Our Boho Awards, now in their 11th year, are among our team's annual highlights. When considering which people and institutions in the North Bay have most contributed to the rich cultural life we share, it is a regular pleasure to simply survey the vast field from which we can draw. There are so many deserving individuals and groups doing good work in the arts that this is a delicious burden. Careful to choose from all three counties, we like to mix our picks up, from the solitary teacher who has touched hundreds of lives but may not be known to a larger audience, to those professional houses that bring thousands through their doors each week. Over the past decade, we've built a solid roster of winners, a growing list that truly reflects a deep devotion to utilizing the arts to enrich all of our lives.

This year, we ask you to help us celebrate the achievements of five winners. The tiny volunteer-driven Sonoma Valley Jazz Society regularly hosts stellar musical performances for its small town. Acting teacher Holly Vinson has most literally changed lives. The 142 Throckmorton Theatre hosts a robust comedy program as well as supporting artists in all genres. The Jarvis Conservatory introduced Napa to the Spanish art of zarzuela, keeps live opera vigorous and screens art films not readily available elsewhere in the valley. And Mario Uribe, an artist so busy we can barely keep up with him, is the go-to guy for Santa Rosa's civic art.

We fete our winners this year on Wednesday, Oct. 22, in a free reception that is open to the public at the Hopmonk Tavern (230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol), from 5:30pm to 7pm. Please consider joining us and staying on for the free, all-ages North Bay Music Awards (NORBAYs) event that follows. This is a stellar night for the arts, and we're so honored to help reflect all of this work and wisdom to you. See you at the Hopmonk!

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