What do you love about Arcata

I want to vote for a candidate that loves this City as much as I do. What do you LOVE about Arcata? What events have you volunteered for or participated in?

— Anonymous

Responses

Dan Shahin

I love so many things about Arcata, it’s hard to choose what I love the most.

Things I Love about Arcata

1. I love that Arcata was the first town in America to have a City Council that had no Republicans or Democrats in it. Five Green Party members once shaped the policies here, and that seems preferable to previous Republican-dominated Councils, or to the currently homogenized Democratic council.

2. I love that Arcata was the first city to remove a statue of a US President that no longer fit the values of the community. Instead, the empty space it once occupied serves us much better during events on the Plaza.

3. I love that Arcata has always advocated against war and for global peace and harmony. Way back when, Arcata made national news for being one of the few places willing to push back on George W Bush and his warmongering ways. Thank you Dave Meserve, and the other members who made it happen.

4. Grocery shopping in Arcata is amazing. We have such a great local selection of stores, we absolutely don’t need Safeway, which is my market of last resort. Instead I love shopping at Murphy’s Markets, Wildberries, and the CoOp. Most small towns are lucky to have one good, independent grocery and we are blessed with many.

Events I love in Humboldt

1. The Kinetic Sculpture race is what started me thinking about moving here. The combination of arts, engineering and athletic glory is a heady combination. Someday, I would like to be involved with building a sculpture for it.

2. The Farmer’s Market is something I try to attend ever week if I am able. I bring my kids and love to juggle near the climbing tree. Without a doubt, it’s one of the best true Farmer’s Markets in the country, and is an example of the bounty that surrounds us.

3. Speaking of juggling, the Humboldt Juggling Festival is also one of those world-class-yet-lowkey events that make Arcata so great. I have volunteered at it, but am in awe of the ultra-talented practitioners of the Flow Arts who attend.

4. The Medieval Festival of Courage is technically held in Blue Lake, but it is put on by the folks at Coastal Grove Elementary School in Arcata, so I will count it. You’ll either find me volunteering in one of the booths or watching the incredible live jousting and medieval combat events. Once again, world class entertainment in a small town package.

Genevieve Serna

Good afternoon, What a fun question! I would say that the Kinetic Grand Championship captures all the things I love about Arcata into one day. The willingness for the community to gather together and celebrate art, bikes and get a bit silly. The uniqueness of it is really something to behold. There are so many things that feel like they happen “only in Arcata” and this event is no exception. Finally I love how open people are. People are quick to help others, greet their friends and neighbors, and really live out the values of being in community with one another. I’m even a Peon on one of the teams myself! (Rocket Dog Kinetic Racing for the Glory!) Aside from this I’ve volunteered with Food Not Bombs, Godwit Days and Oysterfest. Ive tabled at Fairyfest, Music in the Plaza and the North Country Fair. I’ve participated in the Samba Parade last year and will be in the parade again this year. And of course I was at last week’s Arcata Friday Market to see El Pulpo in all its glory! Any opportunity to be together with my community is a good day for me. It feels impossible to distill into one paragraph all the things I love about Arcata but I certainly tried my best. Thank you for your question. www.SernaForArcata.com

Blase Bonpane

FROLICKING AT THE FREAKIN’ FAIRY FEST !!

And singing and speaking at NO KINGS protests and CHINGA LA MIGRA protests.

I love playing shows all over Humboldt especially at Arcata’s Redwood Curtain Brewery with my band (which holds the record for playing there more than any other band in human history), Blase and The Stellar Jays.

We play there Saturday September 12th 5-8pm.

Let’s Go!!

-Blase

Kimberley White

Fair warning: there is no way I can answer what I love about Arcata in just a few sentences. There is simply too much to love about this place, and after more than 30 years here, I’ve accumulated quite a list.

What I love most about Arcata is the people. I’ve lived here for more than 30 years. I raised my daughter here, and I’m a proud Valley West resident. There is something special about the people who choose to live here and the way we come together to care about this place. I have found a sense of community here that is difficult to describe unless you have experienced it.

And I think that sense of community is connected to what makes Arcata so different. I came here because of the environment, the redwoods, and the people who cared enough to protect them. Organizations like Save the Redwoods League, Humboldt Baykeeper, the Northcoast Environmental Center, the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC), and Friends of the Arcata Marsh (FOAM) represent that long tradition of people here who don’t just love this place, but are willing to work to protect it. I was drawn to a community where environmental stewardship and social responsibility weren’t just words, but values that people actually lived.

I love the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. I love that our community created something so innovative out of what could have simply been a wastewater treatment facility. Our treatment wetlands are internationally recognized as an example of using natural systems to treat wastewater while creating habitat for wildlife and a place for people to walk, birdwatch, and connect with nature. The Marsh is one of those places that captures so much of what I love about Arcata: environmental innovation, community vision, and the belief that we can solve problems in ways that also make our community better.

