In what may have been the most successful event at the famed B.R. Cohn Winery amphitheatre, Journey, the Doobie Brothers, Pablo Cruise, Taj Mahal, Little Feat, Jackie Greene, Whiskey Thieves, Eyewitness Blues Band, Jerry Hannon and Doobie kids Pat Simmons Jr. and Lara Johnston performed to more than 6,000 concert attendees October 3-4.
The music was the draw, but there also was a sense of giving in the air. The concerts raised much-needed funds for several worthy charities, including the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance, Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club of Valley of the Moon, Level II Trauma Center at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, The American Legion Post 911 and others.
The 23rd annual B.R. Cohn Charity Events Fall Music Festival and Golf Classic kicked off on October 2 with a gala dinner at the B.R Cohn winery, prepared by one of America’s top chefs, Bradley Ogden. There also was a charity auction hosted by food and wine personality Narsai David. Held amidst the autumn hues of the winery’s Olive Grove, the event featured a world-class dinner paired with B.R. Cohn wines.
All told, 536 auction attendees bid on trips, large-format wine bottles and other rare wines, and wine dinners — including two dinners for 12 at Bruce Cohn’s home to be prepared by culinary giants Ogden and Thomas Keller. The evening raised more than $165,000.
The overall four days of fundraising — including ticket sales, food and beverage, auctions and tournament fees — came close to generating $400,000 for charity.
“We have had some great charity events here over the past 23 years, but I think everyone will agree that this is one of the very best we have ever produced,” said B.R. Winery owner, Doobies manager and event producer Bruce Cohn.
“Without having Journey, the Doobie Brothers and all the other great artists perform basically just for their expenses, and without the tremendous participation of the 6,000-plus people who turned out to support the concerts, we could never have raised this much money for charity, especially in these challenging times.”
