Santa Maria Christmas Parade of Lights 2017 by Santa Maria Times

Christmas PARADE OF LIGHTS 2017 Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017 at 5:20 p.m.

On Broadway between Stowell and Town Center Mall Festival of Lights -- 5pm to 8pm -- West side of Broadway between Cook and Main

City Tree Lighting Ceremony -- 5:20pm -- Cook and Broadway

BRInG yOuR CAnnED GOODS TO DOnATE TO THE SALvATIOn ARMy PRESEnTED By Santa Maria & nipoMo rotary ClubS

SPOnSORED By

Index

Making it happen...

Breakfast Rotary celebrates Christmas all year long �� Page A4 Santa Maria gears up for 2017 Parade of Lights �� Page A6 Interact Clubs provide service opportunities to local high school youth �� Page A8 Local Rotaractors enhance Rotary’s community impact �� Page A9 PLAY, Inc. presents the Community Tree Lighting Ceremony �� Page A10 Believe in PLAY, Inc. and the Holiday Spirit Project �� Page A10 Rotary International Foundation – 100 years strong ��Page A11 Salvation Army a key partner for the Christmas Parade of Lights Page A11 Parade Lineup �� Page A12

A2 | Friday, December 1, 2017 | Lee Central Coast Newspapers

Parade Map �� Page A13 2017 Christmas Parade of Lights Sponsors �� Page A14 Downtown Fridays & MEGA 97.1 join the Christmas Parade of Lights �� Page A14 Rotary Club of Santa Maria has served for more than 90 years �� Page A15 Rotary is service above self �� Page A17 Rotary Santa Maria South – an ‘after-work’ service club for busy professionals �� Page A18 Collaboration Experts: Rotary Club of Nipomo �� Page A20

HEATHER WEARE President, Santa Maria Rotary

KATHLEEN STOWELL President, Nipomo Rotary

KRISTINE MOLLENKOPF President, Santa Maria Breakfast Rotary

Christmas parade flag – a continuing tradition

Jim Bray ROTA R I A N‌

‌As an ongoing tradition of the Christmas Parade of Lights, a giant Christmas flag will again be carried down the parade route by local Rotarians, their family members and Interact volunteers. It takes around 25 volunteers to carry the flag which measures 40 feet by 60 feet, and weighs approximately 50 pounds.

The bright red flag sports a white Christmas tree in the center. Betty’s Fabrics of Santa Maria donated all of the material for the flag’s construction. Spectators, both young and old, are encouraged to throw money into the flag. Over the past five years, money collected in the flag has averaged approximately $900.00. This helps defer the cost of the parade, which this year is budgeted at $46,528.

A great way to contribute is to take a dollar bill and fold it around two quarters. That makes the money very easy to toss into the flag. However, donations of any amount are greatly appreciated. When the flag passes your viewing block, please be generous knowing that you are part of the effort to help your local Rotary clubs produce the Christmas Parade of Lights for our community.

Dignity Health of the Central Coast is the largest not-for-profit network of award-winning hospitals, primary care health centers and clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, and technologically advanced imaging and comprehensive home health services, with health care professionals and physicians from the nation’s top medical schools and training programs. For more information or to find a physician visit www.dignityhealth.org/centralcoast or call 805.270.2513.

Arroyo Grande Community Hospital

French Hospital Medical Center

Marian Regional Medical Center

Lee Central Coast Newspapers | Friday, December 1, 2017 | A3

Nothing Shines Brighter Than a Healthy Community

Breakfast Rotary celebrates

Christmas all year long Teresa Reyburn

Breakfast Rotary’s celebrity waiters.

A4 | Friday, December 1, 2017 | Lee Central Coast Newspapers

Contributed‌

PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIR‌

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or those that believe that Santa Claus enters through the chimney, instead I know he enters through the heart. For the Breakfast Rotary of Santa Maria, Christmas lasts all year long. The elves of the annual Barn Party work tirelessly throughout the year to raise money for community betterment. Up to $90,000 is earned at the annual Barn Party which boasts the most decorative island motif under the sun (besides Hawaii) provided by the talents of the artist Mark Jackson. But more importantly, the funds received go for very worthy causes. (Not

Contributed photos

Above: Members of the Santa Maria Police Department post the colors at the beginning of Santa Maria Breakfast Rotary’s annual barn party fund raiser held in May at the Santa Maria Fairpark. Left: The Breakfast Rotary barbecue crew.

