Friday, May 21, 2010

Class XVII Gala Graduation & Fundraising Dinner

"Gallery of Leaders"

Live Auction Line-up: - updated May 18

1. Special Occasion Use of the MTA Trolley
   Double the fun! Take a magnum of Roederer Brut champagne and put it in a big bucket of ice. Add up to 22 friends and a memorable occasion - wedding parties, visiting dignitaries such as extended family, alumni gatherings, or winery tours like Taste of Redwood Valley. Ring the bell on the new MTA trolley, and everybody hop aboard. You'll have your own driver for 4 hours of touring anywhere in Mendocino County. Can you say "Fun Fun?"
   
   Value: $850   Starting Bid: $400
   Credit: This wonderful trolley ride for 22 is donated by MTA and Robin and Heath Dolan.
   
   
   
2. Luxury Coast Weekend on the Mendocino coast
   When inland days are blazing, it's the coast you'll want to visit, and there's no better spot to pull up a chair on your own porch outside your hotel room and watch the waves roll in than the Little River Inn in Little River, just a few miles south of the historic town - and shoppers' heaven - of Mendocino. You'll be treated to an ocean-view room with fireplace for 2 nights. The package includes a dinner for two at the Garden Inn, a celebrated restaurant with window walls and fine cuisine, a coastal landmark for decades.
   During your stay, enjoy a round of 18 holes of golf for two with golf cart on the Inn's own challenging course. Ocean views and abundant wildlife make for a perfect day of golf as well as a perfectly tranquil weekend.
   Not included in this package but also on site is the Third Court Salon and Day Spa offering full salon services, pampering body treatments and massage.
   
   Value: $600   Starting Bid: $300
   Credit Nikki Hamilton, CPA, Glenna Blake and Little River Inn for this mini-vacation
   
   
   
3. Take Yourself to Tahoe for a Ski Weekend
   Wow! You've got 4 lift tickets good for 2 people to ski two days at your favorite ski mountain in Tahoe - Northstar, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows and more. Double wow:! You've got 2 nights in a classy king-size room at the Swiss Village-inspired Cedar Sport Hotel in Truckee, where distinctive architecture is inspired by the mountains, enhanced by nature and designed for adventure. Winter fun with cozy evenings after a day of skiing doesn't get any better than this!
   
   Value: $950   Starting Bid: $400
   Credit North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Program for this mini-vacation
   
   
   
4. La Cuisine de Saison: French-Style Cooking Event Hosted by Garth Miller, for 6
   This will be a participatory cooking event for 6 held on the grounds of the beautiful Vichy Springs Resort in Ukiah, California. Guests will be invited to meet at the Saturday Farmer's Market in downtown Ukiah on Sept. 18 where you will collect ingredients for the day's menu. Then you'll travel to Vichy Springs and begin a relaxing day at the resort with use of the commercial kitchen and patio within the resort. The class will include cuisine demonstration and participation including: Les Salades, Fruits de Mer, and Les Braises / Viandes with wine pairings from local wineries.
   Garth Miller has been pursuing his avocation as an amateur chef for 40 years. For cooks and lovers of superbly prepared food, this is one amazing day.
   
   Value: $1,200   Starting Bid: $500
   Credit Garth Miller Studio for materials, supplies and ingredients
   Kitchen facility provided by Vichy Springs Resort & Spa and wines from Mendocino Winegrape and Wine Commission
   
   
   
5. Go Directly to Dinner at the Jail! - with Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman
   This is one memorable meal indeed: Concrete floors, plastic food trays, lockdown metal tables and caged lighting. You might be handcuffed to your table until you finish your squash!
   You will be fed a three-course meal (want milk?) prepared and served by the inmates of the Mendocino County jail.
   You will have a blast, because nobody is more fun to hang around with than Sheriff Tom Allman (when he's off duty!)
   This year the lucky winners will be treated to background (and foreground) music by Mendocino County's favorite music man, Spencer Brewer on electric piano.
   This one is a perennial favorite, so bid first and keep at it.
   
