Sacramento Elites Celebrate A Festivus For The Rest Of Us!

Why celebrate the holidays the old-fashioned way when you can be a part of Yelp's Festivus For The Rest Of Us? That was the opinion of around 300 Sacramento yelpers who converged last Tuesday evening at the Pachamama Coffee Cooperative and John Natsoulas Gallery in Davis. More of a holiday hodgepodge than anything (a true Festivus would be anti-celebration – what fun is that?), the gathering featured fourteen different food and drink vendors, finger-snappin' tunes and a chance to sit on Santa's lap – all benefiting our charity partner the Antelope Quilter's Guild!

The gallery, which consists of four levels (our party was on the first two), is a warm and welcoming modern event venue right in the heart of downtown Davis. Pachamama, a 100% farmer-owned distributor of premium coffee from around the world, recently opened their first official full-service coffee shop on the ground level and their wonderful staff were present to offer up free samples of their invigorating brews.

Festivus is a time to air grievances and demonstrate feats of strength, and nothing lubricates those activities better than quality adult beverages. We were fortunate to have some of the best premium local and international beer vendors on hand, including Drake's Brewing Company, Hoppy Brewing Company, ol' Republic Brewery, Singha Beer and Six Rivers Brewery. "Nothing quite trampolines the holiday spirit into the stratosphere like most excellent libations, and there was quite a gathering of brews and wines to pass around," shares Michelangelo S. Vinophiles rejoiced in complimentary tastings from Avio Vineyards, Dobra Zelmja Winery, Renwood Winery and Scott Harvey Wines, four of the most acclaimed wineries from neighboring Amador County. Designated drivers and soda lovers in general savored the refreshing flavors of Joia All Natural Soda.
 

Of course, alcohol on an empty stomach could have spoiled the ani-merriment at the Festivus pole. Fortunately, Dish It Up Catering (aka Digger's Deli) served scrumptious shrimp crackers and artichoke dip (Cindy S: "Smooth and creamy with that perfect bite of seasoning."), while Two Moms Catering distributed generous portions of mouthwatering meatballs and rice (Michelangelo S: " I must have had 20 meatballs throughout the night, they were so damn good!"). The selection of delectable cupcakes from About a Bite Bakery were, in the words of Jefferson L, "enough to make anyone's dentist jump for joy!"

While the night included many highlights, one of the most popular were the jazzy holiday arrangmenets from the popular Foothill Jazz Conservative. And what would a holiday party be without a visit from Santa? Good and bad girls and boys lined up to tell Santa Kris what they want for Christmas and get instant print outs of their photos from the always-professional Express Event Imaging. The photos are also available online. "A picture with Santa Claus brings out the kid in all of us," notes Scott F.

The proverbial night cap to this wonderful evening was the announcement of our three Scavenge Sacramento prize winners! Around half of those in attendance were participants in the hunt. The hunt was sponsored by Sacramento365.com, whose staff also manned the coat check for the evening. One lucky yelper also won two Rare Beer Tasting tickets ($200 total value) at the Art of Beer Invitational during a competition to throw a plastic Santa head in a basket. Sounds crazy, but who wouldn't want those tickets?

In the end, just under $1000 was raised for the Antelope Quilter's Guild, who also supplied hard-working volunteers to display their works, show off the Festivus Pole and keep track of the Airing of Grievances!

Special thanks to Melissa Uroff for her always dynamic photos, my lovely assistants Ashley N and Eddie H, and Pachamama, the Sacramento365 staff and gallery staff. Also thanks to Uber for providing special discounts so those travelling from afar could get back home safely!

In the words of Frank Constanza, "I find tinsel distracting."
Alex L (with North Bay CM Kevin B and San Francisco CM Jon A)
Yelp Sacramento Festivus CEO