I love our Farmers’ Market. I love our community gardens, our organic farmers, and the people who practice permaculture and are deeply rooted in the land. I love that growing food here is about more than just agriculture. It’s about sustainability, stewardship, and community. I love that recycling and sustainability are so much a part of our culture that I sometimes forget they aren’t the norm everywhere. I can go visit family elsewhere in Northern California and catch myself assuming everyone recycles, only to realize they don’t. I love our creativity, our individuality, and yes, even our tie-dye, hippie, slightly Eco-groovy Berkeley side.

I love the ocean and Humboldt Bay. I love the fishing heritage, whale watching, and even the smell of the ocean and Humboldt Bay. I love that we have the Madaket and that connection to our maritime history. There is something special about living in a place where the redwoods, the bay, the ocean, the farms, and the people are all part of the same landscape.

I love our events and all the quirky, wonderful things that make Arcata Arcata. I love a good community event, whether I’m volunteering, helping organize it, or just showing up and enjoying it. I’ve spent a lot of my life bringing people together through community organizing, and I love seeing people from all different parts of our community come together. I love getting to know my neighbors and running into people I’ve known for years.

And we are an incredibly creative community. Humboldt County has more artists per capita than any other county in California, and Arcata embraces that creativity in a way that is uniquely ours. Our art, music, theater, murals, festivals and performances are not just entertainment. They are part of how we express who we are, how we connect with one another, and how we make this community our own. Organizations like Playhouse Arts are a wonderful example of that spirit, using the arts to bring people together and create community.

I also love the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of this community. We have people who dream up ideas, create things, build businesses, and turn their creativity into something that reaches far beyond Arcata. Businesses like Holly Yashi, Kokatat, Wing Inflatables, and Fire & Light are examples of that independent, inventive spirit. I love that we can be a small community and still produce things, ideas, businesses, art, and culture that are known far beyond Humboldt County.

And, of course, there is the Humboldt brand itself. You can’t talk about this area without acknowledging the cannabis culture that has been part of our history and identity for generations. Many college students came here because of that reputation, but so many people who came for one reason ended up discovering a community and a place they loved. It is part of our history, part of our culture, and part of the quirky, unconventional identity that makes Humboldt what it is.

There is also something I deeply appreciate about Arcata and Humboldt County: our willingness to acknowledge the people whose ancestral land we are living on and to reckon honestly with our history. I love that we are having conversations about returning land, honoring the Wiyot people, and reconsidering some of the colonial names and symbols that have been part of our landscape. Taking the McKinley statue out of the middle of our Plaza was one example of a community saying that we can look at our history and decide what represents who we are today. I appreciate that we are willing to have those conversations, even when they are difficult, and to think about what it means to build a community that honors the people who were here long before us. I also appreciate that we are willing to talk about whether some of the colonial names that remain on our streets still reflect the community we want to be.

But there is another part of Arcata that I love deeply, and that is our activism. We are a community that speaks up when we see something that is wrong. We show up. We march in the streets. Organizations like Centro del Pueblo are part of that tradition of grassroots organizing and community advocacy. We stand up for equity and inclusion. We are also a community that makes room for people to be themselves. I love the way Arcata embraces our LGBTQ+ community and celebrates Pride, and the way we try to make space for people who are too often marginalized or overlooked. We have big hearts here.

We may not always agree with one another, but we care enough to participate, to challenge the status quo, and to make our voices heard. That is part of the character of this community.

I am also incredibly proud of our older adult community. They are not sitting on the sidelines. They are engaged, they show up, they advocate, and they continue to contribute so much to Arcata. I see older adults out on the Plaza every Saturday with Indivisible, standing up for what they believe in and making their voices heard. They are role models for the young people who will carry this community forward. That intergenerational connection, people who have been fighting for what they believe in for decades standing alongside the next generation, is something really special.

All of those things, the redwoods and our environmental ethic, our farmers and artists, our connection to the ocean and Humboldt Bay, our quirky and sometimes wonderfully unconventional spirit, our ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit, our willingness to reckon with our history, our activism, our commitment to equity and inclusion, our willingness to make room for one another, and most of all our people, are woven together. That is what makes Arcata different.

That is why I’m on the City Council. I’m not here simply because I wanted to hold public office. I’m here because I love this community and I believe in what it can be. I want to protect the things that make Arcata special while making sure that the people who have built their lives here, and the generations who come after us, have the opportunity to call this place home.

I have been part of this community for more than 30 years, and I am still grateful every day that I found my way here. I am proud of our history, proud of our people, proud of our willingness to stand up and speak out, and proud of our willingness to be a little different. It is the place that shaped who I am and where I chose to raise my daughter.

At the end of the day, what I love most about Arcata is our humanity. We care about one another. We make room for one another. We show up for one another. We believe that everyone deserves to belong. That, more than anything, is what makes this place home to me and what I love so much about Arcata. 💚