A typical night at the Napa Valley Opera House tends to make this reporter feel conspicuously young. I’ll let my hair down from its ponytail and trade my flip flops for a pair of heels in an attempt to blend in. But Saturday night, at the Opera House’s Best of the San Francisco International Stand-Up Comedy Competition, the ponytail prevailed.

In a celebratory mood embracing everything from new weekend performances to in-demand, star-power artists for both classical and pops concerts, the Napa Valley Symphony Orchestra has unveiled a stellar lineup for its diamond jubilee season.

Imagine a Napa where a morning stroll for a cup of coffee, a quick drive to a meeting downtown or a shopping trip to a local store also means a deep, rich, engaging arts experience.

If there is one thing that characterizes “The Golden Road: French Wine or Moonshine?” it is fun. If there is one thing that radiates from this novel, it is the joy of a great friendship.

Auditions for the Napa Valley Youth Chorus take place Thursday, Sept. 6, at Harvest Middle School, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in room M2.

Annabelle Huffman, 13, Napa, won Honorable Mention for her entry in the California State Fair Poster Contest, sponsored by the Friends of the California State Fair.

Education

After experiencing the vicissitudes of downtown Napa business for nearly two years, chef/restaurateur Peter Halikas closed his n.v. restaurant last Friday night.

Americans love to invite friends over for a barbecue — but when they do, they’re almost surely grilling, not barbecuing. True barbecuing is a demanding process of slow smoking requiring a special cooker or a great deal of attention to heat management.

With Labor Day barbecues looming, we decided it was the right time to ask chef Greg Cole for a few pointers on grilling great steaks.

The concrete creations of Calistoga artists Emily and Quinn Scheibal are hot.

PHAN — William vs. Catherine Lapidario, Aug. 17, 2007.

ALEMAN-DOMINGUEZ — Aristides Antonio Aleman, 28, Severus Drive, Vallejo to Michelle Dominguez, 27, Winedale Lane, Napa.

QUEEN OF THE VALLEY

Nickname: Pudder’s

Nickname: The Mauinator

Readers have something to crow about with this month’s “Where in the Napa Valley.” This month’s mystery rooster is joined by a couple of historic buildings.

Trying to master terminology of Champagne is like learning an entirely new language.

Terms of engagement: Put a French wine lover in a room with a California wine lover and tell them to talk about Champagne and they will soon be at each other’s taste buds, arguing that Champagne and California sparkling wine cannot be compared, contrasted or even mentioned in the same breath. Let’s burst their bubbles — the differences between excellent French Champagnes and excellent California sparkling wines are so slight that few wine experts can tell the differences in a blind tasting of several wines on the table.

When Eileen Crane decided to become a winemaker — a groundbreaking move for a woman 20 years ago — there was a reason she decided to focus on sparkling wines: “I knew I’d be tasting a lot of it,” she said.