HELEN ANN THOMAS

So many people! Hats for Hope had a huge turnout for its third annual December fundraiser, Christmas with Holly, held on Sunday, Dec. 20, from 4 to 7 p.m.  The Santa Maria Country Club was packed. Around 275 people showed up to hear Holly Williams sing.  I wasn’t the only one awed by the size […]

Are there Christmas trees in a galaxy far, far away? We may never know the answer to this, but one thing is certain, there are and were a lot of Christmas trees in Santa Maria this year. More than one hundred trees—trimmed, lit up, and laden with gifts—were recently raffled off by two different Altrusa […]

Christmas trees with lights are all over the place. Among the first to appear in public were the fundraising trees of the three local Altrusa organizations. The first tree event—sponsored by the nighttime Altrusa at the Elks Club in November—attracted more than 700 people (mostly women who bought fistfuls of raffle tickets). Then, like clockwork, […]

Cinderella—now playing at PCPA—is a campy confection. It will undoubtedly delight hundreds of showgoers of all ages this month and next. When you have a show where the fairy godmother appears and gets a huge, spontaneous outburst of applause, you know you have a hit. Fairy godmothers, it would seem, are in. To celebrate the […]

The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society’s annual gala fundraiser—Fandango, held on Saturday evening, Nov. 7, at the Santa Maria Country Club—deserves a huge round of applause. Fandango had it all—a lively mix of good music, good food, great wine, unusual entertainment, and more than 100 guests who support the Philharmonic.  With her customary fervor and flair, […]

Wow! What a cool thing to do. I’m not talking about the mermaid with a purple whatever, perched on a platform, or the medley of exquisite mini-desserts and the made-onsite beignets from Chef Rick. (Well, to be fair, these were all cool, too.) I’m talking about the science exhibits at the Discovery Museum’s fundraiser, A […]

Tango into the Night was the theme of the ninth annual Mayors’ Ball, United Way’s big annual wingding. Held at the Santa Maria Country Club on Saturday, Oct. 10, the ball celebrated the mayors of Buellton, Grover Beach, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Maria, and Solvang and attracted more than 175 guests.  Board member Sandra Dickerson chaired […]

It was a big night for Jeremy Deming, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Maria Valley (B&GC), and Kathryn Scott, marketing manager.  The B&GC held its Annual Celebrity Waiters Night on Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Santa Maria Country Club, and raised more than $40,000 to support the club’s many programs.  […]

It was one hot day. Cardboard fans on sticks were aflutter all over the Santa Maria Fairpark convention hall. Despite the weather, there was a respectable turnout for the 2015 Santa Maria Business Expo, presented by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and MIYB Spaces on Sept. 10 at the Fairpark.  Participating in the […]

So, you may be asking, what’s happening? What has been going on in Santa Maria? Quite a bit, actually, despite the sizzling temperatures, and the urge to sit in the shade and sip ice-cold beverages.  On Sunday afternoon, Aug. 16, from noon to 4 p.m., socially and fashionably inclined ladies flocked to the Elks Lodge for the […]

It was one of those nights when you had to circle the block at least once to find a parking place at the Veterans’ Memorial Community Center. The nighttime Kiwanis held its annual fundraiser—always surefire fun—on Friday evening, Aug. 7. For several years, this event has had a speakeasy theme. This year, the nighttime Kiwanis put […]