Press "Enter" to skip to content

Features

Red wines suited to slow-cooking pot roast

For nostalgia buffs, Sunday wouldn’t be Sunday without a proper pot roast. Once the roast was in the oven, families could head off to church or the golf course and come home several hours later and still the meat would be cooking. An option was... Continue

Christmas Past in the Valley

As the leaves in the valley turn into as many colors as a Vermont winter, various holidays approach. Unfortunately, Christmas has become the annual Saturnalia of spending, analyzing the economics of retail business, saving the country by buying more than you need, the concern that... Continue

Sonoma Scene

Santa’s arrival at the Plaza Photos by Windsor Green Santa arrived to meet with the good boys and girls of Sonoma on Friday, Dec. 5, in the first of his many appearances around the Valley. The annual lighting of the Plaza tree, sponsored by The... Continue

History of California’s counties

Gerald Hill Hill on History When the California Constitution went into effect on Feb. 18, 1850 there were 27 counties incorporated under provisions of that constitution, which owed much to the efforts of Sonomans General Mariano Vallejo and the multi-talented Robert Semple (dentist, printer, publisher,... Continue

Flowering Plants

December may seem a curious time to focus on growing things, but in fact Christmas and other early-winter holidays are closely associated with a number of plants, starting with the frankincense and myrrh in the nativity scene at the heart of Christian tradition. Apart from... Continue

Keeping healthy eating habits on track during the holidays

While the holiday season brings another year to an end, it also brings the power to derail any previous dietary improvements. For many of us who are easily seduced by abundant holiday treats, we rationalize that January’s resolutions will come soon enough – for then... Continue

Film portrait of a party crasher

These last months leading up to the Oscars mark the official beginning of film season. The newly dubbed Sonoma International Film Festival will keep the season going through the Oscar parties until April, when the 12th annual film festival begins, with its popular Second Tuesday... Continue

Sonoma sommelier honored

In the wine industry there are “cork dorks” (a hybrid of oenophile and know-it-all), cellar rats (those in the employ in the nether regions of a winery) and then there is Christopher Sawyer – otherwise known as the “Sommelier to the Stars” for his celebrity-studded client... Continue

Gateway to opportunity

Gateway School is a community day school for grades 7 through 10 aimed at giving expelled students a more structured and responsive learning environment. It is located on Railroad Avenue and is the only school in Sonoma with both middle school and high school students.... Continue

Holiday shopping around Sonoma

Photos by Caroline Hall With December upon us, the Plaza has been bustling with locals and tourists alike, as the holiday shopping season kicks into full swing. On Friday, Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m., Santa makes his grand appearance, just in time to light City... Continue