Village Chat for March 1, 2019
Max Cook, left, winner of the Central Sonoma County Spelling Bee.
Kenwood School sixth grader Max Cook took first place in the Central Sonoma County Regional Spelling Bee - congratulations, Max! The Bee was on Feb. 7, and Max will go on to compete at the countywide Bee to take place April 1. According to Kenwood School Principal/Superintendent Bob Bales, this is the first time in his 21-year tenure that a Kenwood student has reached the countywide competition. We'll let you know how it goes.
Kenwood Girl Scouts display their Hawaiian and Polynesian posters for World Thinking Day.
The Kenwood Girl Scouts have been really busy lately. Last month they went to the Kenwood Fire Station to learn some important First Aid lessons from Engineer Bob and Captain John, like how to properly open band aids (blue strip up), check for pulses, stay put if you get lost (hug a tree and shout for help), how to call 911, and the importance of knowing your phone number and street address.
The month of February focused on World Thinking Day, so the girls chose to learn about and share their knowledge of Hawaii and Polynesia. The scouts picked individual topics to study, including history of people, boats, clothes, famous flowers, and volcanoes. They made posters to display and beaded pins with the colors of the various countries' flags. World Thinking Day, in Santa Rosa on Feb. 24, was the troop's first Jamboree, a time to find out about other cultures, trade pins, and swap cultural tidbits. Troop leader Abigail Bordigioni said that the Girl Scout's founder was emphatic that girls should learn about the world.
And, of course, they've been selling Girl Scout cookies in Kenwood and Glen Ellen, walking around Kenwood Village last Saturday to brush up on their sales techniques, and setting up a cookie stand across from the school. I hope you all bought some! Cookie sales end March 2.
Women from Kenwood Community Church including, from left, Chris Furness, Linda Salomon, Correne Whipps, Cathy Valerga, and Pam Gilbert, enjoying a delicious Year of the Pig lunch with Kenwood School Principal Bob Bales.
On Feb. 20, WOW (Women of the World), the women's group from Kenwood Community Church, went "back-to-school." Kenwood School Principal Bob Bales led about 14 women on a morning-long tour that included every classroom from Kindergarten through the sixth grade, the library and computer lab, multi-purpose room, play yards, and special-purpose rooms for tutoring and S.T.E.A.M. (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math) projects. Laura Lamar wrote that, "The hallways were full of brilliantly-colored student artwork celebrating everything from Valentine's Day to the Year of the Pig, paper mosaics, learning tools, gardening, and ocean stewardship projects. The classrooms are vibrant, lively spaces, full of artwork, posters, books, and a wide range of teaching aids. The children were intent on their classwork and paid scant attention to all of the adults traipsing through. The tour concluded with a luncheon feast prepared by school chef Diana Wolfe celebrating the Year of the Pig, which included pork tenderloin, rice and noodle dishes, spring rolls, broccoli, and more - all of it delicious!"
WOW meets at noon on the third Wednesday of the month for lunch and a program, usually in the Fellowship Hall of Kenwood Community Church, and everyone is welcome.
This vase sold for $153,000 at auction, much more than originally estimated.
In January we told you about how Kenwoodian Deric Torres, vice president and director of furniture and decorative arts for Clars Auction House in Oakland, discovered that an enormous decorative enamel vase from Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto in Berkeley was actually one of three very important Japanese pieces from the 1893 World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. The vase had been hiding in plain sight at the restaurant for years, and was valued at $30-50,000. Another piece from the Spenger's estate was a 34.28 carat natural fancy light yellow diamond ring, estimated to go for $300-500,000. Well, at the auction on Feb. 17, the vase sold for $135,000, and the ring went for $530,000. Overall, according to Deric, it was a multi-million dollar weekend!
It's nice to see the sun after the days and days of rain we've been having. But I'm not complaining if it fends off drought and replenishes the groundwater. The "dry season" will come soon enough.
Spread the word that there are two places for people in need to pick up food in our area. On the first and third Tuesday of the month, the Redwood Empire Food Bank truck is at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church, 5-6 p.m. The church is located at 9000 Sonoma Hwy., across from the Kenwood Fire Station. And on the first and third Friday of the month the truck is at Jack London Village, 14301 Arnold Dr. in Glen Ellen, in the parking lot, 9-10 a.m. No proof of income required. Come early because they often run out of food toward the end of the hour, and bring your own boxes and bags.
If you want to go to the Rotary Club of Glen Ellen-Kenwood fundraiser, The Crab in the Cave, get your tickets soon. The event is March 30 and the price is $75 per person. We have tickets here in the Kenwood Press office, or you can buy them online at crabinthecave.bpt.me. As you might suspect, the party is in the caves at Deerfield Ranch Winery, which is a bit more elegant than your typical crab feed venue, and there are live and silent auctions with a little something for everyone. Check it out!
That's all for now. I hope you all stay high and dry. And if you'd like to submit any news or pictures for Village Chat, it's easy to do. Just email ann@kenwoodpress.com, or call 833-5155 and chat me up! - AQP