New Events, New Reasons to Visit Sonoma

. January 12, 2009

SONOMA COUNTY, CA, January 10, 2009 - The latest quarterly issue of the calendar of events is hot off the presses and flying into visitors' hands. Events are featured for January through March.

For more information about these and other events, please visit www.sonomacounty.com.

Can't wait for the printed copy and you want to start planning your Sonoma Country weekend now? Check out the first quarter events here.

JANUARY

Sebastopol Gallery Exhibit: Winterfest

Jan. 1 - 11

Sebastopol Gallery

150 North Main St., Sebastopol

(707) 829-7200

Our holiday exhibit of fine art and crafts by local artists features an expanded selection of new gift items that anyone would be proud to give and thrilled to receive.

www.sebastopol-gallery.com

First Friday Film Series

Jan. 2

Charles M. Schulz Museum

2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa

(707) 579-44527

Watch one of Charles Schulz's favorite classic films in the Museum's theater - complete with popcorn and candy! This month: Cool Hand Luke starring Paul Newman.

www.schulzmuseum.org

Always, Patsy Cline at Cinnabar Theater

Jan. 2 - 17

Cinnabar Theater

3333 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma

(707) 763-8920

More than a tribute to the legendary country singer, here's the heartfelt true story of Cline's deep and abiding friendship with Louise Seger, a devoted fan. Complete with down-home country humor, true emotion, and 27 Cline songs.

www.cinnabartheater.org

Crab Feed

Jan. 9

The Tides Wharf Restaurant

835 Highway One, Bodega Bay

(800) 541-7788

The 17th Annual Crab Feed includes chilled Dungeness crab, pasta, green salad, French bread, cocktail sauce, melted butter, mustard sauce. The meal costs $39.95 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and is served from 5 - 9 p.m. Reservations are strongly suggested.

www.innatthetides.com

Second Friday Art Walk

Jan. 9 - March 13

Petaluma Gallery Group

Downtown Petaluma 2nd and C Streets Petaluma

(707) 773-3393

Petaluma Gallery Group (PGG) is a network and association of 10 fine art galleries and downtown merchants who have worked together to offer interesting art venues, dedicated to the exhibition and promotion of the visual arts. The Petaluma ARTWALK is held on the second Friday of every month from 5 - 8 p.m. Typically, you may find art demonstrations, fine food and live music at the various galleries to compliment the rich artwork presented.

www.petalumadowntown.com

Cartoonist in Residence

Jan. 10

Charles M. Schulz Museum

2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa

(707) 579-4452

Berkeley-born cartoonist and illustrator Briana Miller is at the museum. She has done many mini-comics and also makes hand silk-screened items.

www.schulzmuseum.org

Crab Cioppino Feed

Jan. 11

Grange Hall

Bodega Bay

707-875-9414

Annual Crab Cioppino Feed fund-raiser for college scholarships.

www.bodegabaygrange.org

River Rock Casino Celebrates Chinese New Year

Jan. 12 - Feb. 9

River Rock Casino

3250 Highway 128, Geyserville

(707) 857-2777

River Rock Casino will kick off Chinese New Year on Jan. 26 with lion dancing, traditional Chinese bands and cash giveaways. On the first and last day of the promotion River Rock will distribute 500 red envelopes, containing $1, to guests by Cai Shen (the Chinese God of Prosperity). River Rock Casino will be awarding $888 cash through "hot seat giveaways." Guests playing with their Players Club card will be eligible for these drawings and a random winner will be chosen through Casino Marketplace during each of these times.

www.riverrockcasino.com

Willie Nelson and Family

Jan. 13

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

Iconic Texan and true son of the Lone Star State, Willie Nelson is a "living legend" in the truest sense of the words. Join us, as the creative genius behind historic recordings such as "Crazy," "Hello Walls," "Red Headed Stranger" and "Stardust," plays songs from his incredible catalogue of music spanning his six-decade career

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood Third Annual Farewell Tour

Jan. 16

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

Show will contain mature content. Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, stars of the Emmy-nominated Who's Line Is It Anyway?, have teamed up to present an evening of extraordinary improvisational comedy. Using their quick wit, Colin and Brad take contributions from the audience to create hilarious and original scenes.

