The Napa Valley Weekender
Welcome to Napa Valley Features’ Weekender. Every Friday morning, we provide a selection of activities and experiences around the region that has been curated by the Napa Valley Features team. Our goal is to provide at least a few free or low-cost events and to cover every town in our valley. This is an eclectic list, ranging from theatrical readings to musical concerts, from wine celebrations to art gallery tours, from charitable walks to astronomical marvels. Our goal is for both locals and visitors to find this list valuable, engaging and complete with sufficient details to eliminate the need for extensive searches for times, locations or any associated costs.
This Weekend
American Canyon
The Newell Open Space Preserve is a 620-acre park set among the hills behind American Canyon.
Calistoga
Hiking with Pride, an LGBTQ+ group, will host a free public hike to Table Rock in Robert Louis Stevenson State Park beginning at 9 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 19. The hike is 4.4 miles out and back in the Mayacamas Mountains. The views are spectacular. At almost 2,000 feet, you will see sweeping southern views of the Napa Valley. On a clear day you can see California’s Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada as well. The parking lot for the Robert Louis Stevenson State Park is at the highest point on Highway 29. Address is 3801 Saint Helena Highway, north of Calistoga.
Come enjoy live jazz music in Calistoga with jazz vocalist Elaine Jennings and pianist David Austin, who will perform from 3-5 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19 at Romeo Vineyards & Cellars, 1224 Lincoln Ave. in Calistoga. The jasmine and rose-adorned arches lead you through the oasis of flowers and plants to the restored 1800s Carriage House, which is Romeo's tasting room. Beautiful gardens are shaded by century-old giant redwoods and cedars making it the perfect spot to enjoy a glass of wine or open a bottle and share with friends and family. For details call 707-942-8239.
Located in the heart of downtown Calistoga, the Moonshine at the Mount View Hotel & Spa is a beautiful outdoor theater that features an array of live performances and films. Doors open at 7 p.m., music is from 8:30 to 10 p.m. and movies are at sunset, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., depending on the time of year. The lineup for the rest of August includes: live music, featuring Jay and the Dubs, Saturday, Aug. 19; American Graffiti, Sunday, Aug. 20; the film, Sabrina, on Aug. 25; High Noon Band will play Saturday, Aug. 26; and the Manchurian Candidate will be screened on Sunday, Aug. 27. The Mount View Hotel & Spa is located at 1457 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. Call 707-942-6877 for info.
Grove 45 High Tea, multiple dates between Sunday, Aug. 20 and Sunday, Dec. 17. Enjoy an afternoon in our tasting room from 2-4 p.m blending your own personal tea accompanied by sandwiches and decadent olive oil treats. Museion Rosé is available by the glass or bottle for an additional charge. Tickets are $65 per person. For children 12 and under, tickets are $45. Grove 45, 965 Silverado Trail North, Calistoga, 707-360-2440 or https://www.grove45.com/
Napa
The Downtown Napa Association will host two car shows this weekend: a Show & Shine preview, featuring 150 cars from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Friday in Parking Lot X, located at the corner of Pearl and Soscol streets; and the Main Street Reunion car show, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. Some 400 pre-1978 cars and trucks will be on display on Third Street between Soscol Avenue and Randolph Street. Both are free and open to the public. Downtown Napa Association, 1300 First St., Napa, 707-257-0322.
The 29th season of Music in the Vineyards chamber music festival concludes this week on Sunday.
- Friday, Aug. 18, 7 p.m.: This program opens with Caroline Shaw’s Schisma, which references the cleft in the rock that you cling to in dark times. We explore those “clefts” through a wide range of composers, and its meaning to each of them. Clos Pegase Winery, 1060 Dunaweal Lane, Calistoga. Cost is $85.
-Saturday, Aug. 19: Not-So-Silent Cinema, two classic silent films with original music by Stephen Prutsman, performed by festival musicians, recreate the cinema experience of 100 years ago before recorded sound was integrated into filmmaking. The main attraction is a Buster Keaton classic, College, preceded by The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a horror film, considered the quintessential work of German Expressionist cinema. Noon at Jarvis Conservatory in Napa, 1711 Main St., and at 5 p.m. at St. Helena Performing Arts Center, 1401 Grayson Ave., St. Helena. Cost is $20 and $10 for students.
-Sunday, Aug. 20, 5 p.m.: We turn the concert order upside down in this program that opens with Dvořák’s popular Piano Quintet and a piece inspired by it, written by Kian Ravaei. We close with music full of dancing, fury…and a bit of madness! Inglenook, 1991 St. Helena Highway, Rutherford. Cost is $85.
-Sunday, Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m.: Join the Music in the Vineyards family of musicians, patrons, and supporters at sunset around the iconic Inglenook fountain for appetizers, followed by a delicious three-course buffet dinner under the stars paired with premium Inglenook wines. Festival Finale Dinner. Tickets are $185, no longer available online, call 707-258-5559 for information.
Van Winden’s Dahlia Show & Competition is from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1805 Pueblo Ave. in Napa. Submit up to three of your own dahlias into the competition or come and get inspiration for next year’s garden. Prizes include gift cards and other assorted prizes. A vase and water will be provided for you to display your dahlia. A single bloom entry will be allowed per vase, no bunches of flowers. Try and include leaves on your single bloom if you can as they help showcase the flower. Dahlia drop-off begins at 9 a.m. and voting begins at 11. Winners will be announced at 3 p.m. The blooms from the show will be free to the public at 4:30 p.m.
