Beach comes to Murrieta’s Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve with Beach Boys tribute group ‘Surf’s Up’

Tony Ault

Staff Writer

The beach came a little closer to the Santa Rosa Plateau along with the sea breeze Saturday, July 29 with the Beach Boys tribute group Surf’s Up performance at The Nature Education Foundation summer concert series.

It was “Surfs Up” for the crowd as the group harmonized just as the original Beach Boys did with favorite beach and surfing songs like “Little Surfer Girl,” “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.”

The rocking guitar and keyboard rhythms that once brought the young 60s crowds to the California beaches with their longboards and bongo drums brought both the young and old to the front of the Santa Rosa Plateaus pavilion stage to dance and groove with the Surf’s Up band made up of singer and guitar players P. Lewis and Probyn Gregory, keyboard player Austin Farmer and drummer David Logaman.

Bass guitarist Lewis performed one of the Beach Boys’ most famous rock songs “Good Vibrations” that took the original Beach Boys to the top of the record charts. The musicians continued with many other special songs, many by the famous Beach Boys’ singer/songwriter, Brian Wilson and a number of other famous artists of that era like the Kingston Trio, Harry Belafonte and the Mamas and Papas.

A rendition of another folk rock song by the Beach Boys, “The Sloop John B.,” brought applause and cheers. The night was filled with nostalgia and fun by the large crowd all there to enjoy the music in the outdoors at the Plateau Ecological Center outdoor pavilion where TNEF at the Santa Rosa Plateau’s Plateau Vineyards Live! @ the Plateau Summer Concert and Art show, which continues for one more week.

This upcoming Saturday, Aug. 5 the series ends with a sterling performance when Bee Gees Gold takes the stage with the music of the legendary Bee Gees that brought in the 70s era of disco classics like “Stayin’ Alive” and “You Should Be Dancing,”

To help benefit TNEF a 50-50 drawing was held, bringing $1,000 to one of the guests with the winning ticket and a raffle with prizes such as a special guided tour by the plateau’s interpreter from the Riverside County Regional Parks and Open Space District, and dinner for six people that day at the Plateau’s historic Vail Ranch adobes, the oldest in Riverside County.

The sponsor for the Beach Boys tribute group Surf’s Up concert was Murrieta’s State Farm Insurance group with agent Scott Koth’s office at 39540 Murrieta Hot Springs Road. Co-sponsoring the event was Diamond Cut Fitness and Winchester and Associates. Many local businesses support the

Movie review: ‘Barbie’

Bob Garver

Special to the Valley News

“Barbie” prides itself on inspiring a full range of feelings – both in its characters and its audience. The characters tap into dark, sad sides they never knew they had, and they find out life is more rewarding for it. The audience is sure to eat up all the easy jokes and sweetness, sure, but they’re also supposed to appreciate the film for its psychological depth and hard-hitting social commentary. Perhaps it’s appropriate that I have a broad range of feelings toward the film. I think there are portions that work very well, and there are entire storylines and characters that could be cut. There are jokes worth laughs, and jokes worth a cold stare. Some of the film’s insights opened my eyes; others made me roll them. But at least the

Answers for puzzle on page B-3 movie is ambitious enough to attempt so many jokes and insights.

Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, lives in Barbie Land with every other Barbie ever created. Most have careers, like President Barbie, played by Issa Rae, and Doctor Barbie, played by Hari Nef, and more, but Robbie is Stereotypical Barbie, whose life has no purpose except to be perfect. Equally bland is Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, whose only traits are that he enjoys the beach and pines after Barbie.

He and the other Kens, played by Simu Liu, John Cena and more, and one guy named Allan, played by Michael Cera, are happy to let the Barbies run things while they live like second-class citizens. In fact, everyone in Barbie Land is happy all the time, until one day when Barbie is suddenly unhappy.

She goes to see the wizened Weird Barbie, played by Kate efforts of TNEF.

TNEF at the Santa Rosa Plateau, although not a part of the reserves management, brings 3rd graders up from the district schools to enjoy a day with a Plateau naturalist, their teachers and interpretive hikes all with the hope it will bring youngsters to become good stewards of nature. The nonprofit TNEF organization has recently expanded to bring high school students interested in helping to learn about how to better control climate change and preserve the natural lands around them for the

McKinnon, who sends her on a quest to the real world to find the source of her nagging thoughts of death and cellulite. Ken comes along, and both are shocked by what they find. Barbie discovers that she’s not the feminist icon she thought she was, as despite the disparate models and careers, the entire toy line is still considered pretty vapid. Ken learns that most of the world is run by a patriarchy, and that seems to be working out pretty well. Barbie visits Mattel headquarters, where the CEO, played by Will Ferrell, wants her to return to the status quo, but she’s not sure that’s what she wants anymore. She escapes with the low-level employee that’s been affecting her mind, played by America Ferrera, who gets an amazing monologue late in the movie, and her cynical daughter, played by Ariana Greenblatt. Together they all return to Barbie Land, where they have to stop the newly power-hungry Kens and… learn to get more out of life, I guess. Admittedly, I’m not doing the story much justice, but in fairness, neither does the movie itself. Writer/director Greta Gerwig knows that she wants a number of story beats and ideas explored. But they aren’t tied together smoothly. For example, to what degree are the characters supposed to be literal dolls? Sometimes they move like normal humans, other times they’re affected by a lack of joints – and a lack of other body parts too, don’t think the movie isn’t going to address “that.” Why has it taken decades for certain concepts to reach Barbie Land, and why now? What effects do Mattel and Barbie Land have on each other, exactly? The movie dismisses these qualms in the laziest way possible, with a joke that follows the structure of “Is it A or is it B? Yes!” Frankly, I think the entire future generations. The Foundation in another program offers yearly seed scholarships to local school districts to encourage those outstanding students interested in ecology and helping to better preserve the world’s natural environment necessary for human life.

The TNEF motto is to, “Educate and empower youth to appreciate, preserve and protect nature” and also offers a pathway to environmental stewardship.

The tickets for the August 5 Bee Gees Gold performance at the Plateau can only be purchased online for $55 per person at www. plateauconcertsandart.org . Only a few tickets may be left for the remaining concert. Concert visitors should bring their own lawn chairs, a warm jacket and hard toed shoes since the concerts are outdoor performances. VIP visitors are offered tables for their own groups. Call 951-319-2998 or email info@ srpnef.org for more information and membership offers, concert and event discounts.

Tony Ault can be reached at tault@reedermedi.com.

Mattel portion of the film could have been cut, and Gerwig should have come up with another way for Barbie to have an important conversation with creator Ruth Handler, played by Rhea Perlman. For all its flaws in world-building, “Barbie” is still an incredibly fun movie. The hot-pink-heavy color scheme is as gorgeous to people who like it as it is nauseating to people who don’t – but I do. The jokes usually work, especially when they’re not deliberately stu- pid or smutty. Most notably, Robbie, Gosling and the entire team are clearly having a blast. And you will too, especially if you can catch this movie soon while the theatrical experience is still a big party.

Grade: B“Barbie” is rated PG-13 for suggestive references and brief language. Its running time is 114 minutes.

Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@ nyu.edu.