Events - Kibble & Bids TM 2002 - A Golden Production!

Kibble & Bids opened at 4:00 p.m. on a beautiful summer’s day. It was warm, but the breeze was just starting to kick up from the Sacramento River. Upon entering the grounds, people gravitated to the numerous wineries and breweries to taste great wine and beer, enjoy the views of the river, listen to terrific jazz, and sample a host of appetizers. We have so many businesses to thank for their generosity:

The Kitchen	Boeger Winery	Chatom Vineyards
Clos du Lac Cellars	French Hill Winery	Ironstone Vineyards
Labatt USA	Lagunita’s Brewing	Lava Cap Winery
Malvadino Vineyards	Margen Family Vineyards	Mesa Beverage Company
Mirassou Vineyards	Nine Gables Vineyard	Nor Cal Beverage
Peirano Estate Vineyards	Pepsi Cola	R. H. Phillips Winery
Renwood Winery	Southern Starz	Stevenot Vineyards
Zenith Vineyards

Our raffle and silent auction were in full swing, too! Our silent auction tables were filled with hundreds of great items: pet-related, sports, clothing, jewelry, food and beverages, restaurant certificates, art, pottery, antiques, and so much more. Every item was of the highest quality...and the prices couldn’t be beat! Bidding was very competitive up until the ringing of the bell, which signaled the tables were closed. Then, the work began in earnest for handful of volunteers who were responsible for inputting into our computer system all the winning bidders.

While our volunteers were typing up a storm, everyone else was enjoying a beautiful buffet table and wonderful food from Mikuni’s Japanese Restaurant, All Seasons All Reasons Fine Catering, Bella Bru Café & Catering, Grapes Dining & Spirits, and the Drooling Dog Bar B Q (what fabulous tri tip and barbecued salmon!). Java City also provided great coffee to cap off the meal. The huge tent served as our dining area, and tables were elegant with stunning floral centerpieces highlighted by black and white photographs of many of Homeward Bound’s rescued Goldens. Our thanks go out to Heather Murdock of The Blue Orchid for her artistry, generosity, and creativity.

The tent also served as location for our live auction. We owe a debt of thanks to Marianne McClary, co-anchor of Good Day Sacramento on KMAX Channel 31, who came to Kibble & Bids in the final throes of bronchitis. Despite feeling a bit under the weather, Marianne was incredible. She worked hand-in-hand with our auctioneer, Joe Gates. Joe was the consummate auctioneer...boy, you had to be quick to get your bid in! Approximately 45 live auction items were up for bid, quilts, artwork, jewelry, bed-and-breakfast stays, sports items (especially for you Kings fans!), wine, pet-related items, to name a few.

A special treat this year was the presence of Capt. Randy Gross of the Sacramento Fire Department’s Search & Rescue Unit and his dog, Dusty. Dusty is one of the best search and rescue dogs in the U.S.A. and both were in service at the World Trade Center on September 11 and the days following. Of particular significance is the fact that Dusty is a rescued Golden. Randy related Dusty’s story of a dog that several owners found to be unmanageable with exceptional high energy. Luckily, Dusty’s potential was recognized, and the rest is history.

Kibble & Bids concluded by selecting the lucky raffle prizewinners. Our raffle offered several great items: bed-and-breakfast get-away, a year’s supply of organic dog biscuits, a beautiful handmade quilt jacket, an inspiring reproduction giclee entitled "For The Love of Dog", and a Monarch’s basketball signed by all the players. Before we knew it, it was 8:00 p.m. and Kibble & Bids was coming to a close. How could something that took a year of planning be over so quickly?!?

Kibble and Bids, as one attendee commented, "will be the summer event in Sacramento"! We’re certainly working to make that a reality. We must thank our numerous sponsors, the hundreds of donors and volunteers, and all the people who attended Kibble & Bids. We are especially grateful to John White and Doug Alcorn who opened up their beautiful home and grounds to us. Their Riverwood Estate is a sight to behold...heaven on earth.

Yes, we’re already planning for next year’s Kibble & Bids! The theme is yet undecided, but we have our date:

Saturday, July 26, 2003

So, mark your calendar now so you won’t miss out! We’ll have more information about Kibble & Bids 2003 in future issues of our newsletter and here on our website.