"The evening was outstanding, from start to finish," says Chris Sweeney, event chairman. "While we're still tallying the numbers from the silent auction, event and raffle ticket sales, all appearances are that we have experienced another very successful event."

"The vendors really outdid themselves this year," he added. "From one vendor to the next, guests could sample an incredible assortment of foods and wines."

The evening was a complete sell-out, with nearly 3,000 people attending, notes Brett Johnson, NorthBay Healthcare Foundation president. "We are extremely grateful and very thankful for the tremendous community support we receive for this event," he said.

Guests were also treated to a special performance by Eddy K, a local musician, who wrote and performed a ballad heralding Hospice and those who help raise funds for it through the Jubilee. Then the crowd waited in excited anticipation to hear names called for cash prizes and the Harley Davidson motorcycle. The motorcycle was won by Vacaville resident Mary Johnson, who went to the Iron Steed dealership Saturday to claim her prize. She had purchased more than $2,000 in raffle tickets on Friday, April 13, which proved to be a lucky day for her.

Several of the Hospice Grove memorial redwood tree packages were sold at the event, which included delivery and planting of the tree and a special memorial marker.

The silent auction experienced a record number of donated items, and included such things as movie and theater memorabilia, wine collections, exotic gift baskets, jewelry and artwork, according to Mimi Johnson, silent auction chair.

Don't miss out on the 26^th Annual Solano Wine & Food Jubilee, set for April 26, 2013.

For more information about the event, go to www.wineandfoodjubilee.org.

Raffle Winners

Harley-Davidson Motorcycle - Mary Johnson

Quilt - L. Brenner

$1,000 Nut Tree Shopping Spree - Cindy Low Smith

$125 Cash - Roger Solberg, Rene Bojorquez, Kara Mills, Mary A. Johnson, Jeff Hines, Rudy Ramirez, Denise Suihkonen, Diane Harris, Mrs. Charles Bonner, Jerry Linscheid, Craig Bryan, Christina Martinelli.

$500 Cash - Dennis & Michelle Haskins, Skip & Gail Thomson (2), Noreen O'Regan, Cindy Wilkins, Eric Huber, Peter Garcia, C. Berner, Techie Roosh, Site 4 Sore Eyes, Rebecca Peat, Sasha Buckley.

$1,000 - George Wiseman

$2,500 - Ed Byers

Presenting Sponsors for the event include:

Burger King Restaurants/Tina, John and Maria Benedict

Al and Patt Shaw

The Nut Tree

Freeman Family & Cosmetic Dentistry

Gold's Gym

Iron Steed Harley-Davidson

Patron Sponsors:

Ahi's Seafood & Chophouse at Hilton Garden Inn - Fairfield

Before the Movie.com

Cirkadia

Luminous Marketing & Media

95.3 KUIC

Printsight.com

Solano Imaging Medical Associates

Vezer Family Vineyard, Frank & Liz Veger

Vitus Wines/John Gilpin, Fred & Diane Hearn

City of Vacaville

For a complete listing of sponsors and participating vendors, visit www.wineandfoodjubilee.org.

"We have been promoting our Sundaes of the Month everywhere and are getting good feedback, especially on Facebook," says Stephanie Grande, a supervisor at Fentons. "We like to do these promotions because it helps us to stay connected with the community and to let customers know about various programs in our community."

Last year, the Fentons Sundae of the Month - also with a Jubilee theme - netted a donation of more than $900 for the Dream of a Lifetime program.

April 15 - Passport Sunday. Several Suisun Valley wineries will again pair with area restaurants to offer ticket-holders a tasty introduction to the Valley's wineries and eateries. A portion of the day's proceeds are donated to NorthBay Hospice. Tickets are $30 per person, or $15 for a designated driver. For information, call Wooden Valley Winery at (707) 864-0730.

April 21 - Jubilee Poker Run. Motorcyclists will want to sign up for this special run through Suisun Valley, organized by Iron Steed Harley-Davidson in Vacaville. The motorcycle ride to several valley wineries will serve as a showcase for the top prize in the Wine & Food Jubilee Raffle: a 2012 Electra Glide Ultra Limited Harley-Davidson (MSRP $23,999). For information about the Poker Run, call Iron Steed at (707) 455-7000, or go to www.ironsteedhd.com . Raffle tickets are $50 each or buy two and get one free. To purchase a raffle ticket, call (707) 646-3133.

April 20-22 - The Total Home & Garden Show. This show also supports the Wine & Food Jubilee, and will be held the weekend before the Jubilee under the big tent at the Nut Tree Complex. Everyone who purchases a Jubilee ticket will receive two tickets to the Total Home & Garden Show.

