About Santa Rosa's Rincon Valley

Looking for a reason to visit the Wine Country this weekend. Let me give you 11!

20th Lisa Lampanelli; 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm; Queen of Mean with her no-holds-barred, insult comedy routine. 7 p.m. $42.75. Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa. 546-3600. www.wellsfargocenterarts.org.

20th - Possessions of Mrs. Jones;6th St Playhouse; 8pm $15 - $25; Evelyn Jones lives in a shiny happy suburban fantasy. But when God and Satan emerge from her washing machine to enlist her help in preventing a hostile corporate takeover of Heaven and Hades, Evelyn begins to unravel.523-4185. www.6thstreetplayhouse.com

20th - 22nd PAC WEST BARREL RACING; Sonoma County Fairgrounds Lyttle Cow Palace Santa Rosa; Grab the Cash Gala
50 Guaranteed $33,490 Open Barrel Race, $1,000 Added Futurity, Jockey and Pro Slot Races707-751-0396
Website: www.pacwestbarrelracing.com

21st Vintage Holiday Boutique; 9am - 3pm; FREE; Open Door Church, Petaluma; Holiday Craft Show featuring all local artists and their handcrafted holiday and home décor, jewelry, handbags, clothing, baked goods and lots more. carneyjane@netzero.net

21nd - Dec 2nd Annual Holiday Hors d'oeuvres Party $25; 6 -8pm; Sbragia Family Vineyard Geyserville; Holiday, Celebration: Come celebrate the holidays and taste some great hors d'oeuvres paired beautifully with our wines, while listening to music. Everyone attending the party will get to take home all the recipes along with suggested wine pairings. Perfect for the Holiday Season! RSVP required. 9990 Dry Creek Road, Geyserville
(707) 473.2992 x10

2st Louis Foppiano Celebrates 99thBirthdayCelebration; $20; 11am - 4pm; Attendees will be able to step back in time as they enjoy a retrospective tasting of Petite Sirah along with a special tribute to Louis J. at noon. They will also have a peek into Foppiano's future as they meet winemaker Natalie West and taste her future releases. 12707 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg
(707) 433.7272

21st Ceremony of Carols ; $10-$15; Glaser Center Santa Rosa; Santa Rosa Symphonic Chorus, led by Dan Earl, will kick off its 75th anniversary season with a glorious performance.527-4999. ext. 9228.

21st - 22nd Holiday in Carneros ; $40; 10am - 4pm; Holiday, Celebration: Join more than 20 Carneros wineries for this fun winery open house weekend. Sample and purchase great wines, enjoy tasty treats, browse interesting arts and crafts, listen to lively music, meet the winemakers and winery owners and much, much more! Admission includes a Holiday in Carneros logo glass and access to all the fun! Proceeds fund scholarships at Santa Rosa Junior College and Napa Valley College. (800) 909.4352

21st &22nd St. Josephs Crafts Fair; FREE; 10am - 4pm;St. Joseph Church Hall Cotati; Featuring local crafts and crafters.Continental breakfast and Turkey Luncheon, hourly raffles, Gifts Baskets, a silent auction and cash drawing. A kids corner and pictures with Santa. 795-4807 x109. www.stjosephcotati.org.

22nd Free day at the Charles Schulz museum;all day; FREE; Celebrate Charles Schulz's birthday by visiting the Museum Enjoy ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery from 1-3PM

22nd Ursuline Bingo; 18yrs +; 4pm; Ursuline Gym; Supports scholarships. All games pay $250 including early birds. Weekly specials. Chance to win $350 and $500. Criss Cross, Flashcards and more! Great snack Bar. 18 & up only. Newcomers welcome. Doors open at 4 p.m. Games at 6:45 p.m. 524-4646 ext. 142. www.ursulinehs.org.

Family friendly and conveniently located, Rincon Valley has long been one of the preferred residential areas in Santa Rosa. The schools are excellent and homes are still affordable here.

I have assembled a custom search already centered on Rincon Valley that will let you jump right into your map-based home search. Whether you want an entry level home or a more elaborate, larger move-up residence, Santa Rosa's Rincon Valley is a great place to search.

Once you are on the site you can choose whatever price range you are looking for or simply view all the properties.

I also want to repeat the news that there is a great new iPhone App that supports active MLS listings and has great built in support for the mapping features. As you drive around Rincon Valley or any other area in the BAREIS MLS territory, you can use your iPhone to see the listings nearby. It's a great tool.

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Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I'm sure a lot of Sonoma County residents will be buying their birds this weekend. All the supermarkets are packed with Butterball and other mass produced birds. If you want to try something new this year, I highly recommend our local Willie Bird Turkeys. They are raised in Sonoma County and shipped all over the country by mail order. Willie Bird Turkeys are free range turkeys that have incredible taste. Willie began raising the birds locally 40 years ago, and are a real treat.

You can pick up a pre cooked, or ready cook bird at the retail store located at 5350 Highway 12, Santa Rosa, CA (707-545-2832)

or swing by the restaurant for dinner 1150 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 707-542-0861

Rincon Valley is a lousy spot to look for REO property in Sonoma County. Strong neighborhoods and a continued demand for housing have kept bank-owned single family homes to a minimum. Still, there are the occasional listings and the map below will show REO properties in and around Rincon Valley. If you want to look around other parts of Santa Rosa, you can either navigate on the map or visit my reo.sonoma.net site for more maps and information on the foreclosed homes market in Sonoma County.

This week continues to see great rates on 30 year fixed rate home loans. Below is a chart from Freddie Mac of the countries averages. Low rates with tax credits make this a great time to get out there and buy a home! Call me if you would like any further informationl.