   Value: Priceless!   Opening Bid: $400
   Thanks to Alumnus Sheriff Tom Allman and Musician Spencer Brewer
   
   
   
6. Wonderful Weekend in Seattle
   Hop onto a Friday morning flight to Seattle from Santa Rosa airport and arrive just after noon. Head downtown to your top-floor corporate 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment for 4 people in a new high-rise apartment building within walking distance of Pike's Public Market, many fine restaurants, movie theatres and an upscale mall. Your apartment comes completely furnished with a living room and fully equipped kitchen. Your private balcony offers spectacular views of downtown, Pikes Market and the Pacific Ocean beyond. Your apartment also comes with secured underground parking.
   This weekend getaway package comes complete with airline certificate for 2 RT tickets to Seattle from Santa Rosa, a bottle of Dunnewood Coro wine, luxury apartment in downtown Seattle, and 4 tickets to The Music Experience world-famous museum of rock n roll music. Transportation from the airport to the apartment is on your own.
   
   Value: $1,600   Opening Bid: $700
   This exceptional apartment is donated by Ken Holmer CPA, with special thanks to Geraldine Pember. Trip is underwritten by Mendo-Lake Credit Union.
   
   
   
7. From Farm to Table: Glorious Autumn Biodynamic Dinner for 12 at Heart Arrow Ranch
   Talk about a declaration of independence! This dinner for 12 very special visionaries who love healthy food, fine wine and breathtaking autumn scenery puts the feather on the quill! What's special is that virtually everything you eat is grown at Heart Arrow Ranch and is Demeter certified biodynamic.
   You'll start the afternoon with a tour of Mendocino Organics' farm, operated by Leadership Mendocino alumnus Adam Gaska. Then you'll be set up for a patriots' barbecue above the pond at Heart Arrow Ranch with a 180 degree view of all that's spectacular about Mendocino County - rolling hills, autumnal vineyards, and a working organic farm. Chef Tamara Frey will turn fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables, home-grown wheat, olive oil, lamb and chicken from Heart Arrow' Ranch into a 5-course supper. Paired with the vigorous vintages of Golden Vineyards' fine red wines and special touches like china and fresh flowers, this is one meal you'll never forget!
   
   Value: $1,800   Opening Bid: $700
   Credit Julie Golden at Golden Vineyards, Adam Gaska of Mendocino Organics and Maverick Enterprises
   
   
   
8. 4-Day, 3-Night VIP Trip with Air to Washington, D.C.
   If you're wondering what the heck is going on in D.C. these days, go find out! This trip tops the charts with a 3-night stay for 2 at the historic Tabard Inn near Dupont Circle, where legislators hobnob over highballs in the cushiony lobby chairs. You'll enjoy a Members' White House Tour of the East Wing thanks to Congressman Mike Thompson, and through his office you can arrange a VIP intern-led tour of the Capitol Building as well as tours of the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center and the Mint. Plan a day for your private behind-the-scenes tour of either the Smithsonian's Natural History or American History Museum. Choose your area of interest from the museum website and be guided by an expert curator or private docent who has studied that subject professionally. See collections that aren't public. The stay includes two tickets to the Holocaust Museum, a welcome bottle of Congressman Mike Thompson's Congressional wine, and airfare. PLUS, board up to 2 pets while you're gone - with Blue Ribbon Pets!
   
