Santa Maria Sun / News

Hobnobbing with Helen

BY HELEN ANN THOMAS

Say when! Linda Williams (left) holds out her glass for Ellen Donahoe (right) of Cambria Winery. Both ladies are parents of St. Joe alumni. Williams volunteered for the day, while Donahoe regularly pours for Cambria. PHOTO BY HELEN ANN THOMAS

 More than 30 wineries and breweries were on hand to pour their libations. I’m guessing that everyone had his or her choice of about 150 different drinks.

About 300 lively guests paid $35 per ticket for the Alumni Association-sponsored fete, which was held in the school’s grassy courtyard, amid a handful of pine trees. The Central City Trio played the background music.

“Each year,” commented event chairperson Karen Jaeckels, “Knights, Wines, and Roses grows in popularity. This year, we sold more tickets than ever before.”

It isn’t hard to see why.

St. Joe alum Mike Larrabee brought tubs of iced beers with labels that weren’t familiar. Mike poured me a Belgian beer made with tart cherry juice. Sound awful? It was sensational.

It was no surprise that the beer tent enjoyed constant traffic, as did the buffet of appetizers that included grilled shrimp, fruit kabobs, and cheese and crackers, as well as a wide variety of spreads served on cocktail bread.

This year, sparkling wines were also available for sampling, thanks to Raymond Tosti, a St. Joe dad. The most expensive of these was a sparkling sake that goes for $22 for a small bottle. To my surprise, it was as pleasing as Raymond predicted.

Serving wine at the alma mater Richard Gomez, vice-chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, attended with daughter and St. Joe alumna Tara, of Kalawashaq' Wine Cellars. PHOTO BY HELEN ANN THOMAS

Father Ed, director of development for St. Joseph, roamed the crowd, taking photos and dispensing pleasant conversation, while Stacy Verbryke of the school’s BASH staff looked very pleased about the excellent turnout.

An always-smiling Dr. Robert Martinez, a St. Joe parent, was there with several family members, some from out of town. Martinez said,  “One way or the other, I’ve been attached to this school for a long time.”

I have a feeling he wasn’t the only one there who could have made that statement. 

Chamber of Commerce Trade Show

The Chamber of Commerce Trade Show was heaven for hobnobbers. So many familiar faces dropped by the Fairpark to check out the action on Thursday, June 17, from 5 to 7 p.m., that we Chatty Cathys could go from one conversation to the next with nary a break.

Chatting it up on vendors' row St. Joe's development director, Father Ed, Robin Bogue, and Doug Coleman joined up. Bogue is with William James Cellars, while forensics consultant Coleman bottles his own label. PHOTO BY HELEN ANN THOMAS

But we still had fun.

The Women’s Network took the prize for the best Western-themed display. Katherine Davis, Lou Glenn, and Christine Gerber were ecstatic.

Shaklee distributors Julie and Jim Colegrove had a booth next to the Philharmonic Society, which raffled off a pair of free concert tickets every hour.

For the first time, the Santa Barbara Foundation had a presence at the trade show. Judy and Eric Frost, along with Kathy Simas and Ray Deutsch, staffed that booth, which gave away seeds for the aptly named Money plant.

If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.