Here’s more info from a Facebook Event Page:

Laura Beth Peterson

Laura Beth Peterson was a business manager and the Director of Development for Gene Juarez Salons for twenty years, before following her passion and becoming a photographer. She spent three years shooting local events, and writing and shooting for Palm Springs Guides. She is currently a King County Advisory Board Member for the Salvation Army, and also sits on the Advisory Council for The Salvation Army, White Center.

Laura Beth was born in Seattle, and lives in Seattle with her husband Scott and their two black labradors, Ruby and Eli. The images on display were taken in the French and Italian Riviera in September of 2010.

On a personal note, BTB Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer has had the privilege of working with LB as co-chair of the Three Tree Point Fireworks Fund, and he can attest to her outstanding artistic abilities.

Go LB!

The third annual Animal Aid & Rescue Foundation ‘Whine & Cheese’ fundraiser event will be held from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 23rd at Vino Bello, located at 636 SW 152nd in Burien.

Tickets are $25 each, and include two drinks and a raffle ticket.

There will be libations, a live auction, raffle and much more.

This is a benefit for the non-profit Animal Air & Rescue Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting and promiting the preservation and well-being of all animals; both domestic and wildlife.

A quote from www.guidedogs.com:

Attending a graduation ceremony at Guide Dogs for the Blind is one of the best ways to really get acquainted with our program. We advise guests to bring their tissues, because it’s always a moving event, commemorating the efforts of our students and their dogs over their past weeks in class. Puppy raisers say goodbye to their graduating dogs, and the graduating class members bid farewell to return to their homes and families with new partners by their sides.

Marlaina Lieberg and guide dog Agnes

To all who participated in the fabulous Guide Us To The Wine 5th Anniversary for Vino Bello and Fundraiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind event, I thank you for your kindness and the gifts of your contributions, your time and your heart! Because you did what you did, we are able to buy 12 harnesses for 12 graduating teams.

These harnesses are expensive, $300 each; they are unique in their construction, and only Guide Dogs for the Blind uses such lightweight and flexible harnesses on their guides.

While I know many of you may be unable to attend, to further thank you for your gifts, I invite you to join Michele and me as we make a formal presentation which reflects your generosity on August 13 at the graduation ceremony held at Guide Dogs for the Blind just outside Portland. You will have a chance to see working guides, and even visit the kennel area to see guides in training. Full campus tours will be available as well.

If you are interested in attending this ceremony which begins at 1:30 PM on August 13, please leave a comment here so I can get you further details.

I cannot express strongly enough how important your participation was in making this fundraiser such a success. Many blind people in the Pacific Northwest move about freely because of our guide dogs, and what you have done is a gift to us all. Guide Dogs for the Blind is wholly supported by people like you; they use no federal or state dollars and are completely privately funded. Once a blind student qualifies for a guide, we have a tuition-free scholarship, which includes training at the facility and any follow-up work we may need throughout the life of each working guide.

If you can join us on August 13, please let me know. I want to be certain to reserve enough seats for folks. Once again, I say a heart-felt thank you for all you did to make this an amazing success for Vino Bello and Guide Dogs for The Blind! Agnes and I value each of you!

“With my guide dog I can go anywhere.

Help support guide dogs to enable other blind people the opportunity to do the same.”

– Marlaina Lieberg

Wine, Food, Music, Prizes & Doggies of course will be on tap on Saturday, July 23rd as Burien’s Vino Bello Wine Bar & Shop will be holding a fundraiser (and 5th Anniversary) party to benefit Guide Dogs for the Blind.

“Marlaina invites you to meet her and her guide dog, Aggie to see for yourself just how a guide dog can make a difference in a life,” said owner Michele Smith.

Tickets are $25 each, and all proceeds benefit Guide Dogs for the Blind, which charges no tuition and receives no Federal funding and survives purely on donations from people like you.

Marlaina Lieberg and her guide dog outside Safeco Field.

WHAT: Vino Bello Fundraiser Party for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

WHEN: Saturday, July 23rd, from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

WHERE: Vino Bello, located at 636 SW 152nd ST – F, Burien, WA 98166; 206-244-8466.

INFO: Your $25 donation includes 2 beverage tickets, food & live music featuring The Fabulous Po’ Boys.

Some of the prizes will include:

• 4 Commissioner Box Mariner’s Tix
• Local Bar & Restaurant gift certificates
• Wine, wine and more wine!
• Salon Services
• Artwork
• Jewelry

Here’s the Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109413965816615

More on the Fabulous Po’ Boys here: http://www.fabulouspoboys.com

More info on Guide Dogs for the Blind here: http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer

We’d like to raise a glass and toast one of our original Advertisers – Vino Bello, located at 636 SW 152nd Street – returning to the Blog and offering up a great Coupon.

