Hello CTAs,

I added a weather app on my phone because I can't tell if it's winter, spring, or summer.

Yesterday, my daughter and I were walking in downtown Guerneville (my hometown) and she said, "Mom, the visitors are here. There is a line at the taco truck and Safeway is packed." 

We are used to small seasonal adjustments here like getting to the store in the early morning to shop and getting gas in Santa Rosa to avoid the long lines at the pump. 

"The visitors are here" also means making new friends, enjoying the great energy and tinge of excitement that flows into our town, and feeling grateful that friends who own the local restaurants and shops will have a thriving summer. 

Reflecting on the five years I have been with the CTA program, I treasure meeting you all, not only at your work places, but out and about enjoying our county, and serving our visitors whether "on" or "off" duty. 
Mo McElroy, Chief Sonomambassador

In the last several years we have planted seeds of empathy and caring and cultiva ted our service skills and knowledge of where we live. Our visitors reap the harve st of a caring destination they will revisit and tell their friends about.

Thanks for staying connected by joining in on our education trips and showin up to make the local events extra special.

Join our Facebook page  so we can stay connected.  We are only a few new members away fr om reaching the big 400!

Mo

Celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week
May 6-12, 2018

Join with travel and tourism professionals nationwide to celebrate the value travel holds for our economy, businesses, and personal well-being during National Travel and Tourism Week, May 6-12. Here's how to get involved:

Volunteer: 
Show Sonoma County more of what the hospitality community is all about - service, care, teamwork, action, and community spirit - by joining one of three SCT volunteer opportunities: 

Monday, May 7 , at Redwood Empire Food Bank
Wednesday, May 9 , with LandPaths at Riddle Preserve
Friday, May 11 , at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore

For details or to register, contact Nicole Bradin at nbradin@sonomacounty.com.

Show Your Support: 
Did you know that tourism provides one in 10 local jobs? That's just one of the facts you'll find on the downloadable posters on our online Communications Toolkit at sonomacounty.com/toolkit. Print them out and post them where your customers, staff, or the general public can see them. We also provide  talking points and graphics you can share on social media.

Get a free T-Shirt!


  Sonoma County Tourism is providing a cool free t-shirt
to any CTA who volunteers in the community.
Wear your shirt with pride at each event
and let them know that Tourism Cares.   
Email  cta@sonomacounty.com  with your shirt size and mailing address.

Flavor Gardens and Historical Ranches
with Clark Wolf
 
Date: Thursday, May 17, 2018
Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Join us for a little history and a little lunch. Super Ambassador Clark Wolf will take us first to the legendary John Ash and Co. restaurant where we'll be joined by the legendary chef and former restaurant owner, our very own John Ash.  We'll see the new wings of the Vintners Inn, tour the Flavor Gardens, and work with the master chef to prepare our lunch. 

Then it's off to the home of world famous food writer MFK Fisher to visit her Last House, where she spent her later years writing in the heart of the Sonoma Valley. The home was just barely saved from October's fires and it is now the only accessible building on the Audubon Canyon Ranch property. 

We'll learn about their tours and classes, scientific experiments, and programs. It's a beautiful part of our treasured county. 

From there, we'll head to Glen Ellen to visit a new bakery and maybe a cheese shop before we head back to home base, happy and full.

Cost:  $20 per person (includes transportation and lunch)

Registration now open. No lottery will be held for this trip.
First come, first reserved.  Click here to register .
Save the date for the next trip - lottery open mid-May:

Experience Cloverdale with  Ziggy the Wine Gal

Date: Friday, June 22, 2018
Time: 2:30 - 8:30 p.m.

The Cloverdale Historical Society and the Chamber of Commerce of Cloverdale host "Experience Cloverdale." Ziggy the Wine Gal will provide great wine and vineyard education along the way.  Stops will include:
  • J. Rickards Winery 
  • Kelly & Young Wines, Inn and Tasting Room
  • Breweries of Cloverdale
  • Local restaurants to provide tastes of their specialties.
  • Experience Friday Night Live produced by the Cloverdale Arts Alliance. The Street Fair starts at 6 p.m. with live music starting at 6:30 p.m., featuring the band Afrolicious. 
Event - Chef's Cycle

Dates: Tuesday, May 15 - Thursday, May 17
Location: Santa Rosa
 
Chefs Cycle is a fundraising endurance event featuring award-winning chefs and members of the culinary community fighting hunger outside the kitchen. This is the second year it will be held in Santa Rosa with chefs from around the country riding.
 
