The Annual Wine and Wet Noses event returned to Scotts Valley again this year and raised almost $8,000 for local animals.
“I had this crazy idea about five years ago. I thought I can put together a groovy little event and raise some money for the animal shelter and rescue organizations,” said event founder Laurie Roberts.
The annual benefit on April 25 at MacDorsa Park in Scotts Valley drew more than 500 wine and dog lovers and raised $7,495 for the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter and Unconditional Love Animal Rescue.
Roberts said 150 people attended the first Wine and Wet Noses.
“We get better at this each year,” she said.
A lot of the dogs in attendance were from rescue organizations and wore their halters which said, “Adopt Me.”
Roberts, a DJ for the local KPIG Radio Station, has been in the radio business “since the earth cooled.”
“I’m actually in the San Francisco Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame. That’s how I learned about these wonderful, local musicians,” Roberts added.
The Coffis Brothers, the Sun Kings — a Beatles tribute band that will be playing on May 23 at Don Quixote’s in Felton and at Santa Cruz’s Bands on the Beach on July 3 — were just two of the bands that provided the entertainment.
Roberts said KPIG has a mission to give back to the community and has well supported Wine and Wet Noses.
“I do a segment every Thursday morning called ‘Pet-o-Rama,’” she said of the segment in which the Animal Shelter brings an animal into the studio. Her audience learns about the animal — which could be a cat, dog or even a rabbit or chicken — and the many programs the organization offers.
The SCCAS is currenlty facing an overload of dogs at the shelfter, and is encourageing more dog adoptions by droping the price of adoption by 50 percent for puppies and dogs through May 15.
The DJ gives back to the shelter by producing the program and the event.
“I use my power for good,” she said with a laugh. “Our animals are silent victims in our culture … Unconditional Love may be a very small rescue, but they’re very special because they rescue senior and special-needs animals from euthanizing shelters.”
So many people came this year’s Wine and Wet Noses that they ran out of beer. Seabright Brewery had donated a keg, but volunteers had to run across the street to a local liquor store to get another one. Soon the brewery showed up with a third one, so next year will definitely be a three-keg event.
The event may have event spawned an urban legend — one couple who said their dog was a Chioyte, part Chihuahua and part coyote.
“Well, he was the size of a Chihuahua but he had a coyote tail,” Robert said.
