For Immediate Release s19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Phil Weidinger Summer 2006 Weidinger Public Relations (775) 588-2412, or Lisa Reynolds Calaveras Visitors Bureau (209) 736-0049

IN FROG-CENTRIC CALAVERAS COUNTY, RIBBETERS AREN’T THE ONLY HOPPIN-INGS

(Angels Camp, Calif.) – When frogs are your county's calling card, some may consider it a bit quirky. While “frog centric” could be a malady, in Calaveras County it’s just part of the relaxed lifestyle. Here's an unofficial Top 20 that proves frogs aren’t the only hoppin-ings:

1. Wine-ing in Calaveras County: Calaveras County is a burgeoning wine destination, with 19 family-owned wineries. The county produces outstanding classic red and white wines in the French Spanish, Portuguese and Italian varietals. All wineries offer complimentary tasting and chances are the person pouring your wine is the owner of the winery or the winemaker. Call (209) 736-6722 or visit: www.CalaverasWines.org.

2. You Ought to be in Pictures! Missed out at the Academy Awards? In Calaveras County, you can star in your own Western movie at The Vallecito Vigilantes. Write your own script or choose from pre-written story boards such as Mother’s Day (great for families); The Wild Bunch (perfect for groups of couples or corporate groups); or hop on a horse, rob the bank and get out of Dodge before the sheriff shows up. The parties ride off into the sunset, toting a professional quality DVD. For your ticket to stardom, call (209) 736-4758 or visit: www.Millerosa.com.

3. Lions and Tigers and Elephants—Oh My! Take a walk on the wild side at ARK2000, a wildlife sanctuary that gives exotic animals rescued from circuses and zoos a new lease on life. The ongoing project of the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), an internationally recognized leader in animal welfare, is dedicated to the rescue and welfare of exotic animals from traveling circuses, zoos, wildlife auctions and breeding farms worldwide. Call (209) 745- 2606 or visit: www.PawsWeb.org.

4. The Real Estate Rush is On!! Savvy buyers are joining a second rush to Calaveras County Gold Country. In this largely rural county of just larger than 1,000 square miles, there is still plenty of elbow room and median home are a low $417,000. Many areas maintain an old-time feeling, while others have embraced wine tasting, good restaurants and quaint boutique shopping. To join in the rush, visit: www.CalaverasRealtors.com. 5. Calaveras County Olives offer a Taste of Tuscany: The western valleys and rolling hills of Calaveras County transport visitors to Tuscany with tastes of premium olive oils and farmers who love to talk about their products. Near Copperopolis, the Calaveras Olive Oil Company tends to Frantoio and Leccino trees grown from seedlings from the hills of Tuscany and the Greek Kalamata. Olive oil is processed by folks who learned the process from their grandfathers. . Visit www.CalaverasOliveOil.com for more information.

6. A Worm’s Day is Never Done: If you think worms are just for fishing, spend an hour or two at the Vierra Worm Farm and discover all the contributions made by these industrious little critters. With expert care and feeding by the family, they have wiggled their way into a thriving vermiculture industry in eastern Calaveras County. Visits to the farm may be arranged by appointment. For information on products and everything wormy, visit: www.VierrasWormFarm.com .

7. Hollywood Hall of Fame Comes to Calaveras County: In Calaveras, sidewalks are reserved for championship croakers. There’s 77 gold plaques embedded in the sidewalk marking the Frog Hop of Fame honoring stars of the amphibian persuasion and their handlers. These plaques are part of the prize the frog jockey and his/her frog receive for winning the Jumping Frog Jubilee. Visit: www.FrogTown.org .

8. Be a Designated Walker: Ditch the car and put on your walking shoes for the best wine- hopping tour in Calaveras County. From downtown Murphys, you can walk to 11 wine-tasting rooms nestled between antique shops, art galleries, museums, boutiques, quaint inns, bistros, fine restaurants, and more. Call the Calaveras Wine Grape Alliance at (866) 806-WINES or (209) 736-6722 or visit: www.CalaverasWines.org.

10. Rock On! More than 20,000 rock hounds and collectors flock to Calaveras County for the annual Valley Springs Pow Wow the first weekend in May. For more than 30 years they have come to dig and identify, to buy and sell, and to share a passion for precious gems. They also come for three days of old-fashioned family fun with country fiddling, down-home cooking, Native American dancing and more. Visit: www.ValleySpringsPowwow.com.

11. Frog’s Ass Shot Gets the Joint ‘A Jumpin! Forget about martinis and manhattans. Murphys Historic Hotel shows some real local flavor serving the infamous “Frog’s Ass Shot.” The taste is tropical, slightly sweet and smooth enough to slide a frog on its a-double-s! Jump up anytime on a barstool and show friends you’re in the know when you order a Frog’s Ass. Be careful not to land on yours! Call (800) 532-7684 or visit: www.MurphysHotel.com .

