'Salute' takes over Plaza this weekend

07.28.06 – Sonoma Salute to the Arts, a local showcase of the culinary, winemaking, visual, performing and literary arts, will celebrate its 21st birthday this weekend, July 28 to July 30.

The festival’s opening-night gala will run from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., today, July 28, on the Plaza. Don party attire for the evening’s tasty hors d’oeuvres, luscious wines and fabulous music and gather in the Plaza for a sparkling wine reception and unveiling of the annual art competition exhibit and silent auction. Then pick up a passport to „Sonoma’s Secret Spaces“ and set out to discover exclusive parties tucked into the courtyards surrounding the Plaza. Each secret space will stamp the passports, making guests eligible to win a surprise trip for two. Before evening’s end, take a turn on the glittering dance floor at „Club 21.“ Tickets to Friday night’s reception, awards presentation, silent auction and Plaza party cost $95 in advance or $125 at the door.

Food, wine, music and art will fill the Plaza Saturday and Sunday, July 29 and 30. Enjoy music and art from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and food and wine from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, but food and winetasting packages, which include a souvenir wineglass, eight food tickets and six wine or ale tickets, are $30 in advance or $35 at the event.

Art by Wine Country artists will be exhibited, or create your own by stopping by the Sonoma Valley Arts Alliance booth to add your own brush strokes to an art-for-all-ages mural. Theatrical performances, dance, poetry readings and music – everything from jazz and classical to opera and rock ‘n’ roll – will provide more entertainment.

Then on Saturday night, the Sonoma Golf Club and Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa will host a live auction and from 6 to 10:30 p.m. at the Sonoma Golf Club. Net proceeds fund scholarships for high school seniors in the visual, theatrical, musical, literary and culinary arts, and provide funding for some 20 Sonoma Valley arts, cultural and arts educational nonprofit organizations. Tickets cost $150 a person and are available only by advance purchase.

Also, if guests are turning 21 on July 28, 29 or 30, they can present their photo ID at the main ticket booth in front of Sonoma City Hall in the Plaza to receive a Dennis Ziemienski Salute to the Arts poster. Couples celebrating their 21st wedding anniversaries on Salute to the Arts weekend can also present a copy of their marriage license to receive a poster. 
More information can be found at www.salutetothearts.com. Or, call Summers-McCann Public Relations at 938-1133.

Source: sonomanews.com