#Event venues in Sonoma county | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jonfarreporter · 1 year

Text

Unleash “The Snarks!” It’s time for the annual Jack London Yacht Club competition

Glen Ellen was filled with excitement on Saturday on March 25 as crowds of people gathered along the edge of Sonoma Creek for the 3rd Annual “Jack to Jack Yacht Race” hosted by the Jack London Yacht Club. It has become a principal fundraising activity for not only the yacht club but in some ways the entire Glen Ellen community.

A small portion of Sonoma Creek’s 33.4-mile-long stream was the racing venue as the starting line began at the back of Jack London Lodge & Saloon to finish at a line point just past the bridge on Arnold Drive. It was a rapid-flow course that more than 60 miniature yachts competed in.

The free event that Saturday was a series of five “Heats” (or races). Each were conducted over a time period of more than three hours from 12 Noon to 2:00, with two final races at 2:10 and 2:30 PM.

The very small stretch of the creekside course was most elated by onlookers at the convergence point of where the Calabazas Creek merges into Sonoma Creek; where the bridge on Arnold Drive is at the center of town. The bridge was filled with people eager to see the yachts meandering down stream.

Vehicle traffic had to slow down as the center of Glen Ellen was one large block party. Booths, banners and streamers were set up outside the century-old lodge & saloon making for a festive atmosphere where food and drinks were readily available as people gathered.

The recent heavy rains provided plenty of fast-moving currents to keep the yachts moving along and people cheered frequently as each “Heat” had seven yachts competing.

“This is so much fun,” exclaimed Jana Conley, who serves as a board member for Jack London Yacht Club (JLYC). “The weather today is perfect and the rain we had this past week makes it ideal for racing.”

Despite the typical breezy wind of March and billowy clouds, the warm sun and blue skies made for an almost perfect spring day for the event.

Established in 2019, “This is our signature event, said Conley. (In honor of the famous writer) It’s the ‘Jack to Jack Yacht Race’ (J2J), which occurs in spring on Sonoma Creek.” As reported by the Sonoma Valley Sun, legend has it, long-time resident & community member Jim Burch, in a moment of inspiration worthy of the great writer himself, sketched out the idea for the Jack London Yacht Club on a cocktail napkin at the saloon. It was after the fires of 2017 and Glen Ellen had been hit hard. Moods were grim, morale low.

“It was the best idea to help bring the community together after such a loss, said Conley.” “We have this in the spring she added, because typically/historically, the water level for Sonoma Creek is at its highest.”

Set along the best side of the creek Jim Burch was pleased to team up with Ana Dominguez to make the “Jack to Jack” an annual event. They are the creators and serve as the official Commodores.

“Back in 2019, when all originally this started, the race took place from the Jack London Lodge in the waters of the creek, to the Jack London Village, Creekside, a .7- mile course,” (hence the name ‘Jack to Jack’) Conley said.

Only this year, organizers Dominguez, Burch and others decided to shorten the down-stream span of the raceway due to flooding, fallen trees, etc.

“The boats are replicas of Jack London's SNARK,” Conley added.

For all the members of the JLYC The “Jack to Jack” is truly a highlight of the yacht club’s activities during the year.

The JLYC is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of volunteers that support our local nonprofits and public entities, and builds community through fundraising efforts and engagement in the Valley of the Moon, Sonoma County, California.

Amid the heavy crowds cheering and reveling, many with food and drink in their hands, Ellen Toscano coordinated the live auction, urging attendees to donate and pledge support. She began the event with the National Anthem and the crowds were enthusiastic and eager to participate. As donations poured in, Toscano praised the generosity of the people, asking that they help JLYC reach a goal of $50,000.

Squire Fridell was Master of Ceremonies and Terry Koehne & Chris Gallagher, did the sportscasting as Sonoma TV posted live on YouTube. DJ music was provided by JayDub & Dino. The acoustic duo of Jeff Falconer and Dennis Cordellos often perform at HopMonk pub.

Retrieving a couple of the “little Snarks” between heats from the water, one of the event sponsors Jimmy Galvin was pleased with the entire event as he said, “Glen Ellen is my favorite place to be in all of Sonoma.” Galvin noted that local events such as the mini yacht racing competition make him appreciate Glen Ellen even more because “the fires of 2017 are a reminder of how fortunate the residents are.”

Galvin, his wife Colleen, Diane & Joe Benziger, Skolnik Family Vineyards & Vic Trione Family among many others worked to make the “Jack to Jack Yacht Races” a success.

“This was unexpected because I really didn’t think it was going to be so much fun,” said longtime Sonoma resident Lisa Coleman. “I definitely want to do this again, she added. Especially, since I agree with Jimmy, Glen Ellen is my favorite spot in all of Sonoma.”

To learn more about the “Jack to Jack Yacht Race” and the JLYC, visit the JLYC website.

#jack london #Glen Ellen #sonoma #Jack to Jack yacht racing #Calabazes Creek

0 notes

guidejust · 2 years

Text

Coppola wine tour napa

Coppola wine tour napa how to#

Coppola wine tour napa movie#

It’s the middle of the harvest season, which means most winemakers in Napa Valley are hard at work perfecting their most prized possessions. It is definitely Hollywood at its best and a must visit if you are in the area.Now is a fantastic time to visit wine country, to experience the hustle and bustle going on around the vineyards during this critical time of year.

Coppola wine tour napa movie#

There will definitely be a lot of visitors who will want to visit this winery and view all the Hollywood memorabilia from the Coppola movie years. When it is said and done, I am sure that it will have a positive effect on all the nearby restaurants, lodging establishments, and other wineries. Indeed, the local government nixed his hotel idea but the public swimming pool complete with cabanas, Bocce courts, and an area for staging entertainment events forges ahead. Many community members in the area balked when they learned of all the different activities that Coppola had planned for the winery. The bottling line is fun but should not be the high point of the tour. For us, a walk in the barrel room and a short walk through a vineyard are a “must” for a good tour. We mostly heard stories about how Francis Ford Coppola decided on making certain wines and about the construction projects that are going on. It’s a decent tour but not enough about the wine-making process. We took a tour of the winery that lasts about 30 minutes followed by a wine tasting. “I want one,” he cried, and now he has it so all can view it at the Rustic restaurant. When Francis Ford Coppola was dining in Buenos Aires he discovered the sumptuous tastes that come from this wood-burning grill. The restaurant also has inside dining and features an amazing Argentine Grill called a parrilla. Just to sit and sip a glass of wine in this venue is so relaxing and soothing, it almost really does not matter how good the food tastes. The newly-opened Rustic restaurant in the Chateau has spectacular views of the Alexander Valley and the Mayacamus Mountain Range to the east. It is simply a beautiful and dramatic structure. The winery is a beautiful chateau and since its construction in 1973 has been a dramatic focal point for folks driving along Highway 101 north of Healdsburg. Yes, once it is done people will flock here as they did on the recent Labor Day weekend when at least 1000 visitors were served in the restaurant and in the tasting room. The famous director has left no stone unturned in his quest to make this winery into one of the most popular tourists attractions in this neck of the woods of Sonoma County. Since his purchase, this winery has gone through a couple of names but now he has settled on the Francis Ford Coppola Winery. These are really good wines but more intended for the average wine consumer. At this venue he makes and bottles thousands of cases of wine made from grapes sourced from throughout California. Near the town of Geyserville, about five miles north of Healdsburg, Francis Ford Coppola is nearing the completion of numerous renovations to the famous and former Chateau Souverain that he purchased in 2008. At his majestic and historic Rubicon Estate Winery in the Napa Valley he concentrates on making the finest wines possible from his estate vineyards in the Napa Valley. So big on wine that in fact he owns two wineries. Movie director Francis Ford Coppola of the famed Godfather movies is big on wine.

