Love wine? Love sidewalks? Love solar power? Support all of the above – and then some – by attending and/or sponsoring Highland Park Uncorked. It’s happening three weeks from tonight (Saturday, May 16th) at Highland Park Improvement Club. Here’s how it works:

Each person brings a bottle of their favorite wine, priced at $15 or less. You are assigned a table. The bottle is placed in a brown paper bag, given a number and eventually placed somewhere on your assigned table. You don’t worry about that, as you relax with the wines from the award-winning Northwest Wine Academy, mingle with your neighbors, and munch on a wonderful spread of food prepared by our talented gastronomes.

When the tasting starts, you will go to your assigned table and your table captain will walk you through the process. Everybody tastes the wines that each person at their table brought and end up voting for the best. The winning wine from your table progresses to the finals where they are all tasted and the top three are chosen. There is still lots of wine at your table to further “examine” and enjoy with your tablemates.

Raffles too, and something new – the “Wine Aroma Challenge“! Find more details about Highland Park Uncorked here. Oh, and about the sidewalks? HPIC is raising money not just to support its ongoing operations as a community hub and event venue, but also to help with grounds improvements for its almost-century-old site at 12th/Holden. It’s received grants and donations for raingardens, a cistern, a courtyard, and future solar panels – but it’s also (as explained and shown here) had to spend more than $15,000 to fix broken sections of sidewalk and to replace part of its roof. Every bit of fundraising helps, HPIC says. So:

*Want to be a sponsor? (WSB is signed up to co-sponsor again this year.) Go here.

*Just want to save a spot at the table? Go here – HP Uncorked has sold out in advance in previous years, so don’t gamble on just showing up at the door.