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Hot Club of San Francisco

Jan. 16

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

This music is about a balance of excitement and beauty, and Hot Club of San Francisco has found the perfect balance: intricate, scorching, and often brilliant solos. Travel back to the 1930s to the small, smoky jazz clubs of Paris or the refined lounges of the famous Hotel Ritz. Often called "gypsy jazz," the music of The Hot Club of San Francisco has entranced audiences around the globe for more than 10 years.

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Dinner with the Winemaker - Sebastiani Vineyards

Jan. 16

The Inn at the Tides

800 Highway One, Bodega Bay

(800) 541-7788

The Bay View Restaurant at The Inn at the Tides in Bodega Bay is pleased to welcome Mark Lyon, winemaker, for a wonderful four-course dinner with specially selected Sebastiani Vineyards wines to complement each course. The full menu is available on our website. Reservations are a must.

www.innatthetides.com

Winter Wineland

Jan. 17 - 18

Russian River Wine Road - Participating Wineries

(800) 723-6336

Escape from those winter blues. Join us at Winter Wineland as more than 100 wineries treat visitors to library wines, vertical tastings, food pairings, educational tours and so much more. Participating wineries in Northwest Sonoma County: Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys.

www.wineroad.com

Elderhostel Day of Discovery

Jan. 18

Charles M. Schulz Museum

2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa

(707) 579-4452

Enjoy a curator-led tour of the Schulz/Beethoven exhibit, lunch at the Warm Puppy Cafe, a lecture on Beethoven's life and a private fortepiano recital. Reservations required!

www.schulzmuseum.org

Forever Tango

Jan. 23

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

Sensuous and sophisticated, the tango inhabits a world where everything can be said with the flick of a leg, the tug of a hand, the tap of a foot, or the arch of an eyebrow. Featuring 14 world-class dancers, one vocalist, and an 11-piece orchestra, Forever Tango celebrates the passionate music and dance of Argentina. This internationally celebrated entertainment event has played to great acclaim in Europe, Canada, and throughout the United States, and most recently enjoyed its third run on Broadway.

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Rash Acts

Jan. 23 - 31

Spreckels Performing Arts Center

5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park

(800) 838-3006

Five stories about hope, illusion, and the politics of daily life, presented as live theatrical animations by six actors and 32 puppets. A young couple trapped for life on the freeway, an aged man beset by swarms of telemarketers, a dead queen resurrected in shadow, a magical baby who grows too big for his diaper and a grown-up Alice who falls down the rabbit hole into the evening news.

www.spreckelsonline.com

Eighth Annual Sonoma Valley Olive Festival

Through February - Various Locations

Feast of the Olive Dinner

Jan. 24

Ramekins Culinary School

450 West Napa Street, Sonoma

Luminaries of the olive world, vintners, wine country chefs, the press and locals join to celebrate the olive season's fabulous feast and festivities showcasing ten of Sonoma's finest chefs and wines from ten Sonoma Valley wineries. Each course is prepared using artisan olives and/or olive oils. This is a culinary experience not to be missed.

Tickets at www.sonomacounty.com

The Divine Mushroom Experience

Jan. 24

Monte Rio Beach parking lot / Rio Theater

(707) 865-9956

Scenic views, champagne and luxury limousines combined with wild mushrooms, chef-prepared cuisine and Sonoma County wines. The Divine Mushroom Experience offers a bohemian spirit paired with an opulent meal, ocean vistas and white-tablecloth dining with the exceptional hospitality of the Russian River. Guests will enjoy finding their own wild mushrooms with the aid of a professional mushroom forager from Wild about Mushrooms. Chef Maria Vieagas will prepare several mushroom dishes from the wild finds of the day while guests enjoy light snacks and wine. A white-tablecloth meal of Maria's creations will be served with paired Sonoma County wines.

www.mrrpd.org

34th Annual Cloverdale Old Time Fiddle Festival

Jan. 24

Citrus Fairgrounds

1 Citrus Fair Drive, Cloverdale

(707) 894-2067

Competition, performances and music jam featuring some of today's and tomorrows brightest talents. Come also for the Arts and Crafts Fair. Youth to adult, beginner to advanced levels, will perform in this lively competition. Enjoy old-time style, Texas style, waltz and more.

www.cloverdalehistoricalsociety.org/fiddle

Crab Feed

Jan. 24

Sally Tomatoes

8238 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati

(707) 843-0320

There will be crab, pasta, salad, cocktails, live entertainment, and a fabulous live cake auction!

