Local music shop celebrated the long-awaited release of the new movie musical

By OLIVIA HOKR — city@theaggie.org

On Nov. 22, Armadillo Music invited “Wicked” fans to come together and enjoy a free listening party dedicated to the new movie musical adaptation. The Davis-favorite music shop gave away prizes during the event and those who purchased a “Wicked” vinyl or CD were given a free poster.

Armadillo Music in Downtown Davis is known for their welcoming atmosphere and events. Hosting listening parties is a staple event for Armadillo: Some of the recent parties were for Linkin Park’s “From Zero,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” and Remi Wolf’s “Big Ideas.”

With the excitement surrounding that week’s public premiere of the new “Wicked” movie, starring Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Armadillo provided the free event for fans to get together and appreciate the soundtrack.

To inform the community of upcoming festivities, Armadillo Music is active on Instagram and shares details about all of their events. For the “Wicked” listening party, they provided an on-theme flyer with information about what attendees can expect.

“We will play the soundtrack in the store and give away prizes to many in attendance, including Wicked tote bags & turntable slipmats,” Armadillo said in an Instagram post. “We also have full-sized Wicked posters to give away with purchase of the CD or the vinyl, while supplies last!”

Attendees were encouraged to dress for the occasion by wearing green or pink, a representation of the two witches. Many guests dressed accordingly, and some took it to the next level. Alejandra, a fourth-year linguistics major, dressed up as Elphaba by painting herself green.

“I am dressed as, obviously, Miss Witch,” Alejandra said. “We were actually going to watch the movie after the listening party so we just wanted to come listen to the soundtrack, really appreciate it in all its glory and then see the visuals paired with the soundtrack later on. We’re just really excited, we’re really big fans and we’ve been waiting for a movie since the musical isn’t shown all the time.”

Her friend, Allison Keleher, a fourth-year managerial economics major, dressed as Glinda to complete the duo and bring the vision of the two witches to life.

“I heard they were giving out free stuff, and I wanted to see the movie,” Keleher said. “So I’m wearing an ensemble with a pink t-shirt and a pink blanket so it’s like a dress, and my face is painted pink.”

During these listening parties, Armadillo’s bar, known as The Bootleg, is always open for 21+ listeners to enjoy. The record store also hosts events throughout each month such as Suds & Sounds and Bikes and Beats for community members to mingle and show appreciation for their music taste.

Written By: Olivia Hokr — city@theaggie.org

Live music, mead and a wide selection of varietal honey to taste from made up this anniversary celebration

By MATTHEW MCELDOWNEY — city@theaggie.org

It is estimated that over one thousand people came out to celebrate the anniversary and success of The Hive, a tasting room, kitchen and honey production facility, on Nov. 16. Z Speciality Food is a family-run business that has since moved from sharing a warehouse space with a wool factory into The Hive’s state-of-the-art, zero-net-energy production facility and event space that has 20,000 square feet.

Programs at the anniversary celebration took families on tours through this garden and production facility to highlight their commitment to taking care of the climate and bees that in turn take care of them.

The families of Woodland were also given the opportunity to participate in a honey tasting, an interactive bee show and a spelling bee. These free programs were complemented by the event’s farm-to-table menu and a wide selection of mead to purchase.

Shoshana Zeldner, the director of brand strategy and marketing, and her brother Joshua Zeldner, the nectar director who is responsible for the wholesale, food manufacturing and honey processing side of the business, talked about their family business and the sheer amount of support they received during this event.

This was an unprecedented amount of people we have had at The Hive in one day,” Shoshana said. “Having more than one thousand people was an achievement, and we are glad things ran so smoothly with that many people.”

Joshua added onto his sister’s statement and explained what he loves most about the event.

“It showcases how excited the community is that we’re here, and we hear it from people all the time — especially from people living in Woodland — that they are just so happy that we exist,” Joshua said.

At the event, many people were there to participate in tasting each of the over 30 varieties of honey and competed against one another in the bee-themed spelling bee, even coming to the event in bee-themed costumes. This year’s programs had more participation than ever before as families were clamoring to learn more about The Hive’s business at its heart, according to the siblings.

“We showcase very pure products from nature and so a strong connection to the environment as well as pure, simple and high-level ingredients is really core to who we are,” Shoshana said.

Moreover, Shoshana and Joshua emphasized that during the facility tour, this commitment to sustainability is intrinsic to so many aspects of their business and distribution model.

“Josh has also done a lot of work on having our building, our packaging and our shipping to all reflect [our values of] environmental sustainability,” Shoshana said.

Their facility is fully electric, offset with solar panels and their business uses packing and shipping materials that are recyclable or recycled whenever possible. Furthermore, the facility includes a garden that uses drought-tolerant pollinator plants, 100% organic landscaping, emergency-efficient appliances/architectural design and solar heating. This commitment to sustainability was among the major factors in building The Hive from the ground up.

As experts in the honey industry, their business has been consulted by UC Davis in the founding of its Honey Center with Joshua and Shoshana’s mom, Amina Harris, as the founding director. This role is one that Harris feels best aligned with her goals and vision as an educator.

