Piano Under the Pines

Following an exhausting week of high winds and power outages, a hardy group of music lovers gathered with pianist Karen Rhoads and FOBM volunteers for Piano Under the Pines on Saturday, October 12, at the outdoor amphitheater at Cobb Elementary School.

A 501c3 nonprofit, FOBM relies on donations to continue working with CAL FIRE to restore trails in the badly burned Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest at Cobb.

Image of pianist Karen Rhoads at Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest

Karen performed on a Yamaha P-515 digital piano on this brisk sunny morning to the accompaniment of singing birds and a light breeze through the pine boughs overhead. Her repertoire included Rachmaninoff’s ‘Fourth Musical Moment,’ Chopin’s ‘Revolutionary Etude,’ and the first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Tempest’ sonata, along with works by Bach. Karen also performed her own sonata ‘Firestorm,’ composed following the Valley Fire of 2015.

Karen discussed the music between numbers, and the audience asked questions and made comments. “I promise to research which composers were lefthanded,” she says.

The under 12 children in attendance enjoyed the event as well. A tempting array of refreshments was presented by volunteers. Many thanks to the Middletown School District and to individuals who donated so generously to FOBM at this event.

Karen hopes to make Piano Under the Pines an annual event. Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Co. co-sponsored the concert. All photos were donated by Cobb photographer Tom Slaight.

Trail work day

Due to the Kincade fire last months trail work day had to be cancelled. The good news is we have rescheduled our next trail day for Saturday November 23 from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM.

Trail work Saturday Oct. 26

Our days are getting shorter resulting in FOBM moving trail work back to Saturdays. Join us Saturday October 26 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM for more trail work. We’re in need of extra hands to begin work on Jethro’s Trail. We’ll provide a map to our meetup and project location in your confirmation email once we finalize all the details.

Piano Under the Pines

Join us for a morning of music and friends! PIANO UNDER THE PINES,
a performance and conversation with classical pianist Karen Rhoads, will take place Saturday, October 12 from 10:00 to11:00 am at the beautiful Cobb Mountain Elementary School outdoor amphitheater. Karen will play works by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Bach, and Beethoven. She will also perform her three movement sonata ‘Firestorm’ which she composed in the aftermath of the Valley Fire.

Relax, enjoy the music and commune with nature on a shady forested slope. Friends of Boggs Mountain is sponsoring this admission-free event (donations are appreciated). Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Company is a proud cosponsor. Children are welcome and the site is wheelchair accessible. Refreshments will be provided.

Cobb Mountain Elementary School is 1/4 mile north of Cobb on Highway 175. GPS: 15895 Hwy 175, Cobb, CA.
To RSVP or for more information, text or phone 707-321-4964 or email Karen at [email protected]. See you there!


Up from the ashes!

Gail’s Trail is open! Yep, you heard that right. Gail’s Trail from BMDSF management office to the campground is now officially open. Since the fire, FOBM has invested thousands of volunteer hours with a focus on getting our trail system back. We recently completed a portion of the old Gail’s Trail and it’s ready for your enjoyment.