Saturday's Stop Madrona Shindig a Shining Success

Saturday evening's wine tasting fundraiser by Hills for Everyone for its lawsuit to stop the Madrona housing project on the Brea portion of Carbon Canyon was a fun and successful evening for about fifty to sixty persons.

Held at the Oak Tree Downs home of Don and Suzanne Hodson in the Chino Hills section of the canyon, the event featured a silent auction for such offerings as stays at Big Bear and Catalina Island, a remarkable original painting by Chino Hills resident Dawn Secord, and a day of sailing, as well as the tasting, in which several wines from Ascension Cellars, based in Paso Robles and co-owned by Eric Allen, an Olinda Village resident.

The latter paired hors d'oeuvres, prepared and served by Hills for Everyone members and Carbon Canyon residents, with several wines from Ascension, including Rhone and Bordeaux-style offerings such as rosé, viognier, a GSM (grenache, syrah and mourvédre), a proprietary Bordeaux-style blend aptly called the "Soul Shaker", and a port.  Allen provided interesting introductions for his wines and mistress of ceremonies, HFE board member and ex-Brea council member Bev Perry kept the evening moving.

Perry presented a list of six notable achievements of Hills for Everyone over the decades, including the creation of Chino Hills State Park, saving land in the Puente Hills for open space and recreation, preventing housing projects in other hills locations, and working to develop a crucial wildlife corridor under the 91 Freeway between the Chino Hills and the Santa Ana Mountains.

It was a night of fine wine, fun conversation, excellent food, and a beautiful setting in the hills above Carbon Canyon.  As the lawsuit on Madrona goes to trial for opening arguments at the end of August, let's hope a goodly amount of money was raised for this worthy cause.