   Value: $2,000+++   Opening Bid: $1,700
   Credit Savings Bank of Mendocino County, Ukiah Valley Medical Center and Blue Ribbon Pets
   
   
   
9. Weekend at 10-Mile Beach with Dinner
   Land's end at America's Mendocino Coast is one of the most beautiful and relaxing places on earth, and you are front and center to the beach when staying for 2 nights in a ground-floor room at Surf and Sand Hotel north of Fort Bragg. Your room with 2 queen beds or one king bed and sitting porch with views of the ocean is five steps away from the paved path that runs south to Glass Beach (10 minutes) and over the Pudding Creek trestle to town where you'll enjoy dinner at the North Coast Brewery. If you decide to take the path outside your room to the north, within just a few moments you'll be on endless beach which winds 10 sandy miles north to Westport. In case you don't feel like walking that far, the trip includes a 1.5 hour horseback ride on the beach! Comes with a bottle of Bonterra wine.
   
   Value: $465   Opening Bid: $250
   Credit Surf and Sand Hotel, North Coast Brewery, Fetzer Vineyards, and Richochet Ridge Ranch
   
   
   
10. Squaw Valley Getaway, Your Choice of 4 nights in Summer or 2 nights in Winter
    The Village at Squaw Valley is the ultimate four-season mountain resort nestled slopeside to Squaw Valley USA, offering luxurious condominium suites, a first class spa, and spectacular dining and shopping. Say hello to your first-class one-bedroom condo which sleeps 4 comfortably. Take your choice of 4 nights in summer - when you can golf at the resort or hike/bike miles of trails out your front door - or 2 nights in ski season with lifts and amenities at your fingertips: Either way, you've got it made!
    All accommodations in the Village include kitchens and dining spaces, private balconies with decorative railings, cozy gas fireplaces with stone hearths, custom dining room furniture, color televisions and DVD players. The resort offers 24-hour front desk service, childcare and includes heated an underground parking space with your condo.
    
    Value: $650   Opening Bid: $300
    Credit: Leadership Mendocino Alumna Darcy Antle and Retech Systems LLC
    
    
    
11. 23 yards of Growers Choice Cold Creek Compost, delivered
    The mission of Cold Creek Compost and owner Martin Mileck has always been to supply farmers with a better and less expensive alternative to traditional chemical fertilizer, just like the old days!. And Growers Choice is the best compost around, a professional quality potting soil for gardeners, nurseries, and landscapers. Growers Choice includes a base blend of forest products and yard trimmings, carefully composted together to achieve stability, kill weed seeds, and eliminate pathogens. Added to the base is a nitrogen-rich Agrow-Blend which provides natural fertilizer and micro-nutrients. Finish with crushed lava rock and rice hulls for drainage and wow! Watch your plants grow like Jack's Beanstalk! Delivery included within a reasonable distance from Potter Valley.
    
    Value: $720   Opening Bid: $250
    Credit Martin Mileck and Cold Creek Compost
    
    
    
12. 2-Night Watchtower Stay in the Village of Mendocino, with Dinner at Ledford House, Breakfast at MacCallum House, and Welcome Bottle of Wine and Chocolates
    Completely renovated historic water tower across from the Mendocino Art Center in the Village of Mendocino, this gem of a guesthouse offers kitchen, dining and living room on the ground floor, wonderful cozy bedroom on the second floor, and a view deck with spectacular coastal views on top. You'll enjoy dinner at the Ledford House and breakfast for 2 at the MacCallum House. This is the place to be when you relish peace and comfort within walking distance of everything in Mendocino. Comes with a welcome bottle of wine and gourmet chocolate. Also comes with 2 certificates to Vichy Springs Hot Springs and Resort in Ukiah.
    
    Value: $900   Opening Bid: $400
    Credit Wendy Roberts, Ledford House, MacCallum House and Vichy Springs Resort.

Note: Details may change slightly prior to auction;
check often to see what other live auction items are added.

Silent Auction Classes -- Sign up to Attend: - updated May 18

1. Wine and Garden Experience with Mendocino Farms at Campovida in Hopland, CA
   A place to connect. Celebrate. Embrace surprise.
   Learn from nature. Enjoy the garden together.
   Be in community. Live simply.
   
