Introducing Paso Robles’ “Friday Giveaways”

by Shonna Howenstine

It was recently brought to our attention that everybody loves Fridays. And free stuff. And Paso Robles.

So, with us being the progressive tourism office that we are, we’ve decided to combine these three things and conquer the world. Well, maybe “conquer” is the wrong word. Perhaps “enliven” or “enhance” or “improve” would be better in this instance.  We have SUCH a cool program that we’re calling Friday Giveaways. And it’s legit - we officially launched it last week and gave away two tickets to the 20th Annual Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival!

Valentine’s Day in Paso Robles

by Shonna Howenstine

While the exact origins of Valentine’s Day are hazy, the current manner of celebrating the holiday in Paso Robles is clear – it’s all about love, romance, and…food. 

That’s right, food. Valentine’s Day is the second busiest day of the year for most restaurants (right
behind New Year’s Eve) and this is great news for lovebirds AND foodies. If the way to a lover’s heart is through the stomach, then Paso Robles is the place to be for Valentine's Day. Our restaurants and wineries pull out all the stops with their Valentine’s Day menus.

Here are a few examples:

Give the Gift of Rest, Relaxation and Pampering in Paso Robles

by Tina Swithin, Travel Paso Robles Alliance

Are you still seeking that special gift for the one you love?  Luckily, I’ve done the work so you can rest assured that you’ll have the best gift under the tree.  I happily continue on my quest to bring you the very best gift ideas in Paso Robles. The theme for this series is quite simple: Rest, Relation and Pampering in Paso Robles. 

Give the Gift of Paso Robles

By Shonna Howenstine, City of Paso Robles Tourism Coordinator

After hearing a visitor say last year that they planned to purchase items made in or near Paso Robles during the holiday season, we agreed that the idea was genius and set to work compiling THE LIST. That's right, we would put into one place every item we know of that is made or can only be found in Paso Robles. Our shopping adventure took us through websites that in turn inspired our imaginations AND made checking off our shopping lists remarkably easy and fun. 

Celebrating Paderewski and His Local Roots

by Joel Peterson

In my role as President of the Paderewski Festival, I’m often asked about who Paderewski was and why we celebrate him. It’s a good question, as we don’t often get a glimpse of a person who lived 100 years ago. He’s also a bit hard to define since he did so many things over the course of his life. In a few paragraphs I’ll attempt to give you a brief glimpse into Paderewski’s life and why we celebrate him.

As strange as it may seem in a world dominated today by pop culture, Paderewski was the most popular entertainer of his time – the Elvis or John Lennon of his era. Universally acclaimed as a "Modern Immortal" by his contemporaries, Ignacy Jan Paderewski was a virtuoso pianist, composer, politician, humanitarian and orator. His charismatic personality and popular appeal made him one of the most cherished figures of the 20th century.

A skilled and brilliant performer and a true Romantic pianist, during a career spanning fifty years Paderewski performed all over the world, playing hundreds of concerts across the globe. His American debut in 1891 in New York City was followed by over 100 concerts on the continent. It was the first of his twenty subsequent tours of North America.

Paderewski was equally known for the amount of hard work he put into his craft – practicing throughout his career 8 to 10 hours per day. He was among the highest paid performers of his time. Much of his fortune he gifted to organizations and helped raise millions for a war-torn Poland and its people. In 1918, he signed the Treaty of Versailles and became the first Prime Minister of Independent Poland after World War I. Although his bold political vision for a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural United States of Poland was never realized, his musical legacy continues to inspire generations of musicians all around the world.

Paderewski was introduce to Paso Robles in 1914, when severe arthritis in his hands interrupted his U.S. tour. He came to Paso Robles for its natural hot springs cures and, after falling in love with the area, purchased several tracts of land on Paso’s west side. Paderewski’s properties in Paso eventually encompassed nearly 3000 acres. After establishing almond and fruit tree orchards, he planted Zinfandel and Petite Syrah grapes and became a pioneer wine producer, whose farming methods helped transform the Central Coast wine region. Paderewski’s wines were made at the nearby York Mountain Winery and, like his music, were loved by critics, including the Los Angeles Times, who considered Paderewski’s wine one of 10 best in California.

Paderewski returned to Paso for a month-long rest in the middle of every American tour. His association with the Paso Robles—a place he called his American residence—extended for 25 years until his death in 1941.

Join us for this year's 2011 Paderewski Festival, November 10-13, three days of celebrating music, wine and the legacy of Paderewski. The festival includes concerts by internationally-acclaimed artists, young pianists from Central Coast, performances of jazz music, exhibits of Paderewski memorabilia at the Pioneer Museum and Carnegie Library, a lecture from a California historian, and tours of Paderewski’s original property.

Once again, we will honor Paderewski’s mission to bring music to Californians by making all concerts during the 2011 Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles free of charge. Visit www.paderewskifest.com for our schedule of events and more information about Paderewski and the festival.

