You don’t have to be a sports fan to enjoy the annual Joe White Memorial Dinner and Auction. This event raises money for athletics programs at Allan Hancock College and thus has a sports theme. Quite a few of the auction items were sports related as well.
About 300 trickled into the Santa Maria Elks Lodge on the Saturday evening of Aug. 25 for an excellent (be still my heart) New York strip steak dinner, barbecued on site by Los Alamos-based Cowboy Flavor.
Michelle Swanson, you did a positively awesome job of singing the national anthem.
Thanks John Maretti (manager of the Elks Lodge) for saying hello. And thanks to Delores and Jerry Luis for sharing your table, which included daughter Dr. Doreen Luis, Margaret Paden, and Patti Kirchhof.
The event attracted Lauren Johnston, Stacy Sherwood, Hilda Zacharias, Jodi Mrezek, Lee and Michele Volker-Cox, City Councilmember Mike Cordero and wife Linda, and, of course, Hancock President Kevin Walthers.
It wouldn’t be a Joe White dinner without Jim Glines auctioneering. John Glines and daughter Taylor Glines acted as bid spotters, while Jay Turner held down the fort as master of ceremonies.
This event was certainly a showcase for the generosity of the community. Guests bid high for the now-traditional dessert auction and didn’t hold back during the also now-traditional after-auction ask (where the auctioneer asks folks to give outright a sum that they are comfortable with. Gifts ranged from $100 to $10,000).
The Hancock College Boosters, which sponsors this event in honor of the late Joe White (dean and athletic director), were surely happy campers. A revamped softball field may be in their future.
Socializing with the Sphinx
Big things are happening in Guadalupe: A housing development is going up, a cheerful mural has been painted on the side of the old Far Western restaurant, and the Dunes Center has launched a capital campaign to retrofit and remodel the old Far Western building gifted to the fantabulous organization so that it can expand its programs and exhibits.
Oh, yes, and the Dunes Center has excavated some more of Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments movie set from the 1920s. A sphinx is rising from the sands! Bit by bit, chunk by chunk. This is so exciting.
Two new sphinx artifacts (chunks of the plaster movie set original) were unveiled at the Dunes Center’s Sphinx and Drinks annual fundraising gala held on Saturday evening, July 21, at the Dunes Center.
A whopping big crowd of more than 250 crowded the back courtyard of the center.Among the Dunes devotees were former Guadalupe Mayor Frances Romero, Ron and Ingrid Smith, Larry and Diane Aleman-Stevens, Bert and Blanche Fugate, and Hardy and Judy Hearn (magnificent in a lavender flapper outfit–she was all feathers and fringe).
Auctioneer Jim Glines did his thing, aided by his No. 1 bid spotter, granddaughter Taylor Glines.
This is such a fun event. Lots of people dress up in the ’20s theme. The Tipsy Gypsies provided live music. They were not the only tipsy ones on site–the three no-host bars were busy serving wine, beer, and martinis. The mood was super festive.
Appetizers were from the Far Western in Old Orcutt. Excellent shrimp, chorizo, a sumptuous fruit plate, and strawberries to dip in melted chocolate were among the delectables.
Wine and Roses
Celebrating the end of summer on a high note, the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society’s board member Judy Hearn and husband Hardy hosted a Wine and Roses reception on Thursday, Aug. 16, in the Santa Maria Inn’s Rose Garden.
About 50 Philharmonic supporters enjoyed this afternoon soiree. Jed Beebe, Georgia Shore (former general manager of the Sun), Richard Neblett, Franca Lockard, Dennis Prescott, and Ron and Mary Nanning were among those who partook of lovely wines from Costa de Oro and Cottonwood Canyon.
The Inn provided platters of fresh fruit, cheese, crackers, and pesto bruschetta.
Many were delighted to be able to sample wines from Allan Hancock College’s Viticulture program, poured by Dave Corey, director of operations for the college’s winemaking program.
Songstress Bo Prescott, accompanied by Mike Thibeault on the guitar, provided entertainment.
Jerry and Ann Walsh and Diane Borad-Mirken were among those who delighted in the gorgeous, lush setting of the Inn’s courtyard. Judy Hearn informed us that some of the roses in the rose garden were from cuttings she was given at Hearst Castle.
Judy is so in love with roses that she bought several dozen long-stemmed beauties, so guests could take one home. Is she fabulous or what?
This garden party was a premier event. Absolutely wonderful. Hope they do it again.
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you can reach her at column151@gmail.com.
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 6, 2018.