September News

FREE EL DORADO COUNTY VISITOR'S GUIDE!
An Introduction to El Dorado County. This indispensable guide, produced by the El Dorado County Visitors Authority, is crammed with information on shopping, arts and crafts, history, events, accommodations, directions, recreation, relocation and more.

For a complimentary copy, do one of the following:
1) Send an email to: tourism@eldoradocounty.org. Please include name, address, email address and phone;
2) Call (530) 621-5885 (Placerville number) or 1-800-457-6279; or
3) Pick up a copy in the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce front lobby, 542, Main Street, Placerville.

Available now!!

The 2002-03 Farm Trails Guide. For a copy of the current guide, visit the Farm Trails website, www.edc-farmtrails.org and or call (530) 647-2363, or write to the: El Dorado County Farm Trails Association, P.O. Box 542, Camino, CA 95709.

The 2002-03 edition of The Apple Hill Growers' Guide, The Cider Press. Click on www.applehill.com to order a copy, or pick one up at any of the Apple Hill® ranches.

You can find a copy of any of the above guides as well as brochures on El Dorado County attractions in the lobby of the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, 542 Main Street, Placerville.

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
Introduction to El Dorado County: A compact disc (CD) to keep and show. A wonderful introduction to all that El Dorado County has to offer the visitor. Good for Corporate Retreats, Family Reunions, Promotional purposes, Tourism. Use it to plan your events and travel or for your personal enjoyment.

Price: $7, inclusive of shipping. For IBM-compatible PCs ONLY. To order our CD, call 1-800-457-6279 or 530-621-5885.

Apple Season It's a ripe, ripe time. Celebrate the opening of the Apple Hill® season on Labor Day weekend, and keep on celebrating and purchasing those luscious apples and other goodies throughout the season.

Apple Hill's many members offer a wide range of events (see short selection of events below). For the full September calendar, and for other Apple Hill information, click on www.applehill.com or call (530) 644-7692.

For Everyone
-Aug 31-Sept 2. Labor Day Craft Fair, Bolster's Hilltop Ranch, 644-2230, www.bolsters.net
-Sept. 6-8. Chuggers Old Time Steam Engines, High Hill Ranch, 644-1973.
-Sept. 14. Raspberry Imperial Stout Release Party, Jack Russell Farm Brewery, 644-4722, www.jackrussellbrewery.com
-Sept. 22. Taste of Winter Harvest, 12-4 pm, live music by Mt. High String Band, Mother Lode Orchards, 644-4101/644-1914, www.motherlodeorchards.com
-Sept. 28. Opening of weekend "Art in Action" Crafts Fair, 10-5 p.m., Grandpa's Cellar, 644-2153, www.grandpascellar.com.

Especially for Kids
-Sept. 21. 3rd Annual Teddy Bear Picnic, Benefit for El Dorado Family Connections. Face painting, music, games, children's theater, food and more, Rainbow Orchards. www.rainboworchards.com, or call (530) 626-5164.
-Sept. 22. Kid's Day, Orchard bingo, treats, prizes, Grandpa's Cellar, 644-2153, www.grandpascellar.com
-Sept. 29. Kid's Day & Beginning of Scarecrow Contest (Contest ends Oct 27), Kid's Inc, 622-0084, www.kidsincapples.com

Open Air Markets and Fresh Food
In this rich season for fruits and vegetables, be sure to visit the Placerville Farmers' Market. It's open on Saturdays till mid-October from 8 a.m. to noon at the Ivy House Parking Lot on the Corner of Main Street and Cedar Ravine in Historic Placerville. As well as ripe seasonal produce, you'll find such delights as bread and other baked goods, jams, relishes and salsas. For information, visit www.edc-certifiedfarmersmarkets.org or call (530) 622-1900. And don't forget the farmers' markets in El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park and South Lake Tahoe. For details, click on www.visit-eldorado.com/certified_fm.html. The county Ag Department's website, www.atasteofeldorado.com/harvest_calendar.html, has a harvest calendar, so you can see what's in season.

Golfing Gives You that Hill-top High
Fall is an ideal time for golfing high in the hills. The Apple Mountain Golf Resort, 3455 Carson Road, Camino, is an ideal place to play. Click on www.applemountain.com for details. Before or after your golf game, visit the Apple Hill ranches and orchards and stock up on fresh fruit, pies, relishes etc., or stroll through the Apple Hill backroads.

Go High in the Mountains, by Silver Lake
Relish the quiet at the Kit Carson Lodge, just off of Highway 88, along the shores of Silver Lake, at an alpine elevation. Try out the hiking trails around the lake. Enjoy a weekly social hour and a nightly informal campfire, as well as interesting events.

The September calendar offers: storytelling by Naida West around the campfire at 7:30 PM on September 4; an informal evening of music by Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart and Brahms performed by violinist Pauline Bradshaw on September 11, also at 7:30 PM; and a slide show by historians Frank & Mary Anne Tortorich on September 18 at 8:00 PM

The lodge's summer season ends on October 14, so now is the time to visit. Click on www.kitcarsonlodge.com for information and the events calendar, or call (209) 258-8500.

For the hardy, the Lodge's Polar Bear Cottage opens on November 15 and stays open through May 2003.

Fair Play Wineries That Open Wednesday through Sunday
Fair Play, near Somerset, is a very special part of El Dorado County. In 2001, this small area (35 square miles) was granted its own Fair Play appellation as a distinct American Viticultural Area. The Fair Play wineries below are open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 11-5, so be sure to plan your visit accordingly:

Oakstone Winery, Inc.
6440 Slug Gulch Road
(530) 620-5303 877-OAKSTONE
www.oakstone-winery.com

Perry Creek Vineyards
7400 Perry Creek Road
(530) 620-5175
800-880-4026
www.perrycreek.com

Single Leaf Vineyards & Winery
7480 Fair Play Road
888-663-5323
Open Wed-Sun Sept-Dec. (Jan-Aug, Fri-Sun)
www.singleleaf.com

Some Fair Play wineries are open daily, or have different schedules than those mentioned above. For more complete information on Fair Play wineries, and a wineries MAP, visit www.fairplaywine.com

Award-winning Wines at the 2002 California State Fair
Do you ever goggle at the many colored ribbons hanging in El Dorado County's winery tasting rooms? At your next visit, you may see even more. At this year's state fair, El Dorado Winery Association members walked away with 53 awards, a 21% increase over the 41 awards they won in 2001. Visit www.eldoradowines.org for more details about El Dorado County wines as well as a wineries map.

Get the Gold Bug
How about a visit to a real mine shaft only a mile from Placerville's historic downtown? It's at Goldbug Park, 2635, Gold Bug Lane, off of Bedford Avenue, Placerville, one mile north of Highway 50. For details and maps of the city and the park, click on www.goldbugpark.org. Goldbug Park has hiking trails and a picnic area by the stream. Streams always attract miners as they just might find gold in them (or a fish or an old shoe). The park opens daily at 8:30 a.m. (weather permitting) and stays open till 7 p.m. through September.

Stop in at the Hendy Stamp Mill & Museum, with its interpretive displays and working scale model.

The Museum, Stamp Mill and Gift Shop store open daily 10 am - 4 PM through October 27 and weekends 12-4 PM from November through mid-April. Call (530) 642-5207 for general information, (530) 642-5238 for group tour information.

September Events

October Events

November Events