The Dirt Davis

11/17/2025

Building community through art! As the Pence Gallery gears up for their fiftieth anniversary, we’re exploring the people, stories, and creative sparks that have shaped five decades of arts culture in Davis and Yolo County.

“As we approach our 50th anniversary in 2026, we’re celebrating the incredible artists who have filled our
galleries over the years,” writes Hollie Malamud, “and the members, donors, and sponsors who make everything we do possible.”

From gallery hours to handcrafted gifts, free art classes to intimate Q&As with accomplished artists, the has connected art makers, art lovers and community members for fifty years.

Zoom and swipe to read more about what it means to become a member at the and join in supporting this storied community treasure.

11/14/2025

This holiday season, the community is invited to embrace the spirit of generosity and sustainability at its first ever Buy Nothing Holiday Gift Swap, a free event that reimagines how we give during the holidays.

The idea is simple: bring gift-worthy items you no longer need, and “shop” for treasures that others have donated—all without spending a dime.

The swap will take place Sunday, November 16, from 10a-12p at Cesar Chavez Elementary School’s Multipurpose Room (MPR), with 9:30a arrival for anyone bringing donations in order to set up and get a first pass at “shopping”.

➡️ Swipe to learn more AND for expert tips on how to host a gift swap of your own!
By:

11/07/2025

Have you picked up the NOVEMBER issue?! Our quickest fly off the shelves, yet! Still some copies downtown :)

Find us in print at:








& more!

10/23/2025

Mobile bartending business .hospitality celebrates a one-year anniversary this month. Owners Misty & Kyle Hawkins launched the business with the goal of bringing a restaurant-style bar experience into homes and event spaces.

The idea started at their son’s preschool, where parents were asked to contribute talents to a fundraising auction. Having honed their skills at Bistro 33, Misty and Kyle donated a cocktail-making class, which sold out in minutes. Two more quickly followed, and the encouragement from other parents convinced them to turn it into something bigger.

Above & Beyond Hospitality offers private cocktail classes and full-service event bars. Cocktail classes are tailored to a client’s theme or preferences, with all the tools, mixers, and garnishes provided. From there, it is a “choose your own adventure” where guests can experiment with playful extras like edible bubbles filled with lemon or rosemary smoke. For the Halloween season, spooky spider ice cubes will add an additional festive touch.

The bartending services are designed to offer a more elevated experience from traditional mobile bartending.

“From experience, a folding table with alcohol displayed isn’t elevated,” Kyle told The Dirt. “We wanted to make it feel like you’re at a fancy restaurant by bringing a restaurant style bar to your house.,”

Misty and Kyle are building a reputation not just for creative cocktails and polished service—but also for giving back to the community that helped launch them.

Zoom or tap to read more!

By: Ashley Arax

🔗: https://thedirt.online/above-beyond-hospitality-davis/

10/18/2025

This season marks THREE YEARS of language growth and community building at . Founded in 2022, DLA now offers even more classes, workshops and cultural experiences than ever—something The Dirt was able to speak with founder Mònica Frum about in depth for our October issue.

By: Nora Hairoman
🔗: thedirt.online/davis-language-academy-three-years/

Walk into Davis Language Academy (DLA), and you’ll quickly sense this is more than just a school. Sure, you’ll find the expected elements—students huddled over vocabulary lists, teachers explaining verb conjugations, the hum of concentrated effort—but listen closer, and you’ll hear laughter from a cultural potluck, the crinkle of craft projects, and snippets of conversation spilling out into the Davis community itself.

The mastermind behind it all is Mónica Frahm, Founder and Director, who runs the place with the conviction that anyone—yes, anyone—can learn a new language. No excuses. No ‘too old for this’. No ‘I’m just not good at languages’.

“Our core values start from the belief that anyone can learn a second (or third!) language,” Frahm told The Dirt. “We also value and celebrate diversity and the passion and dedication for a family to protect their home language—which means their roots and heritage.”

It’s a mission that has resonated deeply in Davis, a community known for its focus on education, sustainability, and global connection. Language schools often market themselves on efficiency (learn French in 30 days!) or on academic rigor. DLA takes a more holistic approach.

“Our mission sets us apart because we take our students’ goals very seriously,” Frahm explained. “We also place a lot of value in how diversity strengthens our community and equips children and adults for an increasingly globalized future.”

That means every student’s journey looks a little different. Some come for career advancement, some for travel, and others because they want to hold onto their family’s heritage. The academy meets them where they are, blending academic study with cultural immersion.

➡️ Swipe or tap to read more!

10/16/2025

la la la la la ☕️

A white gazebo in the center of town, the iconic coffee shop where you’ll run into everyone you know, and streets lined with pumpkins and hay bales. That all might sound like a description of autumn in Stars Hollow, and it basically is, except this version is real, and less than a 20-minute-drive from Davis—albeit notably lacking in Gilmores. If you’re craving a family-friendly way to celebrate the start of the holiday season, the Winters Harvest Festival might just be the perfect way to get in the fall spirit, even if the weather is still pushing 90 degrees.

The annual three-day event takes over Main Street in Winters, known for its quaint, historical, and community-centric vibe. This year’s autumn celebration is set for October 24-26, and features activities that span from pumpkin painting to trick or treating to an open air street market with nearly 100 local craft vendors and merchants.

The Harvest Festival is one of two annual celebrations that Holden Events organizes and hosts in Winters, with the other being their Spring Open in March. The latter marks the first farmers market of the season, while the last day of the October festival marks the final farmers market of the season, closing out the warm months with a bang.

