Let’s play holiday Jeopardy!
Question: What celebrated, distinctive events make Christmas and the holidays ultra-special, glamorous, and exciting in our hometown?
Answer: What are three Altrusa Christmas tree raffles?
Here’s another question: When do these raffles take place?
Answer: What is mid-November, when the nighttime Altrusa Club has its annual Christmas Tree Extravaganza at the Elks Club?
At this event, members sell more than 600 tickets (beginning in February) for dinner and the opportunity to buy tickets for a slew of incredible trees that are raffled off after dinner.
We could go on with this game, but surely you can tell that Hobnobbing is in serious danger of getting questions and answers mixed up, so let’s get right to the heart of the matter.
For our Santa Maria-style holidays, generous individuals, groups, and companies donate Altrusa’s glittering trees—awash with imaginative decorations, traditional and non-traditional—along with “gifts” to go under them.
Diane Aleman-Stevens happily reported that this year’s raffle at the Elks Club netted the nighttime group the most money it has ever made at such a fundraiser, up by about $2,000 from last year.
The Altrusa affair at the Elks Club is one of the area’s most popular and well-attended events: “We sell out early,” Diane warned, “Really early.”
Newcomers to the Christmas tree raffles need to know that the trees’ gifts include kids’ bicycles (sometimes as many as four under one tree); children’s toys, books, and games; electronics like television sets, iPads, and laptop computers; gift certificates for restaurants and entertainment; and furniture (yes, furniture!) including sofas, chairs, coffee tables. Can you believe it?
As I write this, the morning Altrusa Club—officially named the Golden Valley Club—is conducting its third annual magical Festival of Trees on the upper level of the Town Center East mall, across from the post office.
The club held a reception for sponsors on Friday, Nov. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. at this venue. Bartenders Roy Reed and Bruno Brunello dispensed great wine to accompany the deviled shrimp, meatballs, shrimp mousse, salmon ball, spinach dip and crackers, gourmet cheese plate, and cake.
Among the attendees were members of the club, sponsors, and guests, including Linda Wilkins, Heather Reese, and Virginia Domingues, as well as Virginia Bauer, Kathy Telleria, Alicia Ashbrook, and Yolanda Soares. Tree sponsors Anna Rubcic, her mother Minerva Rubcic, and sister Mary Tawzer were on hand to celebrate their tree, “Under the Sea.”
“We always wanted to do this,” Anna told me, “so we did. This is our third year.”
What a hoot it was to meet “celebrity visitor” Rudy Gutierrez of the city’s Recreation and Parks Department. Rudy is the young man we see in television ads saying, “Thank you for shopping in Santa Maria.”
Well, Rudy, thank you for coming to the magical Festival of Trees reception. We assure you, we ARE shopping in Santa Maria!
The noontime Altrusa group holds its tree raffle in the JCPenney shopping center. The club’s big attraction this year is a tree with a $1,000 gift certificate. The sponsors’ reception took place on Saturday, Nov. 23.
Shrimp, croissant sandwiches, chips and dip, and fabulous homemade fudge starred in the buffet.
Former club president Melinda Aguirre and members Laura Dias and Patty Elswick were among the revelers.
If you would like to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Dec 12-19, 2013.