Coppola wine tour napa how to#

How to decide which wine region to visit.

Wine Scoring Sheets | Wine Tasting Forms | Wine Scorecards.

How to Host a Fun and Casual Wine Tasting Party.

Hosting a Wine Tasting Party – How to pull it off.

Preserving Wine – what to do with the unfinished bottle of wine.

Sonoma Valley Wine Country Planning Guide.

Healdsburg – Russian River Wine Country.

#Coppola wine tour napa

0 notes

villachanticleer · 3 years

Photo

Encompassed in picturesque surroundings, our gazebo and garden are as pure as your vows.

Call us: (707) 318-9925

#healdsburg wedding #wedding venue in healdsburg #Healdsburg ca wedding venues #sonoma county wedding venue #wedding ceremony Healdsburg #event venues in Healdsburg

1 note · View note

trentaduewineryblog-blog · 5 years

Link

In the event that you've paid great cash to be at some Healdsburg Tasting Rooms, at that point capitalize on it and ask anything you've for the longest time been itching to know. On the off chance that the guide begins being nasty with you – odds are he doesn't know the appropriate response and is endeavoring to coxcomb you off.

#sonoma county wineries #winery events #Wine Country Venues

0 notes

blissfulevents · 4 years

Photo

Blissful Events

Blissful Events is the premier luxury wedding planner for California’s Wine Country area covering Napa Valley, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake County, and San Francisco. Enjoy your dream laid back luxury wedding without a worry in the world. We also offer micro wedding packages & venue consulting.

Address: 120 4th St, #2163, Petaluma, CA 94952, USA Phone: 415-497-2280 Website: https://blissfuleventplanning.com/

#Wedding Planner California #Elopement Packages California #Micro Wedding Packages #Napa Wedding Venues #Wine Country Weddings

2 notes · View notes

bountyofbeads · 5 years

Text

Russian Oligarchs Are Big Arts Patrons — in the U.S. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/06/arts/russia-oligarchs-arts.html

Russian Oligarchs, as U.S. Arts Patrons, Present a Softer Image of Russia

Museums, the performing arts and historical sites like Fort Ross in California, where an old Russian company flag flies, have been the beneficiaries of their gifts.

By Graham Bowley | Published Oct. 6, 2019 Updated 6:02 PM ET | New York Times | Posted October 6, 2019 8:40 PM ET |

Vladimir O. Potanin, a Russian billionaire who made his fortune in banking and natural resources, has been a donor and board member of the Guggenheim Museum since 2002. More recently he gave $6.45 million to the Kennedy Center in Washington, which used some of the money to install the “Russian Lounge,” a meeting space, in the performing arts complex created, in part, by Congress. His name is now inscribed on a wall there.

At the New Museum in Manhattan, another wealthy oligarch, Leonid Mikhelson, helped underwrite a 2011 exhibition through his foundation, which is dedicated to the appreciation of Russian contemporary art. Two years later, the museum named him a trustee, a position he held until last year — three years after the company he directs was placed under sanctions by the United States government.

Fort Ross, a California state historic park that commemorates a 19th-century Russian settlement in Sonoma County, was struggling in 2010 when Viktor F. Vekselberg, another oligarch, stepped in to help financially. His foundation continued as a patron until last year, when sanctions were imposed on him and his company, and the Justice Department told the park’s caretakers to stop taking his money.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, rich Russians have emerged as influential patrons of the arts and Western cultural organizations have often been the beneficiaries. Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Lincoln Center are among those who have received gifts from moneyed Russians or the companies they control over the past decade.

Though wealthy patrons have long used the arts to advance their individual tastes and social standing, much of the Russian giving is different. While the oligarchs also promote their personal preferences and support a wide range of cultural activities, they often employ philanthropy to celebrate their homeland, depicting it as an enlightened wellspring of masterworks in dance, painting, opera and the like.

These patrons have been quite public in their philanthropy, and there is little evidence that their donations have been directed or coordinated by Moscow. But they all enjoy good relations with the Kremlin — a prerequisite to flourish in business in Russia — and their giving fits seamlessly with President Vladimir V. Putin’s expanding efforts to use the “soft power” of cultural diplomacy as a tool of foreign policy.

The effect, however cultivated, helps burnish the image of a nation whose aggression in Ukraine and election meddling have led it to be viewed by many as a hostile power.

“When Western publics think about Russia, Putin wants them to think about Pushkin, Tolstoy, Tchaikovsky,” said Andrew Foxall, a Russia expert at the Henry Jackson Society in London. “What he does not want Western publics to think about is the actions of his regime that goes to war with its near neighbors.”

The Russian giving, and the strained relations between the countries, has created something of a minefield for American cultural organizations, many of which depend on philanthropic support and embrace shared aesthetic experiences as opportunities for bridge- building. It presents them with an ethical challenge: are they putting themselves at risk, however unwittingly, of helping to promote a one-sided view of a country that the United States is officially sparring with?

Two institutions accepted large donations from an oligarch whose company had been placed under sanctions by the American government. A third took money from a company that had been similarly penalized.

In two other cases, the cultural philanthropy was endorsed by the Russian Embassy, which for years has solicited oligarchs to help it promote Russia in America.

In other instances, from California to Brooklyn, American venues have hosted performances by Russian troupes whose operations are underwritten by companies or individuals under sanctions.

None of the transactions were illegal because the Russian donors were subject to limited sanctions that only restrict access to financial markets, not full blocking sanctions that generally freeze their American assets and bar doing business with a United States business or person. Still, experts said, accepting such donations runs counter to the spirit of United States policy designed to isolate some Russian interests.

“The whole point of sanctions is to prevent access,” said Alina Polyakova, a fellow at the Brookings Institution. Yet, because of their wealth, she said, individuals under government sanctions “are still allowed into these high echelons of cultural power.”

One Russian company employed culture to continue interacting with a high-powered American audience, even after it had been put under sanctions.

