Through the Grapevine: Bits of Juicy Info

Holiday Quilt Auction

The Almond Country Quilt Guild will hold its 29th annual free Holiday Auction on Saturday, Nov. 3 to benefit two local nonprofits — Co urtney’s House and Hospice of SLO County — as well as continuing education for local ACQG quilters. The auction will take place at Trinity Lutheran Church, 940 Creston Rd. in Paso Robles. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a silent auction, viewing of the live auction quilts and refreshments. Live auction starts at 7 p.m. Through vocational and enrichment programs, Courtney’s House is dedicated to inclusion and opportunity for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, helping them with community-based job tr aining, employment and social enrichment. Hospice of San Luis Obispo County offers comfort and support to anyone coping with a life-limiting illness or the death of a loved one without charge. If y ou are looking for a unique gift for the season, you can find it at the Holiday Auction and feel good knowing your purchase is also supporting local charities as 100 percent of your purchase goes toward Courtney’s House, Hospice, and ACQG education programs. A CQG has more than 140 members who give back to the community, creating beautiful quilts for live auction and handmade items for the silent auction. The event offers amazing variety of merchandise made by local artists and quilters. This year’s Holiday Auction will feature a quilt raffle, handmade quilts and wall hangings, and gift items. F or more information, visit acqguild.com, or email Deborah Regoli at dd_regoli@yahoo.com.

M oto Mania If you didn’t catch Bikes, Bulls & Pulls at the Mid-State Fair last month, you have another chance to hear the braaap-braaaaap of two-stroke engines tearing around the dirt track at the Paso Robles Event Center on S aturday, September 15 as Paso Moto presents Mid-State Moto Mania. The amateur- and vintage-friendly event opens for spectators at noon, with gates open for riders from 9 a.m. and tickets are available at the gate. Rider registration is open from 9 to 11:30 a.m., with a rider’s meeting at 12:30 p.m. before the competitive racing begins. A wide range of classes are available for rider’s and spectator’s enjoyment: 50cc, 65cc, 85cc, 150cc, 250cc, 450cc, Pro, Open, 35+, 50+, and Vintage, with skill levels set at beginner, novice, intermediate and expert. If you like motocross, you’ll get a full plate at the event. Practice begins for riders at 1 p.m., and the first race begins at 3 p.m. Food, drinks, and the bar open for business at noon to satisfy spectators and riders alike. Tickets are available at the gate. General admission is $15 for adults, $10 for kids 6 to 11, and kids 5-and-under are free. For the hardcore enthusiasts, get right up into the action with a $25 pit pass. At 6 p.m. a live band begins and overnight RV camping is available for $50. For hotel types, Adelaide Inn, Black Oak Hotel and Holiday Inn are all within walking distance. F or more information, call 805-440-4839 or 805-441-3392, or email bb8618@aol.com. Mid-State

Cioppino & Vino Tickets on Sale

Loaves and F ishes The Paso Robles Children’s Museum has announced that tickets are now on sale for their 8th annual fundraiser, Cioppino & Vino. Held S unday, Oct. 14 from 1pm to 4pm at the Paso Robles Inn, Cioppino & Vino will feature cioppino tasting from local chefs, wine tasting, cheese tastings, and live and silent auctions. The jazz band, Hot Club of SL O, will be returning again this year. The cioppino will be tasted by a panel of judges and the winner will receive the Judges’ Award. The chefs will also be vying for the guests’ votes hoping to win the People’s Choice Award. Wine and cheese tastings, along with other appetizers and desert will round out culinary the exper ience. Cioppino & Vino is a Food and Wine event that benefits the Paso Robles Children’s Museum. The proceeds help support the Museum’s Community Partner Program and daily operations expenses with over 90% of the total revenue going directly back to the Museum.

