FORT BRAGG, CA., 9/15/26 — With the dahlia garden at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in full bloom and not a cloud in sight, more than 1,000 people turned out Saturday for the 41st annual Winesong extravaganza, raising over $700,000 for the Mendocino Coast Healthcare Foundation – including more than $400,000 toward a new echocardiogram machine for Adventist Health Mendocino Coast, according to event organizers.
The event kicked off late morning with more than 100 beverage and culinary partners, over 150 volunteers, and performances from six local music groups as attendees enjoyed the event’s food and beverage tasting. Visitors dressed up for the occasion, and the mood throughout the gardens was relaxed and festive. A silent auction ran alongside the tasting event.
Tall Guy Brewing, a Fort Bragg craft brewery known for its small-batch beers and lagers, poured tastings, while Noyo River Grill served fresh ahi tartare alongside Kemmy’s Pies, the Willits bakery beloved for its handmade pies. Thanksgiving Coffee poured its organic, fair-trade roasts.
Winesong’s featured winemakers this year included Barra of Mendocino, a multi-generational, certified-organic family estate in Redwood Valley; Goldeneye Winery, known for its small-lot Anderson Valley Pinot Noirs; Husch Vineyards, the oldest continuously operating winery in Anderson Valley and a Winesong participant since its earliest years; and Rosati Winery, a longtime Hopland favorite pouring its estate wines.
Erica Gibbons of Frankie and the Lost Souls, a local group that played original indie folk rock, , said she was happy to be involved in something so community-oriented.
“As a Canadian and musician, having access to healthcare in rural Mendocino is important to me,” Gibbons said. “It’s great to be part of a community that cares about access to good healthcare.”
As the tasting wound down in the afternoon, the live auction and auction lunch got underway. Hospital Director and Chief of Medical Staff at Adventist Health Mendocino Coast Dr. William Miller took the stage and spoke about this year’s goal of funding a new echocardiogram machine for the hospital and the importance of “echos” in healthcare.
“Before we had echoes, we had no way of looking at a newborn baby’s heart, who may have been born with a heart defect,” Miller said. “We just had to guess.”
An echocardiogram is a heart ultrasound that shows moving pictures of the heart’s function.
The auction tent was loud and lively, with attendees outbidding each other through the afternoon. In one exciting moment, volunteers brought puppies to the top bidder on an auction item for an impromptu “puppy party,” drawing a lively crowd around the bidder.
Saturday’s fundraising builds on last year’s Winesong, which helped fund a CT scanner for the hospital that’s set to be installed in December. Like that equipment, the new echocardiogram will belong to the community rather than to Adventist, which operates the hospital under a long-term agreement with the healthcare district.
The total also builds on four decades of giving. Winesong raised $8,000 in its first year, 1985, and has since raised more than $10.7 million for health and wellness projects from Gualala to Westport to Comptche.