Greetings friends,
Happy Rocktober!
I just love this. It reminds me of the radio promos back in the 70s and 80s for all the cool shows happening and it just seems to fit, especially here in Modesto.
First, Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. October is just magical and fun for so many, and seeing all the kids trick or treating in our neighborhood is a blast. We go all out for it each year and it’s great to see the smiles. My 4-year old grandson loves handing out candy from our pirate ship. It’s amazing how Halloween brings our community together, and most of all, really getting into it, dressing up, decorating, the baked treats the creepy menus, cocktails and so much more. There are so many haunted, happy, creepy events and places to visit in the greater Modesto to enjoy and we are featuring a bunch of them here in our BigView in the middle of this October issue. Check it out.
Now for the “Rock” part.
We are celebrating 25 years of local musical talent this month at the 25th Annual MAMA Awards. It is absolutely amazing to see and enjoy the local music talent we have, in so many different genres. We have Grammy-winning jazz musicians, early rock legends, cool indie, power pop singers and some that have toured the world and Modesto has been part of their experience. My friend Chris Ricci and I wanted to celebrate this amazing talent and in 2000 we created the Modesto Area Music Awards to showcase what we have. From the original event at the Doubletree “Club Maxx” (as it was known in the day), to being included in the Gallo Center Grand opening in 2007 and the 22 times from its home base at the historic State Theatre, the MAMAs are special and our friend Middagh Goodwin is leading the way.
It’s one thing to celebrate what we have and get the music community together for an evening, but our mission right now is more important. How do we all work together to make sure that making music can be a career? How are we going to present more events that pay local bands, how to we bring in national acts and match them with a local performer to get discovered? How do we create more music venues, and get the City and the County to encourage live music in planning, permitting and value. Most importantly, we need local companies that will sponsor live music so we can really make something happen. The MAMAs have been sponsoring a lot of event and my family has also stepped up, but we need more. True, there have been a lot of hits over the years, but there have been some misses and the pandemic really hit the performing arts hard. Now, let’s use our energy to make sure the performing culture of the Modesto music scene can really shine and team up where ever we can.
This month there are some important non-profit events happening. October is the season for some serious fundraising to help local organization fulfill their mission. The State Theatre is holding it’s annual Gala Bollywood style fundraiser, the Learning Center is going “Over the Edge” and I will be one of the ones going “over the edge” to raise funds for enhanced learning and tutoring in our community. Community Hospice is presenting Walk and Roll to raise funds for the children of families dealing with hospice care. At the end of the month, United Way presents Power of the Purse for women’s empowerment in community support. Look out for me as I will be one of the “bow tie guys” to help raise funds and we are working hard to build the Graffiti USA Museum. This is about teamwork. I, my company Sierra Pacific Warehouse Group and ModestoView are supporters of these events and I invite you to join in and make a difference here in Modesto.
Here and across this country, it is all about looking out for each other. It’s about lifting each other up, seeking out the good, finding ways to showcase talent, experiences that bring us together and make a creative and thriving community. It is supporting our local businesses that are truly the heartbeat of our area. How can we work together in positive ways that make a difference? ModestoView is here to help with these connections and I am so very grateful that you are reading ModestoView at this moment.
I hope to see you out and about and enjoy time with your family, friends and community and please take my calls when I come asking for donations for a great community project.
With gratitude,
Chris Murphy
Founder & Publisher, ModestoView
