Annual Sutter Buttes Roundup set for April 20
Apr. 9—Fostering an environment of support, fellowship and recovery, local members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and adjacent organizations will gather on April 20 for the 27th annual Sutter Buttes Roundup at the Sutter County Museum in Yuba City.
First established in 1995, the Sutter Buttes Roundup was coined by a group of local AA members in order to unify area chapters and members of sister organizations like Al-Anon. The first ever three-day Roundup was hosted at the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds with over 250 people across Northern California in attendance, according to an anonymous member.
However, over the years, attendance has declined to include primarily local AA members, and the three-day event was downsized to one-day.
As the name implies, the Sutter Buttes Roundup is about roping the various cohorts of AA, and gathering them into a single place. This year's Roundup event will begin with an Al-Anon speaker meeting followed by a Young People in AA panel, a group dedicated to supporting younger generations struggling with alcohol use. The conference will also feature two AA speaker meetings in the evening.
In addition to speakers, lunch and dinner will be available along with a raffle, the proceeds of which will go toward organizing next year's Roundup event, an anonymous member said. In between speakers, attendants will be able to play "AA Battle Royale," a mobile game centered on trivia about AA and its sister organizations.
According to another anonymous member, inviting speakers and discussing experiences with alcoholism is integral to bridging recovery efforts with newcomers and showing solidarity.
"In the program of AA, what's part of our recovery is sharing the message and sharing our experience, strength and hope in our journey of recovery. What it was like drinking. What happened? What brought us into the room of AA or for us to realize that we're alcoholics? What is it like now being sober?" the member said. "The importance of why we share in a general way ... is for that newcomer; that person who might be there on a court order or because a family member made a suggestion. They might not know, realize or be in denial that they're alcoholics. Our hope is that they hear something they can relate to and think, 'Oh, I have a disease of alcoholism. I need to stay. I need to get help.'"
While both organizations serve a larger community facing alcohol addiction, AA is a 12-step sobriety program designed for individuals who are struggling with alcohol use disorder, while Al-Anon is for family members and friends affected by a loved one's alcoholism.
"At our local level, regional level, state or international, we always invite Al-Anon because alcoholism doesn't just affect the alcoholic. It's a family disease," an anonymous member said. "It allows them to share their strength and hope about how alcohol has affected them."
Maintaining personal anonymity is a core principle in AA due to the stigma surrounding addiction, and it provides both old and new members a safe environment to recover in, the member said.
"That's a misconception among normies. They think the alcoholic is the homeless person sleeping under a bridge. There's very high-functioning alcoholics. There are teachers, there are professionals, lawyers, doctors, police officers that sit amongst homeless people, women who have gotten their children taken away, people who have gotten DUIs, or people that have been in prison," the member said. "(AA) offers us a solution on how to face life on life's terms."
The 27th annual Sutter Buttes Roundup will be held from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Ettl Hall at the Sutter County Museum, located at 1333 Butte House Rd. in Yuba City. Registration is $20 per person at the door. Lunch is $10 per person and dinner is $20.
For more information, email sutterbuttesroundup@gmail.com