The company, VTB, a Russian-government-owned bank under limited sanctions since 2014, held two galas at the Kennedy Center. The first, in October 2016, a month before the American presidential election, featured a special performance by stars of the Bolshoi Ballet. The VTB logo decorated both the stage and the uniforms of the wait staff, and VTB’s president, Andrey Kostin, spoke.

Among the people invited were at least two State Department officials, including Daniel Fried, a senior official responsible for sanctions policy who had already been lobbied by representatives of the bank. Mr. Fried, as the Center for Public Integrity first reported, declined the invitation.

“I was not going to the Kennedy Center for a VTB thing and be photographed with them,” he said in an interview. “The optics were terrible. We are not their friends.”

Several of the American arts organizations declined to comment on whether they had given Russians a platform to spin public perception of their country. The Kennedy Center defended hosting the galas underwritten by VTB, describing its role as simply a landlord. “The Kennedy Center rents to all, while providing no judgment on the content or artistic quality of said events,” said a spokeswoman, Rachelle Roe.

But it also accepted a donation from VTB in 2017. The center said it had recently decided it would no longer accept money from the bank since its president, Mr. Kostin, was placed under full sanctions last year.

“The climate has changed since 2016,” said Ms. Roe.

Surprisingly little attention has been paid to these Russian efforts, even as the Kremlin is accused of using more insidious methods to sway American public opinion and elections. The United States, of course, also employs cultural diplomacy through a program run out of the State Department whose preachy use of the Voice of America during the Cold War is well established. But several experts said the Russian version is more coordinated, more baldly designed to muddy the discussion at a time when that country is perceived by many to be overly aggressive.

Michael R. Carpenter, a former National Security Council adviser to President Obama, said he had noticed years ago how the oligarchs were using cultural philanthropy to stay in contact with influential American political, diplomatic and business leaders.

“That access can be used to advance your business interests,” he said, “or the Kremlin’s interest.”

The cultural diplomacy of Communism

Russia’s rich traditions in ballet, fine art and orchestral music did not disappear during the days of the Soviet Union. But they became quite insular.

For decades, the production of art was tightly controlled by the state. Censorship was the norm. The Bolshoi toured, of course, but some of its excursions became threadbare affairs, its programming at times chained to ideological themes.

That all changed after the fall of Communism as the wealth concentrated in a powerful set of business leaders fueled an explosion of artistic interest and outreach.

Dmitry Rybolovlev spent $2 billion in a few short years capturing works by the likes of Picasso and Leonardo.

Mr. Vekselberg, an oligarch, and Mr. Kostin, a banker, joined the boards of the Mariinsky Theater and the Bolshoi, and helped, either personally or through their companies, to send them on polished world tours.

The spending evoked an era when 19th-century Russian czars and industrialists were among the world’s most extravagant arts patrons. Some of the newly rich, after forging fortunes in hardscrabble industries like natural resources, followed a patriotic impulse to recapture Russian cultural works smuggled abroad by nobles, sold by the Bolsheviks or otherwise lost after the revolution.

In 2005, Mr. Potanin’s foundation helped finance an 800-year survey of Russian art, from icons to 19th-century paintings, called simply “Russia!” at the Guggenheim. Mr. Putin spoke at the opening.

“Such events,” Mr. Putin said, “are the best and most eloquent way to understand a country that possesses huge humanistic and spiritual potential, a country such as Russia.”

More recently, Mr. Mikhelson, whose company, Novatek, is under limited sanctions, has staged exhibitions of contemporary art, often focusing on Russian artists, through his V-A-C Foundation.

Helen Weaver, a spokeswoman for Mr. Mikhelson’s foundation, said: “The foundation’s work is always about building bridges and fostering understanding through culture.”

Several experts on Russia said that the spending by oligarchs can resemble bouquets to Mr. Putin who is known to smile on efforts to project the national interest abroad.

“That is what you do if you don’t want to do something dirtier,” said Anders Aslund, an analyst at the Atlantic Council. “You are a patron of culture if you are trying to escape tougher demands from the Kremlin.”

A spokeswoman for VTB, the bank under limited sanctions, said in a statement “that the state or its representatives do not influence VTB’s decisions to sponsor museums, theaters, artistic groups. If we get any requests from state representatives, we review them according to standard procedure.”

But the Russian government has made clear, as it said in a 2016 statement of principles, that “‘soft power’ has become an integral part of efforts to achieve foreign policy objectives.” The following year, the Foreign Ministry created a working group of advisers, including government officials and corporate executives, “to coordinate steps to strengthen Russian-American cultural ties, preserve and develop Russian-associated memorial sites and heritage sites in the United States, and implement relevant future projects,” according to a document provided to The New York Times by the Russian government.

Its efforts include the commemoration of a Russian site, Fort Elizabeth, on the island of Kauai, to mark the 200th anniversary of a Russian presence in Hawaii.

Some of the philanthropy was driven by the former Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey I. Kislyak. A master networker in Washington, Mr. Kislyak helped arrange Mr. Potanin’s gift to the Kennedy Center, solicited help for Fort Ross and spurred an American philanthropist, Susan Carmel, to create an institute at American University that promotes Russian culture and history.

The ambassador later became entangled in the controversy over Russian meddling in American affairs. He returned to Moscow in 2017. The embassy he left behind declined to comment further on questions The New York Times posed about Russia’s pursuit of cultural diplomacy.

“If the purpose of your article is ‘to investigate,’ rather than to promote Russian-American cultural ties, I’m afraid we cannot provide you further assistance,” said Nikolay Lakhonin, the embassy spokesman.

Michael McFaul, the American ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, recalled how Mr. Kislyak once told him that he had employed Russian culture as a tool to “get deeper into the fabric of society” in the United States. Mr. McFaul said he made limited efforts to do the same in Russia, once helping to bring through the Chicago Symphony, but never with the kind of resources the oligarchs offered.

“I remember joking with Kislyak when I saw him in Washington that he was able to convince these major business people to make serious investments,” he said.

Several oligarchs, or the companies they control, help underwrite the operations of the Mariinsky Theater, which coordinates cultural activities for several troupes that regularly tour in the West, including the world famous Mariinsky Orchestra. The organization is led by Valery Gergiev, the master conductor and ally of Mr. Putin, who, as head of state, has met regularly with the Mariinsky board.

The oligarchs resist the idea that their spending advances a national agenda.

Petr Aven, for example, leads one of Russia’s largest banks and has contributed financially to exhibitions on Russian art at the Tate Modern and Royal Academy of Arts in London, where he is also a trustee. The companies he helps direct have also helped underwrite exhibitions at museums like the Guggenheim.

But a spokesman for Mr. Aven said “he has not funded or contributed art to any exhibition at the behest of or in coordination with the government of Russia.”

