Whether you’re looking for holiday show or homemade crafts, a tea party or a hometown celebration, there’s plenty to do in the valley in the upcoming weeks. Here’s a round-up of what we’ve heard of so far:

Napa Valley artists are among those participating in the Celebration of Craftswomen  Nov. 24-25 and Dec. 1-2, at Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.

If you missed one of the two opportunities to hear the Napa Valley Symphony Orchestra perform last weekend, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Animal expert “Jungle Jack” Hanna brings his favorite furry, feathered and reptilian friends to the Napa Valley Opera House on Sunday, Dec. 2 for shows at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Local man receives alumni award

Education

BRUNER — Kim vs. Robert, Nov. 13, 2007.

Education

Dainita Richardson of San Pablo, was awarded a $750 Yountville Veteran’s Home scholarship to continue her nursing studies.

When celebrated wine country chef Thomas Keller was casting about for a new pastry chef for his renowned French Laundry restaurant, he placed a number of want ads in publications on both sides of the Atlantic.

BarBersQ, the popular Memphis-style barbecue restaurant in Napa’s Bel Aire Shopping Center, is offering a weekly special prix fixe dinner from 5-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

When Sherry Yard came home to her wine country digs late one night to a message from a guy claiming to be “Wolfgang,” her first thought was that a friend had finally perfected his impersonations.

Throughout her new cookbook, “Desserts by the Yard: From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills — Recipes from the Sweetest Life Ever,” author (and former wine country pastry chef) Sherry Yard offers home cooks valuable tips.

The actor-producer-director Henry Winkler stayed at Campton Place for a month while he was filming. Every night when he returned from the set, I sent up a plate of warm cookies. On his last day, I gave him a bag to take home. That night, I happened to be watching “The Tonight Show,” and there was Henry — giving the cookies to Jay Leno!

This elegant pudding, sprinkled with crystallized ginger and topped with whipped cream, is one of the simplest desserts you can make. The key to success is finding perfect mangoes; if that’s not possible, use frozen mango puree, preferably Boiron brand.

With only three ingredients, this has to be the easiest recipe in the book. Its simplicity, however, yields a surprisingly decadent, smooth and silky cream that will leave your dinner guests trying to guess how you made it.

I began my career as a pastry chef in 1984, working in the basement of the Ritz Hotel on Piccadilly. In many ways this was a baptism of fire. We would start at 8 a.m. and finish at some ungodly hour the following morning, working flat out in the old and worn-out confines of a kitchen that could have told many a story about its past. I dreaded the run-up to the weekend, when the hotel held its famous tea dances. We would slave away all week constructing the intricate, delicate and elegant pastries to give ourselves time to make, roll, cut and bake the vast quantity of scones on the day. I still visit the kitchens of the Ritz to see my good friend, John Williams, who is now head chef there. The kitchen has transformed to become modern and spanking new, but afternoon tea has remained as popular as ever — so popular that at weekends they start serving it at 11 a.m.

One-of-a-kind holiday trees and wreaths, sparkling with light and colorful ornaments, will once again provide year-round support for the Napa Valley Symphony when they are raffled off in the Symphony League’s fifteenth annual Festival of Trees.

Created by young artists throughout Napa County, the Aldea Children and Family Services’ 2008 Children’s Art Therapy Calendar provides a glimpse into local children’s hopes and feelings.

QUEEN OF THE VALLEY

QUEEN OF THE VALLEY

On any given day Napans may walk or drive past one of the many stately turn-of-the-century B&Bs downtown — sometimes taking a second glance and daydream what it must like to be a tourist vacationing in the Napa Valley.

Life in Napa can sometimes be described like a piece of art — whether it is a mural, sculpture or architecture.

At Copia’s Women in Wine symposium Nov. 10, an attentive, mostly-female audience learned that women buy 80 percent of the wine sold in the United States.

New wine brands are released just about every week, it seems, but one brand that made its debut last weekend is quite different from others. It’s made by a company that has four generations involved. And they’re all women.

Try this quiz: Take 2 points each time you answer “yes,” 1 point for “sometimes” and 0 points for “no.”

Newton Vineyards is holding an open house Dec. 1 from 1-5 p.m. and will offer some library wines as well as large format wines. Also featured will be a variety of gift packages, books and wine accessories. Light appetizers will be served.Cost is $20 per person, free to wine club members. RSVP to 204-7622. Newton is located at 2555 Madrona Ave., St. Helena.