September 16, 2009 2009 Winesong!
Brrrrrr! Saturday, September 12th was a gray and chilly day at the Mendocino Botanical Gardens, but spirits weren't dampened as the sell-out crowd of 1,100 enjoyed a terrific day wandering the trails, tasting great wine and sampling delicious food.
Despite worries over the economy, it was a joy to see how successful auctioneers David Reynolds and DawnMarie Kotsonis were in getting guests to raise their paddles high to benefit the Mendocino Coast District Hospital. As a spectator said, "Mendocino is an island. That hospital is our lifeline." The bidding was a testament to that. Watching DawnMarie (pictured at left) work the crowd was worth the price of admission alone, and David Reynolds hammered home $69,000 in under fifteen minutes through fund-a-need pledges designated for a new portable ultrasound machine that the emergency department desperately needs.
The Pride lot comprised of wine and a visit to the winery, raised $3,800 and was purchased by two couples from San Francisco who had just tasted Pride wine for the first time at Winesong! this year. They are looking forward to visiting us and we are looking forward to treating them to a full immersion course in life and winemaking at 2200 feet!
It was a pleasure to be part of such an important and successful event.
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