If you're determined to enjoy every last moment in the remaining weeks of the waning summer, go right ahead. But it wouldn't hurt to look into the future a little bit.
Fall is coming, and even as the last few summer festivals get crossed off the calendar, the annual autumn celebrations we all know and love are getting closer every day. Whether you want food, wine, films, books or live music, you'll find it all in Sonoma County in September.
Here's a quick look at next month's upcoming perennial favorites:
Sept. 21 — Sonoma County Book Festival. The county's annual salute to the literary arts moves this year from Santa Rosa's Old Courthouse Square to the Santa Rosa Junior College campus.
Novelists lined up for the event include Dorothy Allison, author of the celebrated family saga "Bastard Out of Carolina," and Helene Wecker, who won national attention with her debut, "The Golem and the Jinni," about supernatural creatures in turn-of-the-century New York.
Hours are 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. The festival will feature speakers, panels, exhibitors, poetry, workshops and activities for children at the Bertolini Student Center and Quad at the college, 1501 Mendocino Ave. Admission and parking are free for this event. socobookfest.org
Sept. 21-22 — Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival. Performers the first day include Jeffrey Osborne, Gregory Porter and Ledisi. Boz Scaggs, the Robert Cray Band, Los Lobos and the California Honeydrops play the second day.
The festival opens at 10 a.m. both days at Johnson's Beach in Guerneville. Tickets cost $50-$80 in advance; $60-$90 at the gate. russianriverfestivals.com.
Sept. 25-29 — Wine Country Film Festival. Sometimes also known as the Santa Rosa International Film Festival, the 27th annual event will be held at venues in Sonoma Valley this year, particularly Kenwood and Glen Ellen. The festival will showcase 75 films from around the world and feature special events, live entertainment and forums. 935-3456, sriff.org, wcfilmfest@aol.com.
Sept. 28 — Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival. The 17th annual celebration of the tomato will feature more than 175 heritage varieties, specially chosen wines, as well as 50 chefs and several dozen top food vendors. It runs just one day, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens, 5007 Fulton Road, Fulton. $95-$150. 866-287-9818, kj.com.
Oct. 4-6 — Sonoma County Harvest Fair. Revamped after 38 years to place a greater emphasis on food and wine, the festival will feature three full days of wine tasting with more than 150 wineries pouring samples at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa. The program also includes wine and food pairings, craft beer and cider tasting, chef demonstrations and workshops, and the World Championship Grape Stomp. Gate admission is free. Tasting pavilion tickets cost $50 each or, with an advance-sale discount, two for $90. 545-4200, harvestfair.org.
You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. See his ARTS blog at arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.
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