3 Sonoma events you don’t want to miss this spring

Larson Limerick Contest

Larson Family Winery kicked off its St. Patrick’s Day tradition by opening entries for the annual Limerick contest.

There will be one winner in each category, who will receive a $150 Larson Family Winery gift certificate to spend in the Tasting Room or to use for an online purchase. The winning limerick will be displayed at the winery from Tuesday, March 14 to Sunday, March 19 as part of its St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

A limerick is a short poem, usually a kind of humorous verse of five lines in which the first, second and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet.

Last year’s winning limerick was written by Leslie McGee, a resident of Grass Valley:

We ventured to Larson for Cabs,

And to frolic with three gorgeous Labs.

OMG, such great wine!

TLC was divine!

And for free (Ollie ate all our tabs)!

Rules for the contest are:

• Each entry must be an original limerick. All entries must be new, previously unpublished in print or online.
• The limerick must pertain to Larson Family Winery or wine, grapes, winemaking or Sonoma, depending on the limerick category selected. It may be funny, but does not have to be.
• Limit of one entry per person. Participants may enter in only one category.
• The limerick must be G-rated (no sex, drug promotion, profanity, graphic violence or other inappropriate [in the winery’s view] content).
• Employees of Larson Family Winery and Ultima Mobile Bottling and their immediate families are not eligible to enter this contest.
• Entry in the contest indicates agreement that all decisions made by the judges are final.
• Each entry (winner or not) is allowed to be used by Larson Family Winery without payment of any royalty.

If a winning entry is found to have been previously posted or published, any prize awarded will be revoked and another winner will be declared. After 30 days, no changes to the winners list will be made and a reasonable effort will be made to assure the winning limericks are original. Find the submission form on the winery’s website, larsonfamilywinery.com.

Entries must be received by Sunday, March 12, to qualify for judging. Winners will be announced on Monday, March 13.

Luck o’ the Irish Raffle

The Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley announces that tickets are on sale for its annual Luck o' the Irish Raffle fundraiser.

The grand prize is $10,000 or a two-week trip for two to Ireland. Four additional ticket holders will win $500 each. The drawing will be held during the club’s Luck o’ the Irish event on Saturday, March 11 at Sonoma Moose Lodge, 20580 Broadway in Sonoma. Raffle ticket holders do not need to be present to win.

Last year, the club awarded more than $75,000 in grants to local groups, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley, Flowery Elementary School, Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance, La Luz, Sonoma Valley Firefighters Association and Comida Para Todos — Food For All.

Raffle tickets are $50 each and can be purchased from any Sonoma Valley Club Rotarian. Event sponsorships are also available. For additional information, please visit the club’s website at sonomavalleyrotary.org or email the club at Rotary95476@gmail.com.

All of the raffle proceeds go toward the club’s grants to local education and nonprofit groups during the year.

For tickets, contact any Rotarian in the club, or contact the club at rotary95476@gmail.com.

Tailwags and Handbags

Pets Lifeline is hosting its annual Handbags and Tailwags fundraiser on May 5, and it’s looking for donations.

This community-favorite fundraiser auctions off gently used purses, murses, wallets, shoulder bags, hand bags and jewelry.

Marking its 13th year, the organization has auctioned off roughly 2,000 handbags, one of the most memorable being Susan Gorin’s winning bid on a rubber chicken purse, which she gifted to her then-deputy director.

The funds support the care, feeding and medical needs of all animals in Pets Lifeline’s care.

This year’s event will take place at Buena Vista Winery, located at 18000 Old Winery Road, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tickets to the event start at $95 with deals on couple tickets, and varied sponsorship pricing. Ticket options can be found and purchased at petslifeline.org.

Donations are currently being received. Drop-off days are Monday, Friday and Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. at Pets Lifeline, 19686 Eighth St.