Support Napa Emergency Women's Services

There are SO many great organizations in the Napa Valley doing such great work . . . and the folks at Napa Emergency Women's Services provide a vital service to our community!  Their mission is "to provide a nurturing refuge for women and children suffering from domestic violence and/or sexual assault, and to be a catalyst for change through prevention, intervention and advocacy.

They're having an "Eat to Defeat Domestic Violence" event at Ristorante Allegria (1026 First Street in downtown Napa) all day on Thursday, October 7.  Eat lunch or dinner at Allegria on that day and a portion of your check will be donated to NEWS.

Let's have a great turn-out from the troops from the Napa Guerilla Gay Bar!

Once Again It's B-R Day

Once again, it's B-R Day (Breakfast in Rutherford Day)!

Earlier this year a large contingent from the Napa Guerilla Gay Bar invaded the Rutherford Grange Ranch-Style Breakfast. It was a blast! This time promises to be even better.

Here's the deal - on Sunday, September 19 from 8:30 to 11:30 am the folks at the Grange will be serving up Scrambled Eggs, Pancakes, Bacon, Sausage, Home-fried Potatoes, OJ, Coffee and Tea.

The charge? $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for kids and $15.00 for entire families. (and just a reminder from last year - when asked what the Grange considered a "family" they replied - "Anyone is welcome at the Grange. If someone is a family they are a family - no qualifiers")

This time your Mission Commander, having already receive the approval of the folks from the Grange, will be bringing some complementary "bubbles" to add to our OJ in order to make Mimosas. He may even make up a batch of his famous Bloody Marys!

The Rutherford Grange is located at 8550 St. Helena Highway (aka Hwy 29) just south of the Rutherford Grill and across from Rubicon Estate. They suggest that GPS users enter "1991 St Helena Hwy, Rutherford" into their devices.

Come early and see you there!

Team 2-Sum!

Please join us as we participate in the 19th annual Napa Valley AIDS Walk on Saturday, October 30, 2010.

This year, the Napa Guerilla Gay Bar and the Napa Valley Unity League will be joining forces. Together we are forming Team 2-Sum . . . because 2-GETHER we can raise a great SUM!

This year’s beneficiary of funds from the Napa Valley AIDS Walk is the CARE Network at Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Tax ID 94-1243669). This groundbreaking program serves low income, uninsured or underinsured individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Nurses and social workers from the CARE Network assist their clients to better manage their own health needs through case management, advocacy, resources, referrals and education.

In 2009 our two organizations individually raised more than $7,600. Together we should be able to do even better!

Here's how you can help:

WALK

Sign up to walk with us at http://www.active.com/donate/team2sum. There you'll be able to create your own fundraising web page (it's easy, really!) and use all the tools that active.com makes available - including posting to Facebook and allowing your friends and family to make donations using their credit cards.

Want to do it "old school"? No problem. Just download a pledge collection form from the Napa Valley AIDS Walk website at http://www.napavalleyaidswalk.com/registrationforms.html. Just make sure to put "Team2Sum" in the "Team Name" field of the form.

DONATE

Can't make it to the walk? Just want to make a donation? Well, you can do that at http://www.active.com/donate/team2sum too! Contribute at whatever level (or whatever amount) you can: 

• General - $ 1,000
• Colonel - $ 500
• Major - $ 250
• Captain - $ 100
• Lieutenant - $ 50
• Sergeant - $ 25
• Corporal - $ 10
• Private First Class - $ 5

PARTICIPATE

Plan to attend one of these FUN (and FUNdraising) events:

• Wednesday, September 29 - All-Day Pizza Party at Mary's Pizza Shack
• Saturday, October 16 - Rent at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville
• Sunday, October 17 - Old Fashioned Beer Bust at Pancha's of Yountville
• Friday, October 29 - Pre-Walk Carb-Loading (details to be announced)

First Annual Napa Valley BBQ Battle

Previous Napa Guerilla Gay Bar missions have proved that the troops love their BBQ.  They also love helping their community.

Well, here's a two-fer!  Chef Brian Whitmer from the Napa Valley Marriott has personally invited us to the 1st Annual Napa Valley Barbeque Battle.

It all takes place on Sunday, October 3 at the Napa Valley Marriott.  Hosted by Judd’s Hill Winery and Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa, this barbeque cook-off will benefit the Napa Valley Education Foundation’s Music Connection Program.  Music Connection has been equipping student musicians with quality musical instruments to begin their musical journeys in the Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) for more than 12 years.

On October 3rd from 1 to 4 pm guests will be spoiled with great wine, food and entertainment.  Highlights of the event include:

• opening reception featuring Judd’s Hill’s delicious current release Sauvignon Blanc and Rose paired with BBQ Oysters from Tomales Bay Oyster Co.
• sit-down BBQ meal featuring side-by-side tastings of smoked ribs, brisket and chicken paired with Judd’s Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and Petite Syrah
• both People’s Choice judging as well as celebrity judging from James McNair, internationally recognized food author-stylist-photographer, to determine who has the best BBQ
• live music throughout, featuring Education Foundation Teacher of the Year, Alan U’Ren

The Battle features two highly regarded barbeque enthusiasts:

• Napa Valley Marriott and Characters Bar N’ Cue, Executive Chef Brian Whitmer.  Chef Brian's career began at Sammy’s Barbeque in Kansas City, Missouri.  He'll use his life-long passion for all things smoky and his signature recipes currently featured at Character’s for the people to decide.
• Pat Burke, Hospitality Director at Judd’s Hill Winery, is a recognized award winning barbeque competitor and a member of the famous “Barnyard Roasters” BBQ Team and team captain of “The Vineyard Roasters”, who took 1st Prize in the Rib category at the 2006 West Coast BBQ Championships.

