On the normally serene south bank of the Napa River Oxbow, a startling transformation has taken place.

The Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats performed twice at the Napa Valley Opera House last weekend, and if you missed it —  well, maybe next year.

Five talented finalists will each perform their very best 15 to 20 minutes of original material in the hopes of winning big prize money and perhaps catching the eye of a Hollywood talent scout during a final round of 32nd Annual San Francisco International Stand-Up Comedy Competition at the Napa Valley Opera House on Friday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35. 

Rich in culture, music, heritage and dance, Mexico City’s “Ballet Gran Folklorico de Mexico” will stop for one-night at Yountville’s Lincoln Theater, Friday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 to $50 per person.

This year 400 students are involved in choir at Napa High, and one of the activities that makes this popular program possible is the weekly bingo game at the Napa Valley Expo.

The Calistoga Arts Center may lack a physical headquarters, but its vitality as an organization was evident last Monday when about 30 people in Napa County’s northernmost city joined a “town hall” discussion aimed at drafting a county-wide cultural plan.

The Napa Valley Symphony Orchestra opens its 75th anniversary season this weekend by welcoming acclaimed 19-year-old violinist Chloë Hanslip for a performance of the popular first Paganini violin concerto and performing a pair of audience favorites associated with the Halloween season.

The Justin-Siena High School Alumni Council, in cooperation with the school’s board of trustees, faculty and staff recognize the latest outstanding alumni and faculty who will be inducted into the Justin-Siena Hall of Honor this month. The dinner event set for Oct. 14 will honor alumni Bill Dodd, ’74; Matthew Farver, ’94; Steve Silva, ’71; as well as former faculty member Bob Morrish (1945-2005). According to Alumni Councilmember and 2007 Hall of Honor Event Chair Tom Durante ’93, “The JSHS Hall of Honor is a recognition program designed to pay tribute to the school’s alumni who have gone on to live the Justin-Siena mission in their adult lives. These inductees have really taken all that they have learned to the next level.” For more information, call Caroline Gerlomes at 255-0950 ext. 644 or go to www.justin-siena.org./Register

Congratulations to Danielle MacLiesh, a student in Nadine Wade-Gravett’s Health 106 class, who is this month’s Stop the Hate! T-shirt winner. Danielle submitted a pledge this month based on September’s theme with a commitment to stop the hate.

Principal Noel Laird Hesser of Justin-Siena High School announced that Brooke Bainum, Mary Kate Fidler and Jeffrey Brice Forestier have been named Commended Students in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise./Register

This month, the National Council of Teachers of English honors 595 high school seniors as outstanding writers in the 2007 NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing. The recipients were chosen from 1,937 students nominated in their junior year by their teachers, from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Canada and American schools abroad.

Cadet Eric J. B. Anderson, son of Chris and Jane Anderson of Napa, has completed cadet basic training at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

From Register staff

Napa native Tristan Michael Cline has been serving as a police officer for the city of Santa Cruz after completing his training at Evergreen Police Academy in December 2006. Prior to being hired by the city of Santa Cruz in June 2006, he graduated summa cum laude from the University of San Francisco in May of 2006 and Napa High School in 2002. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Cline of Napa and the grandson of Mary Jane Rossi of St. Helena and the late Bud and Madonna Cline and Andrew Rossi./Register

Carrie-Lee Dannenberg graduated magna cum laude with her masters of science in counseling, with specializations in community counseling as well as marriage, family and child counseling, from California State University Sacramento on May 25, 2007. She received her B.A. in psychology from U.C. Davis in 2002 and her AA in Liberal Arts from Solano Community College in 2000. Carrie-Lee is a 1997 graduate of Napa High and is the daughter of Betty and Mike Dannenberg of Napa./Register

Compadres Bar & Grill will serve its last meal and margarita at its Yountville location on Sunday, Oct. 28 — and then Rick Enos will re-open as Compadres Rio Grille Nov. 15 at the riverside location of the former River City Bar & Grille. Enos anticipates retaining some of the signature items from River City, such as fried calamari and seared ahi, but modifying the accompanying sauces to give them the Compadres flavor. Former River City Bar & Grille owner Assaad Barazi will remain involved as landlord.

Napans will have an opportunity to taste Cajun/Creole food as well as listen, dance and march to the music of Louisiana’s bayou country this weekend at the inaugural Wine Country Cajun Food and Music Festival.

Richard Perot, pasty chef, Bleaux Magnolia

Dr. Ann Crowley, described as a “mom who knows food, and by the way, has earned a doctorate in nutrition,” may have retired as a professor at the University of Iowa, but her love of food is keeping her busy.

Matt Mermod, chef, Bleaux Magnolia

The grape harvest may be all but finished, but there’s still plenty of time to plant for an abundant cool-season crop of salad veggies.

One of the quickest ways to get organized and remain organized is to stop shopping. Yes, you read this correctly.

Accidental falls are a big problem for seniors, and the StopFalls Napa Valley Coalition is making strides in preventing the incidence of these dangerous occurrences.

After the debacle that was "Lair," I was a little worried about "Heavenly Sword," the latest big-name release from Sony for the PlayStation 3.

Unlike most 8-year-olds, Hunter LaRue knows what it's like to crash a vehicle traveling 35 miles per hour and walk away from the car unharmed.

Nickname: Boo Boo

Nickname: Boo Boo

In 1999, Andrea Smeltzer, a college student from Napa, seemed to have the world at her feet. The 19-year-old enjoyed dancing, was trained in opera, designed her own jewelry and was a whiz with languages. But Smeltzer harbored a secret, a burden that would be too much to bear. Smeltzer was bulimic, and it was a disease that would eventually silence her forever.

While he’s not making wine with his family, wine scion Carlo Mondavi is steering his own line of grape-based skin care products into the marketplace.

Dawnine Dyer on Diamond Mountain reports the harvest is in full swing and is keeping busy. She and others are excited about the quality of the grapes, and therefore, the quality of the 2007 vintage.

Following in the steps of father and grandfather, Michael Mondavi embraces his family both at home and in the work place.

Peju Province Winery is joining the fight against breast cancer by donating 25 percent of sales from each bottle of its new Peju Pink wine to the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade

When he learned almost three years ago his wine empire had been sold, industry icon Robert Mondavi vowed “to start over.”

Although the grape harvest is well along, it’s never too late for a blessing of the grapes.

The group stepped off the bus  at Bear Flats vineyards near Calistoga, ready to go to work.

Featuring a salute to guest of honor Margrit Biever Mondavi, Copia’s sixth annual auction and dinner/dance raised $800,000 to support the center’s educational programs.