Looking to get a head start on the holiday shopping season? The ladies of the Minerva Club can help. From 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Nov. 15, they’ll be hosting their Holiday Faire and Luncheon.
The faire will feature a variety of merchandise for sale. There will be homemade baked goods, candies, jams, and jellies for the culinary-inclined. Outside, vendors will be selling jewelry, hand-painted china, pins, earrings, and more.
The ladies of Minerva Club will also have their own merchandise for sale, offering such items as “dazzling” holiday decorations, tea towels, and aprons.
“We used to bring only our own stuff for sale,” said Sarah Malman, current vice president of Minerva Club, “but with so many other craft sales going on this time of year, we started bringing in outside vendors. It’s been a big success.”
Since shopping can be hungry work, the luncheon part of the event will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.
The Minerva Club, which “was based upon knowledge and morals,” was founded in the late 1800s by the women of the original frontiersmen families that settled in the Santa Maria Valley.
The Minerva Club’s clubhouse has its own history as well. It was designed by Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan and built in the early 1900s.
The Holiday Faire and Luncheon has had quite the run in Santa Maria.
“I’ve been a member for the last 12 years, and it’s been happening for as long as I can remember—at least 20 years,” Malman said.
The ladies of the Minerva Club also award scholarships to two seniors at local high schools each year.
Intern Nicholas Walter compiled this week’s Community Corner. Send items for consideration to mail@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 13-20, 2008.