Marin Magazine kicked off Labor Day weekend in style at its annual Best of the County Party on August 29 at the Mill Valley Community Center. The sold-out soirée was a high-energy celebration of community favorites, honoring winners chosen by the public in record numbers — 21,800 votes were cast this year alone for “best of” in arts and entertainment, beauty and wellness, dining, fitness, home and design, philanthropy, services and shopping. More than 800 businesses, organizations and individuals took part in this year’s voting; and while not everyone took top honors, any entrant that received at least 10 votes made the Best of the County list.
Over 350 Marinites Celebrated!
Our Sponsors Made the Event Memorable
Marin Magazine would like to thank its sponsors Jyzen, Porsche Marin and Hayes Valley Medical Esthetics, and its many other sponsors — all of whom made this extraordinary evening possible.
A Feast of Flavor and Fun at Mill Valley Community Center
Guests arrived in their most festive party attire to a festival-themed party expertly curated by 38 North Design Co., where they enjoyed delicious farm-to-table salads, small bite plates and mini take-out boxes stuffed with fresh ingredients by Stacy Scott Catering, along with bite-sized ahi tostadas and salmon tartar from Corner Bar and Playa. They also sipped specialty cocktails courtesy of Sausalito Liquor Co. and Batiste Rhum, enjoyed beer from East Brother and sampled wine from J Vineyards & Winery, Orin Swift Cellars and Louis M. Martini Winery. The party atmosphere carried on into the evening with music by DJ Airsun, plus a live performance from Marin native Alicia Furst.
Other sweet and savory touches added to the evening. Kate, the owner of Kate’s Single Batch Toffee passed out her exquisitely made (all by her!) toffee samples and take-home bags. Inside, guests relaxed in the indoor lounge styled by The Wild Ones while on the patios, guests had their futures read by Frontier Tarot, relaxed in a Zen-like setting created by Picnic Potential, took selfies next to SnapFiesta’s adorable vintage VW (view the pics here!) and Porsche Marin’s car. Meanwhile, Matt Grimshaw, aka, the Documattarian, was busy filming it all, and another Matt, Matt Spinetta of Prismic Photography, was taking snaps of every moment.
Prizes and Goodies Galore
Marin Magazine group publisher Nikki C. Wood and Editorial Director Mimi Towle passed out swoon-worthy raffle prizes to a few of the evening’s luckiest guests, who took home thousands of dollars in goods and gift certificates, including gift cards from Sunrise Home, Seaplane Tours, Hayes Valley Medical Esthetics, SDI Fireplace and Insulation, Club Evexia, Alyce Croft Boudoir Photography, Jyzen and 38 North Design Co. There was also a body and skincare basket from Kivi Organics, a basket of anti-aging facial products from Eva Claiborne Beauty & Wellness, a lush duvet from Scandia Home and a weekend ride in a Porsche Marin up for grabs.
Every guest took home a bag chock full of goodies from party sponsors, including a gift card from Hayes Valley Medical Esthetics; a Jam Bar snack bar; discount vouchers from Blue Jay Bikes, F45 Training, East Brother and the soon to-be-opened Tam Tavern; plus products from SkinCare By the Sea and Kiva Organics.
Hello! Marin App Makes its Big Party Debut
270 Media introduced the lively crowd to its brand new Hello! Marin app, which enables all Marin residents and visitors to explore the best of the county right from their phone, tag their favorites, offer insight and benefit from exclusive offers and savings from local businesses. Anyone who downloaded the new app during the party was entered in a special drawing to win a one-night’s stay at Cavallo Point.
A Big Night Out for Partygoers and 270 Media Staff
Celebrating With Purpose
Each year, Marin Magazine selects a nonprofit partner to support during Best of the County. The 2025 nonprofit partner is Habitat for Humanity Greater Bay Area, which will receive a portion of the party’s proceeds to support its mission to build affordable homes and stronger communities throughout Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties. Through volunteer-powered construction, community revitalization, and advocacy for housing equity, Habitat creates opportunities for local families to thrive.
A poignant part of the night was when Heidi Kuhn used the eventing to kick off her campaign “posefortherose” to announce the opening a her international peace center here in Marin County. She paid tribute to Marin County’s legacy of peace (the first United Nations meeting happened in Muir Woods 80 years prior) and to honor her hero, Princess Diana, who tragically died 28 years earlier, she gave away 300 white roses, a nod to Elton John’s “Good-bye English Rose.”