We want everyone to know that the Pasadena Folk Music Society is still here, and still booking concerts for this year, but more importantly, we want to extend our compassion to all who are being affected by the wildfires.

We had been preparing a new year message with concert announcements and more as we
sorted out a very mild bump regarding ticketing procedures, and then we had the fires.

We realize many of you have been evacuated, and might have lost your homes. Some of our Board of Directors and other volunteers have lost power and are still under evacuation orders, and some have lost their homes. We might have additional delays in getting our concert announcements out.

We hope you will bear with us as we continue to find ways to bring the music you have always loved to our community. If there is one thing we can do to lift up spirits, it will be to keep the music coming this year and in following years as communities come together to rebuild what has been lost or changed by our present circumstances.

In the words of one of our board members, “I’m channeling Winston Churchill, ‘Keep Calm and Carry On.’”

Evacuation orders and warnings are frequently changing, which is why it is important to make sure you have registered to receive emergency alerts. Please click here to view Cal Fire’s website with a map of neighborhoods affected by evacuation orders and warnings.

In the meantime, in case it helps someone you know, there are some trauma support telephone lines in various languages, as well as fire emergency resources, listed here.

If you are worried about loved ones or about your own homes in a fire-affected area, you might download the Watch Duty: Wildfire Maps app to your smart phone. The app is free.

Public Health urges everyone that can smell smoke or see ash from fire, even in areas far from fires or areas not covered by a smoke advisory, to avoid or limit outdoor activities. Click here for additional wildfire smoke and ash health safety tips to protect your health and reduce the amount of pollution you are breathing.

If you can go out to hear live music this month you might head to Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on January 19th for the Slack Key Guitar Festival. Here’s a sample of what you can expect https://youtu.be/fTqvEbF3Rhs  Never has the bond between Maui and Southern California been so strong.

Sincerely,
The Board of Directors & Volunteer Team
Pasadena Folk Music Society