As tout le monde knows, Saturday is Bastille Day, July 14. It's the French equivalent of the Fourth of July, marking the date when hundreds Parisians stormed the Bastille prison to demand the release of political prisoners, in 1789.
It's also the day of the Valley of the Moon Pétanque Club Bastille Day Celebration, or the Grand Concours de Petanque, at Depot Park. As prepared by Chef Christine Piccin, culinary arts instructor at SRJC, the five-course midday lunch at the event at the reads like a thing of beauty. It's all on the VOMPC website and the attached flier, from chilled watermelon mint soup to chocolate mousse profiterole cake, with whipped cream and flower sprinkle. Cost is a remarkable $20; if you haven't made your reservations, it's probalby too late.
Even if you don't want lunch, to be served at 12:30 pm, you may want to drop by or even participate in this distinctly Sonoma event. Pétanque is a form of boules, which simply means balls, as it's played with a set of hollow metal or wooden balls on a natural surface. Other forms of boule include bocce (the Italian version) and lawn bowling (the English one).
Boule players from the Valley of the Moon were introduced to pétanque through Sonoma's Sister City relationship with the French wine village of Chambolle-Musigny in the Côte-d'Or. In 1998, local players organized the Valley of the Moon Pétanque Club, and the rest is local history.
The event also lets novices match their rolls with experts in the Pétanque Tourney, only $5 to enter (must enter by 10 a.m.). You can join in the fun with members of VOMPC, one of the largest and most active Pétanque clubs in the United States, a diverse group of male and female, of all ages and backgrounds, with a common interest in Pétanque.
Music will be by DJ Limelight, and reservations are required. Please do so by phoning 343-9465. Please bring your own plateware if you're having lunch. Wines will also be available from Ravenswood (John Kemble of Ravenswood was among the founders of the VOMPC).
Want to learn to play? You can download the Petanque Training Manual here.