“A big value is education,” Shoshana said. “When our parents started the business, they were really the first company at the time to be talking about varietal honey. And so, educating people about what varietal honeys are, and honey in general, is really central to our identity.”

Joshua then emphasized the importance of making their honey education accessible to a wide range of people.

“We try to assume that each person that walks through the door has never tried varietal honey or mead before,” Joshua said. “So we have a lot of fun educating people.”

For Ailee Mcleod, a third-year psychology major, this was her first time tasting different varieties of honey side-by-side or trying mead at all.

“I didn’t know mead was a thing until I was brought into The Hive,” Mcleod said.

The Hive was a welcoming place that allowed her to try a whole bunch of honey-based products such as honey cider, honey beer and a whole bunch of pure honeys sourced from Northern California, Florida and Hawaii, according to Mcleod.

“[My favorite part was] the honey tasting,” Mcleod said. “I didn’t know there was a wide variety of honeys —- you’d be surprised —- there’s savory honey!”

Each of the native flowers that the honeybees would collect nectar from would produce unique flavors unique to each variety. And as Mcleod tasted The Hive’s wide selection of honeys, she developed her own personal taste.

“My least favorite was the Hawaiian Lehua —- there was no party in my mouth — the one that did give a big party in my mouth was the orange blossom and the sweet clover,” Mcleod said. “I don’t know what was in that, but all I know is that it was really good.”

For this family business, Z Specialty Food, to allow so many people to come back or be introduced to the delectable world of honey through this anniversary event is what made it so meaningful. Overcoming the challenges of both operating and expanding their small business to what it is today was no small feat. However, it is the many precious moments like Mcleod’s first honey tasting that remind them of how far their journey has taken them, according to the Zeldners.

“We’ve put in so much work over the years to get to where we are today, and it is really validating to see this space being used to its fullest potential — to see the band going with the stage and the PA, the bee show, the facility tour, people tasting honey and drinking mead,” Joshua said. “All those things together is such a beautiful picture that brings tears to our eyes, [given that] we have worked so hard to get here.”

Written By: Matthew Mceldowney — city@theaggie.org

To kick off the fall season, the craft fair highlighted a variety of local artisans and crafters

By ALYSSA TORRES  — city@theaggie.org

Davis residents seeking unique, handmade crafts gathered at the annual Senior Center Craft Fair on Nov. 16. The craft fair has been a tradition for over 20 years, becoming a touchstone for local vendors to gather, sell and show their crafts to the Davis community.

Over 20 vendors participated in this year’s craft fair. One of these vendors was Buttons ‘n Bears, Oh My!, a local micro-enterprise founded in 2011 by longtime friends Anna Hoban and Jackson Murtha. Specializing in custom and premade designs, their booth featured teddy bears, buttons and magnets, and over the years, they’ve created designs for political campaigns, parties and gifts. This is the second time Buttons ‘n Bears, Oh My! has participated in the Senior Center Craft Fair.

Craft fairs not only provide local artisans and crafters an opportunity to sell their creations, but they also provide a chance to connect with their fellow crafters and the greater community. For Hoban, these personal interactions are the highlight of the fair.

“The most enjoyable thing about craft fairs [is] getting to see old friends and getting the chance to meet new people,” Hoban said.

Mayaland Crystals & Rocks, run by Phyllis and Rich DeHaven, showcased geodes, quartz and polished rock art designed for healing, meditation and wellness. When asked about her favorite part of the event, Phyllis shared her love for talking to attendees about the rocks, particularly about ‘wishing rocks.’ Inspired by an old Irish legend, wishing rocks are stones with a continuous quartz band encircling them, believed to bring good luck to those who find them.

Also present was Erica Garas, selling crocheted stuffed animals, hats and zippered storage scrunchies, a clever accessory that doubles as a discreet pocket.

Garas has been a crafter her whole life, but crafting for the public started as a way to give back to her community.

“I started a few years ago,” Garas said. “I lived in Concord and was selling things to benefit the homeless locally.”

Handing out raffle tickets was Blue Pine Coffins, a family-run company started by Dean and Danielle Newbury, focused on creating 100% biodegradable, affordable and locally sourced coffins. The business champions the “Green Burial” movement, a growing initiative working toward environmentally sustainable approaches to end-of-life practices.

Every booth at the craft fair had a story to tell. Katherine Damonte sold crocheted blankets, patchwork items and plant mugs, inspired by her fond memories of crafting with her grandmother.

“I just really enjoy sewing and crocheting,” Damonte said.

At a neighboring table, Nancy Townsend displayed diamond paintings, mosaic-like artwork crafted by placing tiny, colored resin “diamonds” onto a coded canvas. She began diamond painting three years ago after her husband’s passing.

“I just do it to do it,” Townsend said. “It makes me feel renewed.”

A representative of the Davis Senior Center, who wished to remain anonymous, explained how the craft fair benefits Davis’ creative community.

“Craft fairs are such a great way to give the community a chance to see what our local artisans are making,” the representative said. “Ultimately this event helps our vendors make a bit of money, connect with the community and enjoy sharing what they’ve created.”

Written By: Alyssa Torres — city@theaggie.org