residents on the Central Coast who are battling cancer and will lose their hair; Guadalupe Kids Night Out; and Shoes for students. You will find the blue Rotary badges at the Boys’ and Girls Club Waiter Night. The Amazing Surf Adventures receives funds to assist Operation Surf for wounded heroes that desire to learn to surf. Participants of the program experience a decrease in PTSD symptoms by 36 percent, a decrease in depression by 47 percent, and an increase in self-efficacy

by 68 percent. The Discovery Museum Night at the Museum fundraiser is supported as well as their educational programs. CASA the Court Appointed Funds for volunteers get to know a child they are assigned to by talking with everyone in that child’s life: parents and relatives, assure a safe, permanent, nurturing home for every abused and/or neglected child by providing a highly trained volunteer to advocate for them in the court system. Special Olympian’s

compete in sports activities and travel throughout the state with funding generated from the lavish VIP dinner supported for years by Rotary. Donations are

provided to the Food Bank and the popular Cruizin’ for Life provides funds for those that need cancer treatment. And the list goes on. So open your arms

along with your heart and leave the chimney to the gray-haired guy with the red suit. If you want to make a difference, join a service club and follow your heart.

Lee Central Coast Newspapers | Friday, December 1, 2017 |

to be confused with Santa Clauses, Ho Ho!!!!). Anyone who loves Santa Claus is anyone who loves another and seeks to make them happy; someone who gives of himself or herself. It could be a thought, a word, or deed in every gift that he or she brings; someone who shares his or her joys with those who are sad; and those that are destitute and deprived. Some of the heartfelt gifts that the season brings to our village are Hats for Hope that provides financing for a hat, wig or head covering for

Santa Maria gears up for 2017 Parade of Lights Floats, bands, cheerleaders and cart pushers galore Jennifer Best CONTRIBUTING WRITER‌

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A6 | Friday, December 1, 2017 | Lee Central Coast Newspapers

arade floats and marching bands, cheerleaders and cyclists, wagon pullers and cart pushers alike will don holiday lights and hit the streets at 5:20 p.m. Dec. 2 for Santa Maria’s 23rd Parade of Lights. “It’s energizing to see all the people come out for the kick-off of the holiday season. You have 3,000 kids on all these entries, all yelling ‘Merry Christmas’ and waving. It’s an important event in our town, and I’m proud to serve,” said Mike Gibson, who co-chairs the event with Dave Wright and Tom Martinez. The evening will include the return of the Festival of Lights, a street fair introduced in 2016 by Ed Carcarey of Mega 97.1 that proved to be a smashing success. From 5 p.m.

Elisa Ramirez photos, Contributor‌

Left: St. Mary’s of the Assumption Catholic School marches in the 2016 Parade of Lights in Santa Maria. Right: Santa Maria Times presents their Christmas float at the 2016 Santa Maria Parade of Lights.

to 8 p.m., 50 vendors and booths, including food trucks, a beer-and-wine tent, a kid zone featuring bounce houses and games, and music performed in English and Spanish will take over the west side of Broadway between Cook and Main streets. “Last year was such a thrilling success that we’re doing it again,” Gibson said.

The city’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the corner of Cook Street and Broadway has been changed from its traditional Friday timing to 5:20 p.m. Saturday night to coincide with the beginning of the parade. “Having the lighting then will give people on the north of the route more to do while they

wait 20 minutes for the parade to get to them,” Gibson explained. The Parade of Lights, with its perennial “Joy of Giving” theme, is sponsored and organized by Santa Maria’s Breakfast Rotary Club, Santa Maria Rotary, Santa Maria Rotary-South and Nipomo Rotary. In exchange for their extraordinary effort in

bringing and putting on the event, the clubs ask community members to deposit non-perishable food items in boxes placed along the route for donation to the local Salvation Army. The first of this year’s 103 entries is slated to head north at 5:20 p.m. from the corner of Stowell Road and Broadway, the least-populated stretch of the route and a good spot for people who aren’t particularly interested in crowds, Gibson said. By 5:30 p.m., the parade should hit Santa Maria Inn just as KCOY begins its live coverage, and the first entry should move by the Town Center at 5:40 p.m. Seven announcers will be located along the route, offering commentary in English and Spanish.

While entry No. 7— Trader Joe’s featuring 17-year-old country music phenom Charlie McNeal brings the party to the parade—the Pioneer Valley High School Marching Band will keep the post-game party going inside the shopping center. The band will perform Christmas carols while parade participants step inside for cookies and punch. Parade entries will compete for $4,500 in prizes this year, including $1,000 for the sweepstakes winner, and $350 for first place and $150 for second place winners in each of seven categories.

Parade Route, lineup: See a map of the parade route and the entry lineup, Pages A12-13.

