PARTY PIX

Santa Rosa HARVEST BLOOMS

It’s a pick-your-own-bouquet paradise at the brand-new Poppies & Petals Farm on the western edge of Santa Rosa. Owner Stephenie Chow came to fl ower farming after a career in corporate communications—and couldn’t be happier about the decision. “I used to be afraid of frogs, mice, bees, and bugs in general… My neighbor always makes fun of me and compares me to Eva Gabor from ‘Green Acres,’ ” she laughs. But Chow’s farming skills are nothing to sneeze at: On off er are dahlias, sunfl owers, and hybrid lilies (the latter planted in waves, 400 bulbs at a time, so there’s always plenty to choose from), plus ornamental grasses and other unusual fi nds. From $45. 500 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa. 707-752-7891, poppiesandpetalsfarm.com

Hopland THATCHER HOTEL

In Hopland, just across the Mendocino-Sonoma line, Sonoma-based design fi rm Medium Plenty collaborated on the redesign of a landmark 1890s Victorian inn. A moody deep gray on the exterior looks beautiful against fall pumpkins and grasses, while in the lobby, a custom-built window seat, old-school bar, and stunning mahoghany-paneled library have a fresh, design-forward vibe. The hotel is right in the center of town: Walk a few doors down to dinner at the Stock Farm, or take a loaner bike and pedal 10 minutes east via Old River Road to the rambling organic farm and vineyards at Campovida. 13401 Highway 101, Hopland. 707-723-0838, thatcherhotel.com

Guests with bouquets they picked and arranged themselves at Santa Rosa's Poppies & Petals Farm.

RAPTOR MIGRATION

In September and October, large numbers of raptors can be spotted on their annual southward journey along the coast. Coastal bluff s near the mouth of the Russian River, including the popular Jenner Headlands Preserve, are prime areas for spotting red-tailed hawks, Cooper’s hawks, peregrine falcons, and more. Citizen scientists with West County Hawk Watch explain that the area is a dynamic theater for birdwatchers, as hungry migrating raptors stop for a day or two to fuel up on prey and soar on the thermal updrafts, before continuing south. westcountyhawkwatch. blogspot.com

AS HAPPENS TO ANYONE who runs a large and complex company, Rick Tigner of Jackson Family Wines has difficult questions land on his desk. Whether he’d host a foodand-wine benefit to aid local first responders and military veterans wasn’t one of them. “It took me not even three seconds to say, ‘Of course, we’ll do it,’” he says.

On July 27, more than 200 people attended Wine, Bites, and Bids at La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard to benefit The 6 Foundation, which provides potentially life-altering rehabilitation to Sonoma County firefighters, law-enforcement officers, emergency medical professionals, and veterans who live with the fallout of trauma. Guests were served Jackson Family Wines and Seismic Brewing Co. beers paired with appetizers from Sweet T’s Restaurant & Bar, Jackson’s Bar and Oven, Grossman’s Noshery & Bar, KIN Restaurant, Oliver’s Market, and Ausiello’s Bar & Grill.

“It was breathtaking,” said Sonya McVay-Straub, who founded The Six Foundation in 2018 with the goal of assuring that first responders and vets have access to the same level of manual therapy, mental and physical wellness care, and posttrauma rehab services extended to professional athletes. Wines, Bites, and Bids was The 6 Foundation’s first-ever public fundraising event, and it was among the first events that Jackson Family Wines has been able to host since the onset of the pandemic. The event was co-hosted by Erika Altes, who runs the blog Whiskey & Lace, and raised more than $35,000.

“The feeling was just utter family,” McVay-Straub said. “It was very special. Breathtaking. It’s that magic of Sonoma.” thesixfoundation.com -Chris Smith

Russell and Vicki Ernst Teerah Rochioli, left, and Michael Bernard talk with chef Josh Silvers of Jackson's Bar and Oven

Judith Newton, left, and Robin Alderson

Dustin Saylor performs

-Jackson Family Wines CEO Rick Tigner

Jackson Family Wines CEO Rick Tigner, left, The 6 Foundation founder Sonya McVay-Straub, center, and event co-host Erika Altes

Kent Porter Participants walked through open space in Rohnert Park

WomenServe founder Nioma Sadler, left, and Kika Reyes-Acosta

-WomenServe founder Nioma Sadler

Huifen He Blair Kellison, left, and Jesse Torres

IT’S ALL TOO COMMON A SIGHT IN VAST, rural swaths of India. But for people to be seen walking while balancing water pots atop their heads at Rohnert Park’s SOMO Village made for a rare spectacle. It happened July 27 at the WomenServe Walk for Girls and Water, a fundraiser for a locally-conceived mission to uplift the lives of women in the Thar Desert region of northwestern India. “It was amazing,” said Nioma Narissa Sadler, founder of WomenServe. “We walk in solidarity with the girls and women who are walking up 10 hours per day for water.” Sadler is also a goodwill ambassador for Sonoma County’s Traditional Medicinals tea company, which sources ingredients from India and is deeply involved in efforts to improve the quality of life there.

In villages of western Rajasthan, WomenServe provides rainwatercatchment ponds and tanks that free women and girls from walking miles for water. The nonprofit also offers education and economic services aimed at helping girls stay in school and avoid being married off as teens. The walk at SOMO Village, which was accompanied by other walks across the country, raised over $60,000 for the organization.

Nioma Sadler smiled broadly and gazed skyward when, just as the walkers danced to a Bollywood song about the approach of rainfall, they were sprinkled by a few, sweet drops of rain. “It was a beautiful moment,” she said. womenserve.org -Chris Smith

SONOMA VALLEY welcomed back its fi rst major in-person fundraising event on July 17, with the return of Out in the Vineyard’s 14th Annual Twilight T-Dance at Chateau St. Jean in Kenwood. For the fi rst time, superstar San Francisco drag queen Ruby Red Munro headlined the event, along with companions Adriana Roy and Madison McQueen.

To attend the outdoor event, the 250 attendees were required to show proof of being fully vaccinated, explains Out in the Vineyard founder Gary Saperstein. “As I like to say, we’re vaxxed, and we’re back.” DJ Pumpkin Spice spun tunes, and light bites were provided by Classic Culinaire Catering Service of Novato. The event raised $15,000 for Face to Face: Ending HIV in Sonoma County, which has off ered education and services to locals with HIV and AIDS since 1983. -Kathleen Coates

From left , Bogar Orea, of Suisun City, Calif., Maya Lane of Nevada City, Calif., and Hadley Larson of Sonoma.