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Harvest Dance at Community Center
Dance Sonoma! celebrates fall with performance dancing by professional ballroom and nightclub dancers from the Sonoma area. The dance will be held in Sonoma Community Center’s Andrews Hall on Saturday, Oct. 3, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The first hour includes a free dance lesson with the pros. Then the dance floor opens for Ballroom, Swing, Latin and Nightclub dancing with DJ Steve Luther.
Admission to Dance Sonoma! is $15 at the door. For more information, call the Sonoma Community Center at 707.938.4626, ext. 1 or sonomacommunitycenter.org.
The Critter Carnival
Pets Lifeline presents an open house of fun and entertainment on Sunday, Oct. 4, from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. “We hope that families and supporters everywhere will come out for some animal-themed revelry,” said Desiree Stinson, executive director. “Come one, come all!”
The free Critter Carnival includes a magic show by Lee Blackwood, live music by Mark Dennis and games for children. Animal guests include Turtle Rescue & Friends, an exotic bird show and Humphrey the camel. For a small donation, attendees can have a picture taken with Humphrey or have their face painted by Popo the Clown
Tickets will be available for traditional carnival foods – hot dogs, cotton candy and soda as well as healthy snacks like fresh fruit and juices. For adults there will be a Mimosa and wine bar and a silent auction. All proceeds will support the animals at Pets Lifeline, Sonoma Valley’s only animal shelter, located at 19686 Eighth St. E. in Sonoma.
For additional details on the Critter Carnival: petslifeline.org. Carnival goers are asked to leave their own pets at home.
Republican Women’s luncheon
The Sonoma Valley Republican Women Federated will host their monthly meeting at The Lodge, 1325 Broadway, on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 11 a.m. The guest speaker for the month of October will be Brad Dacus, founder of the Pacific Justice Institute, a legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights and other civil liberties. Guests are welcome. Reservations or information: Barbara Nobles 707.938.8034.
The amazing world of wild birds
On Thursday, Oct. 8 professor Joe Mueller, biologist and naturalist, will return for an evening of new discoveries and magic of bird species from mythology to mating, duets to dining. Celebrate the great fall bird migration on the Pacific Flyway at this event at Andrews Hall in the Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St. A $5 donation is requested at the door. Information: sonomabirding.org
Catholic speaker
at St. Francis
International Catholic speaker and author Thomas Rutkoski is coming to St. Francis Solano Church, 469 Third St. W. Rutkoski has a track record of physical and spiritual healing in his ministry and aims to deliver his message in a humorous way. All are welcome to join in this event on Friday, Oct. 9 and Monday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. Information: Joe Shea 707.938.4489.
Conversation Café: health care reform
Sparked by such widespread and impassioned citizen participation over health care reform, a Conversation Café event will be held on Monday, Oct. 12 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Burlingame Hall, 252 W. Spain St.
Conversation Cafés are community gatherings held in coffee shops, bookstores or community centers where participants gather informally, enjoy a cup of coffee and discuss topics of interest. A host welcomes the participants, forms groups of six to eight, and explains the process and ground rules.
All viewpoints are welcome for a respectful discussion of ideas and concerns. This event is free and is sponsored by the forum committee of the First Congregational Church of Sonoma. For more information and to reserve your place in a group, please contact Tricia O’Hara at 707.939.7536.
Understanding Israel
Join Congregation Shir Shalom’s Adult Education program for a visually rich course connecting ancient and modern worlds of Israel. In the first session, the course will cover the key events, people and places of biblical Israel, from the first settlement around 1200 B.C. to the early Rabbinic/Christian era, including a virtual walking tour of Jerusalem in the time of Hillel the elder and Jesus of Nazareth.
The second session will travel through the six decades of modern Israel’s history. Both sessions will be illustrated with images, video clips and stories. The course will be held at Congregation Shir Shalom, 252 W. Napa St., on Tuesdays, Oct. 13 and 20 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Tuition is $25 for the public, $20 to members of all congregations /JCC. Register: lehrhaus.org or register at the first session. Information: 510.845.6420, ext. 10
Public Square
Rosary Rally
Each October, Public Square Rosary Rallies take place in over 3,500 communities across the nation. On Oct. 10 at the Sonoma Plaza Amphitheatre, public prayers and a rosary will be said at noon, for the nation and its leaders. Information: Robin Brett 707.996.8019.