Tickets are $65 per person for general admission and a few reserved tables for eight are available for $650. You can purchase tickets online at cioppinoandvino.com or at pasokids.org or b y calling the Museum at 805-238-7432. For more information please contact Jennifer Smith at jennifer @pasokids.org or at 805-238-7432 or visit us online at pasokids.org For 34 years, Loaves and Fishes has fed our neighbors in need here in Paso Robles and the surrounding cities of Shandon, San Miguel, Creston, and Templeton. They are the largest food pantry in the North County, providing groceries sufficient for three days to approximately 1,600 people per month. S urprisingly, 90 percent of those served are the working poor, seniors, and the disabled, with only 10 percent coming from the homeless population, according to Loaves and Fishes. “In our continued effort to provide the much needed groceries to the people we serve,” executive director Maria Sabi wrote in a letter to the community, “it is essential that we inform our community of the work we have performed since 1984 and to raise money to enable us to continue to serve those in need. It is our goal to serve even more people as we strive to inform our community that no one need g o hungry.” To that end, Loaves and Fishes will be hosting an “Evening of Vision” fundraising event on Sept. 29, 2018 at 6 p.m. at the Paso Robles Inn Bal lroom. Individuals and businesses can sponsor a table at $500 per table. The organization also hopes to raise $25,000 before the event through matching gifts, a figure it will encourage those at the event to match. Contact Loaves and Fishes for information on matching gifts. “As a sponsor, you are not expected to attend the event,” Sabi said, “but we would love for you to be there. Table sponsors are recognized at the table being sponsored and will be mentioned in our program, unless we are otherwise directed by the sponsor.” Online donations can be made online at LoavesAndFishesPaso.org, or mailed to P.O. Box 1720, Paso Robles, CA 93447 If you have any questions, please contact Maria Sabi at 805-238-4742 or email her at Admin@LoavesAndFishesPaso.org.

By Tonya Strickland Two in Tow & On The Go A Family Adventure Column

One of my favorite memories of growing up in Southern California is spending time in the mall’s arcade. I remem ber the thrill of pocketing long streams of paper tickets, adding them up and seeing what sought-af ter prizes I could score from behind the counter. A nd now, thanks to brothers Jason and Ste vie Goldie, the next generation of arcade-goers can partake in that same fun (albeit, a way mor e modern version) – right here in Paso. The Paso High School grads sought to create a place where families could share a meal while watch ing their kiddos play. So, in 2016, Stevie opened The S lice Pizza & Games at 2425 Golden Hill Road, #104, on the city’s east side. It features about two dozen arcade games, prizes and food. It can also host small birth day parties without reservations. In 2017, Jason opened a seco nd location in Arroyo Grande at 1412 Grand Ave. The South County loca tion is bigger and has hosted fun events like $5 build-y our-own-pizza nights for the kids.

As a parent always looking for stuff to do with my 2 and 4 year old, here’s what I like about The Slice in Paso: • My kids lose their minds over the padded mallet game with the giant Minion. • It’s a fun indoor thing to do. • When it’s not busy, plopping your kids in the box seats of the dinosaur shooting game for pretend play will buy you at least seven minutes to scarf down your own lunch. • The bowling game that kinda looks like neon Skee-Ball is addicting. • Plucky Ducky, a classic drop-claw game, will satisfy your small child’s need for instant gratification and stays true to its promise of dishing out a prize every time. In the 10 times we played, it dropped 10 bath toys – thank you very much. Some things I was surprised about: • The pay-and-win setup is all digital, so there are no tickets to hoard (boo). But, there are also no tokens to keep up with.

Clara and Wyatt play at The Slice in Paso Photo by Tonya Strickland

• Game access starts with a plastic “Fun Card” you fill up with credits at a touchscreen kiosk inside the arcade. Swipe that card at each game to play. • When you win, your card fills up with points redeemable for prizes. • You’ll find those prizes in a crazy vending machine that has the treasures on display with the amount of points needed for each one. • You can save unused points for another time. Al l in all, we have a lot of fun at The Slice and I’m genuinely impressed by its family-friendly at mosphere that’s welcoming but modern. And that dino game/eating lunc h trick is my new favorite #momhack.

Share in the adventure at @two.n.tow onInstagram + Facebook or at twontow.com