Richmond Rotary Club donated $73,000 to local and international projects last year (see list at end of this email) in addition to many hand-on projects for local schools and non-profits. Please attend the Richmond Rotary Holiday Auction as my guest. If you purchase an auction item, I will buy your lunch.

The event is at noon on Friday, December 2 at Richmond Country Club. Please let me know if you plan to attend.

Some of the auction items are listed below:

The Bottle of Muscatel This original retail value of the bottle of Muscatel was around two bucks. But by now it has accrued a fundraising value of over $35,000! Had you bought $2 of stock in Microsoft 30 years ago, you wouldn’t have done so well. Each year a member “invests” in Richmond Rotary’s stock, increasing the bottle’s accrued value and earning the honor of having his or her name memorialized in DynoTape on its package. But note: you can buy it but cannot—must not—drink it. After purchasing this Holiday Auction tradition, the Bottle of Muscatel waits quietly in your closet, ready to step up to the auction block the following year.

Contractors’ Lunch Erle and Jonathon once again toss down the gauntlet. Can the Club’s die-hards outlast one another despite the abuse to which they’ve subjected their bodies to over the years? Up to 10 people. Minimum bid $200.

Sid’s Eggnog As usual, the best elixir for loosening the bidding propensities and checkbooks of the annual auction participants. It has earned the title of BEST due to the failure of the competition to even show up !!! As anyone can attest, the beverage is priceless. East Brother Lighthouse Dinner, Bed & Breakfast East Brother Lighthouse, or more accurately a Light Station, is a beautifully restored California Victorian Lighthouse Dinner, Bed & Breakfast Inn perched atop an island in the strait that separates San Francisco and San Pablo Bays.The lighthouse offers the rare combination of both a “lighthouse dinner, bed & breakfast” and an “island dinner, B&B,” and is a unique California destination. Though only a ten-minute boat ride to the island, the lighthouse inn seems to be a world away from the lights of the nearby cities.Guests will also be treated to a full tour of the island, taking in all of the buildings. They’ll be regaled with the history of the island and its life as a lighthouse up to the present day. Its value is $415. See www.ebls.org for more information. Portrait by artist Alan Blavins A one-of-a-kind work that you’ll appreciate forever: a framed pencil or oil painted portrait of yourself, your family, or you and your grandchildren. Our resident portraitist, Alan Blavins, will create this work from a high resolution photo. Click here to see enlarged drawing and painting. Exploring California Brandies Brandies are, essentially, distilled wines, so one would expect that California’s fine wine regions would produce excellent brandies. Well, they do! There are, however, fewer of them than one would expect. We will taste a total of seven brandies from two very different vintners: St. Rose, a tiny boutique winery in Santa Rosa, and Korbel, a huge producer of fine sparkling wines. Gourmet dinner included! Champagne tour of Richmond Art Center Our very own Master Artist and Executive Director of the Richmond Art Center, will guide up to 12 guest on a Private tour of the RAC during an Exhibit to be selected by the purchaser. President Josh Surowitz will provide Champagne and Hors D’oevres. Not to be missed! Case of Cabernet Savignon wine Doctor Dan Tanita offers a case of elegant Sonoma red wine. Perfect for the holdays. Margarita and Fajita party Stacey and her husband Don will delight you with Don’s homemade (i.e. lethal!) margaritas, hors d’oeuvres, and a Mexican-inspired meal at their home. Beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks will also be available for the “faint of heart”, or Designated Drivers…. (For 6-8 guests, $100 per person). Mark and Stoney Bar-B-Q Join Mark and Stoney for the 5th annual Bar-B-Q at Howe’s waterfront retreat. Rotarians and guests, booze, BBQ, and a beautiful day next to the Bay! What could be better? Sail Away on a Cocktail Cruise Join Skipper Shana Bagley for a cocktail cruise to McCovey Cove for a Giants’ game. The Trans-Bay voyage will be scheduled for a weekend day game, likely in September to take advantage of the best sailing weather. Up to 8 people. Carquinez Scenic Trail Hike and Bar-b-q Ten spots open! We’ll hike the beautiful Carquinez Scenic Trail to the charming town of Port Costa. This will be our half-way break for a libation at the famous “Warehouse” Bar, with its walk-in cooler with over 300 beers. Suitably refreshed, we’ll then complete the hike, ambling down to Casa Surowitz in Crockett for beer, wine and soft drinks on the deck. I’ll throw food on the grill an serve delicious accoutrements. Not to be missed! Chevron Refinery and Technology Center Tour Patty Canessa