Sonoma Gets Ready for Jazz Plus

Several thousand people are expected to turn out for the Sonoma's seventh annual Jazz Plus celebration, which kicks off this Friday evening, and police, staff and volunteers are busy putting the finishing touches to make sure the event is a success.

"The big tents went up since last week, the others have been going up this week. With the weather it’ll get kind of fast and furious the last couple days," said Jazz Plus spokesman Michael Coates.

"It’s pretty complete by the day before the festival, but there’s a lot of things that still happen on the last day," said festival producer Jim Horowitz.  "It’s a kind of survival – if you’re looking at it like time lapse photography: you lay a blank floor and then you add furniture and people and it looks like it’s been there forever."

A "sister festival" of Aspen's "Jazz Aspen Snowmass Festival," Sonoma's Jazz Plus festival - held at the Field of Dreams, 175 1st Street West - celebrates music alongside the a typically Sonoma spin: they'll be lots of food and wine.

The festival's two "Wine and Song" events pair music - ranging from jazz to blues to bluegrass - with local vintners; the Sunday event features a New Orleans style brunch.  (Follow along with the festival's handy donloadable map.)

The majority of the festival - featuring such all-star acts as _d - will be housed in a 3,800-person main tent, with about 20 other tents holding patrons, VIPs and food vendors. (Catch the full music schedule on the _Jazz Plus website_.)

In addition to the tents, trash bins and Porta-Potties, the festival is contracting with the Sonoma Police Department for extra patrols - four officers and a Community Service Officer will be patrolling the festival this weekend, to keep revelers safe and in-line. 

Though the festival's VIP tickets are gone, there are still general admission spots available. You can order them online or by calling (888) 512-SHOW (7469). 

"Wait 'till you see it all decked out," said Henry Sullivan, who is working this year's Jazz Plus security detail.

"These wine events - they really know how to do it," said Sullivan.

Sonoma Jazz Plus is a nonprofit; festival proceeds support "Sonoma Jazz Plus's In-Schools" program, which has donated over $450,000 to area education programs. _Find out more.