Reserve your tickets online, e-mail tickets@paderewskifest.com or call (805)769-4622. Special thanks to Marek Zebrowski, our artistic director, for helping me put with this list together.

Joel Peterson is the Director of Communications for Hope Family Wines. Additionally he is the President of the Board of Directors for the Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles and serves on the Paso Robles Planning Commission. He loves to live, work and play in Paso Robles.

All the world is a stage… with a really cool lake in the background.

by the Travel Paso Robles Alliance

UPDATE AS OF 7/15/11: We attended a special preview of Comedy of Errors and it was fantastic. The show was funny, well-acted and had enough twists and turns to keep even the kids in the audience engaged and quiet. Highly recommended for the Shakespeare purist and newbie alike. Good fun!

Thanks in great part to the extreme enjoyability of the Central Coast Shakespeare Festival, a whole new generation is learning to love the works that make freshman English students cringe.   

 

Twist Studio Spa All-in-one for Girlfriend Getaways, Bridal Parties and More!

By Nancy Hoover

Planning a girls trip to Paso Robles this summer? Whether it be a mother-daughter, bridal party or girlfriend getaway trip, Twist Studio Spa is the ideal place to host mid-size groups for a day of pampering in charming downtown Paso Robles.

Discover Paso Robles -- It's a Good Life!

By the Travel Paso Robles Alliance

Want to see what you are missing? Check out our new TV commercial showcasing our beautiful vineyard covered hillsides, green and grassy downtown square, fun-filled farm excursions and farmers' markets, amazing dining, wine tasting, spas, shopping, golf and a plethora of outdoor activities! Come discover Paso Robles, you'll be glad you did!

Paso's thermal hot springs uncovered

By Nancy Hoover

Long known for its therapeutic mineral hot springs, the Paso Robles region has long welcomed distant visitors. During the mid-1800s, Paso Robles was prominently advertised as “El Paso de Robles Hot and Cold Sulfur Springs and the Only Natural Mud Baths in the World” to wealthy citizens living in the San Francisco bay area.  It was our founder’s desire to create a spa community in Paso Robles that capitalized on the region’s unique natural resources.  Visitors came from all over the world to enjoy the natural mineral hot springs, some even as far as Poland (see previous post).

Celebrating history and culture in Paso Robles

By Joel Peterson, Paderewski Festival Board President

November in Paso Robles is a special time.  I view it as the end of the best time of the season.  Harvest is wrapping up, the World Series has been decided (very nice outcome this season!) and the election nonsense is over.  When I was younger, and lived in the northwest, my favorite time was the end of summer as we progressed into fall, school and the holidays.  Everything in wine country, specifically Paso Robles, is just pushed a few months back.  This time of year, it is absolutely beautiful in every direction you look.  The vineyards are 12 different shades of yellow, orange, rust, green and brown, and the sunsets are astonishingly vibrant.  It is truly a perfect time to be in Paso Robles.  Moreover, we aren’t yet worrying about holiday gifts and travel plans.  It is a time to reflect on the year and enjoy the place— in this case, Paso Robles.

I guess I should introduce myself.  I’m Joel Peterson.  I live, work and play in Paso Robles.  My grandparents, Virginia and Allen Peterson, moved to Paso Robles in the early 1940’s and my family has had history here ever since.  My grandmother helped to start the original Paderewski Festival in the early 1990’s.  I moved here in 2003 from Los Angeles to work in the wine industry, raise a family and enjoy the small town charm of this idyllic community.  The picture in my head of what life in Paso Robles would be like hasn’t really changed over the past seven years.  It truly is a special place.  Besides working as the director of communications for Hope Family Wines and serving on the Paso Robles Planning Commission, I am now the President of the Paderewski Festival, which takes place this week.

Among other things, Paso Robles' history is what makes it special.  Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the most famous musician of his time, is Paso Robles’ most famous resident.  Paderewski went from musician to politician prior to the first World War, bought land in Paso Robles in 1914 and came to visit over the next 25 years.  He planted vineyards and orchards, made wine, drilled for oil and healed his arthritic hands in the natural hot springs.  Like most of us, he fell in love with Paso Robles.  This year marks the 150th anniversary of his birth in 1860. To celebrate this historic occasion, we’ve planned a special Paderewski Festival in which all of the concerts are free.  I like the energy of the unique festival – it is unlike many of the events here in Paso Robles.  It is a combination of music, history, and culture but also simply celebrates Paso Robles.  We honor local youth musicians, internationally renowned concert performers, our cultural link with Poland and what Paderewski loved about Paso – wine, hot springs and the people. 

For more information on the Paderewski Festival, or for a complete schedule of events, please visit paderewskifest.com.  For information on how to plan your visit to Paso Robles, please visit travelpaso.com.