Smith: Something is cooking for little Leah

She was mauled by two dogs three months ago, and today some folks who make Geyserville delicious are preparing for a couple of feasts to benefit the recovery of the town’s 6-year-old Leah Johnson.

Catelli’s will serve up a family-style barbecue, complete with Moustache Baked Goods yummies, at 5:45 p.m. Sunday. Proceeds will help Leah’s family cover the enormous costs incurred since a pair of pit bulls attacked her during a vacation in Maryland.

“Leah wants people to wear pink and black,” notes Nick Catelli.

And at 5 p.m. on Sept. 28, Dino Bugica of Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria will host a pasta bake for the Johnsons in the Odd Fellow’s Hall above his restaurant.

Leah suffered terrible wounds to her face and head, but she’s still smiling.

HANG UP, MOM! Add Bill Zimmer to the growing list of people enraged that crooks are phoning elders like his mother, pretending to be grandsons in need of rescue money.

Tuesday, Zimmer’s 83-year-old mom picked up the phone to hear, “Grandma! I need help!” She asked, “Is this Ryan?”

Yes, the caller said. Then he detailed how he was locked up in Mexico and needed her to go to a Western Union counter and wire him money.

She sent $1,000 to Mexico City.

When her son learned of it, he immediately contacted Western Union. He was told the money had already been picked up in Mexico.

Aware that seniors are routinely falling for the scam, Zimmer is determined to combat it, perhaps by pressuring Western Union to tighten its fraud controls.

He said, “If somebody doesn’t do something, nothing’s going happen.”

Something we all can do: Remind the seniors in our lives to hang up whenever the caller seeks or promises money.

ART IS EVERYWHERE and for the next 10 days, works of many fine local watercolor artists return for the 20th consecutive year to Coddingtown Mall.

The Sept. 12 to 21 exhibition and juried show by members of Watercolor Artists of Sonoma County is a ton of work, but they do it to expose people of all ages and backgrounds to the joy of creating art.

There’s also a watercolor raffle, with the proceeds going to art scholarships at SRJC.

CUPPA GRATITUDE: Owners of the Dutch Bros. coffee drive-through in Sonoma don’t have to do this.

But they will observe the sacrifices of Sept. 11, 2001, by offering a free cup of coffee today to all firefighters, police officers, paramedics and members of any branch of military service, including the National Guard and reserves.

Members of the American Legion Jack London Post No. 489 have arranged to have police and fire vehicles parked at Dutch Bros. from 2:30 to 4 p.m., so take the kids.

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