Currents

Russian River Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center
Up Coming
Meetings:
 February 4th —
Chamber Mixer
@ Coffee Bazaar
 February 11th —
Up With Downtown, 2:30pm @
Ferngrove Cottages
 February 18th —
Chamber Board
Meeting, 4:30pm @
Fern Grove
 February 19th —
RRROC Meeting
6:00pm @ Monte
Rio Community
Center
 Every Tuesday —
RR Rotary, 6:30pm
@ Highland Dell
Inside this issue:
New Members
2
Valentine’s Dinners
3
Dinner with a
Winemaker Series
4
River Arts
5
Community Dinner
6
Calendar of Events
8
Chamber Contact
9
Currents
V o l u m e
2 :
I s s u e
2
F e b r u a r y
2 0 0 9
President’s Message: Russian River
Chamber Has Successful Travel Show
The Bay Area Travel Show was held on 23rd &
24th January at Santa Clara Convention Center.
This show is a very large and well attended
Travel Show. Your Chamber prepared a very
attractive booth and it proved to be a big
attraction on both days. We also received
sufficient donated prizes to take part in the
announced raffle every hour, so Russian River
received a great deal of publicity. On the last day,
the Chamber was allowed to give a brief
presentation before the drawing of our final raffle
prizes. Needless to add, we made the most of
each opportunity. The Show was extremely busy
and your representatives worked hard to
promote our special area. It was obvious that
most 'shoppers' were looking to visit or vacation
closer to home. Enquiries covered the whole
range of activities in our area. The popular
requests included Wine & Food, especially tours,
Family activities including hiking, canoes and
horse riding. RV and camping information proved
to be popular.
A special Thank You to Korbel who provided the
Chamber with some good props for the booth,
also Moshin and Harvest Moon. Grateful thanks
to Sonoma County Tourism Bureau for loan of a
nice backdrop of Armstrong Woods, and hot off
the press, 2009 Visitor Guides. Thank You Nick
Frey of the Grape Growers Commission for
donating wonderful handouts regarding Cheese &
Wine and the artistic packages of appellation
information. Thank you Russian River Wine Road
for donating several great prizes including tickets
to the upcoming Barrel Tasting Weekends in
March.
A very special round of applause to those who
worked the booth- Jim Skiba and Keith Mclaughlin,
Jan Russell of Dawn Ranch , Mike & Margaret
Kennett of Fern Grove. Jim Skiba was a featured
speaker in the main theater on the first day- his
topic? Russian River of course!
The Chamber has reserved a booth at San
Francisco Concierge Show on April 9th. We will
be compiling information packages to hand out at
this show . There will be no charge to include rack
cards from Chamber Members. We will be
sending our reminders in March. Your Chamber
will be promoting the area at other locations
throughout the year.
- Margarett Kennett, Ferngrove Cottages
Up With Downtown Report
UWDG is heading into 2009 with lots of new energy and plans. We want our
downtown to be NICE! Our committee will be continuing our vision of improving the
downtown area and two things that are planned are a spring clean up at the end of April
and a garage sale on Saturday, May 9. We have more ideas in the works so please join
us. The meetings are on the second Wednesday of the month at 2:30 pm. Our next
meeting is February 11th, 2009 at Ferngrove Cottages. We love Guerneville!
PS: speaking of loving Guerneville... Many thanks to the group of Guernevillians picking
up trash with their pickers on MLK Day. Your efforts are greatly appreciated!
Page
2
New Members
Rainbow Rentals / Rainbow Fabrics River Rugs
14045 Armstrong Woods Rd.
Guerneville, Ca 95446
707-869-9665
WWW.RAINTALS.COM
16127 Main St.
Bicycle Rentals and Fabric Store.
old River Business. 20+ years of rug
installation and interior experience.
Guerneville, Ca 95446
707-869-0515
Brand new owner, Dan Heines, of the
Reasonable
rates and
great
service.
Give us a
call today!
Chef Patrick’s
16236 Main St. — Guerneville, Ca 95446
707-869-9161

Businesses of
Artisan pasta dishes and beautifully architected
entrees ranging from New York Steak to
Chicken to Fish.
the Month
Located in Pat’s Restaurant, open from 5pm to
10pm, Closed Tuesday & Wednesday.

