PRESS RELEASES

THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY LIGHTS UP THIS FALL WITH CULTURAL AND CULINARY DELIGHTS

Tickets are on sale now for Light the Fire, an annual harvest season chef collaboration and spectacle-filled street party in Oregon’s wine country

McMinnville, Ore. (Aug. 2, 2017) – The wine country town of Newberg, Ore., just outside of Portland, will come alive during the weekend of September 30th - October 1st with the 3rd annual Light the Fire culinary extravaganza for charity, and the 25th annual Art Harvest Studio Tour. Light the Fire begins on October 1st with a champagne reception and pairings by a James Beard award-nominated chef at Valley Wine Merchants, followed by a multi-course dinner paired with exceptional wines at Ruddick/Wood restaurant. Each course will be prepared over wood fire by three of the Willamette Valley’s most talented chefs. Meanwhile, a street party outside will spark through the night with live music, fire dancers, flaming cocktails featuring local spirits, food trucks, fire pits, illuminated art installations, award-winning local wine and beer, and Portland’s famous Unipiper playing his flaming bagpipes. This spectacle of fire performance and culinary collaboration is not to be missed!

When: 5:00-7:00pm (chef dinner), and 6:30-8:30pm (street party) on Sunday, October 1st, 2017

Where: Ruddick/Wood, 720 E. First St, Newberg, OR, 97132

Tickets: Tickets are on sale now for Light the Fire’s dinner and street party at yamhillcap.org/lightthefire. The street party is $10 per person for entry and entertainment, food and beverage is à la carte. The chef collaboration dinner is $100 per person, including four courses and wine pairings curated by Valley Wine Merchants, as well as the street party. Both events are  21+.

Featured Chefs:
Paul Losch, Ruddick/Wood, Newberg, OR
Sunny Jin, Jory at The Allison Inn, Newberg, OR
Dario Pisoni, Agrivino, Carlton, OR

Street Party Vendors:
Nineteen27 S’mores, Portland, OR (scratch-made s’mores)
Ransom Spirits, Sheridan, OR (flaming cocktails made with local spirits)
Red Hills Market, Dundee, OR (farm-to-table wood-fired bites)
Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery, Newberg, OR (award-winning farmhouse ales)
And more vendors to be announced!

Street Party Entertainment (many just returning from European tours):
Dancehall Days (band), Portland, OR
Flamebuoyant Productions (fire dancers), Portland, OR
Raging Heart (fire art) by Richard Crawley, Portland, OR
The Unipiper, Portland, OR
Wine Wall (a wall filled with bottles of Willamette Valley wines, for silent auction)

Guests of Light the Fire are invited to stay for a wine country weekend, exploring the charming shops, art galleries, welcoming wine tasting rooms, restaurants and wine bars that line the streets of Newberg. Some of the Willamette Valley’s top wineries lie in the hills just outside, which will be at peak autumn color. The annual Art Harvest Studio Tour (Sept. 29-Oct. 1; Oct. 6-8) takes place at over 30 artists’ studios throughout Yamhill County, with a Grand Exhibition at the Chehalem Cultural Center in downtown Newberg. For travel further travel inspiration, visit http://yamhillcap.org/lightthefire  to view three unique travel itineraries created for the weekend.

Photo of a fire pit at Light the Fire 2016 by Lehman Pekkola. Additional high-res event photos are available.

About YCAP (Yamhill County Action Partnership)

Founded in 1980, YCAP is the largest non-profit serving Yamhill County, Oregon.  Our high profile agency changes lives and strengthens our communities by helping people take action toward self-sufficiency.  Our services include:  the regional Food Bank, Client Services and Housing, Energy Services, and Youth Outreach. YCAP produces Light the Fire as their largest annual Newberg fundraising event, and all proceeds from the event support YCAP programs. For more information, please visit www.yamhillcap.org

About Ruddick/Wood

Ruddick/Wood is a casual restaurant and tavern serving locally focused, seasonal, new-American fare alongside craft beer, wine and cocktails in a renovated 1920s garage in downtown Newberg, Oregon.  Ruddick/Wood was built around the idea of country kitchens, roadhouses, saloons and way-points; and reflects our love of local food and drink, as well as our desire to create a place that is part of the community fabric. Dinner menus are comprised of wood-fired steaks, roasted fish and flatbreads; seasonal vegetable plates and salads; house-made desserts; and rotating snacks all changing with the season. The project is headed by working owners, Kyle Lattimer and Paul Losch, Executive Chef. www.ruddickwood.com

This event is made possible in part by a grant from Newberg transient lodging taxes and the City of Newberg.

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