KELSEYVILLE >> The only things being flung at Saturday’s Spring Fling fundraiser was numbered paddle boards as guests hurriedly raised them to bid on a variety of donated items and packages.
About 100 people attended the second annual Spring Fling at Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill in Kelseyville. The event was put on by the Riviera Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization to benefit the school’s technology program. According to Amber Sheridan, president of the school’s Parent Teacher Organization, the fling raised $8,300.
Brenda Robinson is a teacher at the school and sits on its technical committee. She attended the fling with her husband, Rob Robinson, and friend Azure Cascio. All live in Kelseyville.
“We want every child to have some type of tablet to use at any time of day,” Brenda Robinson said. “This is the 21st century and we’re trying to move forward. Our students need to be able to know how to maneuver in a technical world.”
She said moving to an all-tablet school will save the school money since it is “easier and cheaper” for students and teachers to do school work on tablets rather than with paper, pens and books.
The event began Saturday evening with wines, many of them organic, provided by Chacewater. It was followed by a buffet dinner featuring ricotta and spinach stuffed mushrooms, goat cheese topped with sweet chili sauce, Caesars’ Salad, penne pasta with mushrooms, lemon herb chicken and herbed potatoes. Desserts were a yogurt parfait and lemon olive oil cake topped with fruit compote.
Chacewater wines paired with the buffet offerings included the 2014 Rose Organic, the 2012 Highlander Red Organic and the 2013 Chardonnay.
A live auction started after dinner with Lakeport Mayor Martin Schell acting as auctioneer.
“Even though I’m a Lakeport resident, it doesn’t matter this evening,” Scheel said. “There’s great food and the camaraderie of Lake County. That’s why we live here.”
Scheel auctioned off several dozen items, including a private wine tasting for six at Thorn Hill Vineyards that went for $250; a vacation in a cabin at Lake Tahoe that sold for $675; and a San Francisco day trip for four with a top bid of $250.
One of the more unusual auction items was the “Screwed, Brewed and Tattooed” package that included a cordless screwdriver, a $150 gift certificate for a tattoo, and a growler of craft beer. The top bid was $475.
The outdoor event found many bidders using their paddles as fans, with temperatures staying in the 80s well into the evening.
Margo Rudolph of Lakeport came to the Spring Fling both to support the Kelseyville district school, but to look for fundraising ideas that she can bring back to Lakeport Elementary Schools where two of her children attend.
“I think this is a wonderful event,” she said. “It’s definitely a class act,”
Her friend, Lila Worthington of Kelseyville added, “I think they put on an amazing event. The people here make it a fun atmosphere.”