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Lee Central Coast Newspapers | Friday, December 1, 2017 | A7

In House Service & Installation

Interact Clubs give service opportunities Vicky Connor ROTARIAN‌

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A8 | Friday, December 1, 2017 | Lee Central Coast Newspapers

otary International established a program for youth 12–18 years old that now boasts over 20,000 clubs worldwide and nearly 500,000 Interactors. Purpose of Interact is to provide community and international service opportunities while building leadership skills and international understanding. The Righetti High School Interact club is involved with supporting several community fundraisers. In May, club members provide volunteer help with the Rotary Barn Party put on by the club sponsor, the Rotary Club of Santa Maria Breakfast, serving and helping with cleanup after the event. In August, the Interact supports the Family Day in the Park. The students help out with the games for the kids and help with serving at the Rotary Breakfast food booth. In September, they volunteer at Shoes for Students.

Contributed photos‌

Left: Righetti High School Interact. Middle: Nipomo High School Interact. Right: Orcutt Academy High School Interact

They help the coordinator with loading the golf carts for the golf tournament and decorating for the dinner. At the dinner they help by selling raffle tickets. In October, the club supported a combined community service project with the Interact Club of Nipomo—a beach cleanup at Oceano Dunes, which provided a fun and useful way to bring the two Interact clubs together. Also in October, Righetti Interactors helped with the Zombie Glow Run, a fundraiser for the Santa Barbara County Animal Foundation. Students helped with

setup and then were assigned stations on the run trail to hand out glow necklaces to the runners. Interact volunteers also serve at the homeless shelter every first Saturday of the month. The second Saturday of the month they volunteer at the Animal Shelter. The students have read to the dogs and exercised the dogs have also helped inventory donated items for the Animal Shelter fundraiser. The Nipomo High School Interact Club has started the 2017-18 school year strong! The club’s board members made a success of the school’s

Club Day in September — they concocted orange soda and root beer floats to entice potential new members. A strong interest in community service has resulted in the club’s October event of the Oceano Beach Cleanup. Some members of Righetti High School’s Interact Club joined the Nipomo students as they picked up garbage along the beach before enjoying a barbecue lunch of tri-tip sandwiches. As the year continues, more events are in the works for the Nipomo High School’s Interact Club. The Orcutt Academy High School Interact

Club ran a book drive this school year that garnered 200 books for Patterson Road School. They are currently helping Rotary Santa Maria South raise awareness about the needs of the area’s homeless by asking for donations of personal underclothing for individuals participating in the “Showers of Blessings” program, which offers free showers weekly to those who have no homes of their own. OAHS Interact is planning a blood drive for February, and will also be asked to volunteer for Rotary Santa Maria South’s annual “Walk/Run for Mental Health” in the spring.

The Interact Club at St. Joseph High School is sponsored by The Rotary Club of Santa Maria. It supports its sponsors annual fundraiser (this year the Sips ‘n Sombreros event), and also, with other Interact clubs, supports the Parade of Lights. On Veterans Day, St. Joe Interactors placed flags on the graves of veterans in the Guadalupe cemetery, club members visit elderly local residents living in care homes, and the club is mounting a canned food drive. The club also is donating and decorating a Christmas tree to the Altrusa annual fundraising event.

Local Rotaractors enhance Rotary’s community impact Alex Magana CONTRIBUTOR‌

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o understand Rotaract, you first have to know that Rotary International is our parent organization. Rotary is an international network of more than 1.2 million members worldwide, 7100-plus professional clubs in 167 countries. Each club provides volunteer, networking, and social opportunities for local club members. The Santa Maria Valley Rotaract Club is one of 9,522 Rotaract clubs in over 177 countries. All of the clubs are started at the local, grassroots level by active young professionals and students in order to better serve their communities. We provide young professionals with an opportunity to serve the local and global community, network with industry leaders, and cultivate their leadership skills while developing lasting and meaningful relationships. The Rotaract club meets twice a month to exchange ideas, plan activities and projects, and socialize. Local Rotary groups sponsor the club and, because of this relationship, Rotaractors

Contributed photos‌

Left: Santa Maria Valley Rotaractors. Right: Rotaract Day of Hope volunteers.

become true “partners in service.” Members share a desire to better their community and themselves, make friends, and have fun! Some Rotaractors are earning master’s degrees and professional certificates; most are working full time. Santa Maria Valley Rotaract has been really busy this year. In partnership with the Central Coast Literacy Council we launched a 6-month project in March called Bi-Lingo that gives community members an opportunity to attend one hour sessions two times a month and practice their English and Spanish conversational skills with each other lead by a

bilingual facilitator. There was good attendance, great success, and the community response has been amazing. The project participants are all from different backgrounds and language skills levels. The club even had the opportunity to host a session for City of Santa Maria employees so they could practice their bilingual conversational skills. The session was tailored to customer service to help employees communicate better with members of the community that are not bilingual. The project concluded earlier this year in October. The club