CalRivers Wine Tours
John Condon
575 Country Club Lane
Santa Rosa, Ca 95401
707-579-2209
www.calrviers.com
We have the knowledge and
experience to give you a
memorable tour of scenic
Sonoma County Wine Country.
Wine tasting in some of the
best wineries in Sonoma
Currents
County
Alexander Valley
Dry Creek
Russian River
Wineries of Your Choice
Scenic and Custom Tours in
Northern California
Friendly Competent Local
Guides
Comfortable 14 passenger van
with large windows
Reasonable Rates
Flexible - easily customized tours
Volume
2:
Issue
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Page
Valentine’s Day Dinners
Need some ideas on where to take your special someone? We’ve done
all the footwork for you and have compiled a list below of the local
Restaurants and what they’re offering.


Andorno’s Pizza Café: Open regular hours,
from 11:30am to 9:00pm Sun.—Thurs, and
11:30am to 9:30pm Fri. & Sat., 707-869-0651
The Appy Room: Open 11am to closing,
707-869-3609


Applewood Inn: Special Valentine’s Day Menu,
$65/person. 707-869-9093



Cape Fear Café: Prix Fixe menu, with regular
menu available, $40/person from 5pm—8:30pm.
707-865-9246
Chef Patrick’s: Open from 5pm — 9:30pm,
707-869-9161
Club Yamagata: “Hearts Entwined” Valentine’s
Day Party, 9pm—2am, 707-869-9875
Coffee Bazaar: Open regular hours, 6am—8pm.
707-869-9706

Flavors Unlimited: open regular hours,
8:30am—6pm. 707-869-2927

Garden Grill: Open regular hours, 7am-8pm.
707-869-3922

Highland Dell: Special Valentine’s Day Menu,
$65/person or $120/couple. 707-865-2300

Main St. Station: Grammy Jazz Nominee Frankye
Kelly performs, 7pm—10:30pm, $6 cover.
707-869-0501.
Pat’s Restaurant: Open regular hours, 6am—
3pm, 707-869-0554

Rio Nido Roadhouse: Fargo Brothers perform,
Open regular hours, Brunch 11:30am—2pm,
Lunch & Dinner 11:30—9pm. 707-869-0821

River Inn Grill: Open regular hours,
8am—2pm. 707-869-0481

Roadhouse Restaurant @ Dawn Ranch:
Three-Course Dinner for two for $100/couple.
Buck’s Restaurant:: Special Valentine’s Menu,
served 5pm-10pm. 707-869-0101


