Luther Burbank Open House: On Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Luther Burbank Home and Gardens (204 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa) hosts its Holiday Open House.
The gift shop will feature special items, including crocheted and knitted boas, flouncy scarves in vivid colors and suggestive of Victorian lace. You'll also find beautiful desktop calendars, artisan soaps and lotions and more.
On Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m., author Kay Voliva and artist Berenice Happe Iriks will be available to chat about and sign their book, "Annie Celebrates the Holidays," about a sweet little beagle.
Dickens Holiday Crafts Fair: This weekend, the 39th Annual Dickens Holiday Crafts Fair takes places at Finely Community Center (2060 West College Ave., Santa Rosa). The fair is open on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There is a one-time admission fee of $2, good for the entire fair, if you keep your ticket. Kids 12 and under are free.
More than 70 local artists participate in the fair, with ceramics, woodwork, fabric art, jewelry, glass art, metal design, floral creations, photography, fine art, body care products, gourd art and more.
Breakfast and lunch will be available for purchase from Bruno's on Fourth. There will also be roving entertainment throughout the fair.
Although some vendors may be set up to accept credit and debit cards, you should be prepared to pay with cash or check.
Rosie the Trolley will provide free transportation between Finley center and the Luther Burbank Home & Garden every thirty minutes.
The Cowgirls Come to Healdsburg: This Saturday at 1 p.m., Shed (25 North St., Healdsburg) welcomes Sue Conley and Peggy Smith of Cowgirl Creamery. Their brand new book, "Cowgirl Creamery Cooks," (Chronicle Books, 2013), will be available for purchase and there will be plenty of yummy cheeses available for tasting.
The cowgirls will talk about how to assemble a holiday cheese board and share many highly informative and entertaining stories from their four-decade friendship and association.
Smith cooked at Chez Panisse and Conley co-founded the iconic Bette's Diner before the two teamed up as cheese makers. Today, they have two creameries, four retail stories and that new book.
Cost is $20 and tickets are available at brownpapertickets.com.
Rutherford Passport Weekend: This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Rutherford Appellation, located in central Napa Valley, hosts Passport Weekend, with barrel tastings, special foods, live entertainment, conversations with winemakers and more.
Here's how it works. If you want to attend on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., you'll pay $50, which includes a logo wine glass and goodie bag. To attend on both Saturday and Sunday, you'll pay $75.
A VIP pass, $225, includes a welcome reception Friday night from 7 to 9 p.m. at Round Pond Estate and dinner, if not sold out, at Alex Restaurant on Saturday night.
For a complete list of the twenty-three wineries participating in this year's winter passport event and to purchase tickets, visit rutherford-appellation-wineries.com.
Soule Moving Sale: On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Aletha Soule is hosting a final sale at her Sebastopol warehouse (103 Morris St., Space V). She will move out of the space by year's end.
The sale is not identical to her annual spring and fall sales. This one includes discontinued colors, seconds, archive pieces, overstock and beautiful silk throws, shawls and table runners. Prices are well below typical sale prices.
There are some changes coming. The Citrange line, for example, will no longer be available in a range of colors. This sale is your last opportunity to fill in colors; Cream, Mist, Peat, Saffron and Straw are available.
As always, bring a sturdy basket or box for your purchases and remember that payment is by cash or check only.
Make-Your-Own Gift Basket Sale: Sandra VanVoorhis's Grapevine Trading Co.'s annual warehouse sale takes place this weekend and next, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
This popular sale features award-wining specialty foods — including tapenades, olives, olive oils, vinegars, honey, mushrooms, baked goods, spices, herbs and mustards — candles, ceramics and more, which you can use to fill gift baskets and have them shrink-wrapped on the spot.
This year there will also be a lot of $1 stocking stuffers.
Grapevine Trading Co. is located at 738 Wilson St. in Santa Rosa's Railroad Square.
To explore selections before attending the sale, visit grapevinetrading.com.
Holiday Trunk Show: On Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m., Phyllis Beals and Deborah Starks host a trunk show at The Barlow.
Beals makes some of the most whimsical hats we've ever seen and the show features these one-of-a-kind chapeaux along with jewelry, vintage clothing and unique accessories. If you are looking for delightfully unusual items, this is the sale for you.
It takes place at 6790 McKinley St., Suite 180, at ReFrame Hair Gallery.
Book Lovers, this is for you: This Friday and Saturday, December 6 and 7, Friends of Santa Rosa Libraries hosts a holiday book sale at the Central Library, in the Forum Room. The sale features holiday books, gift books, cookbooks, mysteries, classics, children's books, CDs, DVDs and even some VHS tapes.
This sale is always full of treasures, including surprises. And it's a great place to encourage children to love books, especially when you give them a few dollars and them let pick out their own.
The sale is held on Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission is free and you can pay with either cash or check.
Clay Wood Cloth: On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Stark Wine Company (439 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg) hosts Clay Wood Cloth, a sale of locally made dinnerware by Amy Halko, wooden kitchen utensils by Holly Jordan and handwoven table linens by Marilyn Webster.
Stark Wines will also be available for purchase.
Whenever these three artists join together for a sale, they donate a portion of the proceeds to a local nonprofit. This sale will benefit Ceres Community Project of Sebastopol.
Michele Anna Jordan hosts "Mouthful" each Sunday at 7 p.m. on KRCB 90.9 & 91.1 FM. E-mail Jordan at michele@micheleannajordan.com. You'll find her blog, "Eat This Now," at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.
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