Dear Friends of Les Blank Films, Arhoolie Foundation and Down Home Music,
They need your help! The GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/fd279b0f
I’m not a musician, but I know the value of music in all its varieties. I’m not a filmmaker, but I know the value of films that show us aspects of cultures we don’t know from our own experience. And I also know the value of preserving institutions that bridge our past and our present.
All of those values course through building at 10341 San Pablo Avenue, the site of Arhoolie Foundation and Les Blank Films (formerly Flower Films), as well as the much-beloved Down Home Music store, in El Cerrito, California.
Long before I moved to El Cerrito myself, I knew about the history and occupants here and that it was one of the most familiar landmarks in the Bay Area. But now, the tenants of this culturally historic icon need some help to secure their legacy for the next generation.
After Chris Strachwitz, the founder of Arhoolie Records and sole owner of the property, died in May, 2023, his heirs decided to sell the premises. Luckily, Chris gave Harrod Blank, son of Les Blank and also a filmmaker, an option to purchase the building. In partnership with Arhoolie Foundation, Harrod has exercised that option to save the site’s historical functions. As of November 21, 2024, they are in contract to purchase the property.
That’s where the rest of us come in. The would-be new owners, (Les Blank Films and Arhoolie Foundation) need our financial support, in the form of tax-deductible donations, whether cash or stocks, to provide the necessary funds to reduce the monetary burden of the purchase. Even if our contributions get them closer–but not all the way‒to the payoff amount, they’ll then be in position to apply for low-cost, non-profit business loans to finalize the acquisition.
In short, the “Three Amigos” that occupy the building are going to be there for the foreseeable future; we just need to be part of the effort.
Please donate using any of the following:
The GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/fd279b0f
(Donations to this fund are shared by all three of the tenants)
Direct donations, or securities for either of the two non-profits*
Harrod Blank at Les Blank Films https://lesblank.com/contact/;
or
Adam Machado at Arhoolie Foundation, https://store.arhoolie.org/contact.(*Down Home Music is currently a for-profit entity but may be switching its designation in the future.)
Please make your donation NOW. It’s our way of preserving part of our own community heritage!
With many thanks,
Bill Barish, El Cerrito