Author Archive: Writers Workshop

Wine Fest 2022

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Wine Fest 2022

 

Amador Arts Council announces the 25th annual Wine Fest returns to Sutter Creek on Saturday, November 12, 2022, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

 

This dynamic event this event is an evening of local wines while raising funds for arts education in Amador County public schools. With food and wine available inside Sutter Creek’s beloved boutiques, Wine Fest offers a unique opportunity for guests to discover Amador County’s charm inside and out. In addition, Wine Fest 2022 includes a raffle featuring a seascape vacation at Grand Solmar Resort in Cabo San Lucas, an estimated $6,000 value. 

 

“Wine Fest is the Amador Arts Council's biggest fundraiser of the year, and they are excited to welcome locals and tourists to enjoy an array of local wines while supporting local art classes,” says Meghan O’Keefe, Executive Director of Amador Arts Council. “About 85% of Wine Fest attendees are tourists who center a weekend in our community around Wine Fest, so this event isn’t just good for our schoolchildren, it is good for everyone.”

 

Set on Main Street in historic Sutter Creek, the cherished “Jewel of the Mother Lode,” you will have an opportunity to taste 30+ local wines and nibble on gourmet bites inside boutiques along Main Street. Local musicians and dancers add a special flare to the Wine Fest arts education fundraiser. PLUS, the annual favorite Mystery Wines give you a chance to buy premier local wines.

 

“Every dollar raised from this event goes directly to support arts education in our public schools,” says Alyssa Vargas, President of Amador Arts. “Wine Fest has always been a really special night, and we hope our 25th anniversary Wine Fest will set the stage for another 25 years of expanding arts education throughout our rural community.”

 

For more information, please contact Amador Arts Council at (209) 256-8166 or email [email protected].

Nevada City’s Victorian Christmas – 2022

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NEVADA CITY'S
A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS 2022

Sundays – Dec 4, 11, & 18 from 1:30 – 6 pm
Wednesdays – Dec 7 & 14 from 5 – 9 pm

Welcome the holiday season in Nevada City. It’s a magical setting of hilly streets with authentic gas lamps, wandering carolers dressed in Victorian attire, and visitors sharing holiday cheer and good tidings.

This annual, family tradition takes place on two Wednesday evenings and three Sunday afternoons in December. There are holiday activities for all ages including live entertainment, yuletide treats and libations, and Father Christmas!

The aroma of roasted chestnuts fills the air, with cries of street vendors hawking their wares and lamp-lit streets filled with Christmas treasures. It’s the one & only Victorian Christmas.

We look forward to welcoming the best of the holiday Season with you!

 

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Mary Sue Palmquist | Sutter Creek Gallery

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Artist Mary Sue Palmqist - Sutter Creek Gallery presents Mary Sue Palmquist, the October featured artist at Sutter Creek Gallery, discovered a love of artistic expression in a high school art class with a daily lesson of portrait drawing.  In college she majored in art, attending Ripon College and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design studying printmaking, graphic arts and typography, all before the advent of computers.  In 1983, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art from Rockford College with an emphasis in watercolor.

Before Palmquist could follow her passion for art further, she took over managing the family business, an historic theater in Rockford, Illinois, used for performing arts performances, meanwhile taking evening classes in painting and calligraphy.  After 18 years she went on to pursue the study of art therapy in a master’s program which led to teaching art in an after-school program until she moved to California in 2005.

She then took up her paint brushes and began studying watercolor under the tutelage of Sabina Turner, a local professional artist, as well as taking workshops and entering art shows and the local fair.  Palmquist is primarily a watercolorist but enjoys melding various mediums to create texture and bring abstraction into her work.  Lately, her favorite subjects are old buildings and old photographs.  “There’s so much story in them,” she says, “that I love to imagine the essence of what was going on.”

Palmquist is a member of the Sutter Creek Gallery where you can visit with her during a reception in her honor on Saturday, October 1, from 2 to 5 p.m.  She is one of twenty artists represented by the gallery located at 40 Main Street in the heart of Sutter Creek,  open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  On display are original paintings of all types, photographs, prints and cards, jewelry, pottery and gourds.  Custom matting and framing services are also available.  For additional information, call 209-267-0228

Sutter Creek Gallery’s September Artist

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SUTTER CREEK GALLERY
September 3, 2022, from 2 to 5 p.m.

Inspiration comes to watercolor artist Judy Day in any number of ways.  As she puts it, “I see a combination of colors, shapes or textures and they reach out and grab me.”  At times these “combinations” occur when she paints a landscape plein air.  At other times when she travels around the world.  Or a barn or flower near her home may provide the inspiration.  During September, Judy Day will be featured at Sutter Creek Gallery  with an opening reception on Saturday, September 3, from 2 to 5 p.m.

