Chris Smith: The Pasta King is far too busy to grow old, but not to party

The Pasta King rises early and commences cooking pesto and marinara sauces, polenta, minestrone and such, much of which he dishes up for free at benefits for causes that tug at his heart.

By about 6:30 most evenings, Art Ibleto is at Art’s Place, the restaurant he and his partners run in Rohnert Park. Art works pretty much all day, pretty much every day.

In October he’ll turn 90. Ask him why he doesn’t seem to age and he’ll tell you, “I got no time to get old.”

But friends have persuaded Art to set aside a bit of time to celebrate his birthday with the community he loves and serves. The party will also mark the 65th wedding anniversary for Art and his wife, Vicki.

It happens from 2 to 6 p.m. Oct. 9, at the new Saralee and Richard’s Barn on the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. Art didn’t want anybody to pay to be there, but he allowed organizers to sell tickets so that the proceeds can help complete the educational barn built as a tribute to his late friend, Saralee McClelland Kunde.

The pre-event cost is just $15 for adults, $8 for kids ages 7 to 12. At the door, admission will cost a bit more. To buy tickets, go online to eventbrite.com and click on “Searching for an event?” Or, you can write a check to “Tawny Tesconi, Art’s Party” and send it to Tesconi at 3912 Walker Ave., Santa Rosa CA 95407. There will food, drink and music. And also a stack of Art’s new memoir, which recounts his birth in Argentina on Oct. 2, 1926, his brief childhood in Italy, his induction into and prompt escape from Mussolini’s army, his combat as a teen member of the Resistance and his decision to leave his homeland in 1949 for, of all places, Sonoma County, California.

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EVER SINCE 1888, people in and around Kenwood have gathered as neighbors at the steepled sanctuary that started out as the First Congregational Church of Los Guilicos.Members of what was long ago renamed the Kenwood Community Church are doing something on Sunday, and they’re inviting us to be part of it.

Respectful of history and eager to honor those whose personal legacies include their service to the landmark church, congregation members will dedicate a new memorial wall about 11 a.m.

Constructed of gathered stones, the wall has been adorned with memorial plaques bearing the names of past Kenwood Community Church members. Among the names are Shelborne-Crockett, Kirkham, McCoy, Nixon, Parsons and Snow.

On Sunday morning, the congregation will commence the day’s service inside, then move out back to celebrate the new wall and its first honorees.

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THIS DIAMOND RING simply must have someone missing it.

Crafted of white gold and multiple stones, it was found on July 20 on the floor of the gift shop at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Says Andrea Learned of St. Joseph Health, “Something tells me that this is a really important piece of jewelry and before we send it off to be resold to benefit the hospital we would like to be certain we have done everything we can think of to return it to its rightful owner.”

Learned asks that person to call 707-525-5300, extension 5384. The caller will be able, of course, to describe the ring quite specifically.

Chris Smith is at 707-521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.