Fresh flowers on your table. 707-869-0656

Russian River Pub: Open regular hours, 10am9pm. 707-887-7932

Sea Ranch Lodge: Special Valentine’s Menu,
from 5pm—9pm, 707-785-2371

Taqueria La Tapatia: Open regular hours,
11am—9pm Daily, 707-869-1821

Village Inn: Open for Dinner from 5pm — 8pm;
Be sure to mention “Surprise My Valentine”,
707-865-2304
“When love is not
madness, it is not
love.” ~Pedro
Calderon de la
Barca
3
Volume
2:
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Page
Special Report: Russian River Historical Society
Recently, we have been contacted by
Craig Meltzer, Project Manager from
the National Register of Historic
Places. He wanted to let us know that
the Marshall House which is located at
16312 Fifth Street in Guerneville was
built in 1885 ± the third oldest structure in Guerneville, is on a piece of
property that will be the location of
new low-income Burbank Housing
which is the location of Noonan's Garage. The house needs to be moved and
the State will assist us. The building
will not qualify to be designated as a
Historical Landmark/ building because
it will not be located on its original
site. We need help in preserving this
historical building. We need a site/
land to put it on as well as permits
and moving fees. We would like the
community know that this house will
be given to the Historical Society if
we can find a home for it as well has
come up with the money to move
it. If not, it will be torn down. They
will not start building until late 2009.
707-953-6074,
www.russianriverhistory.org
The Historical Society meets on
the 2nd Tuesday of every month
at the Monte Rio Community
Center in the History Room at
6:30pm. Everyone is welcome to
come and share photographs and
stories.
Dinner With a Winemaker Series @
The Village Inn, Monte Rio
Sunday, February 8th, 2009, 6pm–
Erik Miller of Kokomo Wines
Started in 2004, Kokomo Winery focuses on
both Dry Creek & Russian River Valley fruit,
with an emphasis on single vineyard wines that
show a distinct terroir. Small production techniques and relationships with growers allow
them to make wines that are as individual and
unique as the vineyards from where they were
born.
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009, 6pm –
John Hawley of Hawley Wines
With over 25 years of experience, growing
some of California's most influential wineries,
winemaker John Hawley decided to step back
and get his hands dirty
again. Hawley Winery
reflects the desire to
create a family-run
company that is sustainable, environmentally
minded, and focused on
producing unique handmade wines that express their Sonoma
County Vineyards.
The dinner price is $45 for a two
course meal, including tip, tax and of
course great wine!
And, as always, wines will be available
for purchase by the bottle or by the
case at special, Wine Maker Dinner
prices.
Dinners sell out fast, so please make
your reservations as soon as
possible by calling 707-865-0565, by
e-mail at wtoscty@sonic.net or, of
course, by stopping by the shop.
Refunds for cancellations or changes
will only be given if we can rebook
your reservation - so please select
your dates carefully.
The Village Inn is offering a special
overnight rate of $75 to guests of the
Wine Maker Dinners! Advance
reservations recommended. For
reservations contact The Village Inn at
707-865-2304.
Dinners Sell
Out Fast!!!
Make Your
Reservations
Now!
707-865-2304
4
Volume
2:
Issue
2
Page
5
River Arts
Rio Nido Roadhouse
14540 Canyon Two Rd.
Rio Nido, Ca 95471
(707) 869-0821
Main Street Station
16280 Main St.—
Guerneville, Ca 95446
(707) 869-0501
Laid back times and “general debauchery” under the
Redwoods. Come enjoy killer food and dance to local
musicians. Rio Nido Pool is open (weather permitted) from
11:30am to 5:30pm to the public, $6 a day, 2 and Under are
Free! Visit their newly renovated website at:
www.rionidoroadhouse.com
Enjoy live acoustic Jazz, Blues, and a
variety of other fine music and comedy
in our intimate entertainment venue. The aroma of delicious Italian fare wakens your taste buds to dine with us.
Hear un-amplified, pure, world class music 7 nights a week!
Limited seating, reservations suggested
www.mainststation.com
Baker’s Dozen @ Quicksilver
January 23 March 1, 2009
The Quicksilver Mine Co. will
present Bakers Dozen 2009,
the Forestville Gallery's annual
group exhibition featuring the
work of 13 northern California
artists beginning January 23rd.
This show opens with an artist
reception on Saturday January
24th from 4—6pm.
The exhibition continues
through March 1st.
Bakers Dozen 2009 features
work by 13 sculptors working
in a wide variety of media: lost
wax cast bronze by John
Holmes along with Peter
Forakis' metal sculpture; threedimensional wire sculpture by
Virginia Harrison and Seth
Minor; and lush ceramic forms
by Hiroshi Fuchigami and Inya
Laskowski.
Also included this year's
exhibition are sculptors Bryan
Quicksilver Mine Co. is
located at 6671 Front St.,
Forestville, Ca 95436
Tedrick and Aileen Cormack who
both work in found metal and
wood; three dimensional textile
and mono-filament forms by Lauren
DiCioccio and Tari Kerss; stone
sculpture by Warren Arnold; and
exquisite miniature hand blown
glass by John Rizzi.
Rounding out this year's show are
Gerald Huth's bold figure paintings
done in three-dimension on
freestanding circular columns.
This year's Bakers Dozen 2009 also
