Clearly, the more money we spend at Matsuri on art, crafts, clothing, food, beverages and raffle tickets, the better.

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. that Saturday, Juilliard Park and the South A Street district transform into a celebration of all things Japanese.

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CASH FOR CANNES: Some of the greatest actors and filmmakers will go next month to the Cannes Film Festival.

So will Max Heller and Alessio Guerra.

The Sonoma State University students made a film within a film, “The Vision,” which was accepted into the esteemed festival’s Short Film Corner. They hope for some financial help as they prepare to go to Cannes and invite attention to their 5-minute film, themselves and SSU.

Their campaign and film are at gofundme.com/t4jquwpw.

As he prepares to fly on?May 7, Heller plays in his mind with what he’d share with, say, George Clooney should they meet at, say, Le Sweety Café.

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HE BUILT FENCES for a living, good ones.

A favorite project of Piner High and Santa Rosa Junior College alum Scott Neal was helping to ring Arlington National Cemetery with a beauty of a new fence.

When not working, he was with his wife, Marla, and two kids, likely out in nature.

Friends were aware that, try as he did, Neal simply couldn’t work all day or every day while he fought lymphoma up to his death in early March, at 46. They think it’s something that through his illness, his employer, Ahlborn Fence & Steel, for months paid him fully whether he was there or not.

I checked with Tom Ahlborn, who said Neal put a great deal into the company. “I never looked at it that we were doing him a favor,” Ahlborn said.

“He earned it. He banked it.”

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FORESTVILLE KIDS are fairly lucky kids. They’re about to be luckier still.

Among the uncommon assets of their town are two community owned and operated parks: Forestville Youth Park and the in-progress Downtown Park, alongside what’s to become the new Town Square.

On June 7, the Forestville Farmers Market will open for the season and it will move from Russian River Vineyards, a bit out of town, to the Downtown Park. For it to be right downtown will be a boon for adults and kids alike.

Then there’s this: Vendor booths will be available, and the market folks are thinking it’d be great if teens would like to share a booth and raise some money by selling art-and-craft items they make, perhaps T-shirts they designed.

Interested Forestville-area youth can drop a note to Manager Mary Rand at info@forestvillefarmersmarket.com.

Opening day of the new downtown market looks to be a blast for kids from to 2 to 200.

Chris Smith is at 521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.