Shifts and Description Volunteers are needed to man the rest stops AND there are four PAID positions for routing/signage placement.

Sign Up Online:   http://signup.com/go/SqxDffv



Event - Wishes in Wine Country

Date:  Saturday, May 19
Time: 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Location:  Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards
 
Wishes in Wine Country is a wine-tasting gala at the Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards in Windsor. All proceeds from this event benefit Make-A-Wish, and go toward granting the wishes of kids with critical illnesses.

The event features wine-tasting in the afternoon, croquet, a silent auction, a raffle, and some of the finest wines and eats from around the Bay Area. Then, in the evening, some guests stay for dinner, with a live auction.
 
Shifts: We are looking for volunteers who can help with a variety of tasks, including registration, raffle ticket sales, merchandise sales, course monitors, setup volunteers, and a few other tasks. 

Learn more about the event, and sign up to volunteer, at  www.wishesinwinecountry.com/volunteers.html.
 
Contact: Daniel Marlay,  volunteer@sfwish.com, 415-402-2275

Event - The 4th Annual Down Home Day

Date: Saturday, May 19, 2018
Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location:  205 Orchard Lane, Penngrove
 
Down Home Day is a family-fun day on the grounds of a 1915 working homestead and a fundraiser produced by Artful Arrangements, a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit that finds ways for parents and children to play together that are affordable and fun, because that's how kids practice in public what is being taught at home about good manners, social skills, and respect for elders. 

Shifts: There are opportunities to help out during the day in the contests and activities booths. 

Perks: Volunteers receive meal and drink tickets and (with enough volunteers) time out of their assigned booth to enjoy the festivities.
 
To volunteer: Call Diane at 707-664-8656.

   

Event - North Coast Wine & Food Festival
 
Date: June 9, 2018
Location:  SOMO Village, Rohnert Park

Volunteers will greet guests and assist the chefs and wineries at this event with 90 gold-medal wines and 20 amazing chefs, plus live music, entertaining talks, and the top wines from the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge. 

The event will feature gold-medal wines from the North Coast AVA.  These are wines that achieve both a Gold Medal status and 90-plus points in The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Competition. The winning wines are selected by prestigious judges in a blind taste test.
 
Shift Descriptions:  Guest check in, wine pouring, seminar assistants, set up and breakdown, chef assistants
 
Perks:  Attend the event before or after your shift.
 
Sign up online:  http://signup.com/go/wZmFcVg

Sonoma County Wine Library
Board of Directors

The Friends of the Sonoma County Wine Library is a 501c3 non-profit group that raises funds for the support of the Wine Library housed in the Healdsburg Public Library, and oral history projects are a priority. For more details, visit friendsofthewinelibrary.org

Ongoing positions: They need to fill the following committee and board volunteer positions:

Social Media/Website Savvy: Posting events and other information about the Wine Library and the group's activities.

Event and Hospitality: Volunteer to help guide and put together events as well as assist staff at the events.

Secretary position: Become a board member and take minutes for monthly board meetings.  Board members serve two year terms. Our meetings are held the fourth  Wednesday of each month except December.

Contact:  julie@pedroncelli.com  

Event - Chefs Cycle

Dates: Tuesday, May 15 - Thursday, May 17
Location:  Santa Rosa
 
Construction Crew (one position, same person each day):
Total Compensation: $750  
Per Diem Amount:  $150 
Work Dates: 5/14 - 5/18 
This person will assist the production director with all needs including venue set-up, on-site management, and tear-down.

How to apply:
Email Justin Smith at   
justin.smith@medalistsports.com

Include the position you are interested in plus the following information:
Full name: 
Preferred/Nickname (if applicable):
Home (and/or) mailing address:
Phone #:
Emergency contact with phone #:
Date of birth:
Gender:
Shirt size: