Kathleen Hill: Red and White Ball, Mexican-American vintners and the Sebastiani legacy
Red & White Ball for schools Aug. 25
Sonoma Valley Education Foundation will hold its annual Red & White Ball on Saturday, Aug. 25 with the great Dave Martin's House Party Band and a West Coast Clam Bake by Ari Weisswasser and Stellar Catering. How can you miss while helping Sonoma Valley's 4,541 public school students?
Dave Martin will bring all 13 of his band members and all of their ever-changing costumes to the post-dinner dance party. The Valley Vibes Youth Orchestra will have you smiling through your tears of gratitude.
Guests dine at red and white tables on Sonoma Plaza behind City Hall. Cody Williams, food and nutrition services manager for Sonoma Valley Unified School District, will make appetizers to be passed by about 75 Sonoma Valley High School, and Altimira and Adele Harrison middle school students.
Guests will enjoy Heirloom tomato gazpacho shooters with tomatoes from Altimira's prolific school garden. Altimira herbs will adorn goat, blue and feta cheese crostini as well.
As guests arrive, they might also indulge in the new “cocktail caravan” serving Val's Botanical Gin & Tonics, Kirk & Sweeney Rum Daiquiris, and a Kirk & Sweeney Rum & Coke. And on the lighter side try a 16-ounce can of Sonoma Springs Brewery Tsunami IPA or Lagunitas by the cup, not to mention loads of Sonoma Valley wines. Smashmallow will finish off the evening with s'mores bars, according to Sallie Kyle-Moore, whose parents were just honored as the town Muses by the Sonoma Community Center.
Dinner starts with “family-style” watermelon and cucumber salad with Bulgarian feta, green piri piri vinaigrette, Mike Benziger's leaf lettuces, and shaved summer radish salads. The rest of the “Clam Bake” dinner will be served buffet including steamed clams, mussels and shrimp with Pliny the Elder lobster and corn broth; Bliss potatoes with corn and pickled okra, grilled housemade kielbasa sausage; snap peas, hearts of palm, roasted slices of lemon cucumbers, cherry tomatoes; Cheddar Bay and scallion biscuits and Glen Ellen Star housemade ice creams.
Sonoma Valley Education Foundation helps students find success and inspiration in school so they can graduate prepared for college or the career of their choice. Programs include Early Childhood Education to college-and-career readiness with the engineering, design and technology at the high school, middle school writing centers, Sonoma School Garden Project, Summer Literacy Academy, Preschool for All, El Sistema youth orchestra and classroom grants.
Lots of great raffle prizes as well – look for those in this space next week. Tickets for dinner and dancing $225, dancing only $40 and includes one drink. The latter should bring their own picnic and we will have some idea hints on possible picnics next Friday as well. Tickets at 935-9566 or at svgreatschools.org. Email sallie@svgreatschools.org to volunteer to help.
Bells toll for Sonoma Valley
Bells rang out in front of Mission San Francisco de Solano at high noon on Wednesday to celebrate the beginning of Sonoma Valley's 2018 grape harvest.
A little later than in recent years, the first grapes were picked in the wee hours of Aug. 15 and celebrated by hundreds of growers, workers, winemakers and fans throughout the Valley.
The brainchild of Maureen Cottingham, executive director of Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance, the first part of the harvesting ceremony occurred at Sangiacomo Vineyards off Broadway south of town, and then grapes were trucked to Gloria Ferrer Vineyards & Caves for crushing.
At 11:45 a.m. locals started to arrive in front of the mission's bell with Steve Sangiacomo (still dressed in layers from the cold of night) and his father, honorary first bell ringer Angelo Sangiacomo, among the first to arrive. At 11:59 Cottingham welcomed the crowd, which included SVVGA board members, growers, fans, and City Councilmember David Cook. At precisely noon SVVGA president Kenneth Juhasz of Auteur Wines rang the mission bell and the rest of us rattled our little green bells distributed by Cottingham, Lori McGovern and other SVVGA staff.
As all the bells chimed, a huge Serres truck honked its horn, fire engines flashed bright lights, and police cars showed up honking and blinking lights. All of this added up to fun and excitement. After all, those of us who have moved here probably came partly because our community is surrounded by agriculture, including vineyards. This was the first community celebration of the grape harvest beginning and felt like the beginning of a tradition. Congratulations to all involved.
Mexican American Vintners harvest festival
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