So what’s on the agenda? Delaney Holden, the founder of Holden Events, went over the action-packed plan for the weekend, emphasizing a focus on fun for all ages.

“We prioritize creating a family friendly event,” Holden told The Dirt. “We really want everyone to be as involved as possible.”

by: Sonora Slater
🔗: https://thedirt.online/craving-a-gilmore-girls-fall-visit-the-winters-harvest-festival/

10/09/2025

Something wickedly wonderful is rolling into Davis this this month, and if you’re among the initiated you know—each year is spookier and more jam packed than the last!

The streets will swarm with costumed creatures on bikes, skydivers will fall from the sky, some people will fly into the sky—and the city will pulse with Halloween magic for an entire weekend of family-friendly, community-powered mayhem.

From October 24th to 26th, Davis transforms into the epicenter of Halloween with the 7th Annual Zombie Bike PARADE Halloweekend Festival—a one-of-a-kind celebration that fuses Halloween, biking culture, music, food, art, and over-the-top fun for all ages. Whether you’re a zombie enthusiast, a thrill-seeking cyclist, a pumpkin patch purist, or just looking for a reason to get outside with friends and family, the Zombie Bike Parade Festival is the event of the season.

More than just a party, this festival is a feel-good, do-good movement. Organized by passionate locals and powered by more than 120 community partners, the Zombie Bike Parade supports NorCal Trykers, helping kids with disabilities experience the joy of riding a bike with a custom tricycle.

In the past six years, this event has donated more than $40k to the organization and has been able to provide 35 children with custom tricycles so far.

“These children get to experience the freedom of riding on a bicycle and feeling the wind in their hair for the first time,” organizer and local marketing expert Aaron Wedra said. “With the help of our generous sponsors, we have been able to raise money for our beneficiary, NorCal Trykers, while keeping our events almost entirely FREE to the public!”

Swipe for fun activities and even more info on this favorite community event ➡️➡️➡️➡️

10/08/2025

Folks across the country are preparing for No Kings day on Saturday, October 18. The demonstrations oppose what protestors call the “authoritarian” actions of the Trump administration, and in Yolo County organizers say the movement is only getting stronger.

Indivisible Yolo, a local chapter of the larger grassroots movement, is organizing the protest, encouraging elected officials to participate, and asking for community support.

“The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings, and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty,” reads the Indivisible Yolo invitation to join.

The event will begin at Civic Center Park, and where participants will march through the streets of Downtown Davis before hearing from leaders in the national save democracy movement.

No Kings
Davis Civic Center Park
October 18, 2025
1:30p

10/07/2025

HAVE YOU PICKED UP OUR OCTOBER ISSUE YET?

It’s Zombie Bike Parade Festival Halloweekend month and Winters Harvest Festival brings Gilmore Girls-coded vibes in just a few weeks—we have all the information you need to have the best time at both!

This month, we also hope to introduce you to a few new programs and ideas fueling our community: starting with Joshua’s House. Joshua’s House is a hospice facility for unhoused folks in our region—a place where people are able to die with dignity, supported and comforted. Reporter Emme Dunning takes us there.

Plus:
⭐ Yolo County says “No Kings!”—and how you can join.
⭐ Bob Dunning’s correspondence with the president.
⭐ THE MINI! A new section where we give KIDS space to sound off!
⭐ Fees for City of Davis recreation programs feel too steep for your family? We’ll tell you where you can apply for a scholarship that hasn’t run out yet!
⭐ A look at the lineup for the Davis Film Festival.
⭐ Davis Language Academy celebrates three years in business in Downtown Davis. Take a look inside their space, and meet the woman who runs it all.
⭐ High-end hospitality, at home? Yes, it exists in Davis, and the team can set up at your house. Our interview with Above & Beyond Hospitality, and their philanthropy in the Davis school ecosystem.
⭐ Looking for majorly Gilmore Gilrs coded fall activities? Set your GPS to Winters. We’re introducing you to the team responsible for some of the most charming small-town activities in Yolo County.
⭐ This month’s 2nd Friday ArtAbout guide—that’s where our gorgeous cover image comes from this month (at the Pence Gallery!). Take a look and plan your walk ;)
⭐ PAGES and PAGES of local events!

09/28/2025

Spend the day surrounded by art, music, and deep thinking community members at the ’s Fall Season Celebration TODAY from 2-3p!

“OJO” Julio César Morales—an exhibit that demands attention—tells the story of border crossing across more than 15 years of the artists work. It’s palpable, and it was designed to be. ➡️ Swipe to read our story with the artist and exhibit curators.

TODAYS CELEBRATION:

🖼️ Dive into exhibition themes with curators, then let the music move you with a DJ set inspired by the vibrant pulse of the U.S.–Mexico border. Make eco-friendly art, explore thought-provoking artwork in our galleries, hear from artists and curators, and connect with community changemakers.

🧑‍🎨 Q&A with exhibiting artist Julio César Morales

🎧 Border-inspired beats by DJ and artist Juan Luna-Avin

🖌️ Paper Pulp Painting art activity

🌈 Fall Season Celebration is open to the public and Free for All!

Story by: Sonora Slater
🔗: https://thedirt.online/ojo-demands-attention/

09/15/2025

09/12/2025

The Davis Independent Music Initiative—lovingly known as DIMI—is offering a once in a lifetime opportunity for one local musician or band in the form of a $10k grant!

➡️ Swipe to read details, project scope, and application requirements.

💿 Projects that include marginalized voices or support cultural and social equity are strongly encouraged to apply.

🗓️ The application deadline is October 17, 2025 at 5p.

🔗: https://thedirt.online/10k-grant-opportunity-for-one-local-musician-or-band/