is now working to help the project continue to develop and provide a much needed resource to help bridge the language barrier in our city. Santa Maria Valley Rotaract has also participated in multiple service opportunities in support of local nonprofits. SMV Rotaractors joined over 300-plus volunteers for the SERVE Santa Maria Event in an effort to beautify selected areas in our community. The club organized the 2nd Annual GO BAGS Drive. Club members collected GO BAGS from businesses and community members for the children of northern Santa Barbara County who

are placed in protective custody and can’t take any of their personal items with them. These bags are added to the children’s personal belongings while they get processed and placed in foster care. The club also participated in Day of Hope. Rotaractors and Rotarians worked hard at selling copies of the Santa Maria Times to raise funds for the Mission Hope Cancer Center of Santa Maria. These are just a few projects and service events the local Rotaract Club has participated in as the club continues to grow and stay true to the mission of “Service Above Self.”

Lee Central Coast Newspapers | Friday, December 1, 2017 | A9

PLAY, Inc. presents the Community Tree Lighting Ceremony

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ou’re invited to join PLAY, Inc. and the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department for the grand illumination of our 24-foot Christmas tree at the

Community Tree Lighting Ceremony that will take place on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the City Hall Courtyard on the corner of Cook and Broadway streets. Festivities begin at 4:30 p.m. with the Coastal

Voices Choir spreading joy to the crowd with caroling. The Christmas tree lighting takes place at 5:30 p.m. to mark the beginning of the Rotary Christmas Parade of Lights! PLAY, Inc.’s mission of

getting everyone out to play is possible because of the contributions community members make to the non-profit organization. There are many ways for community members to get involved.

Believe in PLAY, Inc. and the Holiday Spirit Project Teresa Reyburn PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIR‌

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A10 | Friday, December 1, 2017 | Lee Central Coast Newspapers

he People for Leisure and Youth, Inc. (PLAY, Inc.) is a local nonprofit organization founded in 1997 to enhance, support, and promote the recreation, leisure, parks, and cultural services offered by the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department to enrich the lives of the residents of the Santa Maria Valley. PLAY, Inc. works closely with the City of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department with the goal of providing opportunities to its community members. Together, both organizations work to improve community parks and leisure services to enhance the lives of local residents.

At its core, PLAY, Inc. believes every community member should have the opportunity to participate in recreation and leisure activities. Whether it is an after school program, robotic program, sports league, or a large community event, PLAY, Inc. wants to ensure opportunities like these are available for future generations and relies on community support to make this happen. Throughout this past year, the elves of PLAY, Inc. were busy bustling about, creating fun family activities for the residents of Santa Maria to enjoy. Popular activities include the Summer Concerts and Movies in the Park Series, the Father/ Daughter Dance, Mother/Son Dance, softball tournaments, free swim days, and the Tastes of Mexico fundraiser.

In addition, PLAY, Inc. assisted with many other community-wide events such as the 4th of July Fireworks Show and the Santa Maria Police Department’s National Night Out. These events are possible because PLAY, Inc. has raised tens of thousands of dollars to provide financial assistance for youth, adults, and families to attend recreation programs, sports, and special events. This year, PLAY, Inc. is inviting the community to believe in and support our mission by participating in The Holiday Spirit Project! This ornament fundraiser will help bring recreation and leisure programs to the community while making the Community Christmas Tree dazzle! Make a donation of $20 to PLAY, Inc. and receive an

ornament for your home. A personalized tag of your family, individual or business’ name will also be attached to an ornament on the Community Christmas Tree located on the corner of Cook and Broadway! There are two ornament styles to choose from (Santa Claus or Holiday Bells) and they can be purchased at The Community Tree Lighting event, at the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department’s administrative office located at 615 South McClelland Street or online at www.santamariaatplay.org. You’re invited to join PLAY, Inc. and the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department for the grand illumination of our 24-foot Christmas tree at the Community Tree Lighting Ceremony that will take place on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the City Hall

Courtyard on the corner of Cook and Broadway streets. Festivities begin at 4:30 p.m. with the Coastal Voices Choir spreading joy to the crowd with caroling. The Christmas tree lighting takes place at 5:30 p.m. to mark the beginning of the Rotary Christmas Parade of Lights! PLAY, Inc.’s mission of getting everyone out to play is possible because of the contributions community members make to the non-profit organization. There are many ways for community members to get involved. www.facebook.com/playinc or our website at www.santamariaatplay.org. During this holiday season we encourage you to get out and “PLAY” in any of the City of Santa Maria’s beautiful parks and programs. Happy Holidays!

Rotary International Foundation – 100 years strong Jim Bray ROTA R I A N‌

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n 1917, The Rotary International Foundation was created. It was the dream of Rotarian Arch C. Klumph, who was the first to advocate the creation of a permanent charitable endowment.