One oligarch’s efforts in the United States

Along the Pacific Coast, a two-hour drive north of San Francisco, visitors to Fort Ross find a 3,400-acre California state park that was once the southernmost Russian settlement in North America.

The park recreates the 19th-century lifestyle of the Russians who scratched out an existence by farming and fur-trading long before California became a state. Visitors tour the stockade, the Russian Orthodox chapel and a windmill like the one used by the settlers. The signs are in English and Russian, and overhead the flag of the Russian company that once ran the settlement often flies.

Some exhibits note the contributions of the Alaskans who joined the settlement as well as the indigenous Kashaya. But when schoolchildren visit, they sometimes dress as Russian settlers, marching with muskets across the park, shouting in Russian, “Levoy. Levoy. Levoy.”

Left. Left. Left.

“We are working hard not to focus just on the Russian era,” said Sarah Sweedler, who runs the Fort Ross Conservancy, a nonprofit that helps operate the site, “but Russia is the reason for the park, after all.”

It’s certainly the reason Mr. Vekselberg, the oligarch, stepped up at Mr. Kislyak’s request to create a private foundation, funded by his company, to help the park. The Russian president at the time, Dmitri Medvedev, attended the signing of the funding agreement with Mr. Vekselberg and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in California.

Over the next eight years, the foundation donated more than $1.5 million to the park, paying for projects like the hiring of a bilingual tour guide.

“The contribution is modest,” said Ms. Sweedler, “and the influence they wield on the program is nonexistent.”

Last year, though, Ms. Sweedler said the Justice Department told the conservancy to stop taking the money. Mr. Vekselberg and his company, Renova Group, had been among the entities slapped with sanctions by the United States Treasury, which cited “a key role in advancing Russia’s malign activities,” including its occupation of Crimea, aggression in eastern Ukraine, support of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, “attempting to subvert Western democracies, and malicious cyber activities.”

Some sanctions are based on behavior, but many companies or individuals, like Mr. Vekselberg, were punished largely because they are viewed as influential supporters of Mr. Putin who benefit from the actions of his regime.

Mr. Vekselberg, who is fighting the sanctions, declined to be interviewed.

Ms. Sweedler views the Russian investment in Fort Ross as a harmless cultural interaction, an important counterpoint to saber-rattling. Others see something more deliberate.

“For me it did raise alarm bells,” said Mr. Carpenter, the Russian specialist in the Obama administration. “Fort Ross was part of a soft power operation.”

Mr. Carpenter said the outpost was important enough to Russia that Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, urged the Americans to turn it into a national park.

Anatoly I. Antonov, the current Russian ambassador to the United States, was exuberant in his appreciation of Fort Ross after a tour last year. “It feels like in some Washington buildings, the air is spoiled with anti-Russian sentiment,” he said. “The air is different here. And people are different, too.”

It is far from the only cultural initiative that Mr. Vekselberg, 62, launched after making his fortune during the rough and tumble privatization of Russia’s aluminum and oil industries in the 1990s.

In 2004, he spent about $100 million to secure the return of a collection of imperial Fabergé eggs and created a museum to showcase them. Though Russia experts do not see Mr. Vekselberg as personally close to Mr. Putin, the effort synced with the president’s mission to bring Russian cultural artifacts back to Russia.

Later, with other oligarchs, he helped build a Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow, saying it would help paint Russia in a different light.

“The average American has developed this stereotype. They have a very wary approach to Russia, with the story of the evil empire and so forth,” he said at the time. “Americans who come here to work or visit, often for business, and come to this museum will assess what is going on in Russia in a different way.”

Mr. McFaul, the former ambassador, said he views Mr. Vekselberg, whose family owns homes in New York and Connecticut, as one of the more Western-oriented oligarchs. “I do think he considers himself a bridge-builder between the U.S. and Russia,” Mr. McFaul said.

But there have been rough spots.

Last year, agents for the special counsel Robert Mueller stopped Mr. Vekselberg at an airport, checked his electronic devices and sought to question him. Mr. Mueller’s team was interested in Mr. Vekselberg’s contact with Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer. The two men had had a meeting at Trump Tower in January 2017, just before President Trump’s inauguration. Mr. Vekselberg attended the inauguration with his cousin, Andrew Intrater, an American citizen and major donor to the event.

Prosecutors say Mr. Vekselberg is affiliated with Mr. Intrater’s firm, Columbus Nova, and were intrigued by $500,000 in payments the company made to Mr. Cohen for what was described as consulting work.

Mr. Vekselberg has denied being involved in the payments, and said he is only a client of his cousin’s firm. The investigators have not accused either man of wrongdoing.

Among the organizations that have received financial support from Mr. Vekselberg or his company are Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Museum of Modern Art and the Tate Modern in London. In a 2017 accounting, a Renova official said the company had spent $13.5 million on “arts and culture” in the nine years ending in 2016.

In many of these settings, the culture being promoted is Russian. Before Renova was hit with sanctions, for example, it helped fund a series of ballets and an opera in 2015 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music by the Mariinsky Theater, which the academy described as “the beating heart of Russian culture.”

Mr. Vekselberg’s company was not the venue’s only Russian patron. A few years earlier, the Mikhail Prokhorov Fund, named after the billionaire who then owned the Brooklyn Nets, announced a gift of $1 million to help underwrite an exchange program with the arts organization: “TransCultural Express: American and Russian Arts Today.”

In announcing the gift, Mr. Prokhorov said he was happy to “share some of the contemporary culture of Russia, the place I am proud to call home.”

Catherine Cheney contributed reporting from California and Michael Kolomatsky from New York. Susan Beachy contributed research.

Six Russians Whose Money Has Made Art and Friends in the West

Published Oct. 6, 2019 Updated 2:21 p.m. ET | New York Times | Posted October 6, 2019 8:35 PM ET |

These men, personally or through foundations or companies they control, have given to arts organizations in the West and sponsored events that celebrate Russian culture abroad.

Leonid Mikhelson

Chairman and major shareholder of Novatek

GIFTS: Mr. Mikhelson’s V-A-C Foundation has the goal of promoting Russian contemporary art internationally. He has given to the New Museum, and the Tate Modern in Britain. His foundation helped to finance a 2017 show on Soviet art at the Art Institute of Chicago, which the museum says its own curators developed.

WEALTH: Novatek, which has been under limited sanctions since 2014, is Russia’s largest nongovernment-owned natural gas supplier. He also owns a large stake in Sibur, a petrochemicals company.

Viktor Vekselberg

Founder and principal owner of Renova Group

GIFTS: Mr. Vekselberg, either personally or through his company or foundation, has donated to Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern in London and Fort Ross in California.

WEALTH: Mr. Vekselberg, a billionaire, made his fortune when Russia’s oil and aluminum industries were privatized. He and his company have been under sanctions since 2018.

