Animal-rights kooks turn on our PALS

There's a change in plans regarding tonight's whimsical Furrr Ball in Guerneville, conceived as a means of raising a few bucks for a worthy cause while injecting a bit of humor into the town's beef over the resale of vintage furs.

Organizers of the benefit at the Russian River Eagle bar wanted to give the proceeds to Pets Are Loving Support, or PALS, a struggling local group whose volunteers care for the pets of about 100 Sonoma County people with AIDS.

But PALS has decided it can't take the money.

The nonprofit has fielded complaints and name-calling from animal-rights fanatics outraged that it would accept money from people poking fun at the Guerneville fur protest. PAL's board decided it cannot be pulled into politics.

So the Furrr Ball proceeds will go instead to an out-of-town group, the National Animal Interest Alliance.

What a shame.

DRIVE INTO CLOVERDALE one night this week and you might see a house with all its Christmas lights turned back on. An eccentric family? Nope, an ecstatic one.

Marybeth Sobecki and her husband, Skip Engle, unplugged their Christmas lights back when everybody else did. But there was no way they were going to take them down.

This past Christmas, one of their identical 20-year-old twin daughters, Jessamyn, was far away from home. The 2002 graduate of Cloverdale High spent the holidays, and the 11 months preceding them, in Iraq.

If Jessamyn, a National Guard sergeant, hasn't yet arrived back in Cloverdale by now she'll be there any minute. There'd be a holiday feel to the Sobecki-Engle home even without the lights, but they'll make a nice touch.

LIFE IN 'JEOPARDY' ... Seems quite a few of us watched Michael Rankins of Rohnert Park win a special round of "Jeopardy" the other night.

Michael, who writes copy and pastors Penngrove's Church of Christ, won the first round of a 15-week Super Tournament of 144 past "Jeopardy" champions. The tourney's two top finishers will compete this spring against the amazing Ken Jennings, who last year made TV history by winning 74 straight games.

The prize for beating Jennings: $2 million.

Our guy qualified for the tournament with a nice string of "Jeopardy" victories that brought him $52,000 back in 1988.

That time, Michael took his wife, Karla, to a Pacific island. Who knows, if he does well this time maybe he'll buy her one.

LOVE & WINE: How's this for a Wine Country Valentine tale?

Twenty-two years ago Kathleen McGowan was working her first day in the tasting room of the Silverado Trail's former Napa Creek Winery when in came Simon Inman, a young attorney from England. They chatted and Kathleen mentioned to him that one day she would study in London.

Three weeks later, a letter from Simon arrived at the winery addressed to Pretty Blonde Assistant. Simon wrote that he hoped he might see her if and when she came to the UK.

Two years later, Kathleen and Simon married and started a family and two fine careers in Yorkshire. A shared passion for wine drew them several years ago to Sonoma County, where they planted a vineyard near the Russian River and opened Inman Family Wines.

Kathleen decided that for their 20th anniversary she'd set aside some pinot noir grapes and make a special rosé. Just days ago she and Simon learned their proposed label was approved.

The wine will be called Endless Crush.

Chris Smith is at 521-5211 and csmith@pressdemocrat.com.