| HOW COOL IS THIS!!!!!
Friends of the Library’s Dandelion Wine Auction Concludes on a High Note
The Friends of the South Pasadena Library’s online silent auction of bottles of’ dandelion wine autographed by Ray Bradbury has successfully concluded. Only 10 of the bottles of the rare wine were signed by Bradbury before his Author Night appearance for the South Pasadena Library on March 14 in the South Pasadena High School Auditorium. The rare wine was donated by Maple River Winery of Casselton, North Dakota and the labels were signed by the inimitable author during the “Ray Bradbury Day in South Pasadena ” festivities.
It wasn’t known at first, but dandelion wine is one of the hardest wines to find in the United States . When it could not be located in this vicinity for the event, Maple River Winery of Casselton, South Dakota was called after a quick Internet search. When asked if he’d ever sent dandelion wine to Ray Bradbury, winery co-owner Greg Kempel stated that he’d sent it to many community theater companies around the United States presenting the Dandelion Wine play, but never to the author himself. Without a moment’s hesitation Kempel offered to donate bottles of dandelion wine to the Friends’ fundraising effort, and added that he was a Bradbury admirer.
The semi-sweet dessert beverage, said to taste like a combination of chardonnay and corn on the cob, is produced from hand-picked North Dakota dandelions. The winery, one of the only commercial producers of dandelion wine in the United States , customarily sells out each holiday season.
The winning bids total more than $530. Almost without exception, winning bidders reside nearby and many were in attendance in the large South Pasadena audience. Three of the winning bids exceed $100 and one of those came from an official from a State legislator’s office who collects items autographed by “the great authors.” Local winners have been notified to mail in their checks made out to the Friends so that they can pick up their bottles at WineStyles in South Pasadena , one of the community partners for the Library’s event.
Surprisingly, one of the winning bids came all the way from Bohemia , New York . Matt Parish , a Bradbury fan for more than 35 years, sent an email stating that he has “three kids and not a lot of money lying around” but that maybe his bid of $25 would be lucky. Dandelion Wine is one of his favorite books and he also provided a copy of a letter he sent to the author in 2007 declaring “You sir are my ‘time machine’ to my youth and for that I am forever indebted to you.” He received a hearty reply from Bradbury that acknowledged that the fan letter had him in tears.
Ray Bradbury’s classic Dandelion Wine is a semi-autographical book set in Green Town , Illinois , a fictionalized version of Bradbury’s own Waukegan . The protagonist, 12 year-old Douglas Spaulding, awakens one summer morning in his grandparents’ house and is filled with wonderment at being alive, feeling his breath whistling between his teeth while the breeze caresses his neck. In the novel, dandelion wine serves as a central symbol of the fleeting joys of youth and summer. |