Beethoven Recital

Jan. 24 - 25

Charles M. Schulz Museum

2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa

(707) 579-44527

Sonoma County locals, the Felix String Quartet, will perform Beethoven's Quartet in C minor and Opus 18, No. 4.

www.schulzmuseum.org

Schulz's Beethoven: Schroeder's Muse

Jan. 26

Charles M. Schulz Museum

2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa

(707) 579-4452

The exhibition features insight into Schulz's love of classical music and how Beethoven became Schroeder's hero.

www.schulzmuseum.org

Joe Goode Performance Group

Jan. 29

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

In this new collaboration with master puppeteer Basil Twist, Joe Goode integrates yet another art form into his acclaimed method of storytelling through text, song, and dance. Wonderboy is an unexpected tale of a peculiar superhero isolated by his uncanny ability to empathize with all types of people. Feeling small and apart, Wonderboy sees himself as an outsider with his nose pressed up against the glass, but in truth, he has enormous powers to see and perceive and even to heal with his gentle demeanor.

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Paradise Ridge Winemaker Dinner

Jan. 30

Oakmont Golf Club

7025 Oakmont Drive, Santa Rosa

(707) 528-9463

Talented winemaker Dan Barwick and Oakmont Director of Food and Beverage Ehrin Cadigan will host this multiple-course gourmet indulgence, featuring the finest Paradise Ridge wines and showcasing the talents of Executive Chef Santiago Santana. Ring in the glory of 2009 with this scrumptious multiple-course food and wine pairing that will leave you breathless at the stunning Oakmont Golf Course.

www.prwinery.com

Man on the Moon - Meet Apollo Astronauts

Jan. 31

Charles M. Schulz Museum

2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa

(707) 579-44527

Meet astronauts Lt. Gen. Thomas Stafford and Captain Eugene Cernan. They have both been in space multiple times and Captain Cernan was the last man to walk on the moon.

www.schulzmuseum.org

FEBRUARY

Celebrate the Big Game

Feb. 1

River Rock Casino

3250 Highway 128, Geyserville

River Rock Casino will be celebrating the Big Game inside the 62,000-square-foot facility. Catch the game at the Oak Bar and receive food specials and prizes during the game. Guests that purchase a drink or food item at the Oak Bar during the game will receive a ticket to a giveaway promotion. River Rock will draw tickets during halftime and after the game for a chance to win one of four flat-screen TVs or a big-screen TV.

www.riverrockcasino.com

A Sensuous Foods Cooking Class with Chef John Ash

Feb. 5

Vintners Inn/John Ash and Company

4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa

Do you believe in aphrodisiacs? In honor of Valentine's Day, John will present a menu of dishes using ingredients that are thought to have aphrodisiacal properties and powers! Oysters and chocolate will certainly be served along with as many other ingredients that are thought to have special sexual potentials. Participants are encouraged to bring and share their sensuous food stories, readings or art. Sensuous wines will accompany every course.

www.vintnersinn.com

Henry Rollins

Feb. 6

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

He's uncensored, uninhibited, and really angry! The no-holds-barred Henry Rollins serves up his views on our crazy, mixed-up world. Originally known as the vocalist for legendary band Black Flag, Henry Rollins has become a modern day Renaissance man touring the world performing with his own Rollins Band, as an engaging public speaker, and on behalf off the USO.

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Vance Gilbert

Feb. 7

Sebastopol Community Center

390 Morris Street, Sebastopol

(707) 823-1511

It's possible, even probable, that any time you see Gilbert in person his songs will make you laugh and cry simultaneously. Ft. Worth Star-Telegram said "his lyrics are highly personal, his tenor vocals fluid and enthralling. The voice of an angel, the wit of a devil and the guitar of a god."

www.cumuluspresents.com

20th Annual Wine and Chocolate Fantasy

Feb. 7

Rodney Strong Vineyards

11455 Old Redwood Highway

Healdsburg

Celebrate Rodney Strong Vineyards' 50th Anniversary by attending our 20th annual Wine and Chocolate Fantasy. We provide delicious Rodney Strong wines while local chocolatiers offer up delectable confections to accompany them.

www.rodneystrong.com

My Kind of Broadway

Feb. 7 - 8

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

Kendall-Jackson Symphony Pops Series with Michael Berkowitz conducting. Enjoy songs from Evita, Wicked, Chicago, Gypsy, Cats, A Chorus Line, and more! This performance features three Broadway veterans performing the best of this timeless music, as well as conductor Michael Berkowitz's own recollections about the music and people who created the legendary shows.