He stated it would be used “for the purpose of doing good in the world.” A self-made lumber magnate, Klumph became a founding member of the Rotary Club of Cleveland in 1911. The Rotary Club of Kansas City, MO made the first donation for the endowment in the

amount of $26.50. Upon the death of Rotary founder Paul Harris in 1947, an outpouring of Rotarian donations made in his honor, totaling $2 million, launched the foundation’s first graduate fellowships, now called Ambassadorial Scholarships. Rotary’s 35,000 clubs

worldwide carry out service projects that support the Foundation’s six causes: Promoting Peace; Providing Clean Water; Saving Mothers & Children; Support Education; Growing Local Economies and Fighting Disease. Headquartered in Evanston, Illinois and supported primarily through

individual donations, more than $3 billion has been raised by the Foundation to fund worthwhile humanitarian projects around the globe. Rotary celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Foundation at their international convention this past summer in Atlanta, Georgia.

Salvation Army a key partner for the Christmas Parade of Lights Jim Bray ROTA R I AN‌

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he Salvation Army began in 1865 when William Booth, a London minister, gave up the comfort of his pulpit and decided to take his message into the streets where it would reach the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute. His original aim was to send converts to established churches of the day, but he soon realized that the poor did not feel comfortable or welcomed in the pews of many of the churches and chapels of Victorian England. So, Booth decided to establish a church especially for them – the East

London Christian Mission. In May, 1878, a draft of the mission’s annual report was written entitled “The Christian Mission is a Volunteer Army.” Booth’s son, Bramwell, strongly objected to this wording stating he was not a volunteer — he was compelled to do God’s Work. So, he crossed out the word “Volunteer” and substituted the word “Salvation,” and the Salvation Army name was created. The local Santa Maria Salvation Army Corps & Community Center has been in the Santa Maria Valley for approximately 75 years. As a Christian church, it serves the community by helping the needy with food and clothing, while also

addressing the spiritual needs of those they serve. According to Lieutenant Patricia Torres, Corps Officer with the Santa Maria Salvation Army, “It is our civic duty and responsibility as a community to help our neighbors in need. The Salvation Army is just a channel. We really depend on our community for its help — especially during the holidays and early year when many local field laborers are not working. The Christmas Parade of Lights goes a long way in helping us meet these very important needs.” When the Santa Maria Breakfast Rotary Club decided to take on the project of resurrecting the Christmas Parade of

Lights, it was decided to make this a real community event by asking participants and viewers alike to bring non-perishables to the parade to be donated for the benefit of the Salvation Army – particularly canned soups, pastas, vegetables and cereal. As a result, this effort has grown into the largest canned food drive of its kind on the Central Coast. Each year, the Christmas Parade of Lights contributes almost a ton of canned goods to the local Salvation

Army’s effort to feed the needy. Because of the charitable focus of the parade to benefit the Santa Maria Salvation Army, the parade’s efforts are truly worthy of its theme — “The Joy of Giving.”

Lee Central Coast Newspapers | Friday, December 1, 2017 | A11

Parade Lineup ‌1

Civil Air Patrol

2 Righetti Warrior Marching Band and Righetti High School Cheer 3 Camp Fire of the Central Coast 4

Santa Maria Times

5 Rotary Clubs of Santa Maria and Nipomo

A12 | Friday, December 1, 2017 | Lee Central Coast Newspapers

6 Santa Maria City Council & SMPD Dare Vehicle

16 Boomers

31 Santa Maria Valley YMCA

47 Adobe Nipomo 4-H

17 OUSD Junior High Marching Band

32 El Camino Cheer and El Camino Jr. High Band

48 Nipomo Optometry

18 Santa Maria Elks Lodge #1538 and Touring Elks from Lodge 1538

33 Girl scouts

49 Iglesia Internacional Casa de Dios

34 Cub Scouts Pack #1538

50 Smith Smith Electric Service

19 The Santa Maria Regional Confirmation Ministry

35 Christ United Methodist Church

20 Santa Maria Kiwanis ClubNoontime

36 Marian Regional Medical Center

51 Coastal Valley Detachment Marine Corps League 1340 (MCL1340)

21 Rabobank

37 St Joseph’s Church in Nipomo

Trader Joe’s Santa Maria

22 One Nation 805

Cinco Campanas 4-H Club

23 Kt’s All-Star Gymnastics

Moxie Cafe

24 Rotary Donation Flag

10 Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum & City of Santa Maria Public Library Makerspace 11 Allan Hancock College 12