Adults exploring Español
CommonBond invites the people of Sonoma to join ongoing sessions of Spanish classes. Each course consists of 12 weekly 90-minute classes in a comfortable, small, group setting.
Classes include Threshold Spanish, a no-fear introductory class in listening, speaking and writing on Thursdays from noon to 1:30 p.m.; Essential Spanish, developing basic skills for conversations, reading and writing, on Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and Immersion Spanish, an early intermediate class with interactive learning to build and review skills, through theme-based conversation, readings and writing, on Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Threshold and Immersion Spanish are instructed by Anna Pier, Essential Spanish by Maricarmen Reyes.
Classes are held in the CommonBond Conference Room, 172 W. Napa St. For fees and information, call: 707.933.0404, ext. 120 or anna@commonbond.us.
Mentors needed for neglected children
Sonoma County Court Appointed Special Advocates is seeking volunteers to become youth advocates and mentors for abused and neglected children who have been removed from their homes by the child welfare system for protective services.
Court Appointed Special Advocates provides adult mentors to nearly 150 children who need a special friend and advocate. The mentor provides a consistent presence in the sometimes lonely and scary world of foster homes, courtrooms and counselors’ offices. Juvenile court officials have identified 40 additional children who need mentors and Court Appointed Special Advocates is appealing to Sonoma County residents to volunteer.
“These kids need a CASA mentor to provide some consistent and personal support as they go through months and sometimes years of legal procedures and face a revolving group of people, including foster parents, counselors, investigators, judges and lawyers,” said Millie Gilson, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates. “CASA volunteers provide the human contact the kids need and the adult experience and savvy the court needs to make better decisions for these kids.”
Gilson said volunteers are asked to spend a minimum of 10-12 hours a month with their Court Appointed Special Advocates child. She said Court Appointed Special Advocates currently has about 130 volunteers, and she hopes to recruit another 25 with the next training.
The next training runs Oct. 15 through 28, for a total of five evenings and one full day Saturday. Classes are held at Court Appointed Special Advocates’ office at the Los Guilicos complex near Oakmont in Santa Rosa. Information: Gilson 707.565.6375.
Fundraising “blooms” at Prestwood
In keeping with the school district’s mandate to “healthy-up” food offerings, Prestwood School is changing its annual Point Bonita fundraiser from candy to beautiful handmade note cards. For the “Sunflowers not Sweets” drive, the fifth-grade class will sell packs of note cards with sunflower art, in either a variety pack of mixed artwork or a custom pack accompanied by an individual student print.
Prestwood hopes to raise a minimum of $1,000 that will go towards a scholarship fund for the fifth-grade trip to the Point Bonita Outdoor Education Program.
Order forms are available at the school office, 343 E. MacArthur St., or egrzyb33@gmail.com
La Luz Center seeks volunteers
The La Luz Center, which recently consolidated with Vineyard Workers Services, is dedicated to helping people succeed and serves a predominantly Latino population residing in Sonoma Valley. La Luz is currently looking for office volunteers to help staff, greet and assist clients and childcare volunteers to assist in supervising and engaging children while their parents attend classes.
Applicants should be at least 17 years of age, preferably bilingual in Spanish and English (though not required). Volunteers will have the chance to build new skills and most importantly, experience the rewards of helping others. For more information, contact Volunteer Coordinator Amy Doherty, at 707.938.5131, ext. 108 or ad.laluzcenter@gmail.com.
Birth announcements
Babies born at Sonoma Valley Hospital
Yasmin Denisse Anaya
girl, born Sept. 16 to Ruth Mariel Juarez and Jose Roberto Anaya
Alexander Calvillo
boy, born Sept. 16 to Maricela Calvillo
Ashley Denise De La Cruz Martinez
girl, born Sept. 19 to Guillermina Martinez
and Roberto De La Cruz
Calvin Rayner Hofstetter
boy, born Sept. 22 to Kelly Rayner and C. Hofstetter
Jordan Scott Kramz
boy, born Sept. 24 to Kristina Sandoval and Bryan Kramz
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