   We invite you to create possibilities with us and join us for an organic garden tour and wine pairing by Ken Boek and an intimate feast under the learning arbor with friends and stewards of Campovida and Mendocino Farms.
   
   Date: September 19, 2010
   Guest size: 20
   Cost: $60.00 per guest
   
   
   
2. End of Summer Soak, Dinner, Music and Pie-Making Demonstration at Beautiful Vichy Springs, for 10
   Way before California was colonized, Native Americans gathered for a convivial soak in the naturally warm and carbonated hot springs at what is now Vichy Springs Resort, located just a few miles east of Ukiah. Fast forward to a modern version of the early gatherings including a dinner for 10 featuring in-season local foods prepared by fabulous local cooks Liz Black and Sharon Stewart. This wonderful meal includes a pie-making demonstration by Liz "Easy as Pie" Black, who baker Zach Schat of Schat's bakery in Ukiah called, "The best baker I know." Pie is the finest invention of our founding mothers, and after one taste of Liz's pie, you'll know this for sure. Here's your chance to learn the secrets of success.
   
   Guests are invited to start the afternoon early with a soak in Vichy Springs' hot tub and mineral baths. Then enjoy appetizers outside on the patio while world famous instrumental guitarist Alex DeGrassi plays his favorite songs (if he is not on tour). Then Liz will demonstrate how to make fabulous pie filled with fresh seasonal fruit. While the pie is in the oven, you'll enjoy dinner paired with local wines and prepared by Liz and Sharon. Sharon is a registered dietitian who is known for piling on fantastic flavor in healthy food. Top the evening with pie warm from the oven.
   
   Native Americans had it right: Convivial gatherings, music, cooking, and eating doesn't get much better than this gathering at Vichy Springs. Just add pie and it's an all-American event!
   
   Note: Vichy Springs is a unique 150 year old historic hot springs resort that combines the best of two worlds, a country inn and hot springs resort. Vichy offers the only naturally warm and carbonated Vichy mineral baths in North America.
   Rooms and cottages are available for overnight stays. Room rates include breakfast in the morning, full use of the naturally warm and carbonated "Vichy" mineral baths, hot soaking pool, and 700 private acres for walking and hiking. In addition Vichy Springs offers massage and facials between 8am and 8pm.
   
   Date: Saturday, October 9, 2010 at Vichy Springs Resort
   Number of Guests: 10
   Cooks: Liz Black and Sharon Stewart
   Cost Per Seat: $75
   
   
   
3. Is That the Truth??
   A Class in Truth-Telling with Master Detective and Polygraph Examiner Wayne McBride
   How can you tell if someone is telling you the truth? If you've ever wondered about this while speaking with your teenager, a job applicant, new acquaintance, co-worker, partner or spouse, this is the class for you.
   
   In two hours, you'll learn a basic understanding of human behavior as it relates to truth and deception. You'll learn what goes on inside of a person (psycho-physiologically) that creates behaviors that we can later evaluate as being more like a truthful or a deceptive person. We'll follow that with an understanding of how to ask questions in a way that will "stimulate" a person to answer in a way that will best show you the behaviors that you will need in order to evaluate whether or not they are telling the truth. Finally, we will close the workshop with how to identify the verbal and physical behaviors that will give you signals of a person's credibility and reach some conclusions.
   
   About the Instructor: Leadership Mendocino alumnus Wayne McBride began his career in law enforcement as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy. He worked in patrol in the East L.A. area and also with the L.A. County Special Enforcement Bureau. After moving to Northern California he worked with both the Eureka Police Department and Ukiah Police Department where he became a detective and polygraph examiner. Wayne retired from the Ukiah Police Department as a Captain. He has since continued his polygraph work as a private examiner and as an instructor with the Behavior Analysis Training Institute.
   
   Date: June 23, 2010
   When: 6-8 p.m.
   Where: Ukiah Valley Conference Center
   Limit: 24 people
   Cost: $40 per person