The artist loves learning new techniques and trying out various color combinations while painting daily, even if only for a few minutes.  Day tackles a variety of subjects, including florals—sunflowers are a favorite subject—birds and other animals, vineyard scenes and other landscapes.  She frequently paints water scenes, such as views along the Mokelumne River and at upcountry lakes.  She employs hues both subtle and vibrant, varying them to suit the subject matter.

While Day has tried other media, and occasionally creates using graphite, watercolor is her passion.  She likes “the way the pigments mix on the paper and flow from the tip of the brush.  I can play for hours with paper, paint and water.  Add some salt and a spray bottle and I’m set.”  Her favorite materials are Arches 300 lb. cold pressed paper and Daniel Smith paints.

Judy Day is one of twenty artists represented by the Sutter Creek Gallery located at 40 Main Street in the heart of Sutter Creek.  The business is open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  On display are original paintings of all types, photographs, prints and cards, jewelry, pottery and gourds.  Custom matting and framing services are also available.  For additional information, call 209-267-0228, email

Rick Wise’s | Sutter Creek Gallery

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Rick Wise’s is one of twenty local artists exhibiting at Sutter Creel gallery located in the heart of Sutter Creek at 35 Main Street.  Along with original paintings and photography, the gallery offers numerous affordable items including prints, cards, jewelry, pottery, sculptures and gourds.  Framing and layaway services are also available.  The gallery is open Thursday through Monday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For additional information, call Sutter Creek Gallery at 209-267-0228.

Bear Valley Music Festival

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Bear Valley Music Festival Opens Friday, July 22nd

The 54th Bear Valley Music Festival kicks off on Friday, July 22nd and runs through Sunday, August 7th. With concerts tucked inside a large tent that holds 500, this iconic annual event is a wonderful way to escape the heat and enjoy some music and fresh mountain air in the outdoor wonderland of Bear Valley, CA.

Opening night on July 22nd features Tennessee River, a band that pays tribute to one of the most influential and vocally dynamic country bands of our time – Alabama. While Saturday night’s original Jefferson Starship show is sold out, Sunday afternoon is a perfect time to head to the mountains to beat the midday heat and hear the T Sisters, a crowd-favorite indie/folk Americana band. For an evening of soulful blues, don’t miss Chris Cain on Thursday night, August 4th.

The 58-musician symphony orchestra kicks off the classical portion of the Festival on Thursday, July 28th. This will be the first season for the festival’s new Music Director Alexander Mickelthwate, a worldrenowned conductor succeeding the festival’s long-time Music Director Michael Morgan, who tragically passed away last August. Mickelthwate is bringing a wide variety of music to the festival including blockbuster classical favorites like the Tchaikovsky violin concerto and Beethoven’s 7th, Broadway favorites from Sondheim to Gershwin, and California themed music from Mason Bates and John Williams.

Kids and classics fans alike will enjoy the Family Fusion concert, where youth 17 and under are free, and there are still opportunities for volunteer ushers at all shows.

Board of Directors president Julia Mee said, “Our main goal as a non-profit music festival is to build community and create concert events the entire highway 4 community will enjoy. From Jefferson Starship to Beethoven, we’ve got something for everyone. This is an historic year as we welcome only the fourth Music Director in 54 years and it’s going to be an experience not to be missed.”

Food is available to order for pre-concert dining under a shaded picnic area, and shuttle rides are available for purchase with stops from Murphys to Bear Valley for each Friday and Saturday night concert. For the full concert line-up, tickets, and other details visit bearvalleymusicfestival.org or phone the music festival office at 209-588-7344.

History

The inaugural concert at the Bear Valley Music Festival saw a 38-person orchestra brimming out of Bear Valley Lodge’s Cathedral Lounge. Residents opened their homes to musicians, served family-style meals in the Lodge Dining Room, and the lounge was packed to the balconies that flank the central room. During those humble beginnings, John Gosling shared his time between Bear Valley and the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Gosling and a dedicated group of founders, musicians, and volunteers continued to make music in a variety of venues – the Lodge, under the open skies, and finally in a large circus tent. The repertoire expanded to include: Broadway show tunes, opera, chamber music, educational programs, and guest artists from around the world.  

As the Festival grew, the classical music was supplemented with opera, Broadway show tunes, and opening weekend acts of contemporary and country music. 