Vino Bello is fast approaching its fifth year as Burien’s premier wine shop and bar. They specialize in high-quality, small production boutique wines and breweries, with 28 wines by the glass, two rotating local craft brews on tap, plus eight more beers by the bottle, along with Italian sodas and Illy Italian espresso.

But it’s not all just drinks – they offer appetizers too, all designed to pair with wine from cheese flights to French truffles, with nothing priced over $10.

With over 600 labels of wine on the shelf from all around the world, and all priced from $7 – $200, there’s something for everyone at Vino Bello. There’s also a very knowledgeable staff to help you with your selection.

They offer themed wine tastings from Noon – 8pm every Saturday, with live music in the evening. Fore more information, check out their event schedule here.

Other offerings include:

• Wonderful Wine Clubs, whether you tired of guessing at the grocery store or looking to stock your cellar, we have a wine club for everyone.
• Gift ideas from bags to books, wine openers to wine savers.
• Very “local,” with a true community feeling – meet your neighbors or new friends, in a friendly, intimate, comfortable, warm and inviting environment.
• Wine for the spirit and soul, no pretension.
• By the glass – Buy the bottle.
• Local Artists art rotation every quarter.

To learn more, or find out about specials, please sign up for their Newsletter here, or “Friend” them at their Facebook Page.

They also have a great website, which you can check out here: www.vinobello.com

And now, here’s their Coupon – just click on the image and Print:

Click on Coupon to Print.

The second Annual “Whine & Cheese” Fundraiser for Animals First Foundation will be held from 6pm – 9pm tonight (Friday, Oct. 15th) at Vino Bello, located at 636 SW 152nd Street in Burien.

The event will include a Live Auction, featuring Charlie Beck & Tony Leamer, who are known to talk “really, really fast to get you to open your wallet to bid on some awesome packages.”

Some of the items up for bid:

• Behind the Scenes tour of the Seattle Aquarium
• An Evening on the Town including dinner, hair cut & color and a 1-night stay at the Watertown Hotel
• Wine & Food Baskets
• Original Artwork
• Spa Packages and much, much more

There will also be raffle prizes throughout the evening.

Cost is $25 per ticket, which includes two drinks and a raffle ticket. Additional drink and raffle tickets can be purchased at the event.

The money raised from this event will go towards paying the Vet Debt for the Animals First Foundation, which is currently over $6,000, so they desperately need your help!

On another note, some of our Readers may recall the news that Animals First Foundation’s founder, Carina Borja, was found guilty of embezzlement from personal clients of her bookkeeping business last summer.

According to an email we received from Heather Enajibi of Animals First:

Our founder, Carina Borja, has been found guilty of embezzlement from personal clients of her bookkeeping business. Unfortunately, our group is being tarred with the same feather. We are not in possession of any of the stolen money.

I have formed a new board of directors and we are in the process of changing our name, due to the association with Carina and ugly, vicious rumors that are being spread. I’ve been personally slandered in Craigslist where they even attached pictures of me saying that I was paid a salary, etc. Michele just got an email from someone where they are encouraging people to boycott our event. It’s heartbreaking because we work so hard to save animals lives, and now we’re caught up in this political nightmare.

Ever since we found out, I’ve wanted to just walk away and close our doors. I can’t do that though because we still have a lot of animals in our care and part of our adoption contract states that if you don’t want to keep the animal you adopted from us, we will always take them back. We’ve had 8 dogs returned to us in the last 3 months alone. Where will these dogs go if we close?

I’m very happy with our new board and we are going to keep moving forward and doing the job that we all feel is so very important.

More info on this event is available at Animals First Foundation’s Facebook Page here.

Tickets are $10 and include one glass of wine or other beverage of your choice, along with light appetizers.

This is a great way for businesswomen to network and meet others in the area.

According to a press release:

The Southwest Seattle local of Business and Professional Women is launching it’s 2010-11 year with a Membership Social.    Good company and interesting conversation are free of charge. This meeting is open to all who are interested in BPW. Come and bring your friends to connect and learn about SouthWest Seattle BPW. This is an informal way to get to know each other. Bring business cards/promotional materials for your business, a great attitude, and meet interesting and successful women in your neighborhood.

Washington state BPW builds powerful women through personal and professional development and increased political and social awareness.  Washington working women and men from 15 communities large and small are members of Washington BPW.  Business and Professional Women was founded in 1919, and promotes equity for all women. As with all successful organizations, we continue to seek new members.

Meet BPW State President Margaret Way, enjoy interesting conversations, promote your business and get winning raffle tickets.

First 2 people who attend will get free tickets to the event.

Meeting is open for all members and guests.

Here are the details:

WHAT: SouthWest Seattle Business Professional Women’s Membership Social.

WHEN: Thursday, August 12th, 6:00-8:00 pm

WHERE: Vino Bello, located at 636 SW 152nd Street, #F, Burien, WA 98166

COST: Tickets are $10, which includes 1 glass of wine or other beverage of your choice and light appetizers.