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Valentine's Car Giveaway

Feb. 12 - 14

River Rock Casino

3250 Highway 128, Geyserville

(707) 857-2777

River Rock Casino, Sonoma County's 24-hour entertainment destination offering spectacular views of the Alexander Valley, will be celebrating Valentine's Day on Feb. 12 with cash giveaways and a grand prize of a red sports car.

www.riverrockcasino.com

Dinner with the Winemaker - Ferrari-Carano Winery

Feb. 13

The Inn at the Tides

800 Highway One, Bodega Bay

The Bay View

(800) 541-7788

Restaurant at The Inn at the Tides in Bodega Bay is pleased to welcome Sarah Quider, winemaker, for a wonderful four-course dinner with specially selected Ferrari-Carano Vineyards wines to complement each course. The full menu is available on our website. Reservations are a must.

www.innatthetides.com

Valentine Food and Wine Pairing

Feb. 14

Nicholson Ranch

4200 Napa Road, Sonoma

For true loves and true lovers of Nicholson Ranch Wine! Come explore the pleasures of food and wine pairing as three flights of the best Nicholson Ranch wines dance delectably with sumptuous tidbits, prepared by Broadway Catering and Events. Proprietors Ramona Nicholson and Deepak Gulrajani will be on hand to introduce each flight and Winemaker Jacqueline Yoakum will take you step by step through the tasting! Bring your sweetheart and join your friends in a lively discussion of the nuances of each wine and the fine art of matchmaking! This is a sit-down afternoon meal with nine wines for pairing and a minimum of four courses.

www.nicholsonranch.com

3rd Annual Rhone and Syrah Tasting

Feb. 14

Vine and Barrel

143 Kentucky St., Petaluma

(707) 765-1112

Join us for our third annual Rhone/Syrah Tasting at 3 p.m. on Valentine's Day. We will feature 22 of the best wineries in the industry. There will be amazing food to pair and live music.

www.vineandbarrel.com

Paddy Maloney with the Chieftains

Feb. 20

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

These six-time Grammy winners have brought traditional Irish music to the world's attention. They have uncovered the wealth of traditional Irish music that has accumulated over the centuries, making the music their own with a style that is as exhilarating as it is definitive.

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

The Secret Life of Bees

Feb. 27

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

In this New York Times bestseller set during the Civil Rights Movement, a young girl's search for the truth about her mother leads her to three beekeeping sisters and the discovery of the real meaning of family. Presented by The American Place Theatre's performance-based literacy program, this professionally staged production features a verbatim theatrical adaptation of the book by Sue Monk Kidd. The American Place Theatre is critically acclaimed as a birthing place for artistic endeavors at the crossroads of literature and live performance for 45 years.

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

MARCH

Winemaker for a Day Blending Seminar

March 5

Paradise Ridge Winery

4545 Thomas Lake Harris Drive,Santa Rosa

(707) 528-9463

Have you ever dreamed of being a winemaker? We can make your dream can come true! Winemaker Dan Barwick will guide you through the incredible process of making your own award-winning wine. This amazing experience will include a delicious wine-country lunch and a bottle of your personal blend to take home to share with family and friends. This intimate wine-country experience is limited to 20 people per event.

www.prwinery.com

Crab and Fennel Fest

March 7

Sonoma County Fairgrounds

1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 521-2534

Join the Russian River Valley Winegrowers for an evening like no other. The Crab and Fennel Fest gives guests a chance to roll up their shirt sleeves, crack fresh Dungeness crab, quaff Russian River Valley wine and experience culinary creations of fennel made by local chefs in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. In addition to the great food and wine, guests can sample special wines from unique vineyards in the Russian River Valley at the "Vineyard Designate Wine Tasting Area."

www.rrvw.org

Barrel Tasting

March 7 - 15

Russian River Wine Road - Various Winery Locations

(800) 723-6336

More than 100 wineries will open their cellars for your tasting pleasure over two weekends in March. This is your chance to sample wines from the barrel, talk to winemakers and explore the beautiful Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River valleys. Barrel tasting is not a food or themed event. It's all about the WINE. Many wineries offer "futures" on their barrel samples. This is a chance to purchase wine now, often at a discount, and then come back to the winery when the wine is bottled, typically 12-18 months from now.

