Kathleen Hill: Spring plants, lawn bowling and more...

Garden Club Spring Plant Sale Valley of the Moon Garden Club will be selling hundreds of vegetable plants, flowers, succulents, low water and pollinator plants at great prices at the Sonoma Community Center on Saturday, April 22.|

Garden Club Spring Plant Sale

Valley of the Moon Garden Club will be selling hundreds of vegetable plants, flowers, succulents, low water and pollinator plants at great prices at the Sonoma Community Center on Saturday, April 22. Watch for the special selection of heirloom tomatoes grown from saved seeds by club member Barbara Heiman. 276 E. Napa St., Sonoma. 9 a.m. to noon. Free admission.

Pétanque Club tournament and picnic

Valley of the Moon Pétanque Club invites everyone is invited to watch, play, compete, or none of the above Sunday, April 23 at Depot Park. Expect good food and lots of laughs.

Members, friends of members and the curious are welcome, and the club has boules to loan first timers, and the whole thing honors the late Byron Mayo, an advertising executive who helped promote the game.

Chef Marco Ilaria will prepare fennel and garlic roasted pork loin, green salad with avocado vinaigrette, Buttere Yukon Gold potatoes with caramelized red onions, French bread, cheeses, and lemon cake with minted cream. Lunch is the bargain of the year.

The courts are just south of Depot Park on land the late Henri Maysonnave gave to the City of Sonoma. Parking is available behind the Barracks. $5 to play, $15 for lunch. A bargain. For last minute reservations call Shannon Bowman at 299-0484.

Benziger and Imagery Winery job fair

Coinciding with their Blue Apron Earth Day/Weekend events this weekend, Benziger and Imagery will hold a job fair Friday and Saturday April 21 and 22 at Benziger Family Winery.

Among the openings they hope to fill is one full-time job as Assistant Tasting Room Manager at Benziger, and part-time tasting room sales associates at Benziger and Imagery, as well as tasting room runners at both wineries, and one at both for part-time hospitality event staff. They encourage people with wine and customer service experience. Availability to work most weekends, special events and holidays is required. Bring résumés. April 21 8 a.m. to noon, April 22, 8 to 10 a.m. 1883 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen.

Everybody Is A Star luncheon on Sunday

David and Lorna Grohol will host the first information luncheon honoring special needs kids and young adults and the foundation's work to teach valuable skills and the arts on Sunday, April 23.

Larry Krieger, former president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley, chairs the foundation, of which Howard 'Bo' Sapper is executive director. Della Santina's will cater with Caesar salad, penne con funghi, lasagna, and roasted chicken, and of course wine.

Enjoy creative special performances by people with special needs. Free. 1 to 4 p.m. RSVP required to Larry Krieger at larry@everybodystar.org or 889-0635.

Beltane Ranch makes Robert Parker's list

Robert Parker, Jr., one of the world's most respected wine critics and publisher of The Wine Advocate, just named Beltane Ranch to his list of the top nine wineries in the world where you can spend the night.

In his 'Grape Escapes: Wineries That Want You to Sleep Over' he said the following: 'Expect historic touches like original architectural details, antique furnishings, and wood-burning stoves in some rooms, but look outside for the property's best feature: a breathtaking sunset view from the ranch's ornate second-story balcony.'

Check out the entire list at robertparker.com.

Starling Bar's first anniversary rocked the walls

Owner Fred Johnson and friends whooped it up last Saturday night at Starling Bar by launching a four-page menu of new cocktails, releasing their housemade 'cellos' including Meyer lemon, blood orange and grapefruit, and serving Starling's next addition to the Bar Bites menu, muffulettas.

Johnson is the former owner of the import shop South American Secrets formerly on the Plaza. The Starling Bar site seems to have calmed down since the years of fights when it was Pasali's Card Room, followed by the Blue Moon Saloon.

Berries

The Watmaugh Road strawberry stand opened on Wednesday for the season.

Reminder: Paula Wolfert at Readers'

After several national front page stories Sonoma cookbook author Paula Wolfert and her biographer, Emily Kaiser Thelin, will be at Readers' Books on Saturday, April 22 at 2 p.m.

Clarification:

The Sebastiani Theatre fundraising dinner honoring Roger Rhoten and celebrating his 25 years of management, will cost $500 per person or $1,000 per couple at Suite D on April 28. The Sean Carscadden Concert is $20, not $15. You can purchase a package deal for $100 that covers all of the weekend's events (except the dinner). For details go to sebastianitheatre.com.

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