Open That Bottle Night has become a festive precursor to the Wine & Food Jubilee, and is a benefit for the NorthBay Hospice & Bereavement programs.

The event is also an opportunity for the Foundation and Jubilee organizers to honor and thank those who have said they will contribute at least $1,000 in sponsorship - and in many cases up to $20,000 or more - to the Jubilee.

Guests enjoyed a four-course meal paired with wines provided by Solano County wine growers and olive oil by NorthBay board member Mark Sievers, before bidding on the live auction's selection of exotic vacations, artwork, rounds of golf with PGA professional Scott McCarron, private gourmet dinners, and even a instant wine cellar.

One of the evenings most moving moments came when Jacoby Shaddix, Vacaville High School grad and member of the world-renowned rock band Papa Roach, was introduced to the crowd. Shaddix, originally from Vacaville, had seen filmmaker Ezio Lucido's video tribute to Dream of a Lifetime recipient Gino Goodman, and was touched, he told the crowd.

In honor of Gino, and the Dream of a Lifetime program, he presented his first platinum album to Gino's father, Guglielmo Goodman. He then made one more donation, this one to the live auction: Dinner for eight at his El Dorado Hills home, to be prepared by a chef. Bidding was fast and furious for the unpublished auction item, and it ultimately resulted in the top bid of $7,500.

The 25^th Annual Wine & Food Jubilee will be held April 27 at the Nut Tree Complex in Vacaville. As in the past, ticket-holders can taste sweet and savory samples from more than 130 wineries, breweries, restaurants and merchants. There will also be dancing to The Time Bandits, an array of items to bid on in a silent auction, and a chance to win a Harley Davidson motorcycle or $11,000 in cash prizes.

Presenting Sponsors of this year's Jubilee are the Sacca Family's Burger King Restaurants, the Nut Tree, Freeman Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, Al and Patt Shaw, Iron Steed Harley-Davidson and Gold's Gym.

Tickets to the 25^th Annual Solano Wine & Food Jubilee, for those 21 and older, are $75 each or, if still available on the day of the event, $100 at the door. Tickets can be purchased by calling (707) 646-3133, or by going online at www.wineandfoodjubilee.org.

Support for Dr. Bajwa's fund-raising efforts is gaining traction in a number of ways.

Dr. Bajwa also plans on attending Girls Night Out on Oct. 7, where she will be on hand to offer running advice and to accept any potential donations. Girls Night Out will be held at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theater and tickets are still available. For ticket information, call 646-4267.

In honor of Oretta's donation, a plaque was unveiled at the Adult Day Center recently, during a reception attended by a number of program participants and Alzheimer Resource and Adult Day Center volunteers, and NorthBay Healthcare Foundation board members.

"The Adult Day Center fills a need that would not otherwise exist, and donations like this allow them to continue to provide the service," noted Tina Benedict, Foundation board member and long-time Adult Day Center supporter. "The porch is beautiful, and it's an honor to pay tribute to Oretta this way."

More than $370,000 was raised during the 24th Annual Solano Wine & Food Jubilee, a sum far surpassing any other time in the event's history.

The date for the 25th Solano Wine & food Jubilee has been set for April 27, 2012 at the Nut Tree Complex, they added.

It's a testament to the kind of community we live in, that such support would be shown during a difficult economy, Sweeney added.

The 24th event also experienced record attendance, with more than 2,500 people enjoying the festive evening on April 8.

The Committee has set the date for next year's Jubilee. The 25th Annual Solano Wine & Food Jubilee will be held on April 27, 2012, at the Nut Tree Complex. Be sure to save the date, as this Silver Anniversary edition is sure to be something extra special!

The 24^th Annual Solano Wine & Food Jubilee, held on April 8, was a resounding success, notes Chris Sweeney, event chairman."The dust has barely settled and yet I am still in awe of the outstanding effort that went into making this year's event such a huge success."

The event was a sell-out, with just over 2,500 people attending, and that means it will certainly become a record-setting year in terms of funds raised for NorthBay Hospice & Bereavement.

"We are overwhelmed by the response of the community in their support of the Wine & Food Jubilee, and therefore NorthBay Hospice & Bereavement," added Brett Johnson, NorthBay Healthcare Foundation president. "We obviously are very thankful for such support, as it further proves our community is one that truly cares."