coincides with the Sebastopol
Center for the Arts fourth annual
exhibition of stone sculpture
curated by Warren Arnold and
Clark Mitchel. Sonoma Stone IV
also features 13 artists and runs
from January 9th through February
8th.
707-887-0799
Aileen Cormack,
"Roundabout,"
Mixed media, 9" X 11.5" X
21", 2007
John Rizzi, "Fish Beads," Blown
glass, 1" X 2", .5", 2008
Page
Currents
6
Page
7
Does your property need
• Rezoning to improve its value?
• Relief from code enforcement violations?
• Planning department permits?
• start-to-finish project management?
John Knott
Planning Consultant
I’ve obtained planning
and building approvals
for projects in all these
cities.
I can do the same for you.
Alameda * Oakland *
Albany Antioch * Orinda *
Palo Alto Berkeley *
Petaluma * Bodega Bay *
Pittsburg * Brentwood
Pleasanton * Capitola *
Portola * Castro Valley *
Redding * Clear Lake *
Redding * Cloverdale *
Rohnert Park * Daly City *
Sacramento * Danville *
San Bruno * Dublin * San
Diego * Elk * San Francisco * El Sobrante * San
Jose * Emeryville * San
Leandro * Fremont
*
San Lorenzo * Glendale *
San Mateo * Guerneville *
San Rafael * Hayward *
San Ramon * Healdsburg *
Santa Clara * Jenner *
Santa Cruz * Kelsyville *
Santa Rosa * Lakeport *
Sausalito * Los Gatos *
Sebastopol * Mendocino*
Stockton * Merced *
Sunnyvale * Monte Rio *
Ukiah * Novato * Vallejo
Currents
For a free initial consultation call
707-538-1282
“ I can cut through the Government Red Tape ”
As an experienced and skilled planning consultant, I can offer you the aggressive
representation and follow-through necessary to obtain all of the permits and approvals
from each of the City and County government agencies.
You can benefit from my thirty years of experience! Every project receives my immediate
attention, and strict confidentiality. Gaining approval for your project becomes my first
prioritya. I will speak on your behalf at all public hearings. You need not be present at the
meetings or hearings the agencies hold while reviewing your project. I can help you
increase the value and marketability of your property by enhancing its zoning and uses so
that it will sell quickly.
“ John’s knowledge of government processes is extensive. He’s a seasoned pro, and I can’t
think of a better person to handle difficult problems with government bureaucracies.”
Michael Kelly, past President
Sonoma County Association of Realtors
“ I have worked with John for many years, and he is the best at handling government opposition, and getting approvals for all kinds of real estate projects. He never lets up.
Clint Wilson, President
Sonoma Investments, Santa Rosa
“ Thanks to John, our condominium project received the only approval granted by the City of
Novato for the whole year. He saved us a tremendous amount of time and money.”
Frank Fonseca
Real Estate Developer, Marin County
“John got our most difficult projects approved, often under fierce opposition. No one can
match his public speaking skills, or his exceptional negotiating abilities.”
Bozidar Rajkovski, Architect
Public Storage Corporation
On the Radio, 95.1 Fm, KGGV:
Call In At (707) 869-1131
Tuesdays — Community Calendar with Valerie
Hausmann, 7:00-7:45pm.
Advertiser’s index
Photos By Robin
Page 7
John Knott Planning Consultant
Page 6
Calendar of Events
February 2009
February 4th — Chamber Mixer @ Coffee Bazaar, 6pm, 707-869-9000
February 8th – Dinner with a Winemaker @ The Village Inn, $45, 707-865-2304
February 11th — Up With Downtown, 2:30 @ Ferngrove Cottages, 707-869-9000
February 12th & 26th – “Two Guys Spinnin’” @ Monte Rio Community Center, (615) 631-6483
February 14th – RR Rotary 21st Annual All-You-Can-Eat Crab Feed, $45, 707-869-0808
February 14th – The Fargo Brothers @ Rio Nido Roadhouse, 707-869-0821
February 18th — Chamber Board Meeting, 4:30pm @ Ferngrove Cottages, 707-869-8105
February 20th to March 15th – Pegasus Theater’s “Tapas”, 707-522-9043
February 22nd – Dinner with a Winemaker @ The Village Inn, $45, 707-865-2304
February 21st & 22nd – Climb-Aboard, AV-8C Harrier @ Pacific Coast Air Museum, 707-575-7900
February 21st – Phenix @ Rio Nido Roadhouse, 707-869-0821
February 28th – The Thugz @ Rio Nido Roadhouse, 707-869-0821
Advertising Rates:
Full Page:
$50/edition
Half-Page:
$25/edition
Business Card Size: $15/edition.
For More information, please contact Valerie Munthe at
707-869-9000 or news@russianriver.com
16209 First St.—P.O. Box 331
Guerneville, Ca 95446
Phone: 707-869-9000—Fax: 707-869-9009
E-mail: news@russianriver.com
We got it all, All the time!
Photo By Valerie Munthe, 2006
Chamber Board & Staff
* Opal Pullaro — Chamber Office Manager * Valerie Munthe — Greeter *
Susie Markell — Korbel Visitor Center * Julie Thompson — Korbel Visitor Center
* Shirley Degerlund — Greeter *
Margaret Kennett (Fern Grove Cottages) — President
Richard Lester (Coffee Bazaar) — Vice President, Membership
Jimmy Caron (Applewood Inn & Restaurant) — Treasurer
Laura Wilson (Johnson’s Beach & Cabins) — Secretary, Up With Downtown
Valerie Hausmann (Airport Health Club) — Director of Events
Dana Murphy (Sonoma Orchid Inn) — Board Member
Dax Berg (Sonoma Nesting Company) — Board Member
Stacy Jardine (Guerneville Cottage) — Board Member, Membership, Up With Downtown
Art Severe (101 Things To Do) — Board Member
Scott Zeigler (Zeigler Mechanical) — Board Member
Jan Russell (Dawn Ranch Lodge & Roadhouse Restaurant) — Board Member