Santa Maria Public Library

13 Reyes Coca Cola Bottling 14 St. Mary of the Assumption School 15 Pacific Gas & Electric Company

25 Santa Barbara County 5th District Supervisor 26 Righetti FFA 27 City of Santa Maria Public Works Department

38 St. Joseph High School 39 Sunny Country 102.5

42 Santa Maria Fire Department

56 Knight Broadcasting/ Good Samaritan Services

43 Los Prietos Boys Camp

57 God’s Grace Christian Fellowship

29 Student Transportation of America

45 Allan Hancock College Youth Dance

30 Santa Maria Police Explorer Program

46 Boys & Girls Club of Santa Maria Valley

Organizers are of the opinion that given the magnitude of the event, postponing the event one week is not feasible. Too many people, volunteers and participants

54 Diesel Mafia of California

41 Lidos

44 Central Coast Shuttle Services

‌ he Parade of Lights has only been cancelled once in the 20 years that Rotary has T been hosting the event. That happened in one of the early years when the event was much smaller and it was postponed to the following week.

53 Community Bank of Santa Maria

55 Pioneer Valley High School Panther PRIDE Marching Band and Color Guard

40 Oakley Elementary School

28 Santa Barbara Family Dentistry

IN CASE OF RAIN

52 City of Santa Maria Utilities Department

58 Vandenberg Air Force Base Jets Gymnastics 59 7-Eleven 60 Waste Management 61 Arellanes Jr High School

alike, have already made plans for the following week. Organizers therefore will make every effort to put on the parade even under light rain conditions. However, heavy rain conditions will cause cancellation of the event. Organizers will post a message on the web site at www.smparadeoflights. org if the event is cancelled no later than 2 p.m. on Saturday Dec. 2.

66 Santa Maria FFA 67

Santa Maria BMX

Centro Cristiano de Evangelismo

68 Santa Maria High School Saints Band

88 Michael B. Clayton & Associates

69 Nipomo Youth Cheer League

89 S&D’s Mr. Nice Cream

70 Pioneer Valley FFA

90 Orcutt Academy High School Band

Bent Axles car club

American General Media American Cancer Society

Idler’s Home

Smith Alarms and Electronics

Santa Maria Terrace

Santa Maria Model A Ford Club

Santa Maria High School Cheerleaders

Casa Pacifica

80 Lemos Food & Pet Supply 81

Los Padres National Forest

Righetti High School Marimba Band & Ballet Folklorico

American Legion Riders

92 Santa Maria 4 Wheelers 93 New Image Thrift Store—Domestic Violence Solutions 94 Mexican Ladies Social Club 95

TV Television

As Español announcer

Main Street

Judges

Broadway between Enos Drive and Main Street will be closed beginning about 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2. Additionally, Stowell Road will be closed at 3 p.m. between Broadway and Depot Street on parade day because that is the area where entrants will line up for the parade.

Orange St.

until the parade ends at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Boone St.

Jones St.

Broadway intersects with Jones and Cook streets. Other drivers wanted to cross Broadway should use Battles Road on the south or Main J Street to the north.

Finish

Cook St.

Park Ave.

98 Gold Coast Collision 99 Santa Maria Youth Football League

X J TV X Santa Maria Camino High X Collegio

Morrison St.

Iglesia Monte De Zion

Winn Hyundai of Santa Maria

As Town Center Mall

96 Pioneer Valley High School Cheer 97

As As

Fairpark

Staging area

Start

Stowell Rd.

100 Righetti High School Dance and Drumline 101 Custom Workouts 102 The Salvation Army

Len Wood, Staff

A13

103 Santa Claus

Lee Central Coast Newspapers | Friday, December 1, 2017 |

Lazer Broadcasting Corporation

Announcer

Miller Street

86 Ballet Juvenil Azteca De Rocio Santos

La Nueva Radio Vison 88.9 FM

Restroom

Speed St.

Foodbank of Santa Barbara County

Street closed

McClelland St.

Broadway

64 Santa Maria Adventurer club

Parade of Lights

Thornburg St.

63 Calvary Chapel Santa Maria

84 Cal Skate Roller Derby and Central Coast Roller Derby and SLOCO Junior Roller Derby

Depot St.

