Kathleen Hill: What vintage does one serve with Charleston Chew?

Costumed dogs are also welcome.|

Red Hots & Riesling?

A ghoulish Halloween Candy and Wine Pairing event will be staged at always fun Meadowcroft Wines on Halloween weekend, Oct. 29 and 30 at its Cornerstone Tasting Room.

Just to give grownups a few surprise taste thrills, Meadowcroft will pair recent wines including riesling with Red Hots, Bonneau Chardonnay with Zagnuts, Speedy Creek Zinfandel with O'Henry, cabernet franc with Chocolate Charleston Chew, Louvau Cabernet Saufignon with Hershey's with Almonds, and All She Wrote Port with Bit O'Honey.

Children with costumes are welcome and will be rewarded with Halloween treats. Reservations recommended, but required for groups of eight or more. Well behaved and costumed dogs are also welcome. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. $20 per person. 23574 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. 934-4090.

Apparently all Cornerstone shops will offer Halloween treats that weekend.

Community Conversation at SCC

Guests at Anya Ushakova-Crain's 'The Spirit of Community: Tales and Music of Intimacy and Connection' tonight, Oct. 14 at Sonoma Community Center's Andrews Hall will enjoy servings of the Girl & the Fig's house-cured salumi, cheese and fig cakes, donated by Sondra Bernstein, and Hello Cello & Prohibition Spirits' old-fashioned whiskey cocktails donated by speakers Amy and Fred Groth. As well, the Community Center will sell wines by the glass for $5. All of this will be available from 6:30 to 7 p.m. and at the evening's break.

Speakers will include singer and musician Sue Albano, Sonoma Valley Hospital CEO Kelly Mather, architect and evening designer George Bevan and Amy and Fred Groth. Jean Arnold Sessions will introduce Ushakova-Crain. $45. 6:30 p.m. Tickets at svbo.org or in person.

Muscardini Cellars' annual pasta feed Saturday

Michael Muscardini invites everyone to join him for his annual pasta feed and Italian celebration on Saturday, Oct. 15. He is planning a day filled with wine, music, friends and food, including all-you-can-eat pasta, salad and bread and tastes of his new housemade vermouth with coffee and biscotti and live music on the patio from local musicians. Bryan-David Scott of Luxury Coffee will cater. Free for wine club members, $15 for wine club guests, $20 general public. 2 to 7 p.m. 9380 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood. 933-9305.

World Food Day Oct. 16

Cathy Webber, Todd Evans of End World Hunger 2030, and Anna Bimenyimana of Bon Marché Thrift Stores will host a fundraiser Sunday, Oct. 16 at Burlingame Hall featuring African food, music and dancing, as well as two short videos on 'smallholder farmers in Africa.' Proceeds will give financial support to Gardens for Health in Rwanda and Sonoma Overnight Support.

'Thrifty Fashion' will be Sonoma's World Food Day theme, and George Webber will auction off items that have come to the group through Bon Marché thrift stores. $30 tickets available at Readers' Books, Pharmaca and Bon Marché. More info at info@endworldhunger2030.org.

Bon Marché thrift stores says it will 'provide funds for Gardens for Health in Rwanda, where health clinics provide support for families and communities, teaching them how to sustainable grow food and how to use food as medicine.' Bonmarchthriftstores.org.

Olive Press schedules Community Press

Anyone around Sonoma Valley who has an olive bush in a pot, one tree, or a many-acre orchard gets excited to take their olives down to Fred and Nancy Cline's Olive Press, offer their olives into the press line, and chat with other olive growing enthusiasts. And the time is here!

Community Press days will be Sunday, Oct. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 27, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.

There is no minimum quantity required. They charge $0.75 per lb. of olives, and there is a maximum of 300 pounds.

Oil will be ready for pick-up two weeks after the community press dates. There is a small charge for containers, due upon pickup. Walk-ins only, no reservations required.

According to the Clines, 'If the customer has more than 300 pounds we suggest they team up with another olive grower and schedule an appointment for Custom Crush.' theolivepress.com/about-us/community-press

Larson Family Winery Hoedown

Larson Family Winery, always family oriented, hosts its annual Harvest Hoedown on Sunday, Oct. 23. As the Larsons say, 'Wine and swine with us with barbecue-style full pig roasts, sides Yukon Gold potato salad with Larson truffle mustard, baby greens with housemade blue cheese or champagne vinaigrette, traditional macaroni and cheese, three kinds of corn bread, and sweet desserts by Three D Catering, all paired with Larson Family wines.' Lots of mini pumpkin pies, lemon bars and chocolate brownie cookies. Non-alcoholic lemonade, iced tea and water also available. Larson Family Winery will include grape stomping, wagon rides through their vineyards, a jumpy house for kids and lots more. Noon to 4 p.m. Wine club members adults $48, kids 4 to 12 $22, kids 3 and under free. Public adults $60; kids 4 to 12 $27; 3 and under free. 23355 Millerick Road, Sonoma. Tickets at larsonfamilywinery.com.

A Night in Tuscany at Jacuzzi

North Bay Children's Center and Brayton Purcell LLP will hold their annual fall fundraiser, 'A Night in Tuscany,' at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards on Saturday, Oct. 29. NBCC establishes preschools and preschool gardens around the North Bay.

Steve Page, president and general manager of Sonoma Raceway, will receive the Champion for Children Award, with Sen. Mike McGuire and Lisa Wittke Schaffner serving as co-hosts.

Proceeds from 'A Night in Tuscany' support school-readiness preschool scholarships for low-income children in Marin and Sonoma counties and funds NBCC's Garden of Eatin' garden-based nutritional education curriculum.

The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with what they are calling an 'Artisan Trail' where guests walk around to tables for appetizers from Grapevine Catering, Laura Chenel's and Marin French Cheese, Hog Island Oyster Co., Brenda Anderson of the Secret Kitchen, Lavender Bee Farm, The Olive Press, Chevoo and David Benton Sugarsweet Cookie and Cake Studio, plus a hosted wine and beer bar.

Guests sit down for dinner by Grapevine Catering at 7:30 p.m. for a wild arugula salad with homemade lemon ricotta and chardonnay vinaigrette, Rosemary beef tenderloin with seasonal vegetables and a goat cheese pavé, followed by an apple galette, walnut streusel and cranberry coulis. Enjoy entertainment by Ancora and a live auction. $125. Tickets at nbcc.net or at 415-883-6222.

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art's jazzy new shop

What an improvement! A committee of Suzanne Brangham, Barbara Crow, Libby Durkee and Linda Cano just launched the new Sonoma Valley Museum of Art's shop, loaded with New York MoMa gift items, locally created pretty jewelry, scarves, books, children's art-related games and art cards.

All of this was opened and expanded to coincide with the art pairings exhibit featuring internationally known photographers including Ansel Adams, Robert Frank, Yousuf Karsh, Annie Leibovitz, Robert Mapplethorpe, Cindy Sherman, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward and Brett Weston, and Garry Winogrand and more. The opening featured local wines, and great cheeses and vegetables from Sonoma Market.

A family note of pride:

Congratulations to our daughter-in-law, Na Young Ma, for LA Weekly naming her Proof Bakery the best bakery in Los Angeles last Saturday.

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