Once a year, Club K, a gathering place for hip Santa Marians, opens its doors at the Veterans Memorial Building.
Owned and operated by the Noontime Kiwanis, Club K is an adventure in dining, faux gambling, and schmoozing, not to mention waltzing around the tempting silent auction tables.
Club K is also the Noontime Kiwanis’ biggest fundraiser of the year.
Last Friday night, Aug. 5, marked the 2016 Club K get-together. Around 300 Kiwanians and their friends and supporters congregated in the courtyard of the Veterans Memorial Cultural Center to enjoy appetizers such as fruit, cheese, and shrimp, along with a no-host bar, before ambling inside to be enticed by the Rip Tide Big Band and its mellow-toned crooner Bob Nations.
Croupiers were ready and waiting at the gaming tables inside. Upon arrival, guests were gifted with $100 worth of funny money to be used at blackjack and roulette tables. Participants and spectators were two- and three-deep at these tables. They are so popular.
There was a lot to do at Club K, not the least of which was standing in the buffet line for the dinner prepared by master chef Julie Posada and her assistant Rebecca Masuda. It’s a good thing Julie likes to cook, because there was a lot of work involved in preparing ham, top block, roasted potatoes, carrots, salad, and mini-cupcakes (served in a cup).
I have to say it: The cupcakes disappeared faster than the carrots.
The silent auction tables were as popular as the blackjack venue. One eye-catching item was a large model of a Viking ship, donated by Barbara Spencer, who used to have a shop in the Santa Maria Inn. (She relocated her shop to Solvang.) A very large (2-foot-by-3-foot) glass case covered the ship that was from her father’s collection.
The flier for the event read, “Club K Presents Dino’s Martini Lounge.” A variety of interesting cocktails worthy of an upscale evening spot were available.
The event attracted Jim and Cheryl Talbott, Jim Hopkins and Wanda McDonald, John and Cyndi Ross, Marjorie Gjerdrum and Bill Hord, and Steven and Eileen Geraci. Full disclosure: Steven is a Lt. Gov. of Division 29 of the Kiwanis.
Mike and Susan Moats are surely charter members of Santa Maria Beautiful, because it seems to be their goal to beautify the women of Santa Maria via the services of Moats Laser Salon. The Moats donated a couple of skin care packages for this event.
Jill Parry wants to cultivate Santa Maria’s sweet tooth with her fabled pies—this year, as before—she donated a homemade apple delight that was scooped up by her No. 1 apple pie fan, Dr. Roland Miller, and a peach pie, that went to someone who outbid me for it. What is a girl to do when duty calls and she must leave her post at the silent auction table to hobnob?
Anna Rubcic, Club K’s majordomo and a past Noontime Kiwanis president, was clearly happy at the turnout, up over last year, which was up over the year before that.
“This was our biggest attendance ever,” she told me. “We are so pleased and delighted and thank the community for their support.”
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Aug 18-25, 2016.