62 Santa Maria Shrine Club

A thank you to our sponsors!

he Rotary Clubs of Santa Maria and Nipomo wish to thank the following:

Major Sponsors:

• Rabobank • Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians • Dignity Health Hospitals of the Central Coast and Marian Medical Center

Primary Sponsors:

• Santa Maria Times • KCOY and KKFX Television

High Definition Screen Sponsorship

• Coca Cola of Santa Maria

Parade Sponsors:

• Darren Gee—Darren’s Strawberries • Milt Guggia Enterprises • Toyota of Santa Maria • Lemos Pet Supply • Pacific Petroleum • SEIU Local 620 • Streator Pipe and Supply • Santa Maria Inn and Radisson Hotel • Santa Maria Airport District • Santa Maria Parks and Recreation Department • Santa Maria Valley Crop Services • Tolman Insurance

In-kind Sponsors:

• Quinn Equipment Rental • PRP Companies—Printing • All American Screen Printing

And thanks to the many fine organizations below who have helped in one fashion or another to make this parade a great community event: • Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department • Santa Maria Police Department • Santa Maria Fire Department • Civil Air Patrol Squadron 101—Vandenberg and Santa Maria • Central City Market and Town Center Mall • Interact Club of Nipomo H.S. • Interact Club of St. Joseph H.S. • Interact Club of Righetti H.S. • Interact Club of Orcutt Academy H.S.

Allan Hancock College marches in the 2016 Santa Maria Parade of Lights.

• Righetti FFA • Students from Tommy Kunst Jr. High • Students from Lakeview Jr. High

• Students from El Camino Jr. High • Students from Orcutt Jr. High • Portable Johns • Landmark Square • Santa Maria Explorer Scouts • Guadalupe Explorer Scouts • Straw Hat Pizza and Randy/ Mary Wise • Del Taco and Martin/Debi Testa • Santa Maria Inn • Santa Maria Inn Barber Shop • Santa Maria Fairpark • SLO Grind Coffee • Hot Dog on a Stick • Central City Market and Town Center Mall • Santa Maria Jeep Chrysler

Downtown Fridays & MEGA 97.1 join the Christmas Parade of Lights

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| Friday, December 1, 2017 | Lee Central Coast Newspapers

he Festival of Lights, a downtown street fair, will run from shortly after 4 p.m. when Broadway is closed on Dec. 2, until 8 p.m. immediately after the conclusion of the Parade of Lights.

Since April 2016, Downtown Fridays proved to be the place for families, fun, and community camaraderie. The weekly event featured a certified farmers market, live music, food booths, food trucks, arts and crafts, kids’ activities, novelty

items, and a beer and wine tent. Although this popular event is closed for the winter, you will have the opportunity to participate before, during and after the parade on the east side of the median on Broadway between Cook and Main

streets. The parade proceeds on the west side of the median until finishing at the Mall. Festival of Lights will feature live music by Shades of Time, a Kids Zone with bouncers and a mechanical bull, two fully decorated Christmas trees

loaded with gifts will be given away by Altrusa’s Festival of Trees, Naughty Oak Brewing Co. will be pouring beer in the beer and wine tent and some of the best food trucks on the Central Coast will be serving the hungry crowds!

Rotary Club of Santa Maria has served for more than 90 years Vicky Connor ROTARIAN‌

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he Rotary motto of “Service Above Self” is well established in The Rotary Club of Santa Maria, which, as the oldest Rotary Club in Santa Maria, has the longest legacy of community service. It has been providing service in the Santa Maria valley for over 90 years. Sponsored by the Santa Barbara Club and chartered in 1922, the club has sponsored the San Luis Obispo Rotary Club in 1923, Lompoc Rotary in 1925, the Guadalupe Rotary in 1940, the Santa Maria South Rotary Club in 1973 and Santa Maria Breakfast Rotary in 1984. The club’s first meeting was held at the Santa Maria

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Rotary members participate in an event.

Inn, and the club continues to meet there on Tuesdays at 12:10 p.m. The Rotary Club of

Santa Maria also sponsors an Interact club at St. Joseph High School which was established

in 2006. The club is also working to create additional Interact Clubs at two local high schools.

The new local Rotaract Club for young professionals was also inspired by the club’s efforts. The club is an avid “End Polio Now” supporter, with generous contributions annually to Rotary International’s Polio Eradication Initiative. The Initiative has inoculated 2.5 billion people against this crippling disease since 1988 and has reduced the number of countries with polio cases down to two in 2016: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Rotary International expects all of the continent of Africa to soon be declared polio-free, once no cases are reported for three years. The many local and

international service efforts of the club are supported by an annual fundraising dinner/auction, which this year was held Nov. 5. Chaired by Heather Weare, and supported by dozens of club members and hundreds of community members, this year’s event honored the attorney Richard Weldon with the “Don Melby Business Ethics Award.” The event benefited the Luis Oasis Center. According to current club president, Heather Weare, over the past 18 years the club’s fundraising events have raised over $900,000 and have supported many local service projects as well as organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, CASA of SBC, See ROTARY, A16

