VIP Biographies
Co Chairs
Owners of Cole Creek Euestrian Center
John and Joanne Van Eck, the owners of Cole Creek Equestrian Center and "Narley Dude Ranch" are proud to be the honorary co-chairs for this year's Wine Alliance auction. The Van Eck's have have been involved in the life of Lake County and been strong supporters of Hospice of Lake County, Operation Tango Mike, the Lake County Farm Bureau and other organizations.
Artist
Creator of the 2013 Painting and Poster
Clarke, a former anesthesiologist, has been painting on silk since 1994 and each year has created an original piece of art that has been reproduced as a poster by the Wine Alliance and used in various publications and publicity for the event. His use of intense pastels enhance colorful presentations of Lake County scenes, and this year is no exception. This year the subject of John's painting is our venue the Brassfield Estate Vineyard & Winery, which seems especially suited to his style of work.
The original painting, will be on display at the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro in Kelseyville and will be among the special items up for bid during the live auction portion of the gala event. The posters sell for $20 each, with signed copies to be made available at the auction and other copies at locations all over the county.
Special Guest
United States Congressman
First District of California
Mike Thompson has represented Lake County in Congress since 1998. Prior to serving in Congress, he represented Lake County in the California State Senate. He is the co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Wine Caucus, which consists of over 215 U.S. Senate and House members.
Mike has been an active supporter of the Lake County Wine Alliance and the annual Wine Auction since its inception. He believes that the Wine Auction benefits many worthy charitable organizations while also bringing attention to Lake County as a premium wine region.
Mike and his wife Janet, a family nurse practitioner, own a small vineyard in Lake County. They are the parents of two sons, a firefighter and a deputy sheriff, and grandparents of four children.