will provide a private, 2-hour vehicle tour of Chevron’s Richmond Refinery & Technology Center for 6 guests. Learn how the refinery continues to play a critical role in the U.S. economy and get an inside look at the Technology Center. After the tour, Patty will host a lunch at the Hotel Mac. All tour participants must present valid, government-issued, photo identification at the time. Re-presenting Representation How about a walk through the 20th century, as represented through paintings at San Francisco’s newly-expanded Museum of Modern Art? Join Nick Despota for an ambling conversation focused on the impacts of technology and social change that drove art to turn on itself, and artists to challenge all the givens. Not a docent-led tour, not a lecture, but an enjoyable exercise in seeing and sharing. Museum admission included. Up to 6. Date TBD. Here’s to your Health in 2017 Certificate for 3 month Family Membership (2 adults and children in same household) at the Hilltop Family YMCA. Includes gym bag, water bottles, ear buds, t-shirt, and you are ready to go! $330 value. Castella cabin John Troughton once again offers a 3-day 2-night stay in his Castella Cabin, fishing included. Take the bait, you’ll love it. Get Loose at the Richmond Art Center Take a meaningful break and enjoy a hands on approach to appreciating art by participating in a free art class of your choice at the Richmond Art Center. For 8 weeks you can delve into painting or drawing from real life, throwing your favorite coffee cup, weave a wearable artform or silkscreen your self portrait on a T-Shirt or poster. Offer is good thru 2017. Value $240. Hotel Mac Restaurant David Cole invites you to enjoy a romantic meal in Point Richmond’s historic Hotel Mac restaurant with the finest ambiance the city has to offer. Alternatively you can challenge a friend at the bar to see who is the last one standing. Gift certificate worth $100. Epic Pub Crawl Bill Koziol, with an assist from Josh Surowitz, is offering his legendary pub crawl. We’ll meet on Solano Avenue and stroll from classic bar to bar, buying the first drink at each local spot and a snack or two along the way. At the end of the evening, we’ll even make sure you get a ride home! Private tour of San Francisco Zoo’s lemur exhibits A SF Zoo’s brand new exhibit features Madagascar’s Coquerel’s sifaka. These lemurs move in a unique way that’s often described as jumping or dancing. The new exhibit is an extension of the Lipman Family Lemur Forest with five lemurs species and includes a Baobab tree climbing structure along with other plants native to Madagascar. These two exceptional Madagascar exhibits are housed in the largest outdoor lemur habitat in the U.S. South Lake Tahoe House Once again this year, Henry Moe offers this beautiful South Lake Tahoe home, located 6 blocks from the lake and 15 minutes driving from the casinos. Accommodates up to 8 people in the three bedrooms and pull-out couch in the living room. Only black-out dates are Christmas and New Years. Offer good through December 6, 2016. Vacation stay in Manzanillo, Mexico A sun-filled week at Jerry Feagley’s private condo in Manzanillo, Mexico. The nearby Las Hadas Hotel is where the movie ‘10’ was filmed. Gorgeous Vacation Home in in Guadalajara Mexico James Lee offers a stay at a modern 4000 square foot home in a gated community with a built in BBQ garden roof. The community has a full amenities such as full size pool, two grass tennis courts, full basketball court, soccer field, gym, game room, and more. Ocean House on the Mendocino Coast Enjoy a weekend for 2-6 people on the Mendocino coast in a lovely ocean front home. Features 3 bedrooms and 2-1/2 baths. Large entertainment/T.V. room with a fireplace. Fully-equipped kitchen with built-in brick barbecue. Enjoy amazing views from the deck and hot tub, and sounds of crashing surf and barking sea lions. Fantastic view from the upper bedroom with a fireplace. Attached garage. Chili, Beer, and Football Jan & Byron Brown invite you to their home for firehouse chili and beer and a Raider, 49er, Sharks or Warriors Game (depending on the date that we can all meet!). Good for 8 people. Foursome at the Mira Vista Country Club Alan Blavins has generously donated a foursome at the Mira Vista Country Club. He requests that the winners of this auction item observe proper golf attire, as shown on right. Foursome at the Richmond Country Club Thank you also to the Richmond Country Club for its donation of a foursome on the beautiful course that lies outside our meeting room window. Introduction to firearms Ever wonder how it feels to shoot a gun? Curious about the difference between a revolver and a pistol? Want a basic introduction to firearms handling? Then this hands-on introduction is for you. We will review basic handling, loading and unloading and the basics of shooting, then shoot a variety of firearms. Details about this item.