In Anderson Valley the Boonville Hotel struck the first match of the season on Thursday December 4th with their annual Tree Lighting to benefit the AV Food Bank. For a $20 donation attendees are served a series of warming treats off trays circulated by their cheerful young wait staff. First you got your cheese biscuit to ease those early evening hunger pangs. A cup of tomato bisque was followed by a cup of clear pork and veggie broth. This light meal concluded with the universally popular chocolate cookie.
There were lots of people there. Many were standing cocktail party fashion while others were seated both inside and out. At 6:00 Hotel Manager Melissa Ellis warned us to “Keep the little ones close” and the house went dark. Then, “What to my wondering eyes did appear” but a shining Xmas tree: it was a magic moment. The Real Sarahs were on hand singing their hearts out all night without a break. The music added a tremendous amount to the party; so thank you to the Sarahs and their tuneful band. Also special thanks to the Boonville Hotel and staff for throwing open their doors and keeping up with all their voracious visitors. The Hotel is so charming both inside and out that it never fails to cast a spell.
On December 5th Cloverdale gave the holidays their best shot with a downtown Winter Wonderland. This is a town that has a real collective social life focused around their downtown square near the fire station. A handsome Santa was there on his throne with a welcoming knee. The firehouse featured “The Grinch” and there was a long line waiting to get inside to see him. There were tall red draped bistro tables for standing, drinking and chatting with friends. Every tree in sight was lit. They must have kept a cherry picker and crew busy for an entire day putting up so many lights. It really did look like a Winter Wonderland. There were lots of kids from tiny-in-strollers to teens traveling in packs. Cloverdale pulled out all the stops this year including a continuous outdoor showing of the classic holiday film “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart. Hats off to whatever committee planned and implemented this event. It was a real blockbuster.
The Annual Anderson Valley Unity Club Holiday Craft Bazaar opened its doors at 10:00 on Saturday, December 6. Every booth was rented. In recent years there has been a variety of flea market type merchandise offered at bargain basement prices. This is a help to budget shoppers and kids. The Grannies’ Attic and the Historical Society Museum’s white elephant booth were real treasure troves of gently used gifts.
The homemade goody booth is always popular. Christine Clark’s red pepper jelly is a stand out but there are also cakes, pies, cookies and muffins. There were booths with real handcrafted items including wreaths made by high schoolers, sewn fancies by Ellen Fontaine and her granddaughter, ranch crafts by Kelly Hiatt, jewelry by Rainbow Hill and Judy Nelson, plus much more. Ray Langevin was Santa accompanied by an informal appearance by Mary Daniels as Mrs. Claus.
As usual, there was the Club’s silent auction and a raffle for a wreath with $50 cash attached. Ellen’s granddaughter won the wreath. Interestingly another granddaughter had won the cash wreath several years ago; lucky family. The Unity Club Library was open with Liz Dusenberry at the desk and saw a stream of avid customers. Also on December 6 the Fire Department distributed the toys they had collected through their annual Toy Drive at the Boonville Fire House.
On the coast, the Mendocino Music Festival Chorale performed two matinees at 3:00 on Dec. 6th and 7th at the Mendocino Presbyterian Church. I attended with Lauren Keating, a fine chorale singer in her own right, who will also be performing at the church next weekend. Director Matthew Evans is a natty middle-aged man who wears a pork pie hat. He led his chorus through 15 songs in just over an hour so they were really pounding out the tunes. It was all business with this choir and they got right down to it. Lauren rated this group to be excellent, an opinion she is entitled to after many years of her own singing experience. As an uninformed listener I was carried away by the magnificent power of human voices joined together. The female and the male intonations are so different but so complimentary (kind of like real life).
The church building, built in the 1800s, complimented the sound with its soaring ceiling and elegant long windows. The sunlight moved throughout the performance bathing the singers in shifting light patterns. Especially outstanding was soloist Safari Dushime with her crystalline soprano. Accompanist Robin Knutson deftly scurried back and forth between the organ and piano, which were on opposite sides of the room. I was impressed by Rachael Lahn’s startlingly realistic horse whinny during a rousing rendition of Leroy Anderson’s seasonal classic “Sleigh Ride.” Most of the songs were not familiar and I had to stretch a little to appreciate titles like, “The Endris Night” and “Tyrley Tyrlow.” Director Evans reminded us that this was NOT a sing-along before they launched into “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (darn). The audience was predominantly gray haired and nearly all the performers were gray haired. I hate to think that this form of music is going to die out. For the time being I was glad to have the opportunity to be there to listen.
On this same day the Anderson Valley Grange had their Annual Holiday Community Dinner. Eric and Mea Bloyd were at the entry to the Grange Hall to direct us — food in the right door and people in the left. The Grangers really “Decked the Hall” this year with what seemed like miles of colored light strings lining the long walls. These cast a rosy glow over the rows of feasting tables that were strewn with pine boughs, pinecones and candles. Very lovely.
The Grange does a great job of enlisting volunteers for the occasion. Before dinner everywhere you went someone was offering tasty tidbits. Kira Brennan’s Halibut crackers were a standout. The hall was packed shoulder to shoulder. Those who lament the lack of community in contemporary life should move to Anderson Valley. Looking around, you could see how much kids have grown and elders have aged. It was a good chance to catch up with people you only see a few times a year. I thought people looked pretty perky. Captain Rainbow welcomed us. Laura Baynham marshaled the troops. There was plenty of food for everyone. For a golden moment all was right with the world.
In this first week of December alone we were well into this season of celebration. But there is much more to come. The Fire Fighters Awards Dinner, The Village Potluck and Sing-along, The Xmas Trivia Quiz, The Lion’s Club dinner, The Veterans party, and Yorkville’s Solstice and New Years. Enjoy it all because January and February are always pretty tame. You’ll have plenty of time to reflect and keep your own counsel soon enough.
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