Railroad Square Music Festival draws thousands in fourth year

The free community event Sunday showcased the North Bay arts scene, with food vendors, local artisans and bands.|
CHRISTI WARREN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Thousands of people milled about Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square Sunday, taking in music, sipping beers from Lagunitas and eating paella and fresh fruit in the afternoon sun.

They were there for the fourth annual Railroad Square Music Festival, a free community event that showcases the North Bay arts scene, with food vendors, local artisans and bands.

The event is put on by San Francisco-based nonprofit the Lost Church, which is dedicated to creating spaces for live performances. The group currently operates a theater in San Francisco’s Mission District. The nonprofit plans to open a second performance space in Santa Rosa this fall.

Standing in the shade of a tree next to the Bottle Barn Stage, the Chetcuti family, of Bennett Valley, watched as jazz-electronica artist Eki Shola wrapped up the end of her set.

“It’s our first time,” Amy Chetcuti said. “We thought we’d check it out and see what our wonderful Santa Rosa has to offer. I think it’s great. I think it’s lovely. It’s not too crowded, it’s beautiful. … It’s nice to walk around, and everyone’s friendly.”

One of her daughters, 9-year-old Stelli Chetcuti, echoed her mother’s thoughts.

“It’s awesome,” she said, munching on a cherry shaved ice.

In all, more than 20 bands were scheduled to play throughout the day, scattered across eight different performance areas within the four-block festival.

Among the bands was Osito, a Sonoma County-based alternative rock band which celebrated its three-year anniversary Sunday.

Afterward, bassist Shovanny Delgado was checking out records at one of the vendor tents with his girlfriend, Renae Avila, and her 4-year-old daughter Ara Avila - who had just finished getting her face painted with a rainbow skull design.

“(The crowd) was great,” Delgado said. “So responsive. We did a cover as our last song, ‘A Whole Lot of Love,’ and everyone just loved it.”

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.

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