Art & Wine Festival Over; Patch Runs Into Our Readers - Dozens of Them

Lamorinda Patch would like to thank the Patch Regulars and Irregulars who turned out Saturday and Sunday to make our appearance at the such fun.

We are supposed to try and spread the word about Patch and what we do but judging by the number of people we talked with - the majority already know, and are ready for Patch 2.0.

Your editor had a ball. There's no other way to say it. Regulars Marcia Parker, Brian Snider, Abbie, Elizabeth Lampert, Alex Gronke, Lance Howland, J.B. Davis, and Chris Beaver swung into action - throwing up the Patch tent like circus riggers and then stocking it with everything we needed to entertain the throngs until our batteries finally drained and the Patch balloons ran out.

Chris, Abbie, and Brian took charge of the Patch "Wheel of Fortune" and entertained maybe 400 or so kids and Big Kids who stepped up to take a shot at a Kindle and other schwag they brought along. The York peppermint patties were flying out of the candy bowl like confetti at a ticker tape parade.

Patch blogger Kathleen Satz came by looking to meet up with "friends" she has made on the site, and then we saw shooters Evan Mew and Tom Black, out and about with their cameras. And then it was the readers, some of whom we've grown to know in recent months, some of whom have been "lurking" and - so they said - enjoying the direction the site has taken.

We saw Saveth Soun, Bill Carman, Alex Binnie and Chris Nicholson, Laura Zucker, Justin Bain from Bonfire Pizza, lots of Acalanes and Campo kids we knew and dozens of others. Graydon Bazell's mom stopped by to let us know that Graydon (the voice of Acalanes football) was pursuing his studies in Idaho and hoping to make it back to Lamorinda soon. Then there was Joe Queirolo, our "Tranquil Gardener," who remained tranquil even in the face of some beery fans; "c5," who introduced himself (your secret is safe with us, Caped Crusader!); Perry Ann Jevelli and her family; Lafayette City Manager Steve Falk (great talk, Steve, thanks); and so many more. We were most gratified by the rather lovely lady who swung by, asked if we were Lamorinda Patch and then just gave us the thumbs up and said "Thanks for what you do," before walking away without leaving her name.

Huge reaction. Lot of engaged readers and interest from younger readers who were curious but wondering if we were "cool enough" for them. We'll try to be. The kids were a kick, very polite and fun.

And then there were the dogs, each with their human escort. Ad man Chris Beaver, a local guy who knows just about everyone it seems, quickly ran over to Safeway to acquire and water bowl for thirsty dogs, and grabbed some dog biscuits on the way out. We quickly learned that if you want to stop people at your booth, just have an entanglement of dog leashes out front. Stops 'em every time.

Good times. Check out our photos of the event, you may just see yourself or friends.