INFO: Please contact Jacqueline Petrick at jacquelinepetrick@msn.com, and/or by phone at 206.601.4162, if you have any questions.

Burien business Vino Bello will be hosting “Sippin 4 Soles,” a fundraiser to collect both new and used shoes for victims of the earthquake in Haiti on Saturday, Aug. 21st from 5pm – 9pm at their location at 636 SW 162nd Street.

In August, Seattle native Ruth Clark, will be traveling to Haiti with Soles4Souls, delivering and distributing shoes to those in need. The tax-deductible donations raised at “Sippin’ 4 Soles” will go directly toward this Haitian relief trip, providing shoes and other necessary relief to those affected by the massive earthquake this past January.

“Together with my good friend and colleague, Nancy, we will be traveling down to Haiti in August,” says a statement on Ruth’s website. “We will be delivering shoes and providing assistance wherever the need is at the time we are there. We aim to represent our friends and families in a humble, yet big way…we have set a combined goal to raise $7,000 for Soles4Souls, prior to our departure. Each donation is fully tax deductible and will go a long way to help Soles4Souls continue their work in Haiti. If you choose to make a donation, I send you my grandest and most heartfelt gratitude. Know that you are “…being the change” and I sincerely thank you for that. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you when we return.”

Here’s are the details:

WHAT: “Sippin 4 Soles” Shoe Fundraiser for Haitian Earthquake Victims.

WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 21st from 5pm – 9pm.

WHERE: Vino Bello, located at 636 SW 152nd in Burien.

COST: Suggested Donation is $25 at the door.

INFO: From a press release:

Ruth Clark

Nashville-based Soles4Souls®, one of the fastest growing charities in North America, facilitates the donation of both new and used shoes. Collecting shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you, the charity has, to date, donated over 8 million pair of shoes to people in need – both in the US and around the world. Over 1.5 billion pair of shoes lay idle in American closets, over 300 million children around the world are without shoes. Soles4Souls® has a simple mission: To impact as many lives as possible with the gift of shoes.

Sippin’ 4 Soles is a fundraiser aimed at helping support the work of Soles4Souls® in Haiti. In August, Seattle native, Ruth Clark, will be traveling to Haiti with Soles4Souls®, delivering and distributing shoes to those in need. The tax-deductible donations raised at Sippin’ 4 Soles will go directly toward this Haitian relief trip, providing shoes and other necessary relief to those affected by the massive earthquake this past January.

Please join us for wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres, live music with The Fabulous Po’ Boys…raising money to help bring soles to Haiti……one sip at a time.

Date: Saturday, August 21st
Place: Vino Bello – 206.244.VINO
636 SW 152nd Street
Burien, WA 98166
Time: 5 – 9 pm
Suggested Donation: $25 at door

If you are unable to attend, please consider visiting Ruth’s donation page to securely donate online: http://www.soles4soulsfundraising.org/ruth_clark

Animals First Foundation is holding a fundraiser at Vino Bello this Friday, May 14 from 6:30pm – 9:30pm, with all proceeds going to the foundation to help them pay off veterinary costs.

For a $25 donation, you’ll get two drink tickets, a raffle ticket and an amazing performance by Charlie Beck from the Memphis Radio Kings.

There will also be a wide range of plants available for purchase right outside the venue.

Here are the details:

WHAT: “Wines & Vines,” A Fundraiser for Animals First Foundation.

WHEN: Friday, May 14th from 6:30pm – 9:30pm.

WHERE: Vino Bello, located at 636 SW 152nd Street, Burien (206.244.VINO).

INFO: From a flier:

Please join us at Vino Bello for an evening of wine, song and plants to take home!

Your $25 donation will get you 2 drink tickets, a raffle ticket and an amazing performance by Charlie Beck from the Memphis Radio Kings & friends!

Outside the venue will be lots of wonderful plants for you to purchase and bring home to plant, just in time to provide great accents for your yard!

ALL proceeds will go to Animals First Foundation to help pay off our constantly rising veterinary costs.

www.animalsfirstfoundation.org

Since it’s Photo Friday here at The B-Town Blog, what better way to continue our exploration of one of our favorite arts than by showcasing an interview done by one Photographer (Francis Zera) with another (Jason Smith)?

Seattle photographer Jason Smith recently opened a show of his work at Burien’s Vino Bello (636 SW 152nd St.). Jason works as a photographic printer, as in, the old-school method of making prints using darkrooms, enlargers, vats of stinky chemicals, and fiber-based archival papers. There’s nothing digital about the work in this show, but that doesn’t make it anachronistic, rather, the prints offer a timeless look at ordinary (and sometimes extraordinary) objects and situations.

Professional Photographer Francis Zera was fortunate enough to be able to spend some time with Jason as he hung the art at Vino Bello, as well as during the show’s opening night, where he took some time to talk about his inspiration for the show, which we now present in this SoundSlideshow:

Click to Play Francis Zera’s SoundSlideshow