This will definitely be a battle for the ages!

Guest Emcee and musician, Judd Finkelstein of Judd’s Hill Winery, will oversee the competition and offer his unique flair of commentary and insight as the battle builds to a crescendo with single category awards going to best Beef, Chicken, Pork and Sauce.

In addition there will be a Silent Auction and Raffle to benefit the Music Connection with packages featuring hotel stays, spa indulgences, winery tours and tastings and even the famous Characters Bar N’ Cue pool table!

Tickets to The Napa Valley Barbeque Battle are $60 per person and can be purchased by calling 707-253-8600, ext 3317.

Oom Pah Pah!

It may not be October but it is time for OKTOBERFEST!

Let's invade the "Oktoberfest at JV" at JV Wine & Spirits (301 First Street, Napa) on Friday, September 17 from 5 to 7 pm!

They're promising a "Harvest-time celebration featuring approximately 15 German wines including Dr. Loosen, Selbach Dry Riesling, Leitz Dragonstone, Theo Minges and many more" as well as "10 German or American Oktoberfest-style beers including several styles of Chimay, St. Martin, Schneider's, Hoptober Golden Ale, Samuel Adams Octoberfest and more!"

In addition, Chef Diana will be preparing special German Sausages, Sauerkraut and Pretzels for the very low price of $10.

Prost!

No Day But TODAY!

I LOVE the musical RENT!  I was absolutely blown away when I first saw it in the late 1990's on Broadway.

The musical is loosely based on Puccini's opera La Bohème and tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.

The most recognized song from Rent is "Seasons of Love".  Here's it is from the last performance on Broadway: 

Well, we're in luck!  Rent - the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musical is coming to the Lincoln Theater in Yountville on October 16 and 17.

I've managed to score a great deal on a block of 20 tickets for the Saturday evening, October 16 production.  The seats are smack-dab in the middle of rows F, G and H - absolutely great seats.

These tickets usually sell for $35 plus a $3 transaction fee.  I paid $20 plus the transaction fee for them.  Here's the deal - you buy them from me for $35 and the difference will be donated to Napa Valley AIDS Walk 2010.  That means you save the transaction fee AND $10 or more of your ticket price will be donated to the AIDS Walk!

It's a win/win deal.  You save $3 and get to see what I think is the best Broadway musical of all time.  The CARE Network at Queen of the Valley gets at least a $10 donation.

So, here's how you can buy your tickets AND help support HIV/AIDS services in the Napa Valley:

• Buy your tickets via PayPal using the button on the right hand column of the Napa Guerilla Gay Bar blog
• Use this PayPal link:  https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=ESDT8Z3NZJZW4
• Send a check made payable to "Napa Valley AIDS Walk" to:

Rent Tickets
c/o Napa Valley Unity League
PO Box 125
Napa, CA  94559-0125

• Give your cash or check to your Mission Commander at any Napa Guerilla Gay Bar or Napa Valley Unity League event

We'll save the PayPal fees if you pay with cash or check.  As a result, even more will go to the AIDS Walk.

Don't miss Rent!

UPDATE:  There will be a Napa Guerilla Gay Bar lounge (open to everyone, of course) on the Mezzanine prior to the performance and during intermission!

March with the Guerillas!

It's that time of year again!

The 19th Annual Napa Valley AIDS Walk takes place on Saturday, October 30, 2010.  Once again it will have a Halloween theme and once again it will begin and end in the courtyard of the Lincoln Theater and wind through the lovely town of Yountville.

Last year, Team Guerilla raised over $6,000 . . . and we're shooting for even more this year.

Sign up to walk with us at www.active.com/donate/napagaybar.  There you'll be able to create your own fundraising web page (it's easy, really!) and use all the tools that active.com makes available - including posting to Facebook and allowing your friends and family to make donations using their credit cards.

Can't make it to the walk?  Just want to make a donation?  Well, you can do that at www.active.com/donate/napagaybar too!  Contribute at whatever level you can:

• General - $ 1,000
• Colonel - $ 500
• Major - $ 250
• Captain - $ 100
• Lieutenant - $ 50
• Sergeant - $ 25
• Corporal - $ 10
• Private First Class - $ 5

Every bit helps!  Once again, the beneficiary of the funds raised during the Napa Valley AIDS Walk is the CARE Network at Queen of the Valley Medical Center. This groundbreaking program serves low income, uninsured or underinsured individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Nurses and social workers from the CARE Network assist their clients to better manage their own health needs through case management, advocacy, resources, referrals and education.

And don't forget about our two other fundraisers:

• The "All-Day" Pizza Party at Mary's Pizza Shack on Wednesday, September 29
• The "Good Old Fashioned Beer Bust" at Pancha's on Sunday, October 17