Monday, June 21, was the solstice, the first day of summer, and Topanga opened its doors to 44 bands and musicians throughout the canyon from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The debut of Make Music Day Topanga was a success and Flower Power owner Abigail “Gidget� Zapata hosted eight bands and individual acts on the little patio. Among them were Preston Smith at 4 p.m., and legends Fred Tackett and Domenic Genova (see page 5), who closed out the evening playing to an intergenerational crowd of 80 days to 80 years. Music knows no age. “I’m doing it again next year,� Zapata said. Leigh Adams and Shawn Maestretti of Studio Petrichor and volunteers completed the final hugelkultur landscaping of Kat High’s yard, which has added a performance stage as another venue in the canyon. On Saturday, June 19, she hosted the band, Sage Against the Machine, featuring founders Antonio Sanchez from the SMMNRA Native Plant Nursery and Evan Myer of the Theodore Payne Foundation. They rocked the rafters singing about California poppies, sage, and outrage. The band and a hearty meal was a reward for those who, after a day of labor, couldn’t help but dance. When I see these talented musicians setting up and performing in small spaces with as much gusto for 25 or 50 people as they would for thousands at the Hollywood bowl, I am hopeful for the human race.