By noon on Sunday, Dec. 13, more than 400 people had lined up in front of the Altrusa Central Coast Festival of Trees site at 1447 S. Broadway in Santa Maria. They were waiting to get into the year’s hottest open-to-the-public raffle.
About to be given to the holders of winning tickets were 49 spectacular artificial trees, lavishly decorated with ornaments, ribbons, feathers, gift cards, toys, ad infinitum. There were trees decorated with a nostalgic theme, with decorator flair, with a folksy-homesy touch, with a sweep of glamour.
“Gifts” that accompanied the trees included televisions sets, laptop computers, printers, bicycles, and books, as well as gift cards for Costco, Wal-Mart, Vons, Cool Hand Luke’s, and Payless shoes, among others. There were games; stuffed animals; huge, homemade, delightful Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls; dishes; vases; crystal; nativity sets; a small barbecue grill; wine racks; candy—oh my, the list goes on and on and on.
No wonder anticipation was high. About 60,000 tickets ($1 each or six for $5) were sold from the time the Festival opened on Nov. 27 until the doors closed on Dec. 12.
This year, Central Coast Altrusa held its Festival of Trees in a new place: a huge, empty store in the mall anchored by J.C. Penney’s and Food Co. In previous years, CC Altrusa exhibited its glittering galaxy in the Santa Maria Town Center, but mall space wasn’t available this season.
CC Altrusa President Bea Goyette reports that their fears of far less traffic and far fewer ticket sales weren’t warranted. CC Altrusa sold only slightly fewer tickets this year in the new location than it did last year, and the economy could be as much a factor as the change in locale.
CC Altrusa Foundation president Jackie Brunello added, “There is a lot of car traffic here, because of the stores in this mall (J.C. Penney’s, Food Co., Big Lots, Payless Shoe Stores), but we weren’t sure that that traffic would translate into visitors to our site.”
“This is all about the kids,” past president Sylvia Ng contributed.
She told me that on Dec. 10, Central Coast Altrusa hosted a pizza party on site for children from the Good Samaritan Shelter. A local Girl Scout troop provided goodie bags with items like Girls Scout nuts and Girl Scout cookies. Each child went home with as many new books as he or she chose and was given a ticket to place in the buckets in front of trees he or she would like to win.
Auctioneer and local personality Jim Glines partnered with Boys and Girls Club’s Executive Director Bill Libbons to pull winning tickets and announce winners. Bruno Brunello entered the winning numbers on a huge chart.
Students from the Pioneer Valley High School’s Astra Club (an Altrusa club for teens) ably assisted with setting up, tearing down, and helping winners with their bundles.
Library sponsors Musicale
Three members of the Santa Maria Philharmonic, a strings trio, played Christmas carols on Dec. 10 in Shepard Hall at the Santa Maria Public Library. The library’s cultural events coordinator, Deborah Hildinger, who wanted a program with Christmas music, coordinated this with the S.M. Philharmonic. Despite a heavy, pelting rain, about 55 showed up for the hour-long program.
This was a lovely event and one of many similar ones to come, I hope!
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Dec 17-24, 2009.