Vladimir Potanin

Founder and president of Interros

GIFTS: He has been a donor to the Guggenheim Museum since 2002. More recently he gave $6.45 million to the Kennedy Center in Washington.

WEALTH: He made his fortune in Russian banking and natural resources, including a major stake in one of the world’s largest nickel producers.

Petr Aven

Chairman and a principal owner of Alfa Bank and co-founder of LetterOne

GIFTS: He and his companies have sponsored exhibitions of Russian art at the Tate Modern and the Guggenheim. Mr. Aven, a trustee at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, also lent paintings from his collection of Russian art for a show at New York’s Neue Galerie in 2015.

WEALTH: His fortune is derived in part from Alfa Bank, one of Russia’s largest, and LetterOne, which invests in energy and telecoms, among other sectors.

Andrey Kostin

President and chairman of VTB Bank

GIFTS: The bank he leads has been a major financial supporter of Russia’s Mariinsky Theater, the Bolshoi Ballet and the Eifman Ballet, which have performed at venues across the United States. VTB has also given directly to the Kennedy Center.

WEALTH: Mr. Kostin is wealthy but his power stems from his role with Russia’s second largest bank, VTB, which is state-controlled and has been under limited sanctions since 2014. Mr. Kostin, who has been under personal sanctions since last year, serves on the Bolshoi and Mariinsky boards.

Mikhail D. Prokhorov

Founder of the investment company Onexim Group

GIFTS: He gave $1 million to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2012 for a three-year program of cultural exchanges between the United States and Russia.

WEALTH: A billionaire, he derives his fortune from Russian natural resources and banking. Until recently, he was the majority owner of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team.

#russia #oligarchy #vladimir putin #putin #trump putin #election interference #international news #nationalsecurity #national news #national security #arts and entertainment #world news #worldpolitics

2 notes · View notes

thehealdsburgclubhouse · 6 years

Link

Experience a heaven of beauty and elegance by selecting event venues in Sonoma County. The Healdsburg Club House is surrounded by breathtaking scenery with huge oak trees and sweeping views of Fitch Mountain. At the Healdsburg Club House, you can experience some of Northern California’s most coveted views.

#Event venues in Sonoma County #Event venues in Healdsburg

0 notes

near-alameda-ca-blog · 5 years

Text

Near Alameda CA

Events

The number of visitors going to Alameda, CA area has increased through the years. Due to the amazing feedback online, many tourist spots became well-known to them. Aside from that, there are also interesting events in the city. These pre-scheduled activities can be part of your itinerary if you’re planning to visit the place. This coming November 3, 2019, Sunday, there will be a Festa della Porchetta - Italian Pork Roast Celebration at around 12:30pm. The venue is C'Era Una Volta, Alameda, CA. In addition, there will be a 2019 Veteran's Day Dinner this coming Saturday, Nov 9, 2019 at around 5:00pm at the Alameda Elks Historic Ballroom.

Silva & Associates

Silva Divorce is truly reliable when it comes to family-related cases. Basically, their attorneys are well-versed and experienced in the field. If you are wondering how to know if you have hired the correct attorney, you can research about it. As suggestion, you can read the article shared in the website of the law firm. As explained, all you have to do is find a lawyer that has the specialization and expertise to handle your case. Being comfortable with the level of expertise, experience and reliability of the lawyer are your indicators. The lawyers of Silva Divorce have 50 years of combined experienced and are highly-skilled in handling difficult family-related cases.

11 CA Solar Homes with Style

The property is situated on a quarter-acre lot. Opulent $22 M Corona Del Mar, Eco-Friendly Home No expense spared, designed for energy efficiency and conservation, generate you own electricity and surplus via a 3,000sf solar array. Solar-Powered Serenity: Sonoma County A-Frame On 600 Acres The completely renovated off-the-grid home is 25 minutes from Healdsburg in a wooded setting with a peaceful pond. This Solar Powered Big Bear Home Is An Equestrian's Dream Solar panels keep things cozy in this 3,200 square-foot space, featuring a sauna and an enormous garage — and that's just the main home. Read more here

There are many ways to take advantage of nature these days. So many years ago, ancient civilization is heavily anchored on the abundance of natural resources. Even if today is more sophisticated than before, there is still one way to enjoy natural resources. One of these things is to have a solar home in your area. In an article published at Patch, there is a photo of a Waterfront Estate with 42-Foot Boat Dock that is considered a Solar Alameda dream home. It is so beautiful that many residents find it so inspiring to take advantage of solar technology and innovation.

Crab Cove Visitor Center in Alameda, CA

The Crab Cove Visitor Center in Alameda, CA is an awesome place to hang out in the city. Obviously, many people flock to the said place with their family and friends for fun and excitement. It is also a perfect place to have an adventure once in a while. Basically, the place has officially opened on July 4, 1980. It features bay creatures in the 800-gallon aquarium system. It's necessary to use interactive stations for varying age groups to view microscopic animals, build a crab from the inside out, or get a lug worm's view of the mudflats. Lastly, the purpose of building the place is to increase public awareness of the environmental importance of San Francisco, Bay.

Link to map

Driving Direction

8 min (2.0 miles)

via Constitution Way

Best route

Crab Cove Visitor Center

1231 McKay Ave, Alameda, CA 94501

Head north on McKay Ave

2 min (0.2 mi)

Turn left onto Central Ave

22 s (325 ft)

Turn right onto 6th St

1 min (0.3 mi)

Take Constitution Way to Mariner Square Dr

4 min (1.0 mi)

Keep right to continue on Mariner Square Dr

42 s (0.3 mi)

Turn right onto Marina Village Pkwy

14 s (407 ft)

Drive to your destination

44 s (0.1 mi)

Silva & Associates

1301 Marina Village Parkway # 330

Alameda, CA 94501

#Alameda Family Law Attorney #Alameda Divorce Attorney #Alameda Child Custody Lawyer #Alameda Paternity Lawyer #Alameda Divorce Mediation Attorney

1 note · View note

sartle-blog · 5 years

Text

Good News from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Last week, Sartle was invited to the Director’s Breakfast at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, held in celebration of Thomas P. Campbell’s first year as director and CEO of the umbrella organization that oversees the de Young and the Legion of Honor. They gave us the scoop about upcoming events, but also shared some exciting news about their latest efforts to better serve their community.

Campbell spoke candidly about the pressure museums are under from various forces, from the politics of patrimony to the consuming, attention-diminishing powers of technology. Museums across the world are being forced to grapple with the question of what the role of an art museum in contemporary society should be. Campbell believes, as he eloquently phrased it, that art museums are “engines of empathy,” and as such, are essential in this time of polarization, identity politics, globalization, and existential peril. Perhaps now more than ever museums need to be accessible to people of all ages, incomes, and identities.

