The sun was shining early in the morning on Saturday, October 19, as the “worker bees” of the Mendocino Rotary Club worked with staff of the Little River Inn to set up the golf course for 13 foursomes competing for fun and prizes in the Club’s 2025 Annual Golf Tournament. All the golfers were asked to register, buy mulligans and raffle tickets, and bid on donated prizes which included wine, tools and even a chance to get an acupuncture treatment. While all this was taking place the golfers could choose breakfast refreshments which included coffee and rolls, bloody Marys and screwdrivers. Golf carts were lined up and ready to go.

Tournament Chair Gary Hopper explained the rules of the tournament to the golfers, the clock chimed 9 o’clock and the competitors climbed into their carts for the shotgun start. Some four hours later, the golfers, after enjoying offerings of mouthwatering pulled pork sandwiches on hole 4, a charcuterie table with delicious cheeses, lunch meats, and fruits set up at hole 7 and hot dogs, polish dogs, chips, water, soft drinks, wine and beer under a tent set up near the clubhouse, assembled to find out who had won golf and raffle prizes and take part in an auction of two special offerings.

The tournament, which was a tremendous success, was supported by many generous sponsors, who contributed sums ranging from $500 (platinum), $250 (gold), $100 (silver, for hole sponsors) and other amounts amounting to $25 to  (bronze, for raffle prizes and other donations). Sponsors were as follows, in no particular order: Platinum, Mendocino Grove, Cathy Karabensh (in honor of Jerry); Gold, Mendo Sothebys, Pete Rose, Sean Leland; Silver, Dr. Nathaniel Poenauru, DDS, Hogan and Stickel, Inc, the Study Club, Jeff and Karen Stubbs, Toby Wade, LaDonna and Rick McDonald,. Pell Construction, Gary Hopper, Sol de Mendocino, Dr. Baumgartner, DDS, Sean and Kira Meade, Out of this World, Village Veterinary, Cheri Osborne, Mike Casey Construction, Pamela Hudson Real Estate, O’Halloran Painting, Engel & Völkers, Meadowood Estates, Dick’s Place, Patterson’s Pub, and Edward Jones’ Mendocino office of Bruce Fournier; Bronze, Mendocino Savings Bank, Gallery Bookstore, Frankies’ Restaurant, Trillium Restaurant, Dr. Michael Brown, Corners of the Mouth, Harvest Market, Harvest at Mendosas, Mendocino Hardware, Dave’s Deli, Schafer’s Auto, Adventist Health, Thanksgiving Coffee, Susan Cimiyotti, Grace Hendricks, North Coast Brewery, Navarro Winery and Skyler Thomas LaC Acupuncture. The Little River Golf Course and Harvest Market supported this tournament in many respects, while LaDonna and Rick MacDonald and Cathy Karabensh donated vacation properties for an auction of special offerings exuberantly conducted by Tom Allman.

Winning teams were:

First Place: Zach Brooks, Paul Brooks, Josh Brooks and Diana Maxey;

Second Place: Greg Burke, Matt Howard, Jim Eldridge and Danny Kurrish;

Third Place: Toby Wade, Richard Carpenter, Sean O’Malley and Hollis Hughes.

The proceeds of the tournament will be used to support carefully selected subjects, including scholarships for Mendocino High School students, dictionaries for third graders and NGOs providing services in our coastal community, in developing countries of the South Pacific and disaster relief throughout the world. Mendocino Rotary thanks its many sponsors. While most are not Rotarians, they truly understand the motto of “Service Above Self”.