At 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 24, Napa’s Compline Restaurant will host the fourth dinner in their "Farm at the Table" series with a favored summer supplier, Sonoma County's esteemed Longer Table Farm. Led by Will and Gina, this local purveyor is renowned for their sweet and spicy peppers. The collaborative pepper-themed four-course menu curated by Executive Chef Jammir Gray will feature:
-"Cheese and Crackers" adorned with whipped feta, sweet pepper jelly and a medley of summer crudités
-"Shrimp and Grits" with flavors of chile butter, sweet peppers and cheddar
-Zesty "Peruvian-style Chicken" paired with Aji Sauce
-"Jalapeño-Corn Ice Cream Sundae" crowned with tarragon tea cakes.
Compline restaurant is located at 1300 First St., Napa. Dinner tickets are $115. For details, call 707-492-8150.
St. Helena
Harvest Inn chef Jeff Libunao will give a demo from 10:30-11:30 a.m., Friday, Aug. 18 at the St. Helena Farmers’ Market, 360 Crane Ave. in St. Helena. Attendees will enjoy delicious samples and are able to pick up a copy of the recipe. The St. Helena Farmers’ Market is from 7:30 a.m. to noon, Fridays from May through October at Crane Park.
This month, the Culinary Institute of America Greystone happy hour will be from 4 to 6 p.m., Thursdays through Mondays at the Greystone Grocery. Included will be wine tasting, cheeses, snacks and grab-and-go items. CIA, 2555 Main St., St. Helena, 707-967-1100.
Join us to celebrate the opening of elysewalker’s new store from 4-7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 18 at 1381 Main St. in St. Helena. For details visit elysewalker.
New West KnifeWorks’ Adopt a Cat Day will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19. We Care Animal Rescue will be at our shop with some cats and kittens that are available for adoption. Adopt a cat and get a free knife. New West KnifeWorks is at 1380 Main St. in St. Helena. Details at 707-244-5188 or newwestknifeworks.com
Clif Family Winery will hold its Street Food Napa Valley celebrations with its own food truck from noon to 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday in August. The tasting room is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Come and experience a culinary journey around the globe with the rotating Street Food Napa Valley menus, featuring dishes from various countries. On Aug. 23, the menu is Smokehouse BBQ, including a barbecue plate, beer can chicken and elote, which is grilled corn slathered in a mayo cream sauce and garnished with chili powder, cheese and lime. On Aug. 30, the menu is Jamaican, featuring jerk chicken, curried oxtails and callaloo, a dish of wild greens. Clif Family Winery, 709 Main St., St. Helena, 707-968-0625.
Yountville
Join Yountville Parks and Recreation for another summer of movies in the Yountville Community Park, 2900 Lincoln Ave. On Friday, Aug. 18, the movie is Jungle Cruise, rated PG-13, on the big screen. A food truck and the Willow Elementary School PTA will be on site with dinner and concession sales starting at 6:30 p.m. The movie will begin at dusk. Low back lawn chairs and blankets are suggested. Pets are not welcome.
It's a Tiki Takeover at the Napa Valley Museum with events all summer (and beyond). At 5 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19, the party is “Elvis Blue Hawaii Celebration & Wedding Vows.” Enjoy wine and cocktails, seminars and speakers, plus live music and DJ’s. Purchase a limited-edition Tiki Oasis mug only at these events. Napa Valley Museum, 55 Presidents Circle, Yountville. For details call 707-944-0500 or visit here.
New Moon Stargazing will be from 8:30 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19 on the Bardessono Rooftop Pool Deck, 6526 Yount St. Experience constellations and their mythology as well as star clusters, nebula, Saturn and Jupiter. Cost is $40 per person, includes a glass of sparkling wine, and reservations are required as space is limited, 707-204-6050.
Upcoming Events
UpValley Family Centers and the Calistoga Joint Unified School District will kick off the school year with the 20th annual Back to School Community Celebration from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 25 at Berry Field on the campus of Calistoga Elementary School. The celebration will feature free entertainment and activities for all ages, including a "Migration is Beautiful" art workshop with Favianna Rodriguez, a climbing wall, a free meal, musical performance by singer Jazmin Oro, games and prizes. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with UpValley Family Centers and its 40-plus partner agencies that will showcase locally available health and social services. Attendees will also be able to meet Calistoga Joint Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Audra Pittman, as well as teachers and community leaders.
Picayune Cellars is turning up the heat with a smash burger and dance party from 6-8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 26. Chef Avia Hawksworth will be manning the grill, while The Desperate Men play a rollicking repertoire of blues and rock ‘n’ roll hits. Wine by the glass or bottle will be available for purchase. Picayune Cellars is at 1440 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. For info call 707-341-3410.
A classic jazz trio concert, 2 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 10 at St. Helena’s Cameo Cinema. If you are a fan of the classic Jazz Trio - established by Nat King Cole in the late 1930s - this is the concert you’ve been dreaming about. Larry Vuckovich, one of the most versatile jazz pianists, returns to the Cameo Cinema with bassist Doug Miller and guitarist Kai Lyons for an afternoon of jazz. The concert will feature the music of Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal and Vince Guaraldi. Tickets are $40. Cameo Cinema, 1340 Main St., St. Helena, 707-963-9779.
Open Studios Napa Valley: Save the dates, Sept. 16-17 and Sept. 23-24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the Napa Valley. Many artists also exhibit at the Art Gallery Napa Valley, 1307 First St., Napa. For more info, visit www.artnv.org/open-studios-visit/
Jessel Gallery Writers’ Salon: Oct 7. from 5 to 8 p.m. $10 at the door and reservations required. This event is growing in popularity and demand for seats, so reserving a spot soon is mandatory if you want to participate in listening to some of Napa Valley’s finest writers read their work. Call 707-257-2350 for more info.