All of this is why the museum has decided to extend free admission on Saturdays to residents of all nine Bay Area counties! Starting on October 19, 2019, general admission to the Legion of Honor and the de Young will be free on Saturdays to those who live in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties. (Just be sure to bring a photo ID or postmarked envelope with your home address when you go.) This is all thanks to a generous gift by Diane B. Wilsey, Chair Emerita of the Board of Trustees.

Furthermore, the museum is pleased to be unveiling a number of new internships for high school students that will be paid. Yes, paid, and with real money! And they are taking steps to make more paid internships in the future. The fact that most museum internships are unpaid has forced only people of a certain economic bracket to be able to take them, thus perpetuating elitism in the art world. It seems this venerable institution, now in its 125th year, is making some serious strides for equality and accessibility.

The Fine Arts Museums also announced their upcoming 2020 special exhibitions, many of which have unique connections to San Francisco, and all of which further cement FAMSF’s reputation as a world-class art institution. There’s a lot of excitement brewing about these shows, so if you’ll be in San Francisco any time in the next year, there’s sure to be something worth seeing.

Upcoming Special Exhibitions

James Tissot: Fashion and Faith at the Legion of Honor (October 12, 2019 - February 9, 2020)

Put on in conjunction with the Musée d'Orsay, this lavish exhibition is the first in the United States in over twenty years to cover the 19th century society painter James Tissot. Boasting fresh scholarship and a full reassessment of his work, this exhibit features over seventy drawings, paintings, and objets d’art that operate as a fantastic lens into Belle Époque society and the artist’s own extraordinary, unconventional life. There will certainly be paintings of debutantes wearing decadent dresses, but there will also be séances and spiritualism, and deeply religious works, too. An artist who can’t quite be placed among the Impressionists (despite his friendship with Degas), but who doesn’t fit squarely into any other art movement, Tissot is thoroughly deserving of the nuanced, fresh take Melissa Buron and her fellow curators have no doubt prepared.

If you can’t make it to San Francisco, you can read all about it in the sumptuous exhibition catalog. (paid link)

Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power at the de Young (November 9, 2019 - March 8, 2020)

Organized by Tate Modern, this internationally celebrated show promises to be powerful, provocative, and relevant. This exhibit features over 150 works of art by African American artists made between 1963 and 1983, a turbulent time which saw the height of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. Over sixty artists will be represented, including Faith Ringgold, Romare Bearden, David Hammons, Elizabeth Catlett, and Barkley L. Hendricks, and in the De Young’s version of the exhibit, works with close ties to the San Francisco Bay Area will also be included. Long marginalized, the artists on display worked to give a voice to the African American community, promoting self-determination and empowerment for their brethren, and often drawing upon European aesthetic traditions only to subvert them. Giving a thorough, timely analysis of an important part of the American experience, this exhibit will be an absolute must-see.

You can find the exhibition catalog here if you can’t make the trip. (paid link)

Uncanny Valley: Being Human in the Age of AI at the de Young (February 22 - October 25, 2020)

The de Young will be the exclusive venue of this groundbreaking new exhibition, the first ever in the United States to consider Artificial Intelligence as something other (and more) than just a tool. Examining the way our behavioral patterns are shaped by AI, and questioning what it even means to be human as technological innovations change our identities and societies, this show is urgently needed, particularly in the Silicon Valley area. It brings together the works of contemporary artists like Ian Cheng, Martine Syms, Stephanie Dinkins, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Hito Steyerl, and Trevor Paglen, and also explores AI’s master-slave dialectic and the myth of technological neutrality. So please, Tech companies, PLEASE bring your employees to this exhibit for a field trip. The question is not whether you can afford to go, but whether you can afford not to.

Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving at the de Young (March 21 - July 26, 2020)

In the last few decades, Frida Kahlo has transcended artist and celebrity status and truly become an icon, her image instantly recognizable, heavily reproduced, and everywhere adored. And yet, the Frida underneath it all is continually full of surprises. This new show brings together a variety of her intensely intimate paintings as well as personal items that had been sealed away in her home, La Casa Azul, now Museo Frida Kahlo, until 2004. It will also highlight her connections to San Francisco--where she depicted herself in her Tehuana-inspired attire for the first time, and where she married Diego Rivera for the second time. Viewers can expect to see intimate photographs, clothing and jewelry, and even her orthopedic corsets, which she wore every day to hold her spine in place and which she decorated herself, often with revolutionary and reproductive imagery. The exhibit will offer a glimpse into the ways politics, gender, sexuality, trauma, and heritage affected her creative output. All signs point to this show being colorful, intimate, and very, very popular.

Judy Chicago: A Retrospective at the de Young (May 9 - September 5, 2020)

This exciting show is the very first retrospective dedicated to the work of legendary Feminist artist Judy Chicago. You probably know her from that famously vulvar Dinner Party, which premiered in San Francisco forty years ago next year, but her career has spanned almost six decades and has encompassed a shockingly large variety of themes and media. There will be over 150 works of art (from ceramics and paintings to needlework and performance art) that prove how revolutionary she was and still continues to be. Though her artwork comes in many forms, one thing that can be said about all of it is that it is shaped by a commitment to radical empathy--for women throughout history, for those who suffered in the holocaust, for the polar bears who are losing their habitat, etc. This celebratory show coincides with the one hundredth anniversary of the Women’s Vote in the United States, connecting Chicago’s legacy to a long line of women who broke barriers and defied tradition.

New Acquisitions on Display Now

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco were also pleased to share new acquisitions the museums have recently made. All of these can be seen on the second floor of the de Young.

The Turkmen bag

The de Young’s textile department, which boasts one of the nation’s finest collections of carpet weavings, is absolutely thrilled to be displaying a set of Turkmen Storage Bags. These bags were used by the Turkmen people, who dwelled in the Central Asian steppes for over 10 centuries. Rugs were essential to their way of life, as their nomadic lifestyle did not permit the use of furniture. Instead, they furnished their yurts with carpeting for floors and these portable storage rugs (called chuvals) hung from two slats to hold utensils and other goods. Who needs a cupboard or dresser when you have these bad boys? Chuvals made up a substantial part of a girl’s dowry, along with other woven goods like floor carpets and pouches, and were often made by the girl herself. The de Young’s display of these bags touches upon their anthropological, as well as aesthetic, significance. And while they are very tempting to touch, you probably shouldn’t.