12. Flower Power Unites Calaveras Communities and Delights Visitors: Plant it and they will come. Coming up are millions of fragrant flowers, flooding the countryside with color. Coming to enjoy the spectacle are thousands of visitors and locals who will find magic this spring in the meadows and hills of Calaveras County. Don’t miss the California poppies along roadsides, 500,000 daffodils at Ironstone Vineyards and 100-year-old roses filling a new garden just inside the gates at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds. Call (800) 225-3764. 13. Forget High-Priced Chic and the Check That Goes With It! Calaveras County courts visitors with historic hotels in quaint towns, authentic cabin and mountain vacation rentals, charming restaurants, boutiques and antiques, family-owned wineries and outdoor adventures and free complimentary wine tasting in 19 wineries. Comfortable accommodations can be found for as low as $59 at Murphys Historic Hotel and $75 at Hotel Leger. There is plenty of good home-cooked food for $10 to $20 in the same hotels. A fine meal at an upscale restaurant like Crusco’s in Angels Camp won’t break the bank at less than $30 with a glass of local wine. Call (800) 225-3764.

14. Frogs and Frog Jumpers Get Their Own 5-day Festival! Manhattan has the Empire State Building and Paris has the Eiffel Tower. But Calaveras County has the frog. Immortalized by Mark Twain in his short story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” the bug- eyed amphibian has gone on to achieve international star status. Some 400-500 frogs are expected to make a total of 2,000 jumps in various competitive divisions during the area’s annual Jumping Frog Jubilee, May 17-21. The fair includes rodeos, live rock concerts, midway rides, country crafts, professional and amateur art and exhibits, and much more. Visit: www.FrogTown.org or call (800) 225-3764.

15. Go Jump in a Lake! The water’s fine at Calaveras County’s crystalline lakes. Enjoy swimming, championship fishing, boating, house boating, water and jet skiing, camp sites with hook-ups, full-service marinas and much more. Or come for the spectacular scenery, wide vistas and cooling breezes. Just a few places in Calavaras County where you cast a line and test the waters are New Melones Lake, Lake Camanche, Lake Tulloch, New Hogan Lake and Lake Pardee. Call (800) 225-3764.

16. Calaveras County is Antique Heaven: Looking for Depression glass, a Victorian rocker or the sort of bathtub that Scarlett or Rhett would have loved soaking in? You’re likely to find it in Calaveras County, where several towns dating back to the gold rush days are chock-a-block with shops crammed to the rafters with antiques, collectibles and other wonderful oldies-but-goodies. Some of the buildings are antiques themselves, and more than a few are said to harbor resident ghosts. Call (800) 225-3764.

17. Take the High Road to Calaveras County: Aching for automotive adventure? Take the high road through Ebbetts Pass, perhaps the most dramatic pass in the Sierra Nevada. In November 2005, it joined the ranks of 125 designated National Scenic Byways in the United States, one of only seven in California. Ebbetts Pass climbs thousands of feet in elevation along a 58-mile stretch of Highways 4 and 89 from the east end of Arnold to Markleeville. Wide vistas await tourists who drive by pristine Sierra lakes, through massive sequoia redwoods, and glacially carved valleys and canyons. Visit: www.Byways.org and search California.

18: Black Bart’s Bad-Boy Days of Crime and Rhyme Live on at the Calaveras County Museum. Flashback to 1875: The Wells Fargo stage was robbed by a desperado wearing a flour sack over his head with two slits that revealed his piercing blue eyes. Over the next eight years, the lone horseless ranger conducted another 20-some robberies, walking out of nowhere with an unloaded double-barreled shotgun to confront the stage in a calm, polite voice. Bart stood trial in the county courthouse in San Andreas and spent time in its county jail. After serving part of a sentence, he was released on good behavior and vanished, never to be seen again. Today you can visit the jail where he spent time. Call the Calaveras County Museum at (209) 754-4656.

19. Read The Handwriting on the Wall: California’s colorful past is preserved for posterity on a stone wall in Murphys, and it’s down right entertaining. The Wall of Comparative Ovations, located on the Old Timers Museum, is the project of E. Clampus Vitus, a fraternal brotherhood dating from 1851. It contains 82 stone and tile plaques that pay homage to everything from Mark Twain and early miners to saloon dancers, fancy women and wounded buffalo. Visit: www.Ceres.ca.gov.

20. Last One in Sheep Ranch Please Turn Out the Lights. Sheep Ranch began as a mine that became one of the richest of the Mother Lode. The thriving community became home to many noteworthy people, including Lloyd Tevis, who helped develop the telegraph over the Sierra Mountains and the father of William Randolph Hearst. Today, free-roaming sheep herd downtown and the Sheep Ranch/Pioneer Hotel is testament to the days when cowboys and miners roamed this Wild West mining town. Call (800) 225-3764.

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Calaveras County: Located in the heart of California’s gold rush country between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park. The diverse landscape stretches 1,024 square miles from near sea level in the flat western valleys and rolling hills to more than 8,000 feet at the Sierra crest. The land is rich with historic sites, family farms and vineyards, forests of giant sequoias, rivers and lakes and underground caves. A vibrant arts culture thrives along with fine winemaking and all types of outdoor recreation, including fishing and boating, golf, bicycling, hiking, camping and skiing. Small, rural towns dot the landscape connected by well-maintained highways and country roads. For more information on Calaveras County as well as lodging packages, special events and other facts and figures, call (800) 225-3764 and visit www.GoCalaveras.Travel.