Press Release
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER JOINS TICKET SALES CAMPAIGN FOR WINE COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP AT WENTE VINEYARDS
Northern California's Premier Golf, Food & Wine Event Returns March 31-April 6
Livermore, CA (March 11, 2008) - A downtown ticket outlet is now open for the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship At Wente Vineyards, Northern California's premier golf, food and wine event is scheduled to return March 31-April 6, 2008. Tickets for the Nationwide Tour's only stop in the Bay Area are available at the Bankhead Theater ticket office, 2400 First Street in downtown Livermore. Operated by the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, the ticket office hours are noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Passes for the entire week are $20 each, available only in advance; daily tickets are $5 each for the first two days of tournament play (April 3-4) and $10 each for the final two days (April 5-6); daily tickets are available at the gate each day of play. Admission is free for practice rounds. Children 12-younger are free (limit of two) with a paid adult admission.
Available again this year is the popular VIP Hospitality Suite Pass, which provides access to the grounds and golf course, but most importantly the luxury VIP Hospitality Suite, with private food provided by Wente Vineyards, Wente Vineyards wine overlooking the 18th green. Each ticket is $125 and valid one day only. VIP passes or Hospitality packages must be purchased before March 31 and are available online at ticketmaster.com.
The Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center is the primary beneficiary of this year's Wine Country Championship, which distributes funds raised through the event to various non-profit organizations in the area. The community-based LVPAC brings world-class arts and entertainment to the Tri-Valley. The organization operates the Bankhead Theater and Bothwell Arts Center and is directing the development of a 2,000-seat regional theater expected to open in 2010. For golf tickets and other performance information, call (925) 373-6800 and visit www.livermoreperformingarts.org.
Besides hosting the best field of professional golfers to visit the Bay Area in 2008, the Wine Country Championship also will feature gourmet food and wine tasting each day at the Diablo Magazine Food & Wine Pavilion presented by Viking. The AT&T Tech pavilion presented by Logitech will host some of the latest gadgets and electronics for business and the home. Co-hosted by the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association and Wente Vineyards, the family oriented Wine Country Championship has averaged 20,000 spectators annually.
The Greg Norman-designed Course At Wente Vineyards, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2008, has produced the toughest course on the Nationwide Tour the past two years.
"We are looking forward to producing another champion in 2008 who will add to the legacy of our tournament," said tournament director Chris Conway.
Popular standup comedian Henry Cho, an avid golfer, is to be the special guest at the April 2 afternoon pro-am. Known for being "an Asian with a Southern accent," the Tennessee-born Korean comic also is to perform at the pro-am awards function Wednesday evening. Limited spots are available in two Pro-Am events (Monday, March 31, at 1 p.m. and Wednesday, April 2 at 7:30 a.m.) Amateurs may register as individuals or as a foursome by contacting the tournament office.
For more information about the 2008 Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship at Wente Vineyards, visit www.winecountrychampionship.com.
About The Course at Wente Vineyards
The Course at Wente Vineyards opened in July 1998. Designed by golfing great Greg Norman, the 18-hole championship course is a picturesque 7,181-yard, par-72, upscale, daily-fee golf course tucked away in the scenic, rural Livermore Valley, 50 minutes east of San Francisco. With three distinct topographies-native woodlands, mature vineyard and rolling hills of natural grasslands-The Course at Wente Vineyards offers extraordinary visual panoramas and a diversity of play unmatched in the Bay Area. Designed for both novice and pro, The Course is host of the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship, part of the PGA Tour's Nationwide Tour. For tee times call (925) 456-2425 or visit online at www.wentegolf.com. The Course is located at 5040 Arroyo Road in Livermore, CA.
About Wente Vineyards
2008 marks Wente Vineyards' 125th Anniversary. As the country's oldest continuously operated family-owned winery, Wente Vineyards maintains its leadership role in California winegrowing under the ownership and management by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family. Blending traditional and innovative winemaking practices, the winery draws from 3,000 acres of sustainably farmed estate vineyards to create an outstanding portfolio of wines. Located just east of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Vineyards is recognized as one of California's premier wine country destinations, featuring wine tasting, fine dining and championship golf.
About the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Foundation
The Livermore Valley Winegrowers Foundation was founded in 1994 as way for the Valley's wine industry to give back to the community and increase awareness of this generous wine region. Though its primary activities, the Livermore Valley Wine Auction and now the Wine Country Championship, the Foundation has contributed more than $3 million dollars for local charities ranging from providing funds for the pediatric unit at ValleyCare Medical Center, to funding the Oakland East Bay Symphony's programs for underserved children, and to supporting Camp Arroyo, a summer camp for children with life-threatening illnesses.
About The Nationwide Tour
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Nationwide Tour identifies those players who are ready to compete and win on golf's greatest stage. As the official proving ground of the PGA TOUR, 67 percent of the current PGA TOUR membership played on the Nationwide Tour. Tour alumni have won more than 200 PGA TOUR titles, including a grand slam. Twenty-five PGA TOUR cards and a record purse approaching $19 million will be at stake over the course of 30 events in 2008. Recognizing the Tour's growing stature, Nationwide Insurance has renewed its umbrella sponsorship of the Nationwide Tour through 2012. The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its three tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, supports over 2,000 local charities and has surpassed $1 billion in charitable giving. To learn more about the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit www.PGATOUR.com.
# # #
Press Contacts
| Kristen Hunter Hunter Public Relations West Coast Office P.O. Box 1049 Pebble Beach, CA 93953 (831) 375-1747 khunter@hunter-pr.com |
Ed Vyeda Hunter Public Relations West Coast Office P.O. Box 1049 Pebble Beach, CA 93953 (831) 375-1747 evyeda@hunter-pr.com |