WILLIAMS – Award-winning Lake County wines from Shed Horn Cellars, Bell Hill Vineyards and Sol Rouge Vineyard and Winery will be the featured wines at a wine tasting and all you can eat lunch buffet to be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31, at Louis Cairo’s restaurant in Williams.

The event will benefit the Citizens for a Better Williams charity, but stands to benefit Lake County and its wine industry as well.

Citizens for a Better Williams was formed in 2005. Previously, the group was the Williams Pioneer Day Parade Committee, but as the group began to take on additional projects they decided to change its name to reflect the purpose of the association.

The group is working to make the historic downtown area more aesthetic and coordinates beautifying projects around the city such as planting flowers, pruning trees, cleaning gutters, arch maintenance, pulling weeds, painting historic buildings and more.

They also send packages to troops and host two parades per year, the Williams Pioneer Day parade in June and the Festival of Lights parade in December.

Another project generated by the Citizens for a Better Williams is the flag project, in which 100 American flags were donated to line the streets of Downtown Williams on significant days such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Williams resident Richard Deluca conceived the idea for the wine tasting fundraiser.

Deluca and his wife Kathleen became acquainted with Lake County wines while living in Lake County from 2008 to 2009. It did not take long for them to determine that the quality of wine coming from the Lake County grapes and winemakers crafting their wines from them is quite superb and they were soon fans.

According to Deluca, the plethora of Lake County wineries that are accessed from Highway 20 receive low exposure because they're dwarfed by Napa. Lake County has a rich history, and was the No. 1 wine-producing region before Prohibition.

“Williams has tremendous potential because of its location off Interstate 5," Deluca said. "There is a huge resource of wineries off Highway 20 that are ignored. Lake County is basically Napa 50 years ago."

He saw the potential in Williams immediately and approached Louis Cairo's about holding the event.

"The goal here is to begin to bring wine tasting to Williams, and in a way in which people can support a great cause," said Deluca, an avid Citizens for a Better Williams supporter.

The event may or may not be a springboard for the long-term vision of Williams as a Solvang of the north, known for wine tasting, bringing visitors and employment.

"It's a fabulous idea," said Andi Armstrong, Citizens for a Better Williams president. "We are the gateway to the Lake County wineries."

According to Armstrong, the goal of Citizens for a Better Williams is to bring social capital to the community through events and visual projects that everyone can enjoy.

"I'm very excited to bring something new to Williams," Armstrong said about the wine tasting event. "It's a unique opportunity. To have three wineries come and do presentations is pretty cool."

Tickets are $10 and include five tastings and a lunch buffet. Tickets are available in advance through Citizens for a Better Williams by calling 530-682-1614 or Louis Cairo's, 558 7th St., Williams. Tickets will also be available at the door. All proceeds benefit Citizens for a Better Williams.