Dear editor,

The Kiwanis Harvest Festival has been a rite of summer in our beautiful valley over the past 24 years.

This year, on Saturday, Sept. 6, we are very excited to be celebrating the 25th anniversary of this fantastic event. To make this the best Harvest Festival ever we are planning to have many special gourmet treats (beside our “world famous” all-you-can-eat barbecue), exceptional wines being poured, great live music and dancing and lots of terrific silent auction deals.

What makes this possibly the most worthwhile event of the year is that in addition to a great afternoon of fun, proceeds from ticket sales go to support the Kiwanis club’s wonderful work throughout the valley on behalf of children. Readers may already be familiar with the fact that Kiwanis has built many of the playgrounds found up and down the valley. Likewise,

Kiwanis works with the Special Olympics and organizes special kids outings, helps struggling families by putting together a Christmas “wish-list” so there are presents under the tree, provides grown-up “reading buddies” for children learning English as a second language, provides scholarships for deserving high school grads and perform too many other activities to mention.

All of these activities come about by the members of the Kiwanis Club volunteering their time and effort, as well as contributing a good deal of money to make the Napa Valley a better place. Help Kiwanis touch the lives of so many around us while enjoying an idyllic afternoon in celebration of the 25th Harvest Festival! Join us for this extravaganza on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 1-5 p.m., that promises a great time and, even more important, contributes to a great cause. Tickets are available for $50 in advance by calling 254-2030 and are also available at the door for $55 each.

Rich Jacobson

Napa