www.wineroad.com

A Celebration of Spring Cooking Class with Chef John Ash

March 10

Vintners Inn/John Ash and Company

4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa

With a vernal equinox just around the corner, we'll present a menu highlighting the very special flavors of the Northern California wine country: spring lamb, wild mushrooms, Meyer lemons and more.

www.vintnersinn.com

Ailey II

March 11

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the universally acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey's exceptional junior company arrives in Santa Rosa with a special program including excerpts from the Ailey classic, Revelations. Recognized as one of America's most popular dance companies, Ailey II merges the spirit and energy of the country's best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today's most outstanding emerging choreographers. The result is a fast-paced, sophisticated, crowd-pleasing show!

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Susan Werner

March 13

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

This triply blessed artist sings elegantly, plays the piano smartly and, best of all, writes songs of genuine distinction and high craft. With seven albums under her belt, an active touring career throughout the U.S. and a string of accolades from the likes of The Washington Post, The Village Voice and The New Yorker, Susan Werner has become one of the defining artists of the folk music genre. Her songs effortlessly slide between folk, jazz, and pop, and are delivered with a sassy wit and classic Midwestern charm.

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

March 14

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

With the power of gospel and the precision of Broadway, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is the undisputed king of mbube, South African a cappella singing. The group came together in the early 1960s and continues to thrill audiences around the world with its strong, proud melodies, harmonized in layers of call and response. Brought to worldwide popularity with Paul Simon's Graceland, Mambazo recently completed a collaboration with Josh Groban and released their newest album Ilembe.

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Dinner with the Winemaker - Merryvale Vineyards

March 20

The Inn at the Tides

800 Highway One, Bodega Bay

(800) 541-7788

The Bay View Restaurant at The Inn at the Tides in Bodega Bay is pleased to welcome Sean Foster, winemaker, for a wonderful four-course dinner with specially selected Merryvale Vineyards wines to complement each course. The full menu is available on our website. Reservations are a must.

www.innatthetides.com

A Salute to Motown

March 21 - 22

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

Kendall-Jackson Symphony Pops - Series groove to the best of the Motown sound presented by the Santa Rosa Symphony and the four incredible singers of the group Spectrum. From "I Heard It through the Grapevine" to "Under the Boardwalk," Spectrum's angelic harmonies and deft choreography, combined with full symphony orchestrations, recreate the music that defined a generation at its very best.

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Bye Bye Birdie

March 26

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

About to enter the army, rock star and teenage heartthrob Conrad Birdie is sent out to bestow a last publicity kiss upon a starry-eyed fan before a nationwide audience on The Ed Sullivan Show. The result is chaos, a series of romantic complications, and the momentous hit tunes "Put on A Happy Face," "A Lot of Livin' To Do," "One Last Kiss," and the riotous lament of parents with teenagers "What's The Matter With Kids Today?"

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin

March 27

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-3600

"An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin" is a nostalgic and warm presentation of Lily's "greatest hits" with more than a dozen of her famous characters - including the precocious 6-year-old Edith Ann, the irascible telephone operator Ernestine, the aging beauty adviser Madame Lupe, Lucille the rubber addict, prim Judith Beasley from Calumet City, Indiana, and Lily's most profound character, Trudy, the schizophrenic street lady who starred in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. It will be a night of cerebral comedy and prescient social commentary woven among Lily's affectionate reminiscences about her childhood in the Midwest.

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Symphony of Food, Wine, and Art

March 29

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 546-8742

Music by the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Ensembles; fabulous food and wine tastings; artist-painted musical treasure boxes; works of art by Sonoma County artists; wine and gift silent auction; raffle items extraordinaire are on the menu for this amazing event.

www.santarosasymphony.com

www.wellsfargocenterarts.org

Sonoma County, located 30 miles from San Francisco, is America's premier wine, spa and coastal destination, featuring more than 250 wineries and 50-plus miles of stunning Pacific coast.

For a free visitors guide or information on hotels, wineries, events, spas, attractions, and dining in Sonoma County, visit www.sonomacounty.com or call 800-576-6662.

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