The San Francisco Region Citroën Car Club
was proud to present
West Coast Citroën Rendez-Vous
October 21st through 23rd, 2022
in Sonora, California
THE VENUE
After considering venues all the way from Pacific Grove east through Salinas and San Juan Bautista, we settled on Sonora.
In the beautiful Sierra Nevada Foothills and at the very heart of California's "Gold Country", the town is named after the miners from Sonora Mexico who settled the City in 1848. Known as the "Queen of the Southern Mines", Sonora still holds on to its historic downtown charm while thriving as the commercial, government and cultural center for the region.
THE PROGRAMME
On Friday night we welcomed people at the registration area, encouraging them to join us for a casual, prepare-your-own dinner on the hotel BBQ, or to drop by for drinks before exploring dinner options in town.
On Saturday morning we headed out on a specTACular scenic drive of about 2 hours’ duration through incredibly beautiful foothills. Our endpoint was the home of longtime SFRCCC members Susan and Peter Kendall, where we enjoyed included soft drinks and whichever of these boxed lunches participants selected at registration:
Thanksgiving
Roasted Turkey, spiced cranberry sauce, mayo, lettuce, on "stuffing" bread.
OR
Roast Beef
Roasted and sliced tri-tip, horseradish cream cheese spread, caramelized onions, lettuce, on a ciabatta roll.
OR
Veggie
Sautéed onions, peppers, and mushrooms, with alfalfa sprouts, tomato, cucumber, Provolone cheese, fresh hummus, on sliced multi-grain bread.
Over lunch people hung out and chatted amongst the cars, taking in a technical session hosted by Lon Price under the lift in Peter Kendall's dream garage.
The Kendalls live just 10 minutes away from both downtown Sonora and the hotel, so Saturday afternoon a few people headed out to visit the historic village of Columbia on their way back to the hotel.
From 6pm on Saturday we enjoyed finger food and beverages in advance of a 7pm plated dinner at the hotel's Oak Glen room. Starting with an appetizer, followed by whichever of these options you selected at registration:
Grilled Moroccan Chicken Supreme w/ Black Currant-Tomato Chutney, Preserved Lemon Rice Pilaf,
Braised Brussels Sprouts w/ Creamy Sriracha & Shaved Asiago
OR
Grilled Ahi Tuna Steak w/ Mango Salsa, Coconut Rice,
Broccoli, Onion, Red Pepper, Summer Squash Stir-fry
OR
Wild Mushroom Ragout on Creamy Coconut Polenta w/ Parsnips, Chick Peas & Miso
Broccoli, Onion, Red Pepper, Summer Squash Stir-fry
The three-course dinner INCLUDED all soft drinks, wine, beer, and coffee.
During dinner on Saturday night we enjoyed some very special entertainment by local magician Brian Cassady, and an awards programme.
CHANGES TO COSTS and new GLUTEN FREE/SPECIAL DIET OPTION
We thought long and hard about how to share the costs of this event more fairly. So, this year we replaced the per-PARTY registration fee with a much lower per-ADULT fee of $25 ($35 after Sept 1st). This means that everyone ended up paying the same amount instead of couples essentially paying half as much as a single person.
We also changed the price of dinner. The caterer charged us $65/plate, but after adding taxes, tips, beverages, and facility charges, that $65 dinner ends up costing the better part of $100/person. The gap between what we collect and what we spend is covered by the hosting Club. With a hundred attendees, even a $5/person shortfall translates into a $500 expense. So, the price of dinner was set to $65 per attendee, and on the online registration form there's a place where attendees could chip in a little extra to cover the shortfall.
Also new this year: there were delicious gluten-free and special diet options for both the boxed lunch and the plated dinner.
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!
We are so pleased to have organized this year's Rendez-vous, and look forward to seeing all of you again at next year’s event, organized by the Southern California Citroën Club.
