Every year, the growers' association in the northern Napa Valley sponsors a big harvest festival that features great food (prepared in large quantities by some fantastic Hispanic chefs) and cases of great wine contributed by the various participating wineries. The festival takes place in the forested hills adjacent to a large vineyard. This year, because of a steady rain that fell all day - and all night before - the sponsors put up huge circus-like tents, and the festivities went on without interruption.
The festival is unique not only for the great wines that are just laid out on the tables for anyone to partake, but especially for the eclectic mix of people who participate. There are lowly field hands mixing and rubbing shoulders with wealthy vineyard owners; professional people from town sharing tables with laborers; old time residents of the area mixing with brand new immigrant families. There were clowns making balloon animals for kids; a local woman spent the entire day painting faces of beaming kids; families with dogs; old people and young people. For more photos of the festival, check out the album at: http://picasaweb.google.com/jstrolin/RainyHarvestFestivalStHelenaNovember12008
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