A full moon hung over the Moose Lodge the night of April 1 as guests streamed in to celebrate City Councilman and Sonoma fixture Ken Brown’s 60th birthday.
The eclectic crowd drew from every demographic and social stratum, in keeping with Brown’s varied pursuits and connections.
“I have a very wide range of friends,” Brown said modestly. Guests met and mingled and told their favorite “Ken Brown” tales as they lined up for a special meal prepared by Stephan Wells. Gathering family-style at long cafeteria tables, guests indulged in a Caribbean chicken dinner with white rice, green salad, Artisan breads and a tasty sampling of cheeses from Sage Marketing.
Moose members manned the busy bar and ticket tables where voluntary donations helped offset the costs of the party. When the band kicked off, people stampeded onto the dance floor. Young, old, singles, couples—even some on crutches—gyrated to rockin’ renditions of dance tunes. Brown, his wife and daughter twisted and twirled around the floor, cheered on by fellow dancers.
KSVY 91.3 Sonoma radio show host and Sonoma Sun music columnist J.M. Berry assembled the band with personnel from punk, rock ‘n’ roll, blues and jazz backgrounds, all of them playing together for the first time. They were a solid crowd-pleaser, with dancers jamming the floor until closing.
Brown, who is one of the town’s foremost party organizers, chose the Moose Lodge because “…not only did it have parking, room for dancing, pool tables, a full kitchen and a bar, (but) most people had never been there, so it had a little air of mystery that would get people’s interest.” He was right, partygoers were overheard talking about what a great setting it was. And the full moon was the icing on the cake.
No foolin’.