From left, Heartstrings Bridge, Michael LaMacchia and Club Evexia.
The Miller Closure is going out with a Halloween-fueled bang.
The vitality-inducing shutdown of the block between Throckmorton and Sunnyside avenues has spanned much of 2021, with restaurants and retail shops enjoying an infusion of foot traffic and residents getting an opportunity to gather safely downtown, often with live music on the Downtown Plaza as the soundtrack of the weekend.
The fun continues this weekend, Oct. 30, with the final Miller Closure of the year, featuring plaza favorite, the Heartstrings Bridge, a collection of vocal artists dedicated to preserving the tradition of the great songwriters, singers, and the memories their songs evoke. The band’s catalog includes some of the all-time greats, including Ray Charles, Billie Holiday, Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Sarah Vaughan, along with Elvis, Patsy Cline, Tony Bennett, and many others. The group’s range of material reflects its versatility in bridging older classic selections to modern, more contemporary tunes from artists like, Prince, Kings of Leon, John Legend, Adele, Beyoncé, and middle generation hit-makers Luther Vandross, Van Morrison, Stevie Wonder, Temptations, Chicago, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, and countless others. Heartstrings Bridge performs Sat., Oct. 30 from 3-5pm.
They’ll be immediately followed from 5:30-7pm by Michael LaMacchia 3io, the acclaimed local guitarist’s adventurous trio that serves up an alluring arc of luminous songwriting and deeply centered conversations that capture our attention and invite us to participate. The trio sonically narrates a very personal journey that shimmers with a blend of pastoral memories, mysterious storytelling. Each of the songs takes shape from spirited group interaction and contoured dynamics that together, reward us with incandescent insight and reflection into our own passage.”
Through the slog of the COVID-19 crisis, Mill Valley residents and guests have rediscovered the wonders of the 94941, from the delicious marriage of live music and al fresco dining to more outdoor seating than our community has enjoyed in decades. The voracious appetite for al fresco dining and shopping options has been robust and passionate, verifying the “rising tide lifts all boats” theory in spades.
City Hall’s foresight to extend the outdoor business use program through June 2022 was perfect timing, as southern Marin moved into its “late summer” period when the weather typically gets warmer than it has been all summer (despite that much-needed, though damaging deluge of rain).
In the meantime, Equator Coffee, Piazza D’Angelo and Gravity Tavern are taking advantage of the closure this weekend, and downtown retail stalwarts like The Goods, Margaret O’Leary, Sprout San Francisco and Terrestra are joining in, placing racks and products outside when possible. Before and after your beverage and/or meal, we encourage you to visit the amazing array of retails shops throughout downtown!
During the daytime hours of the closure on Saturday, Oct. 30, Club Evexia, Warren Gendel and Scott Raymond, who recently leased 16,000 square feet of space at 100 Shoreline Hwy., the monstrous space formerly occupied by Glassdoor, will be on hand to educate local residents about what they’re launching in January 2022. Club Evexia will have enough room to include a massive gym, high-intensity interval training, TRX, group spin classes that can easily be moved to the outdoor deck overlooking Richardson Bay and a large health and wellness space that includes meditation, yoga, Pilates and breathwork and much more.