I don’t know how the rest of the community has weathered the first few months of 2008, but the Jessel Gallery has two big thank yous to gratefully share with your readers.

I was raised in a small town in Northern Ontario, Canada, very much like Napa. The feeling throughout our town was one of down-home support and loyalty. My dad was a family physician who made house calls through six months of three-blanket nights for nothing more than $7 or a chicken. Everywhere we went in downtown, Dad would be greeted with love and adoration. You could say I was spoiled by all the old-fashioned ways. I came to Napa in 1984, and truly felt and feel that I was drawn to this location sensing that Napa reminded me of my hometown.

This January and February have been the worst in our 25-year history. If it were not for the Bank of the West and the Mustard Festival we would probably be closing our doors. Bank of the West came to me many years ago and asked for my business. They won me over, and year after year I thank my lucky stars that I made the decision to move my business to their bank. At the beginning of 2008 I would walk into the bank with a long face and panic in my eyes. No matter what my mood, I left with a smile on my face knowing that my bank would stand beside me and do all it could to ease my stress (which sometime included coffee and a cookie!). So this is a love letter of sorts blessing Nancy, Annette, Tina, Jane, Robin, Barbara, Dorothy, Michelle, Sandra, Sarita, Claudia, and Kerstin.

My second thank you goes to Pat Summers and the Mustard Festival. I was given the honor of doing the poster this year and was thrilled to find out that this image has been the top-selling poster in the 15-year history of the event. I also attended all the events and remained in complete awe at how smoothly Pat and her staff ran this huge festival. The global advertising this event does brings people from all over the world. Our business soared, turning our finances around so that we had our biggest month in years this March! The final event held at the Silverado Country Club was the sponsors’ dinner (which was lovely and delicious). I sat as sponsor after sponsor got up and sang praises to this event and how it affected their business (including the Wine Train, Mumm Napa, Ceja Vineyards and American Airlines, to name only a few). I cannot say enough good things about being a sponsor for this event. If I were a restaurant in this valley looking to expand my business, or a winery that slowed down and let people go through our winter season, I would jump on the Mustard Festival bandwagon for 2009.

Thank you Bank of the West and the Mustard Festival. I found a community that feels like Timmins, Ontario, Canada.

(Miller lives in Napa and operates the Jessel Gallery.)