Lucha Familiar

By Harry Duke

Mounting a production of a little-known play in these pandemic and inflationary-influenced times is something of a risk for most theater companies. Audiences have yet to return in fullforce to live theater, so a significant leap of faith is required to produce material that has little to no track record.

Healdsburg’s Raven

Players and the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center have joined together to take that leap with a co-production of Gabriel and John Fraire’s Cesar Died Today. The show recently ran for four performances at the Raven Performing Arts Theater and now moves on to the Cloverdale Performing

Arts Center for performances on Jan. 28 and 29. The play isn’t completely unfamiliar to local audiences, as it had a staged reading one year ago as part of the Raven’s ScripTease program. Originally produced in 1996 by the New Latino Visions Company at New

York’s Brooklyn College, Oz Montelongo Medina directs the Raven/CPAC West Coast premiere.

Labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez has passed away on the day Mother Guerrero (Rosa Reynoza) has asked her family to gather for a special announcement. Daughter Gracie (Sky Hernandez-Simard) was once a part of the Chavez movement, but marriage and a career in nursing now occupy her time.

Son Robert (Ignacio Ayala Aguilar) sees assimilation as the way to success at a financial services firm, but that success is being threatened. Youngest son Cesar (Evan Espinoza) finds his indecisiveness in everything (including on how to pronounce his name) has put his college scholarships in jeopardy.

Mother’s announcement that they are to be featured as “Hispanic Family of the Year” in a national magazine sets off a series of family arguments and debates (including whether they’re Hispanic at all), and none of them wish to participate with the article. What’s a mother to do? She must rely on her faith and an impish spirit (Paloma Victoria Rodriguez Irizarry) to set things straight.

Playwrights Gabriel and John Fraire try to cover a lot of material in their 80-minute family dramedy. The script affirms its college origins, with a heavy reliance on expositional material that comes off as more of a lecture than a theatrical piece. But there’s also some good-natured humor and laugh out loud moments. The play’s best moments are when the family is allowed to be a family, with Reynosa’s Mother the warm center of a lovingly bickering unit. It’s also nice to see more progress in increasing the diversity of voices on local stages.

‘Cesar Died Today’ runs through Jan. 29 at the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center, 209 N. Cloverdale Blvd. Saturday, 7:30pm; Sunday, 2pm. $25. 707.894.2219. Masking is strongly encouraged. cloverdaleperformingarts.com

Francis Klein Trunk Week February

Francis Klein Trunk Week

Francis Klein Trunk Week

Ernest Nicholas Frandsen

April 20, 1930 - January 18, 2023

Ernest Nicholas Frandsen passed away on Wednesday, January 18 after a sudden decline in health caused by pneumonia and cancer. He was vibrant and physically active until December 29th. At age 92, he loved to shop, read, go out to dinner with family and friends, watch movies, decorate, give See’s candy, drive downtown, buy and give flowers, visit grand and greatgrandchildren, catch up on the family news and share conversations with everyone in the community. Ernie lived a long and happy life, and he will be missed by a multitude of people who had the good fortune to meet him.

Ernie was born on Easter, April 20, 1930. He met his future wife, Marilyn June Watkins, while attending Healdsburg High School. They married in 1950 and had four children. Ernie owned the Redwood Market grocery store in Healdsburg until 1960. Later, he owned and operated Fred Young & Company Mortuaries in Healdsburg and Cloverdale. Ernie retired in 1997.

After he lost Marilyn, in 1999, he spent his time with family, Kiwanis, church, and “the kids” (classmates from high school). He traveled to Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Greece and Hawaii and Martha’s Vineyard. He donated generously to Jefferson Elementary School in Cloverdale, the ICF, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, and many other organizations and people in the community.

Ernie will be remembered for his generosity, good will, and happy attitude. He retained his sharp mental faculties and wit until the last moments of his life.

Ernie is survived by his daughters Claudia Jean Frandsen, Marjorie Ann Mielke (Roy Glassett), Elaine Marie Sutton (Mike), and Rebecca Lyn Sutton (Dave). His grandchildren Emily Austin (Josh), Amanda Gulsrud (Erik), Meagan Mielke, Samuel Mielke, Joshua Sutton (Lindsay), Tobin Sutton, Zachary Sutton (Janine), Nathaniel Sutton (Melissa), Hannah Sutton, Maxwell Sutton (Marguerite) and 13 greatgrandchildren. Ernie was preceded in death by his wife Marilyn, sister Elizabeth (Frandsen) VanBuren, granddaughter Dorothy Sutton, and his parents, Ernest W. and Elizabeth Frandsen. Also, his grandparents, Minna and Charles Frandsen, who were Ernie’s greatest loving guides, role models, and inspiration throughout his life.

Ernie’s memorial will be held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1402 University St., Healdsburg, on Saturday, February 4 at 11:00 a.m. Vaccinations, Testing, and Masks are encouraged. Please donate in Ernest N. Frandsen’s name to any of the charities listed below: Cloverdale Kiwanis, ICF at St. John’s Catholic Church in Healdsburg, the Healdsburg Museum, or your favorite charity that benefits children.

Hohnstein met his wife of 52 years Debbie Burke in high school and they wed July 11, 1970 at St Mary’s Church in Ukiah.

The couple then moved to Santa Rosa in 1975 to help run another family-owned garbage business Pacific Sanitary Disposal. Shortly after they fell in love with an old victorian fixer-upper in Healdsburg that would be the home they raised their four children in.

Byron John Hohnstein

May 5, 1948 - December 29, 2022

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Byron John Hohnstein on Thursday, December 29, 2022. He passed away peacefully at home in Healdsburg surrounded by loved ones. He was 74. Hohnstein was born May 5, 1948 in Portland, Oregon to Elsie and Reuben Hohnstein. They moved to Ukiah in 1954 after the family purchased Ukiah Sanitary Disposal. He graduated from Ukiah High in 1966.

Hohnstein served in the United States Air Force and was a Vietnam veteran. He was stationed at Phan Rang Air Base in the 35th Field Maintenance Squadron for 12 months as a jet engine mechanic. According to a performance report while in Vietnam, “on numerous occasions Sgt. Hohnstein’s accurate troubleshooting and superior mechanical ability have been instrumental in returning outof-commission aircraft back to the fight ahead of schedule.” He earned a National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and an Air Force Good Conduct Medal.

After serving three years and four months Hohnstein was honorably discharged early so he could help his mother run the family business following the unexpected passing of his father.