This was one busy weekend. Santa Maria kicked off autumn with a swell of activity.
On Friday morning, Sept. 26, I joined the Mega 97.1 gang in front of the Chamber of Commerce and adjoining Santa Maria Historical Society for their weekly Java Jam. It was 7 a.m., I might add, when I got there. Is this not true devotion to hobnobbing?
The deal is that the radio station broadcasts, every Friday, from 7 to 9 a.m., from some spot on Broadway, highlighting any nonprofit that wants air time. Gina’s at the Mall provides pastries, Starry Sky Café provides coffee, and 7Up Distributing provides cold drinks—and all refreshments are free to passersby.
Ed Carcarey and DJ Dennis “Catfish” Miller from the radio station were there along with Steve Funkhouser of Starry Sky Café. The Historical Society’s Cindy Ransick and Christine Gerber welcomed folks like Judith Monte of the Food Bank and Chris Slaughter of the Discovery Museum.
You get the idea: Nonprofits can go on air and talk about upcoming events.
Later that day, the YMCA held its 35th Anniversary Golf Tournament at the Santa Maria Country Club.
At noon, 124 golfers teed off. They trickled into the country club from about 4:30 on and enjoyed a social hour at the bar.
Around 5:30, folks gathered on the balcony to watch some high drama. A helicopter landed on the grassy ground of the club’s turf down below. Mark English owns and pilots the aircraft. The ’copter picked up a precious cargo of numbered golf balls and slowly ascended when, voila, the bucket of balls was dumped over a specially prepared hole.
Any ball that landed in the hole won a part of the money raised by selling raffle tickets for the balls. “This year the pot was big,” YMCA Board President Peggy Blough said of the $5,000 split among three lucky ball number holders.
This was pretty much an all-day affair. Tee-off took place at noon. Golfers gathered in the bar when they came off the course and waited for the dumping of the balls. Then everyone had a superb prime rib dinner and participated in the program: a live auction and awards for the most this and the most that on the golf course.
Can’t help but love that morning Rotary Club. Past Presidents Tim Ortega and Jim Peterson were there, as was present President Tim Seifert and future club presidents Shannon Seifert and Laurie Tamura. Talk about planning ahead!
Saturday morning, we were off to the League of Women Voters Forum on Measure P at the County Government Center. The room was packed.
There were two hours of presentations and questions and answers.
What will we do for fun after the election and there are no more forums?
Sunday morning it was off to the Discovery Museum at 8 a.m. to observe its first ever Super Hero Fun Walk, an event designed to promote healthy behavior.
Around 100 people, including kids, showed up—most in super hero costumes and a few in pink tutus. My goodness, there were so many Supermen, Superwomen, Wonder Women, Green Lanterns, and Spidermen. Red capes were a flyin’ in the wind.
I loved talking to volunteers Leigh Collier, Call Krista (real estate lady—what is her last name?), and Victoria Adam, G’na Garcia, and board member Mark Buhring.
Want to hobnob with Helen? Contact her at [email protected].