Start the New Year Off Right

It's hard to believe that 2010 is almost over.  It's been a great year for the Napa Guerilla Gay Bar!

We've had over 40 missions during the year and supported lots of great businesses and non-profit organizations . . . and we couldn't have done it without a loyal and dedicated platoon of troops (that's YOU!)

We don't have any missions planned for New Years Eve but that doesn't mean there's nothing going on. 

Shortly after being "deployed" to the Napa Valley, your Mission Commander discovered a remarkable source of intelligence - Paul Franson's "NapaLife".  Paul investigates what's going on in the Napa Valley and distributes it each Monday morning via his newsletter.  The idea for many of our missions during the past two years came from the pages of NapaLife.  I guess that makes Paul the honorary Intelligence Officer of the Napa Guerilla Gay Bar!

Interested in obtaining this excellent intelligence for yourself?  Visit http://www.napalife.com/ for more information.

One of the added benefits of subscribing is the additional issues that Paul distributes.  For instance, included this last Monday was the special "New Year's Listings".  To compile this list, Paul contacted most of the restaurants and bars in the Napa Valley and asked them what their plans were for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

As a public service, here are just a few items of note from some of our regular haunts that were included:

• Bank Cafe in the Westin Verasa is having a "Midnight Masquerade" party on New Year's Eve with a DJ spinning real vinyl, a dance floor, party favors and decor
• BarBersQ is serving a traditional Southern "lucky meal" of pork, black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year's Day
• Bardessono is serving a four-course prix fixe meal from 5:30 to 6:30 pm on New Year's Eve and a six-course meal from 8:30 to 9:30 pm
• Bounty Hunter will be open New Year's Eve until 1 am with over 20 different sparkling wines
• Carpe Diem will be serving cioppino and bubbly with a toast at midnight on New Year's Eve - hats and noise makers provided!
• Silo's Jazz Club is featuring a Blues Brothers tribute band, appetizers and champagne on New Year's Eve.

That's only 6 of the more than 60 listings.

Want more information?  Subscribe to NapaLife TODAY!

G'Day Mate!

Winter blues got you down?

Let's all go "Down Under"!  It's summer there!

Join the troops of the Napa Guerilla Gay Bar as they celebrate Australia Day on Wednesday, January 26 at Carpe Diem Wine Bar (1001 Second Street in Napa).

Steve, one of Carpe Diem's fabulous owners and it's Wine Director will select wines from the "Land of Oz" for us to enjoy.  Executive Chef and Owner Scott Kendall will prepare some Australian-inspired dishes to help us commemorate the first fleet arriving in Sydney Harbour.

Carpe Diem is open from 4 to 10 pm.  Join us!

One more thing - wanna win a trip for 4 to Australia and meet Jamie Durie from HGTV?  Treasury Wine Estates is running a promotion called "You Don't Know Oz" which includes a contest.  The mission?  To create a picture and caption which best expresses "how you brought Australia Day to life".  The caption has to be 140 words or less and include one or more of these words:

• Greg
• Norman
• Wolf
• Blass
• Rosemount
• Penfolds
• and/or Lindeman's

You can find the full contest rules, including the fine print at http://youdontknowoz.com/

What better way to ensure that one of our troops wins than to have an event that brings Australia Day to life right here in the Napa Valley!  Bring your cameras, your costumes, your props (no live crocodiles please!) and your ideas.

And to get you in the mood . . . here are Men At Work:

On Broadway

Broadway Show Tunes?  Check!

Outstanding Wine?  Of course!

Fabulous Friends?  Absolutely!

Join the troops from the Napa Guerilla Gay Bar as they invade the Lucky Penny Piano Bar at the Napa Valley Wine Train Station (1275 McKinstry in Napa) on Thursday, January 13, 2011.

We'll be enjoying an evening with Lucky Penny Productions' Taylor Bartolucci and Barry Martin with Andrew Moore on the piano for favorites from Broadway musicals.  You'll be able to wet your whistle with a beverage and join in the singing or grab the spotlight for a solo - or just sit back and enjoy the show.  It promises to be an evening sure to blow away your winter blues.

This is a "one-night only" event and the admission is free!

The fun runs from 7 until 10 pm.  No reservations are needed - just drop in whenever you can.

Double Axels, Salchows and Lutzes, Oh My!

Join the troops from the Napa Guerilla Gay Bar when we invade the Yountville Holiday Skating Park at V Marketplace (6525 Washington Street in Yountville, of course) on Sunday, December 26 (that's Boxing Day to you folks from Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom) from 3 to 9 pm.

We'll enjoy "skating under the stars, with a clear-top tent" protecting us from the elements.  Vintage Estate Private Dining will be on hand to provide a menu of sweet, savory, hot and cold offerings.  Beverages will include hot chocolate, apple cider, wine and beer.  And starting at 6 pm you'll be able to warm up with Hot Toddies and a festive holiday cocktail menu.

It's just $12 for a pair of rental skates and ice time (kids 12 and under skate for just $8). 

Don't have an inner Brian Boitano, Apolo Ohno or Kristi Yamaguchi?  Just show up!  We'll have a great time people-watching and being together.

Due To Circumstances Beyond Our Control . . .

Well, we tried but just couldn’t pull it all together. As a result, we’re POSTPONING the Napa Guerilla Gay Bar holiday dance party and fundraiser.

We had originally planned to hold the event on Sunday, December 19. Unfortunately, plan after plan kept falling through:

• the first venue was too small
• the second was too expensive
• the third venue never bothered to return our calls
• the fourth venue didn’t have an ABC license (and what’s a Napa Guerilla Gay Bar event without a bar?)
• the fifth venue was too busy
• by the time we’d found the sixth venue we had run out of time

So, we took it as a sign that now was not the time.

You’ll be the first ones to know when we reschedule the event.

Have a great and safe holiday season.

DJ Rotten Robbie's Holiday Mixes Are HERE!

It's a holiday tradition - like Caroling, Egg Nog, Latkes, Pfeffernüsse, watching "It's A Wonderful Life" and building snowmen (and women).  Every December, good little girls and boys wait patiently for the gift that brings joy to their hearts.  That gift?  None other than DJ Rotten Robbie's Holiday Mixes!

He started out releasing them on cassette tapes.  Later he moved to compact discs.  Now they're digital . . . and even better?  THEY'RE FREE!

This year there are 5 different mixes making for more than six-and-a-half hours of festive fun and holiday hijinx.  This year's mixes are:

• Alt-y Indie
• Fantastical
• Dance-y Dance
• Cartoon-rific
• Funktastic

Make your holidays a little merrier and start a new tradition.  Download them at:

http://www.djrottenrobbie.com/djrr/Holiday_Mixes.html