Good morning and happy Saturday. I am helping our very own @Frank_Murray_III out here by posting details of my favorite WB event each and every year.
My hope in posting this is to attract ‘newbies’ and ‘lurkers’ who have never attended this event - and there are a few reasons for my strong feelings about this:
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The WB Family is a strong and generous one - but it’s also one that usually ‘connects’ online. This event is a great way to meet face to face, to shake hands and give and get hugs from those that you interact with on a regular basis. THAT is one of the main reasons I’ve been doing this event for about 15 years now.
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This focus and reason for this event is as a fundraiser for Laura’s House, an organization dedicated to assisting families who have been affected by domestic violence. This event has raised over $500K during its existence, and this money has been an invaluable help to the organization. The Executive Director of the organization is always there and the event is actually halted midway through and everyone gathers in the backyard as she discusses the organization, a recap of the previous year, and introduces us to a ‘survivor’ who tells their story. It’s moving and heartfelt and brings home the reason why we are all there.
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As you will see below, Frank has committed to donating an additional $500 if 10 newbies to the event sign up - and a donor will match that - meaning an additional $1000 will be donated. This is simply awesome!
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Though there will be over 100 wines donated and available to taste at the event, it is important to note that only 2 bottles of each wine are usually donated - and therefore everyone in attendance understands that small tasting pours are what everyone are supposed to take for EVERY wine. By doing so, everyone in attendance will have a chance to try every wine if desired.
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This is a BYO Food event - everyone is encouraged to bring something to share with the group. This may include platters of appetizers OR cookiers OR other desserts OR even meats to be barbecued that day and shared with everyone else (and yes, there are normally LOTS of different cuts that are brought and shared, including Snake River and Flannery).
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At the core of this event - it’s a fundraiser and folks are encouraged to give. There is a fantastic silent auction that takes place in the garage with lots of great things to bid on - from photographs to magnums to collectible beers and bourbons to vineyard stays. Everyone is encouraged to bid on these as well - and it’s so much fun to watch things develop during the final 15 minutes!
Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them OR get the answer from others.
Here are more details about the event. The best way to get updates on the event is the OC Falltacular Group Page on Facebook (OC Falltacular Facebook Page). You’ll note that there is also a Friday night kick off dinner that usually sells out as well - and it was just announced yesterday.
It’s go time for 2024 Falltacular. In the spirit of the season, let me first say THANK YOU to everyone who over the years has been part of this amazing event. Uniquely, each of of you has done something to help the event, whether it was from spreading the word, donating to the auction or being a donating winery, or just even from a distance felt comforted and aligned with our work because perhaps you have experienced domestic violence and you felt supportive of our work because of what it meant to you. ALL of it matters so thank you again.
Below is some kick-off info to get us going. Be patient though, as all of what we do is done by volunteer hands and so it’s with love and effort that we make this work. To that end, if I forget something or you have questions, just message me or you are welcome to email me at drfm3@cox.net. OK, let’s go.
DATE: Saturday, February 17th @ Noon. My house.
GOAL: Raise $45,000 (which is close to what we did this past March).
TICKETS: I’m doing away with the ‘wave’ concept of ticketing. Everyone is free to buy tickets now. We had 100 paid this past March so I will artificially set the sell-out # at 125 tickets. And to my Decade of Support and Champions for Fifteen guests, you are all guaranteed tickets should you want them. To attend, simply mail a check made out to LAURA’S HOUSE in the amount of the tickets you wish. Each ticket is $125. Mail your check directly to:
Laura’s House, c/o Falltacular
33 Journey Suite 150, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
Of note, I want to see some new faces join the existing crowd this year. So, to that end, I have secured a donor to match me, meaning if I can see 10 new people buy a ticket and join us for the first time, my donor and I will each donate an additional $500 to Laura’s House, for a total of $1,000.
SILENT AUCTION: We’re doing it as usual. We’ll need items, both wine and otherwise so post or message me as you decide and I will add them to the list. I already have items committed, I’ll post the list this week sometime for viewing.
FRIDAY DINNER: Working on it. Once I have the location set, I’ll ask for payments from those whom want to attend.
NEW IDEAS: Noodling on a raffle for a few special items (which we need, and I have one already to declare soon).
WINERIES: I will be notifying the wineries shortly about the event. They drive the event, they like you are what make this event successful–our winery partners are GOLD. And, I would like to see some new wineries sign on, to join our long time winery partners and help them share the responsibility. To encourage new wineries to sign on, if I can add 5 new wineries to the event this year, my matching donor and I will each donate an additional $500, for a total of $1,000 that will go to Laura’s House.
Cheers!