Guests who attended the Jubilee were supposed to receive two tickets to the Total Home & Garden Show, but the supply ran short. "For those who did not receive a Total Home & Garden Show ticket, please come to the ticket booth any day of the show - April 15, 16 or 17 - and you will be provided with a free ticket," Johnson says.

On the night of the Jubilee, attendees gathered under the big tents at the Nut Tree, where first they noshed, socialized and then later danced to the music of popular dance band The Time Bandits.

Guests spent the first part of the evening sampling a wide array of wines, brews and tasty foods, poured and plated by representatives from more than 120 vendors. A silent auction, offering items as varied as movie and theater memorabilia, collections of wines, exotic gift baskets, jewelry and collectibles, raised nearly $33,000, according to Mimi Johnson, silent auction chair.

As vendors began to wind down the food and wine portion of the evening, guests were invited to gather around the stage to preview a special 14-minute video that chronicled Gino Goodman's "Dream of a Lifetime." Following that, eager participants waited to hear who would win the $1,000 Nut Tree Shopping Spree and the $20,000 cash raffle. The cash raffle's grand prize of $10,000 went to Carol Klague, while Solomon Hererra won the Nut Tree shopping spree.

Several NorthBay employees also learned they had won cash prizes in the raffle, including Audrey Ritchie, Yonja Arnold, Cyndi Giaquinto, Karyn SanGregory, Mary Hernandez, Kelly Rhodes Poston, and NorthBay Foundation board members Jim Lawrenz, Mike Paulik, Joe Della Zoppa, Noreen O'Regan and Dennis Landis.

The date for next year's event has not yet been set, but will be posted at www.wineandfoodjubilee.org as soon as possible.

Presenting Sponsors:

Sacca Family's Burger King Restaurants

Al and Patt Shaw

The Nut Tree

Freeman Family & Cosmetic Dentistry

Gold's Gym

Patron Sponsors:

95.3 KUIC

Daily Republic

Stanley & Amy Davis

First Northern Bank

Solano Imaging Medical Associates - Jim McMahon MD

Total Home & Garden Show

City of Vacaville

Ahi's Seafood and Chophouse at Hilton Garden Inn

Motion Eclipse Studios

For a complete listing of sponsors and participating vendors, visit www.wineandfoodjubilee.org.

Look for more news about the event to come in the Sunday, April 3 edition of the Daily Republic, and in a special Jubilee magazine, being distributed this week!

More than 270 of the Solano Wine & Food Jubilee's biggest supporters gathered on February 26 for a four-course winemaker dinner and live auction at the 5th Annual Open That Bottle Night.

The event was a festive precursor to the Wine & Food Jubilee, and was also an opportunity for NorthBay Healthcare Foundation to honor and thank those who have contributed more than $1,000 in sponsorship to this year's Jubilee.

The evening is a benefit for the NorthBay Hospice & Bereavement programs.

Guests enjoyed a four-course meal paired with wines provided by Jubilee sponsors and olive oil by NorthBay board member Mark Sievers, and then participated in a spirited live auction of exotic vacations, artwork, movie and music memorabilia, San Francisco Giants World Series commemorative items and 2011 game tickets, private gourmet dinners and even a instant wine cellar.

The auction netted more than $51,000 for NorthBay Hospice & Bereavement, and included donations specifically to support the NorthBay Hospice & Bereavement's Dream of a Lifetime program.

These gifts to Dream of a Lifetime were in addition to the $10,000 commitment made that night by Foundation board member Stanley Davis.

Also announced that night was the formation of a $100,000 memorial endowment fund for NorthBay Hospice, established by a local family who wishes to remain anonymous.

Following those exciting announcements was a screening of "Gino's Dream," a video prepared by filmmaker Ezio Lucido who chronicled the day Gino Goodman, a 26-year-old NorthBay Hospice patient, realized his Dream of a Lifetime opportunity to see a University of Oregon football game with his father and best friend.

Gino's day was made possible through the generous contributions of a host of Dream Team supporters, including benefactor Al and Patt Shaw and Dream Team members Bob Dias, Veronica Wertz, Tara Baumann and Stanley Davis. The emotional 14-minute video concluded with the introduction of Gino's father, stepmother and sister, who were guests that night of the Jubilee committee.

Presenting Sponsors of this year's Jubilee are the Sacca Family's Burger King Restaurants, the Nut Tree, Freeman Family Dentistry, Al and Patt Shaw and Gold's Gym.

Tickets, for those 21 and older, are $75 each or, if still available on the day of the event, $100 at the door.

Groups may also purchase a "VIP Ticket and Table Package for 8" for $1,000. This special package must be reserved by March 15, 2011.