The Turkmen storage bags will be on view now through November 15, 2020.

in Pursuit of Venus [infected] by Lisa Reihana

This seventy-foot-long, animated video installation is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Artist Lisa Reihana, who is of both Māori and British descent, was inspired to create this panoramic vision after viewing a set of 19th century French wallpaper titled Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique (Native Peoples of the South Pacific) that depicted Captain James Cook’s voyages in the Pacific and the peoples he encountered there. The original wallpaper (which is also part of FAMSF’s collection and can be seen alongside Reihana’s work) is full of paradise scenes depicting natives prancing about like Grecian goddesses in a Botticelli painting. Reihana challenges the Imperialist viewpoint expressed in the wallpaper by creating her own, animated version of the wallpaper that gently drifts across a large screen from right to left, showcasing vignettes and backgrounds inspired by Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique. Only she uses actual Pacific Islander actors engaged in traditional rituals and dances, and the vignettes are not all happy little hula dances -- they drift into moments of violence, of floggings and trade for sexual favors, shedding light on the dark truths behind colonization. This unique work is a must-see, astonishingly well-researched (she read extensively about Cook’s voyages from the point of views of both the Europeans and Pacific Islanders), mesmerizing to watch, and essential to current conversations about imperialism, race, and patrimony.

in Pursuit of Venus [infected] is on view now through January 5, 2020.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by all these wonderful looking shows coming up, don't worry! You're not alone. We're looking forward to them, too. Stay tuned for our exhibit reviews in the coming months, and maybe we'll see you at the museum!

By: Jeannette Baisch Sturman

1 note · View note

newmusicradionetwork · 2 years

Text

Brittany Bexton Releases Official Music Video for Single “Believe Again”

Independent recording artist Brittany Bexton recently released the official music video for her single “Believe Again.” You can watch the video HERE! Co-written with Erica Sunshine Lee, the emotional ballad is Brittany’s autobiographical journey through her many obstacles. With heartfelt lyrics like how can you trust when your life is shattered, how can you stand when you’re on your knees, “Believe Again” delivers a significant message that is sure to resonate with listeners. “I wrote Believe Again about my journey healing from PTSD and what it was like getting my faith back in the midst of it,” Brittany explains. “I didn’t want it to be another song that was overly positive. For me, it was a raw biopic of everything I was going through at the time, when my daily prayer was God, I believe! Help me overcome my unbelief. Writing and singing this song has been healing for me and it has been such a joy to see how it’s touched other people. I truly believe that music has the power to break through barriers and bring people hope again. So many people have been through traumatic experiences in their lives and haven’t fully processed the experience. We have been through collective trauma in the last 2.5 years worldwide and I’m so excited to be able to put the music video for this song out now. I hope that it will heal hearts the same way it helped me heal my own.” About Brittany Bexton: Brittany Bexton grew up with Aretha Franklin, Motown, and rock and roll as the soundtracks that influenced her musical palate. She began her career as a youngster performing in hometown choirs and the theatre. Brittany studied music intently in high school and took vocal lessons with four master teachers. She attended Pacific Conservatory Theater (PCPA) where she studied acting, singing and dancing, and worked in professional musical theater. In 2011, the determined Northern California native moved to Nashville to dedicate her concentrations toward her music as a full-time endeavor. Since her relocation to Music City, Brittany has released two CDs (a self-titled album and an EP titled FREE FALL); she has toured to perform at fairs and festivals in 18 states (performing at Fiddler’s & Fiddleheads Festival/Oconto County Fair/Gogebic County Fair/Sonoma County Fair/Wyoming West Festival) sharing the spotlight with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Craig Wayne Boyd, Jason Sellers and Sarah Buxton among others. In Nashville, Brittany has played at special events and venues including 12th & Porter, The Rutledge and The Amethyst Affair. As an active advocate against domestic abuse, Brittany works closely with various charities and affiliated organizations dedicating her time to lend assistance in awareness campaigns throughout the year. In addition to the US, her music has enjoyed airplay in the UK and Europe. Brittany believes in a greater gift—that her music and writing have a greater purpose to bring joy, laughter, connection and hope to her listeners. Sharing personal insight, testimonials and her belief in a greater power, Brittany has written an inspiring book titled “Learning To Believe Again: 30 Days To Finding Hope, Faith & Comfort in God’s Truth.” (Released February 2020.) The 200-plus page paperback complements the hopeful and inspiring message of her debut single, “Believe Again,” released on February 28, 2020. She released the official music video for the song on June 3, 2022. For more information, visit www.brittanybexton.com and connect with Brittany on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Read the full article

0 notes

napawineries · 2 years

Text

Summer Plans in the Napa Valley

Throughout the year, Napa Valley businesses and communities offer a wide variety of fascinating family-friendly activities to enjoy, enlighten, and entertain.

During the summer, when most of us schedule time to travel to our favorite destinations, the whirlwind of activities in Napa Valley and nearby Sonoma County increases. Music and art presentations, outdoor activities, wine tastings and tours, open-air markets, hot air balloon rides, cooking classes, educational experiences, and other celebrations of life are available throughout the season.

Visitors to the area should plan forward by making reservations for their join-in and private wine tours, balloon rides, musical events, and more at venues where participation may be limited.

While a complete list of activities to enjoy while in Napa Valley during the summer season is almost endless, here is a sample of a few activities that visitors should consider:

Bottlerock Music Festival, 2022: May 27-29

Napa Valley’s annual Bottlerock event features an extensive lineup of international and regionally known musicians, including Metallica, Pink, and a host of others. Ample food, regionally produced wines, and artisan beer are always available during the event.

Also, a Culinary Stage features presentations by many of the world’s most recognizable chefs and celebrities, demonstrating their talents and recipes. Art by many famous artists will be on display.

Napa and Sonoma Wine Tours with Platypus

For many of us, a visit to Napa Valley is not complete without a winery tour and winetasting.

The safest, most relaxing way to enjoy Napa and Sonoma wine tours is with a professionally-curated Wine Tour hosted and driven by an experienced company like Platypus Wine Tours. Each Tour comes complete with knowledgeable commentary and insight and visits to some of the region’s more unique wineries and vineyards. Guests can choose to schedule a join-in tour, or you may arrange private wine tours in Napa Valley or Sonoma Wine Country with a customized schedule for small or larger groups with lunch options available.

Napa Farmers Market

Voted the top farmers market in California for the past two years, the Napa version is open each Tuesday and Saturday throughout the summer from 8:00 AM to 12 Noon. The Market takes place at the City of Napa Parking Lot downtown at 1100 West Street. Visitors may browse and buy from a wide selection of products from local farmers, food producers, and artisans.

The Market is designed to be a gathering spot for locals and visitors to congregate, interact with local businesses and artists, and shop for high-quality foods and other items to take home and enjoy.

Outdoor Adventures, Trekking, and Golf

The spectacular summer weather in Napa Valley is ideal for far more than for those special private wine tours, outdoor music festivals, or top-notch farmers’ markets. Visitors can enjoy a full range of outdoor activities, including bicycling, bird watching, walking, and jogging along the Napa Wine Trail.

Many families and groups also enjoy the parks and idyllic spots along the Trail or along the wooded mountainsides that border the base of Napa Valley.

Golfers can enjoy a round at the Silverado Golf Resort and public courses, including the Napa Golf Course, the Chardonnay Golf Club in American Canyon, or the Vintners Golf Club in Yountville.

