Mouthful: Last summer fling at Coppola Winery

Summer Fun at Coppola: School may be starting in a few days but there is still plenty of leisurely summer fun to be had. One of the best ways to slip away from it all without traveling out of the area is at Francis Ford Coppola Winery (300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville), where the options are always evolving.

Through the end of August, there is music at the Pool Cafe on Friday evenings from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free and the cafe remains open for both food and beverage service. Tom Duarte performs this Friday night; Joan Bodlovich appears on August 21 and Jefferson Bergey wraps up the month on August 28.

On Wednesday evenings through September 9, you can play bocce from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Cost is $10 per person. Wine and pizza is available for purchase.

Next Saturday, August 22, Dancing Under the Stars returns, with salsa dance lessons from 6 to 7 p.m. and dancing to live Latin music from 7 to 10 p.m. Louie Romero Y Su Grupo Mazacote performs on August 22 and on the final evening of the year, September 26, it’s Avance.

There’s also something new in the works, “Vendetta: Wine, Music and Secret Passwords.” To check it out, visit francisfordcoppolawinery.com, click on Events and search for Vendetta.

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Celebrating Vegetables: On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., August 15, the Finley Community Center (2060 West College Ave., Santa Rosa) hosts the Second Annual Sonoma County VegFest, with speakers, cooking demonstrations and activities for kids throughout the day.

Highlights include chef Ramses Bravo, who will present a Hawaiian salad from 2 to 2:30 p.m., a screening of the film “Speciesism” from 3 to 4:35 p.m. and a presentation by Priya Sawhney on “The Importance of Nonviolent Direct Action and Saving Lives,” which explores a recent investigation and rescue operation at a Whole Foods farm.

The fest includes informational booths and an array of food vendors, with live music by Octopretzel.

Admission is $5 per person for everyone 13 years and older.

For more details, visit socovegfest.org.

VegFest is presented by Compassionate Living of Sonoma County.

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Kiss a Puppy & Wag Your Tail: This Friday night, August 14, Trentadue Winery (19170 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville) hosts the Wags, Whiskers & Wine Gala, a benefit for the Sonoma Humane Society. It’s the organization’s grandest fundraiser of the year, with live music, a silent auction, a live auction, delicious food and wine and adoptable animals.

A popular highlight of the gala is the Kissing Booth, with puppies and kittens eager to smooth. Seriously, how can you resist?

More than 18 wineries and breweries will participate in this year’s event.

Cost is $175 per person. Registration technically closed on August 12 but as of press time tickets were still available. To snag one, call 542-0882 ext. 203.

The celebration takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. This is an indoor-outdoor event and smart casual attire is recommended, i.e., don’t dress like a slob but maybe leave your high heels at home.

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Got Apples? This Saturday, August 15, the Community Apple Press, a free service located at Luther Burbank Experiment Farm (7777 Bodega Highway, Sebastopol), hosts a grand opening to kick off its 2015 season.

Two presses operate from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday through October, with a volunteer on hand to lead the process. Visitors can bring up to 100 pounds of apples (about five five-gallon buckets) and must also provide containers for the juice.

To take advantage of the service, you must make a reservation at slowfoodrr.org. As of press time, however, the Web site was not functioning properly so you may need a bit of patience.

The Community Apple Press is a project of the Slow Food Russian River Apple Core Committee, which includes Bob Burke, Cyndicy Coudray, Paula Downing and Paula Shankin.

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Unleash Your Inner Barfly: On Monday, August 17, Cadet Wine and Beer Bar (930 Franklin St., Napa) celebrates the birth of Charles Bukowski, an American poet, columnist, short-story writer and novelist, born in Germany on August 16, 1920.

Bukowski’s poems, stories and novels are gritty, seedy, disturbing and brilliant and often leave you feeling saturated in booze. You can celebrate this one-of-a-kind American from 6 to 8 p.m. by enjoying a drink or two and perhaps even buying a book from Napa Bookmine.

Should you feel like dressing in character -- there are dozens of possibilities, from a flower, a dog or a mockingbird to a drunk, a barfly or a dirty old man -- as a title or character, all the better.

The celebration takes place from 6 to 8 p.m.

The tribute to Bukowski is part of the Summer Drinking Series. Ernest Hemingway was featured in July and, on September 17, Ken Kesey will be the honoree.

For more information visit napabookmine.com and cadetbeerandwinebar.com.

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Happy Anniversary, Marin French Cheese: On Saturday, Marin French Cheese (7510 Point Reyes-Petaluma Rd. celebrates its 150th year with a tribute to Jim Boyce, a former owner of the company and one of the founders of Art Contemporary Marin.

The celebration will include a market of food and beverage vendors offering samples, with AppleGarden Farm Hard Cider, Lagunitas Brewing, Heidrun Meadery and Double 8 Gelato among those participating. There will also be music by Copeland Creek Brass Quintet and the John Burdick Band.

An exhibit of more than fifty pieces of art by Marin County artists will be on display on both Saturday and Sunday. All art will be available for sale. The exhibition is coordinated by Claudia Chapline. Franci Cloudon, Carol Duchamp, Dan Harrison, Mary Siedman, Millicent Tomkins, April Lelia and Marcus Uzilevsky are among the featured artists.

Admission is free and the fete is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Feel free to bring a blanket and a picnic to linger on the beautiful grounds.

Marin French Cheese was founded in 1865 by Jefferson Thompson and remained in the Thompson family until 1995, when the company was sold to Boyce, who died in 2010. In 2011, Marin French Cheese was purchased by Rians, a French company that purchased Laura Chenel Chevre a number of years ago.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 24 books to date, including the new “Good Cook’s” series. Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.