Tis the season to try new things, and the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum did just that at its annual fundraiser event.
Instead of “heavy appetizers” served on trays at a buffet bar, they staged a Sunday afternoon sit-down, family-style dinner for 142 at the Museum on Jones Street, on the Sunday afternoon of Oct. 16.
“We sold out!” Nancy Gastelum, the new executive director, told me with a gasp of delight. Board member Diane Adam said that they “wanted to change the feel and flavor [of the event],” so they opted for a Sunday afternoon get-together instead of the usual Saturday night gala. Sunday afternoon, it appears, works just fine. (As long as there isn’t a to-die-for football game, Nancy said.)
Something new also happened when PCPA star Kitty Balay, at the podium momentarily to tout the theater, broke out into Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.” The crowd hooted and hollered, clearly crazy for the divine Miss Kitty.
There were about five long tables and several round tables, all covered in white with white plates and white napkins and white chairs. The effect was simply dazzling. Lovely local wines and beer were available at the hosted bars.
Surveying the scene, Dottie Lyons said, “The room looks good. There is a nice flow.” She shared a table with the Santa Maria Fairpark’s Autumn Aquistapace.
The Sun’s general manager, Kim Rosa, and Jim Byrne were at my table, along with Mike and Michelle Tabisola.
CASA’s Kim Davis and Mike, Joe and Janice Halsell, Randy and Mary Wise, and Lee and Michelle Volker-Cox were among the crowd.
Jim Glines and Wendy Thies Sell did the respective auctioneer and emcee honors.
Field to Table catered the dinner: a chicken leg on a bed of mashed cauliflower, beet salad, and a variety of greens and vegetables. No one left the dinner with a vitamin C deficiency!
The focus was on locally grown produce in keeping with the theme, Farm to Table. Centerpieces were artful displays of citrus fruit and vegetables. At the end of the evening, guests were invited to fill a mini-brown shipping bag (that was hung on their chairs) with the edible bounty and take it home. The produce disappeared ever so fast.
This event was a pleasant surprise. Let’s see what they do next year.
Chamber Gala get-together
Another successful event featuring change was the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce annual Awards Gala held on Thursday evening, Sept. 13. Instead of their traditional sit-down dinner at the Radisson, the Chamber changed the venue to PCPA’s Marian Theater, where the menu was “heavy appetizers.”
“We wanted to try something new,” said Glenn Morris, the Chamber’s top man.
Outside, I watched folks enter on the red carpet. Col. Michael and Leslie Hough from Vandenberg Air Force Base (he is commander of the 30th Space Wing), outgoing Santa Maria City Councilmember Jack Boysen, and United Way’s Eddie Taylor were among the crowd, which also included Jean Luc and Tanya Garon, Jack and Inga Garvin, Michelle and Hank Shipman, and Leigh Collier.
About 250 Chamber members and guests swirled about the Marian Theater’s foyer, spilling out onto the patio for an appetizer buffet. “My goodness,” I thought, looking around, “this is the mother of all Santa Maria cocktail parties.” There was much buzz and bustling about.
Martin and Debby Testa, who catered, poured wine from the Allan Hancock College wine program at the hosted bar. After an hour of hearty socializing (it was a major gabfest), guests retired to the theatre for the program, which included individual video portrayals of the award recipients.
Incoming board President Dr. Ray Arensdorf was master of ceremonies. Before the awards were given, Mark Booher gave a presentation, with slides, about the history of PCPA.
It must be noted that many of the women in long gowns looked incredibly glamorous. The men, not so much.
Mixing with the Santa Barbara Foundation
On Thursday evening, Sept. 20, I got post-event reviews of the above at the Chamber’s monthly mixer, held at the Santa Barbara Foundation’s office on Miller Street.
In the delightful El Chorro Courtyard, I heard from both groups that they were more than satisfied with their revamped programs. I also heard good news from Sphinxland. The Dunes Center’s Doug Jenzen told me that their recent gala in Guadalupe attracted three times the usual crowd and made about three times the usual money.
There were about 70 at this outdoor mixer, including 3rd District Supervisor Janet Hartmann, Mark Fugate, and Peggy Blough.
It was another fine time with our friends and neighbors.
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you can reach her at column151@gmail.com.
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 4, 2018.