Reserve Your Napa Valley and Sonoma Wine Tours with Platypus

For more information and to make reservations for your private wine tours to Napa or Sonoma Valley, check out the Platypus Wine Tours website.

A safe and well-organized wine tour by Platypus will provide a pleasant and unforgettable experience for your entire party. Make your reservations for a future join-in or private wine tour of Napa Valley and Sonoma Wine Country online.

Or, you may make your reservations by phone at (707)-253-2723.

0 notes

trentaduewineryblog-blog · 5 years

Link

The genes which make you a unique individual can influence your tastes and make different wines more or less appealing to you. As well, everyone responds in different ways to the taste notes and nuances that mark each bottle.

#winery wedding venues #Wine Country Weddings #sonoma county wineries #winery events #Wine Country Venues #Healdsburg Tasting Rooms #healdsburg ca wineries

0 notes

lanewsline · 3 years

Text

EVENT REPORT: Luxury Experience & Co Celebrated the Big Game in Style with the Ultimate Athlete & Celebrity Gifting Lounge Experience at Petersen Automotive Museum

By Don Rose

On a beautiful, surprisingly hot winter day that felt more like summer, Luxury Experience & Co presented an exciting, exclusive, and excellent gifting lounge in the heart of Los Angeles, celebrating the Big Game on the rooftop event space atop the Petersen Automotive Museum. As the Super Bowl brings in top celebrities and athletes, LE & Co crafted the ultimate pre-Super Bowl event, partnering with Lunzer Productions and Global Crown Press for a stellar gifting experience where celebrities, athletes, and a wide range of brands mingled, all while toasting our home city.

The Petersen was the perfect venue as many celebs, athletes, music artists, and media flocked to the stellar event. Some of the famous guests who came by included Rams Super Bowl Champion Ryan Santoso, Rams Super Bowl Champion Cam Akers, Green Bay Packers' Aaron Jones, Walter Payton Man of the Year Nominee Bradley Bozeman, Indianapolis Colts LB, 3x Pro Bowler, 3x First Team All Pro Darius Leonard, U.S. Paralympic Gold Medal Swimmer Jamal Hill, New England Patriots' Matt Judon, Atlanta Falcons' Keith Smith, Los Angeles Chargers' Gabe Nabers, Philadelphia Eagles' Darius Slay, Indianapolis Colts' Anthony Chesley, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Cam Gill, Las Vegas Raiders' R.K Russell, Pittsburgh Steelers' Ray-Ray McLoud, and many more.

Above: Los Angeles Chargers' Gabe Nabers at the Dr. Busso booth.

LE & Co welcomed guests with amazing luxurious gifts provided by a wide range of excellent exhibitors, including NEFT Vodka, Dr Busso Cosmetic Dermatologist, SLIQ, and Elixinol (CBD products).

Above: Rams Super Bowl Champion Ryan Santoso at the Elixinol booth, which featured a Super selection of CBD products.

Above: Some of the excellent CBD products offered by Elixinol. (Photo credit: Angela Yad.)

Other vendors included: Nu Estetica Spa, Douma Fitness, Adira & Delilah, Adobe Road Winery, Koia (a fantastic plant-based shake that comes in many flavors, available at grocery stores - delicious!), Freeman Formula, ZenWTR, Runamok, Goodles, Cardinal Du Four Armagnac, Petrossian Caviar, Best of Legacy, Major League Socks, Andar Leather Goods, The Perfect Jean, Baist Gloves, Crooks Backpacks, Crown Point Winery, Celebrity Chef Ryan Rondeno, Royal Blends Barbershop, The Locin’ Lo, Noir Men’s Grooming lounge, Vita Coco (we love their coconut water!), Green Haven, Odaingerous, Farans Fine Art, and Snoop Dog’s Indigo Gin (which, like Snoop, was Super smooth, and really Bowl-ed me over --- but seriously, it really was good).

Above: Adobe Road Winery is a Petaluma-based company with a stellar selection of Sonoma County wines. (Photo credit: Angela Yad.)

Above: Snoop Dogg's gin was Super smooth, and the drink she made with it really Bowl-ed me over! (Photo credit: Angela Yad.)

Above: NEFT vodka has won a ton of awards, which explains why it went down so smooth - much smoother than other vodkas I have tasted. (Photo credit: Angela Yad.)

Above: A group shot of some of the incredible brands featured at the Luxury Experience & Co Ultimate Athlete & Celebrity Gifting Lounge. (Photo credit: Angela Yad.)

Congrats to all of these wonderful brands, who presented their products and services with style and a friendly vibe that made the event one of the best LA Newsline has covered. Kudos to the event's iconic venue, the Petersen Automotive Museum, and big thanks to the event's host, LE & Co Founder Melissa McAvoy.

“LE & Co was excited to partner with the Petersen Automotive Museum to celebrate the Super Bowl coming to Los Angeles," says McAvoy. “We celebrated the Super Bowl wrapped in the most amazing venue which includes a historic collection of automobile history.”

Above: Melissa McAvoy, Founder, Luxury Experience & Co.

About Luxury Experience & Co

Today’s best brands align themselves with Luxury Experience & Co's Luxury Gift Lounges to get their products into the hands of the hottest names in film, television, and sports. With years of experience in Public Relations, Events, and Business Development, LE & Co leads and develops effective key brand relationships. Recognizing the importance of brand awareness to their clients, LE & Co has now created a complete package of services to maximize their clients' return on investment. Beyond working with brands, LE & Co also works with top foundations and charities to bring awareness and support to help others.

Follow LE & Co on Instagram: @luxuryexperiencecollc

For more information, visit http://www.luxuryexperienceco.com.

About Petersen Automotive Museum

The Petersen is an extraordinary venue where automobiles tell stories, and every story has a place in history. As one of the world's largest and most diverse automotive museums, the Petersen features over 100,000 sqft of exhibit space and chronicles the evolution of great automotive engineering achievements and its impact on our culture over the past 120 years. Car enthusiasts and novices alike will enjoy attending an event in an environment that is entertaining, educational, and intriguing. The museum offers four dynamic spaces in which to host the event of your dreams. Choose between the exquisitely detailed ARTISTRY exhibit on the 1st floor, the inspiring INDUSTRY exhibits on the 2nd floor, the nostalgic HISTORY exhibits on the 3rd floor, and the iconic rooftop pavilion and terrace of the 4th floor Penthouse.

Follow @petersenmuseum on social media.

For more information, visit https://www.petersen.org.

#gifting lounges #giftsuites #gifting suites #event reports #event reviews #LA Rams #Super Bowl #Big Game 2022 #Super Bowl 2022 #Melissa McAvoy #LE & Co #Luxury Experience & Co #reports #LA reports #LA events #FEATURED EVENTS #Petersen #Petersen Automotive Museum

0 notes