2nd Year at Cornerstone
A toast to good living, the annual Sunset Celebration Weekend has found a new home within Sonoma Valley’s scenic vineyards. The renowned event features fine food and drink, and everything under the sun in colorful, healthy and stylish Western living.
For the second year running, the event unfolds at Cornerstone Sonoma, billed as a wine country marketplace, featuring world-class shopping, boutique wineries and tasting rooms, artisanal foods and highly creative architectural gardens. Cornerstone is also home to Sunset's Gardens and Outdoor Test Kitchen.
A Big Draw for Sunset Fans
The May 20-21 event promises to draw legions of Sunset fans plus celebrity chefs, craft beer brewers, gardening and lifestyle experts. One featured exhibit is designed to help people give their house a higher IQ with an array of smart home technology. The Sunset “Smart Cottage” will show a high-tech home can be tasteful, attractive and functional. A team of designers and tech providers will transform a classic 900-square-foot cottage on the property with a sleek style that has all the latest gadgetry. Nearby the cottage, a “Smart Trailer,” a special edition Tommy Bahama Airstream, will feature easy-to-install smart devices that run on batteries.
City of Benicia Participation
The Sunset Weekend Celebration may seem a bit “worlds away,” but the event is close enough to Benicia that a team of city staffers and volunteers will be on hand. As part of the travel section, the Benicia booth is all about encouraging people to visit under the theme of “Benicia: It’s closer than you think,” said city Economic Development Specialist Teri Davena. The weekend event is a fun way to meet people and tell them all about Benicia. “A lot of people at the booths just sit there and scroll through their phones. Not us. We step outside of our booth and engage with people. We ask them if they have ever been to Benicia,” she said.
Courtesy Photo Sunset Celebration 2016 |
Benicia’s “Swag” Baskets are Legendary
People who have already visited Benicia are encouraged to come again, while newcomers are shown how close and easy it is to reach. Every person who comes by the booth gets a lens cloth with a map showing how to get to Benicia. A drawing is held both days for enormous baskets full of treasures from local stores, too. The winners don’t need to be present to accept the prizes but they do need to promise to visit Benicia. “We meet a lot of people and they are always very nice and complimentary about Benicia,” said Davena.
“Smart Cottage” and Glamping
People came from all over Solano, Napa and Sonoma counties and from Sacramento come to soak up the scene. Besides the “Smart Cottage,” the event will also shine a light on “glamping,” a new word to describe glamorous camping. Under three white canvas teepees an array of summer camp-style activities and food will be offered, such as gourmet s’mores, along with inspiration and tips for cooking and sleeping under the stars. People can then head over to the Live Fire cooking stage to watch chefs from “Dirty Gourmet,” a group that came into being to rethink food in the outdoors. Tickets are now on sale for the 19th annual weekend activities. Online tickets, plus a schedule of presenters and events, and event information are available at sunset.com/cw.
Sunset Celebration Weekend
May 20-21, 2017, 11am-5pm
Cornerstone Sonoma
23570 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, California
sunset.com/cw
