Wow! What a place to hold a fundraiser!” exclaimed Susan Rees.
“This is unusual,” James Murr observed with a contented grin. “It’s great.”
About 200 of us were in a WWII airplane hangar that began life at Allan Hancock College, where it was used in the pilot training program. The historic structure was moved to its present site at the end of Mitchell Road, between Foster Road and the airport.
’Twas an exciting venue for the Legal Aid Foundation’s annual North County fundraiser, “Taste of Justice,” held the afternoon of March 5.
Talk about photo ops. Outside in the courtyard were a MIG jet fighter plane, a WWII Army fighter plane, a WWII-era tank, a Vietnam-era tank, plus a jeep and a couple of refurbished military Hummers.
Inside the hangar, there was an anti-aircraft gun that’s been restored by the hangar’s owners, Central City Surplus.
Everyone had a good time rubbernecking the military equipment. Oh, there was also a torpedo (inert, of course) in the lobby.
Art Emr and Jeff Elliott (he used to play trumpet for Doc Severinsen) entertained. Great music, guys.
There was also lots of wine, beer, and food (including meatballs from Trattoria Uliveto and cookies from Gina’s).
This year, the Legal Aid foundation held a chili cook-off, with entries from such esteemed restaurateurs as Chef Rick’s, Testa Catering, Central City Market, and Rooney’s.
Members of the local legal establishment who turned out to support this worthy cause were judges Jed Beebe, Ed Bullard, Rogelio Flores, Art Garcia, and Tim Staffel.
Attorneys Alex Simas, Karen O’Neill, and George Wittenberg socialized, along with their respective spouses Kathy Simas, Scott O’Neill, and County Supe Joni Gray. Mayor Larry Lavagnino and Donna enjoyed the show-stopping ambience.
Ellen Goldstein, foundation executive director, credited committee member Doug Coleman with suggesting and arranging the locale.
Rides in the WWII-era tank were raffled off. Bob Enright, who restores vehicles for Central City Surplus, drove the beaming ticket winners out onto the not-so-hilly concrete terrain.
Next year, Coleman predicted, the event will be even more fun. Hard to imagine, Doug. This was pretty darned special.
SMVWN Women of Excellence Annual Dinner
The Santa Maria Women’s Network held its annual Women of Excellence dinner at the Santa Maria Inn on the evening of March 2. About 127 guests gathered at 5:30 for no-host bar drinks and silent auction action.
The ebullient Kathy Boyd flew in from Tampa, Fla., where she’s working on assignment, to be mistress of ceremonies. Despite the fact that her luggage got lost, Kathy borrowed outfits from friends and showed up looking glam.
Speaking of glam, many ladies took this opportunity to pull fancy dresses and outfits from the closet. You all looked simply fab! This includes you Fran Dodd, Marion Patterson, and president Christine Gerber.
Banker Jim and Kathy Glines hosted a Community Bank of Santa Maria table in support of staffer Wendy Foxen, who was a nominee.
Muriel Gade, Barbara Stevenson, and Judy Frost were at American Association of University Women’s table. They came to support their nominee, Jan Cutler.
One of the best parts of the Women’s Network is the mix of members’ ages. The group’s collective energy doesn’t zero in on any one age bracket. Think about joining. You’ll love it. m
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Mar 10-17, 2011.
