Dreams for sale; the worst drug; and tastefully orange

Sonoma’s Field of Dreams baseball diamond on First Street West is owned by the City, but operated under a 55-year lease by the nonprofit Sonoma Valley Field of Dreams Association. Per the agreement, the intended use of the property is “for operation of playing fields primarily for the not-for-profit use of young persons in organized and adult supervised team sports.” Does a private post-wedding BBQ softball party for 120 fit the bill? Previous subleases have been for the erstwhile Sonoma Jazz Festival, and the upcoming Sonoma Music Festival. But on October 10, the SVFDA will pocket a $1,000 rental check for daytime use of the facility. The private-party model is a probable first; there are no criteria in the lease to deal with it. The Community Services and Environment Commission will begin work on that. Meanwhile, it’s game on. All the best, Jake and Claire. May your marriage be one big field of dreams… What’s the lesson? That any facility is one clever wedding planner and a contractual loophole away from hosting Uncle Jim’s retirement party or a Nike team-building event? Actually, the denial of Williams-Sonoma’s ambitious special events calendar  may signal that the City Council will become more proactive in updating the Development Code (and other guiding documents) to anticipate the creative creep of the modern economy.

Here, cheap wine is considered bad form. Australia takes it a bit more seriously. Some experts there say it’s the most dangerous openly available — cheaper than bottled water, deadlier than crystal meth and more socially destructive than cigarettes; it targets the young, the poor and the most addicted. And we thought it just tasted bad.

According to Teri Shore, regional director of Greenbelt Alliance, there was one thing missing from the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission’s Annual Sustainable Winegrowing Field Day: any meaningful discussion of sustainability, at least as that word was once known. Trends and demand for sustainable wines was discussed, as was marketing and the development of a logo. Sustainable growing practices – not on the agenda. One bright spot: floating solar arrays, to provide on-site electricity for wineries. “While it doesn’t address sustainable growing practices, “ Shore said, “the program seems like a good approach for overall sustainability and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from vineyard and winery operations.

Mara Kahn offers a thought on the kerfluffle regarding the colorful building facades in the Springs. “I suppose painting a bridge between Marin and San Francisco the color orange was, at the time, looked at as breaking the rules of taste? That kinda worked out well.”

— Val Robichaud

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