Sierra Mountain Times

Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane 

I can’t seem to get West Fest out of my mind! It was totally the most awesome rock festival I have ever been to! And the All Hallows Fantasy Faire (which I attended the day before) at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds was spectacular, too! At the All Hallows Faire, I saw many mind-boggling sights – including the burning of “The Wicker Man!” (ancient Celtic ritual!) It was a weekend full of phenomenal experiences! But I’ve got to stay focused. I must focus on this upcoming weekend, ‘cause it’s Halloween-time! (P.S., don’t forget to set your clocks back when you go to bed Saturday night!) Well, I finally found a Gene Simmons/KISS mask! (at Wal-Mart!) So what’s there to do on Halloween, you ask? Consider the Halloween Party Bus if you live within Tuolumne’s Hwy 108 corridor! Ride this exciting conveyance between four hot spots: Lupita’s at Eproson House (Twain Harte), Confidence Inn (Confidence), Big Daddy’s Smokin’ BBQ (Sugar Pine) and Diamond Jim’s (Mi-Wuk Village)!!! Call Any Event at 209-352-6267 for more into!  For those of you in Calaveras, you should find some incredible parties at The Nugget, BOTH Friday AND Saturday! (Murphys) and Micki and Larry’s Sports Pub! (Copperopolis)! Danny from the Nugget promises lots of prizes/surprises, with treats for bona-fide (adult) trick or treaters! They will also have DJ/Karaoke! Dig it!! Over at Micki and Larry’s, the popular 9-member rock/blues/jazz/pop ensemble, Chains Required will rock out! In Angels Camp, Claussen’s Corner always has a wild and crazy Halloween party! LAST MINUTE REMINDER: Murphys Historic Hotel has booked The Fabulous Off Brothers to rock the place, Friday, (9-1am, no cover, 21+). There will also be the 2009 Halloween Haunt between Oct. 29th and Nov. 1st, hosted by the California Haunts Paranormal Investigative Team at the Murphys Historic Hotel!! Call the Hotel at 209-728-3444 for more info! Back in Tuolumne County, The Twain Harte Golf Course will host that very versatile performer, Tommy Warren (rock /country/blues), Friday, Oct 30th! He’ll play from 6 to 8 p.m.!  

Neal Schon of Journey 

Hey, check out the photos! Those are just three of the legendary performers who showed at West Fest: guitarists Neal Schon of Journey, Leslie West of Mountain and Ronnie Montrose!!! Well, the Nugget’s hippy dippy bus came back safely from the West Fest and everyone enjoyed it! Carmelita Henessey of Murphys says, “The bus ride was great! We laughed a lot. The concert was awesome! I had a great, 40-year flashback!” Kim Molina of Mountain Ranch added, “I thought it was great! Our driver, Dave, was awesome! The concert was really fun and mellow!” Rhyno Vanniewenhuizen of Murphys says, “It thought the concert was great! I loved the bus ride! I would not have missed it!” And then there’s Danny Zezzo of Murphys (assistant manager of the Nugget) who organized the bus trip! He says, “What a great day! A once-in-a-lifetime event!! I was so happy to see my busload have such a great time! Stay tuned for upcoming “Danny’s Fun Bus Trips!”  Lastly, I’d like to thank Megan Smith and Dale Hines of Murphys. They had given me a “heads up” about the West Fest weeks in advance, and also give me several of the festival’s posters to hang. Thanks, dudes! As always, I’ll always try to info my readers about upcoming, groovy event; though it’ll probably be a little while before something comes up that can top West Fest! Till next week, peace, love and fun bus trips! 

Leslie West of Mountain