HELEN ANN THOMAS

“La Marseillaise,” the stirring and snappy French national anthem, blared out of the DJ’s sound system. Excitement, as well as the music, was in the air. Clearly something festive was happening noonish on Wednesday, July 22, at the Coca-Cola warehouse parking lot on Fairway Drive.  That something festive was an event for the Special Olympics athletes who […]

If you were a dog or cat with nowhere to go and no one to love you, you would want to be at the Santa Maria Humane Society’s new facility on West Stowell Road. The Humane Society held an open house on Saturday, July 11, to show off their latest amenity (Kennel No. 3), which […]

Number 108 at 218 Carmen Lane is a pleasant suite of small offices with an inviting air. Dollhouses, art supplies, and toys give away the fact that the space caters to children. This is the home of Santa Maria’s CALM facility, where children, adults, and families who are involved in child abuse situations find therapy […]

Ah! The lure of the sphinx. On Friday evening, June 12, all roads led to Guadalupe’s Dunes Center, to which more than 200 people from up and down the Central Coast made a pilgrimage. They came to view the unveiling of a new exhibit: recently excavated sphinx segments. These pilgrams traveled to see a 92-year-old […]

When I went to an event Sunday night, June 7, at the Santa Maria Inn, I did not expect to see the likes of Congresswoman Lois Capps, Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider, and 1st District Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal. But there they were in a room full of 140 folks who came to […]

Two unusually entertaining golf tournament fundraisers took place in May—both, of course, were at the Santa Maria Country Club. The first was Golf for Wishes, held on May 15. What was special about this was the zeal of its founders, Jared Bailey and Danny Sheridan. Jared is a physical therapist with the Santa Maria Physical […]

Vive la fiesta! Ole! And all that … Community Partners in Caring (CPC) held its annual fundraiser dinner and auction on May 2 at the Santa Maria Country Club. The evening (titled Fiesta) was much enhanced by the presence of Ernest Righetti High School’s marimba band and ballet folklorico performers. Wow. What a talented, energetic […]

Scones, lemon curd, clotted cream. Shortbread cookies. Savory tea sandwiches (cucumber sandwiches are absolutely de rigeur). Champagne. Chocolate-covered strawberries (with long stems). These are the makings of high tea, and they were very much in evidence at the Minerva Club’s fifth annual Formal English Tea and Fashion Show. Held at the historically significant Minerva Clubhouse […]

Do you remember when an upscale art gallery on Clark Avenue in Old Orcutt had a wine and cheese reception once a month? It was sooo popular. Many people were saddened when the gallery closed and morphed into a pizza parlor that, no, doesn’t have the same monthly getting-together soirées. Robert and Heidi Gruetzemacher decided […]

For a moment, when I heard the Luis Oasis Center’s ukulele band playing on Friday evening, March 20, at the Santa Maria Country Club, I thought I was in Hawaii. But then, I realized I was at the Oasis Center’s sixth annual Spring Gala. This lollapalooza of a fundraiser garnered close to or just more […]

It’s that time again. “ … and the award goes to … ” We’re not talking Academy Awards or Golden Globes, but the Women’s Network’s annual, much anticipated Women of Excellence (WoE) awards held on March 14. For the past 24 years, the Women’s Network has recognized extraordinary local ladies in the following four categories: […]

“Please join us for a casual reception and to learn more about the Scholarship Foundation’s activities and future plans in the Santa Maria Valley.” So read the invitation to an event held on Feb. 12, at Trattoria Uliveto restaurant. Said reception was a very pleasant gathering of about 80 North County donors and supporters of […]