Sharon Rotlisberger talks about the Alexander Valley Ladies Aid, going strong since 1911
Sharon Rotlisberger has been a member of the Alexander Valley Ladies Aid for more than 13 years. She currently serves as the Treasurer and helps with the annual holiday bazaar. Sharon’s parents were born and raised in Healdsburg, where she has lived since 1958. She and her husband Dan live on the home ranch that his grandfather bought 100 years ago. They grow Cabernet Sauvignon winegrapes.
What is the Alexander Valley Ladies Aid?
The Alexander Valley Ladies Aid, started in 1911, is a group of women who raise funds for various organizations in the Alexander Valley. One portion of the money raised helps with the restoration of the Alexander Valley Community Church, which was built in 1896 and became a Sonoma County Historical Monument in 1982. The 1912 annex to the present church is where our annual Christmas bazaar is held.
Since the organization was started in 1911, one fun fact is that during our monthly meetings a member reads the old minutes dating way back to the 1900s. Several historical minutes describe how the Alexander Valley community supported each other’s families, held plan sales and fundraisers similar to what we do in modern times. It is equally fun to hear the stories about the Alexander Valley people, some being close friends and ancestors so many of us are related to the names mentioned in the old minutes. So as the saying goes, ‘better not talk about someone because they might be related!’
What is the purpose of the organization today? Who are the members?
Along with helping to raise money for the church’s maintenance, we award scholarships to graduating Healdsburg High School seniors. Additionally, we donate to different community organizations, such as the Alexander Valley School Library, Alexander 4-H and the annual Washington, D.C. trip for high schoolers. We have about 50 women members and the majority of them are from the valley but not all. One interesting fact is that you must receive an invitation to become a member of the Alexander Valley Ladies Aid.
Why is this an important community organization?
I believe that it’s because we remain a community and that allows us to keep up on the valley news. We have a special “sunshine” portion of our meeting and this time is devoted to announce information, good or bad, about the people in our community. This allows us to be there for people who are ill, recovering from surgeries, celebrating marriages and birth announcements and so on. This truly allows us to serve the community. For example, one recent activity we participated in was making “Grandma’s” granola mix and this is being sent to our troops in Afghanistan. Members of our organization along with others are packing “goodie” boxes filled with food, knitted hats, special notes, plus more on Dec. 4. We’ve done this rewarding activity for the past several years. Â
Tell us about the tradition of the annual Christmas Bazaar. Who creates the items?
The bazaar started in 1922, but we don’t know if it was continuous during wartime. We all chip in and make jams, jellies, cookies and other delicious sweets … everyone does what they can. Some of the items for sale are hand-embroidered dishtowels, machine-embroidered potholders and colorful Christmas wreaths. This year, one lady is making pillowcases just for kids and another member is making fleece blankets that are youth sizes. We have a wonderful raffle, which includes a Jimtown gift basket, Alexander Valley wines, a kitchen basket plus more. This year we are including a large artificial decorative wreath.
I work with gords and recycled light bulbs and create them into Christmas ornaments. I am finishing up my angel ornaments today, and I also am painting grinches, teddy bears, Santa Clauses, Goofy, Raggedy Ann, snowmen and reindeer. I am always looking for old light bulbs to decorate. Please bring your old, used light bulbs to the bazaar: I’d love to get them!
What can the community expect when they come to the event?
It’s fun and a bit noisy because of the crowd. We have people coming from Geyserville, Santa Rosa and even Lake County, and it’s so surprising and wonderful to see people you know from town. Sometimes you do not see them again until the next year’s bazaar, so it is very nice to see all the people.
We will be serving homemade cookies and refreshments, which is wonderful. In the middle of the room, we set up a table for our white elephant sale, which is full of fun, different items. And then the rest of the annex is filled with one-of-a-kind, homemade items. We have great community raffle items as I mentioned. It is quite fun so the more people that come, the merrier!
What’s your favorite part of the holidays?
Baking, and I really enjoy making things for my family. I have several recipes I have started passing on to my family members. Two of these are from my husband’s grandmother: honey cookies, and she also made these wonderful yeast biscuits known as “grandma biscuits.” I make them both for the Christmas bazaar. And it’s fun to also find other recipes. For brunch, I make glazed sausage with bacon – the whole family likes it and the kids expect it, so I make it once a year.
The Alexander Valley Ladies Aid Christmas Bazaar is on December 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Alexander Valley Community Church located at 6650 Highway 128. Admission is free.
