Wine and Mushroom Train Success!
On Saturday, November 7th, the Frank R. Howard Foundation hosted the Wine & Mushroom Train, which was the headline event for the 2009 Mendocino County Wine & Mushroom Fest running November 6-15, 2009. More than 150 patrons were aboard the Skunk Train for a majestic trip through the redwoods to Camp Mendocino. The event was a great success with proceeds going directly to the Howard Hospital Building Fund and was a collaboration of many organizations working together to achieve results that benefited everyone involved.
Guests began arriving at the Willits Skunk Train Depot at 9 am and were treated to an array of coffee, tea and pastries from Kemmy’s Katering and Pies. The Skunk Train, which donated the use of the train for the day, departed at 10:30 am and headed deep into the heart of the redwoods. Train Singer, Greg Schindel, serenaded guests as they moved from car to car, including the observation deck where they were able to take in the beautiful autumn day. Upon arrival at Camp Mendocino, an intimate room with a fireplace ablaze, hosted the silent auction and wine tasting served by several Mendocino County Wineries that included: Chance Creek Vineyards, CORO Mendocino, Dunnewood Vineyards, Handley Cellars, Jaxon Keys Winery, Magnanimus Wine Group, McFadden Vineyard, Parducci Wine Cellars, and Weibel Family Vineyards & Winery.
The lunch menu, which was inspired by Chef and Author Jack Czarnecki, was prepared and served by Chef Oscar of the Phantom Café. During lunch, guests were treated to live music provided by “The Bassics”, along with messages from Foundation President, Margie Handley, local mushroom expert Eric Schramm, Dr. Bruce Andich and Jack Czarnecki.
An all-volunteer committee planned and executed the event from beginning to end. Brenda Orenstein, Cassandra Andich, Karine Bennett, Ananda Johnson, Margie Handley, Jann Lamprich, Erin Fitzpatrick and Joyce Beard made sure that everything flowed as smoothly as possible. Another team of volunteers helped to ensure that all guests were taken care of on the day of and consisted of Patsy Broeske, Dona Fridae, Kristen Meadows, Ginny Holmen, Jennifer Ramming, Holly Madrigal, Emily Rose Hennings, Wendy Walsh, Maureen Moore, Gary Martin and Chuck and Carol Jones. Steve Eberhard volunteered his time to take pictures that will be used for future publicity. The staff at Camp Mendocino bent over backwards to make sure that all needs were met on site. The Wineries involved had the opportunity to show why Mendocino County Wines quality reputation continues to grow. Visit Mendocino County, Inc and the Mendocino County Lodging Association provided funds that were used to underwrite many of the expenses associated.
“We are very pleased to have been able to work with so many different organizations from Mendocino County and we feel that everyone was able to benefit by working together. In addition to many local people we had attendees from places as far as Canada, Oregon, Florida and Washington, DC. We were able to tell the story of the new Howard Hospital to a wider audience and succeeded in expanding our donor base,” explains Ian Fitzpatrick of the Howard Foundation. “We’d like to thank all of the people and organizations that participated in the event, and we would especially like to thank our guests who chose to spend the day with us.”
For complete details on the festival please vist GoMendo.com