Teresa’s Place | In the family

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Teresa's Place

Teresa's Place takes its name from Grandma Teresa Bassignani who immigrated to the United States as a young bride in 1913. She and her first husband settled in Amador City where he worked in the local mines and Teresa took her first job cooking. Her wages were room and board for the young couple.

In 1921 Teresa again came to Amador County working as a cook for a mining companies hotel making meals for hungry miners, she moved to the present location and opened Teresa's Place. It was originally opened as a boarding house for miners and she continued to cook.
In 1928, Teresa married a second time to Giuseppe Giuliani, they had a son land named him Paolo. Paolo was an integral part of the restaurant that is today. The tradition of serving fine homemade food is carried on by the family.

John Peck | a professional artist

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The Lion in Winter

 

SUTTER CREEK GALLERY PRESENTS JOHN PECK

John Peck has been a professional artist since 2018 and has painted and sketched as a hobby since childhood. The self-taught artist has felt a passion for self-expression, art, and oil painting throughout his life. Peck will be the featured artist at Sutter Creek Gallery during the month of oil painter John Peck will be featured at Sutter Creek Gallery in October with a reception on Saturday, October 7, from 2 to 5 p.m.

Peck enjoys experimenting with new ideas and forms.  He will take an online class and immediately apply learned techniques to something original.  When an idea catches his imagination, he will explore it in a series such as portraits of his grandchildren or historical figures or scenes from a vacation spot.  Another aspect that sets him apart is his attention to detail, whether it is the bark on a tree, fall leaves skittering along a pathway, or ripples in a stream.

Inspiration for his work comes from John Singer Sargent as well as Impressionists Monet, Manet, Morisot, and others.  Peck is presently inspired by current artists such as Michael James Smith, Mark Carder, and Scott Waddell.  As a lifelong backpacker and nature enthusiast, Peck captures his experiences in oil through interpretive work with light and perspective in his landscapes.  In addition to portraits and landscapes, the versatile artist produces paintings depicting still life, animals, and seascapes. In 2019, he was awarded, in the professional division, first place in oil landscapes at the Amador County Fair.

We invite to you to meet John Peck at his reception on July 2 where you can view his oil paintings and enjoy refreshments.  He is one of twenty local artists exhibiting at the gallery located in the heart of Sutter Creek at 35 Main Street.  Besides original paintings and photography, the gallery offers numerous affordable items including prints, cards, jewelry, pottery, sculptures, and gourds.  Framing and layaway services are also available.  The gallery is open Thursday through Monday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For additional information, call 209-267-0228, email [email protected], or visit  www.suttercreekgallery.com.

Pumpkin

Moondance

Bueger & Beer

Sierra Stream

Master Gardeners of Tuolumne County

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UCCE Tuolumne County Master Gardenrs

Tuolumne County Masters Gardeners

The UCCE Tuolumne County Master Gardeners will be holding an Open Garden Day at the Demonstration Garden on Saturday, June 4, from 10AM – 1PM.  The Demonstration Garden is located at 251 S. Barretta Street in Sonora, (Cassina High School Campus.)  Open Garden Days are held on the first Saturday of the month, from February through November, rain or shine.

Join us this month for our annual Kids’ Day in the Garden, featuring all kinds of FREE activities for the kids. The activities include: Mason Bee Houses - Make and Learn about Ladybugs - Plant a Sunflower - Bug and Bug Catchers - Make a Garden Lantern - Egg Carton Creatures and many more. Activities are for all age levels and ABSOLUTELY FREE!! - Activities begin at 10:30am

(Topics Subject to Change and it will be held rain or shine)

Find answers to your home gardening questions, including plant and pest problems.  When the garden is not open, home gardening assistance is offered by UCCE Master Gardeners through the help line at: 209-533-5912.  The public may leave a message regarding a problem and a UCCE Master Gardener will return the call. You can also fill out our “Ask a Master Gardener” online form at https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=7269, or email your question to us at [email protected].

The Demonstration Garden is a project of the UCCE Tuolumne County Master Gardeners, whose primary goal is to educate the public about home gardening.  Proceeds from plant sales support the UCCE Master Gardeners’ education programs and maintenance of the Demonstration Garden. For additional details contact the UC Cooperative Extension office at (209) 533-5695 or visit the UC Cooperative Extension website: http://cecentralsierra.ucanr.edu/

It is the policy of the University of California (UC) and the UC Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources not to engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person in any of its programs or activities (Complete nondiscrimination policy statement can be found at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/215244.pdf ) Inquiries regarding ANR’s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to John I. Sims, Affirmative Action Compliance Officer/Title IX Officer, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2801 Second Street, Davis, CA 95618, (530) 750- 1397.