HELEN ANN THOMAS

On the third Thursday of almost every month, there is a free Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce mixer for members.  Hobnobbing at these affairs is absolutely de rigueur. The whole point is to socialize and network. The nonprofit Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) was the enthusiastic host for this month’s event, which took place on […]

Community support for law and order (no, not the TV show) brought together about 200 people for a Police Council-sponsored fundraiser for the Santa Maria Police Department. This year’s Police Council event was held on Monday, June 6, at the Santa Maria Country Club and was a huge and pleasant surprise for its organizers. Read […]

There is no place like Minerva,” Pernelle McCalip said at the last meeting of the Minerva Club’s 2015-16 season on May 17 at the clubhouse on Boone Street. Any sentiments to the contrary were not likely to have come from the 70 or so members who attended. Minerva is much beloved by its membership, 11 […]

Several years ago, Jared Bailey (owner of Santa Maria Physical Therapy Group) and his friend Danny Sheridan were sitting in a garage talking about—well—things, and the conversation got around to what they could do for the community. Lucky for the Tri-Counties Make-a-Wish Foundation, Jared and Danny settled on a project: raising money for chronically ill […]

All definitely was not calm at CALM’s annual fundraiser Ladies Get Loud. The conversational buzz generated by a full house of attendees was in keeping with the theme of the evening. Two hundred ladies turned out at the Santa Maria Country Club on Thursday, April 28, for libations and a light supper served by a […]

Social evenings in art galleries are one of my favorite things. Sipping wine and noshing on classy appetizers while surrounded by like-minded people and art—well, it doesn’t get much better than that. Heidi and Robert Gruetzemacher, owners of The Frame Gallery in Orcutt, occasionally host fundraising receptions. These happenings are held on an irregular basis. […]

Wow! Four hundred people—give or take 10 or 20—were at the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society’s Casino Night on Saturday, April 9, at the Elks Lodge.  That’s a very respectably sized crowd. This event, with a Western theme, had a lot of oomph and a lot of action. It replaced the Humane Society’s longtime traditional […]

March 18 was an important date for the Orcutt Oasis Center. Everybody knows that the Oasis Center is a nonprofit membership organization that provides programs, services, classes, and socializing opportunities for seniors. On Friday, March 18, the Center held its seventh annual Spring Gala, a fundraising event, at the Radisson Hotel. This was a particularly […]

Right on the heels of the Oscars came another highly anticipated awards program. The Women’s Network of Santa Maria Valley has made its mark with its annual Women of Excellence Awards. Santa Maria had long been remiss in recognizing the talents and contributions of the women of the community, and the Women’s Network has done […]

Ahoy, Mateys! Avast me hearties! “You are invited to join us for a swashbuckling evening of dinner and dancing at the 2016 Special Olympics VIP Dinner and Dance on Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Veterans Memorial Community Center.” So read the invitation, which labeled the event, “A Pirate’s Life for Me.”  The place was awash […]

The often-seen-about-town Georgia Shore is retiring as general manager of the Sun. This is not the kind of upbeat, fun news that readers have come to expect from Hobnobbing. If you feel a pang in your heart, read no more until you compose yourself. The decision for Georgia to depart was not rash. “I have […]

It was raining cats and dogs on Tuesday, Jan. 5, and at 1 p.m., I seriously considered calling Minerva Club President (aka information central) Angie Engelbrecht to check if the scheduled program, The Art of the Tea, was still on for 2 p.m. Would anyone turn out in the dicey weather for a Minerva Club […]