The First Annual North Yuba River Day is coming to Downieville, California on November 5th, 2022 to celebrate the North Yuba River, the beautiful watercourse connecting, cleansing, and nourishing our watershed communities and the State of California. Wind your way up scenic Hwy 49 to enjoy a day filled with fun and activities for everyone. The Damp Earth Art Show from 10am to 2pm in the Native Daughter’s Hall. North Yuba Naturalist Katie O’Hara-Kelly, like all of us, has yearned for rain during this time of drought. She is the moving force behind the show and her idea is to invoke rain through art! The theme is “Damp Earth” meaning art inspired by rain, snow, clouds, stormy weather, mists, raindrops, deluges, showers, water, etc. There will be a people’s choice vote for the entrants, and cash awards of $300 – first place, $200 second place and $100 third place. All mediums accepted. Information and entry before Oct. 29 on the Arts Council website www.sierracountyartscouncil.org. River Poetry from poets of all ages will be on display in the Native Daughter’s Hall 10am to 2pm. Local Poet Paul Guffin has been writing poetry inspired by our beautiful Sierra’s for years. He is also the coordinator for our local school and the State Poetry Out Loud competition. He will be working with our schools to have student river poetry represented and organize the poetry display. Everyone is invited to contribute original poetry by Nov. 1. Poetry may be dropped off at the Downieville Library which is open Tuesday’s from 10am to 2pm and Thursdays from noon to 4pm. For questions call Paul at 530-289-2751. Fly Fishing Demonstration: Fisherman and historian, Bill Copren, will be demonstrating one of the delights we may all enjoy in the North Yuba River Canyon – Fly Fishing. Weather allowing, he will be demonstrating his expertise where the North Yuba and Downie rivers meet in the center of Downieville behind the Visitors Center at 1 p.m.. Bill will talk about fly fishing equipment—rods, packs, different flies—and then he will make casts with dry flies, nymphs, streamers and mice to show the different casts and retrieves and why. The Stakeholders Public Forum is from 10am to 2pm in the Community Hall. The Stakeholder’s Forum is a gathering of organizations, agencies, institutions, and community service groups recognizing the vital contribution the North Yuba River watershed makes to the lives and well-being of our river communities and the entire Golden State. Stakeholders work to protect and create a resilient North Yuba River Watershed. We hope this celebration and the Stakeholder’s forum will connect our river communities and stakeholders in a collective spirit for honoring and preserving our watershed for generations to come. To participate in the Stakeholder’s Public Forum please contact: Vanessa Stevens, Assistant Director, San Francisco State Sierra Nevada Field Campus. Email: vstevens1@sfsu.edu. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival will be at The Yuba Theatre from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.. In keeping with the theme of North Yuba River, we will screen the “Our Waters” selections of films from the annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival held in Nevada City each year. Expect a full afternoon of amazing films and the ever-popular local prize draw. Advanced tickets may be purchased online at Arts Council website or at the door www.sierracountyartscouncil.org An After Party with “Carl Runs the Paper” will be screened at The Yuba Theatre at 7 p.m. and refreshments will be available. “Carl Runs the Paper” is a short documentary filmed in the North Yuba River canyon. Documentary film makers, Joey Horan and Manish Khanal, and star Carl Butz, will be in attendance. The filmmakers commented on the making of the film - “We were often inspired by Carl’s late-in-life transformation and the joy and humor with which he greeted challenges. It is our hope that Carl Runs the Paper inspires people to believe in second, third, or fourth acts, to stand up for their local institutions, to see the sacrifice, hard work, and dedication that goes into local journalism, and to imagine how they can take on an active role in community life.” Additionally, if your business or your organization is interested in becoming a sponsor of North Yuba River Day, typically a contribution of $250 or more is suggested. Current sponsors include the Sierra County Land Trust, The Sierra Nevada Conservancy, and San Francisco State. For sponsorship interest and questions contact: BJ Jordan, Executive Director of the Sierra County Arts Council Website: www.sierracountyartscouncil.org. Email: bj@sierracountyartscouncil.org. Phone: 530-961-2188 This event is a production of Sierra County Arts Council in partnership with the San Francisco State University Sierra Nevada Field Campus.