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Rotary From Page A15

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Good Samaritan Shelter, Santa Maria Public Library Foundation, Camp Fire Central Coast, Allan Hancock College Scholarship Foundation, and numerous others. The historical Rotary Club of Santa Maria boasts a strong link with Cecil B. DeMille, who, while filming “The Ten Commandments” in Guadalupe regularly attended club meetings at the Inn. His affection for the club led him to ask his Hollywood prop department to make a Rotary Wheel for the club, which he presented to club members. This wheel now sits in the Santa Maria Historical Museum. A key local project of the Rotary Club of Santa Maria this year was refurbishing and decorating the intake house for our local Domestic Violence Solutions home. The club has also supported a Global Grant for Women in Bosnia, and

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Jim Talbott, of SMOOTH Transportation, accepts a check from Santa Maria Rotary Club members Laura Mohajer and Susan Rees.

the Rotaract and Interact Clubs hosted a work day for the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum. The Rotary Club of Santa Maria is a proud co-sponsor of the Christmas Parade of Lights, working with the other Rotary Clubs in Santa Maria and Nipomo

for several months to assure that all logistics are managed efficiently. Besides sponsoring the parade, the club has joined with the other local Rotary clubs in the building of Rotary Centennial Park and the Central Coast Literacy Center in the Santa

Maria Library. Jointly the local clubs have worked to clean up the Dunes Center in Guadalupe and Oso Flaco Lake, and have sponsored the “Concerts in the Park” during the summer. The club has also provided support for international projects of other local clubs.

A key local project of the Rotary Club of Santa Maria this year was refurbishing and decorating the intake house for our local Domestic Violence Solutions home. The club has also supported a Global Grant for Women in Bosnia, and the Rotaract and Interact Clubs hosted a work day for the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum.

Rotary is service above self Jim Bray ROTARIAN‌

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promoting the United Nations in Rotary publications. Rotary International’s relationship with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) dates to a 1943 London Rotary conference that promoted international cultural and educational exchanges. Attended by ministers of education and observers from around the world, and chaired by a past president of Rotary International, the conference was an impetus to the establishment of UNESCO in 1946. In 1932, Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor created the

Four-Way Test. This is a code of ethics adopted by Rotary 11 years later. The test, which has been translated into more than 100 languages, asks the following questions: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? The Rotary Foundation was the dream of Rotarian Arch C. Klumph, who was the first to advocate the creation of a permanent charitable endowment. A self-made lumber magnate, Klumph became a founding member of the Rotary Club of Cleveland

in 1911. The Rotary Club of Kansas City, MO made the first donation for the endowment in the amount of $26.50 in 1917. Supported primarily through individual donations, today, more than $3 billion has been raised by the Foundation to fund worthwhile humanitarian projects around the globe. In 1980, Rotary vowed to eradicate the polio virus through global immunization. The PolioPlus program was launched in 1985, and Rotary began working with organizations like WHO, UNICEF, the CDC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the eradication effort. For every $1 Rotary commits to polio eradication, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed $2. Because of this tremendous effort, more than 120 countries have seen the eradication of polio since 1988. This includes 2.5 billion children who have been immunized. With

each passing day, the Rotary Foundation and its partners get closer to ending polio for good. Youth is an important focus of Rotary as well, and gives young people an excellent opportunity to participate in community service. Rotary recognizes the importance of empowering youth and young professionals through leadership development programs such as Rotaract, Interact, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and Rotary Youth Exchange. Rotarians are your neighbors, your community leaders and some of the world’s greatest history-makers, including: Warren G. Harding, U.S. President; Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor of the wireless radio and Nobel Laureate; Thomas Mann, German novelist and Nobel Laureate; Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator; Frank Borman, American astronaut and James Cash Penney, founder of JC

Penney Company. In more than 35,000 clubs worldwide, with a membership of 1.2 million, you will find Rotarians volunteering in communities at home and abroad to support education and job training, provide clean water, combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, as well as the fight to end polio. The organization’s dedication to serve others is truly expressed in its motto— Service Above Self. For more than 110 years, Rotary’s guiding principles have been the foundation of its values: service, fellowship, diversity, integrity and leadership. To learn more about Rotary, and how to become a member of a local Rotary Club, visit the Rotary website at www. rotary.org.

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otary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. As signified by the motto Service Above Self, Rotary’s main objective is service — in the community, in the workplace and throughout the world. The world’s first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, Illinois was formed Feb. 23, 1905. Paul P. Harris, an attorney, wished to recapture in a professional club, the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth. The name “Rotary” is derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members’ offices. Rotary’s popularity spread throughout the United States and within five years clubs had formed across the country from San Francisco to New York. By July 1925, Rotary had grown to more than 2,000 clubs and an estimated 108,000 members on six continents. As Rotary grew, its mission expanded beyond serving the professional and social interests of club members. Rotarians began pooling their resources and contributing their talents to help serve communities in need. During and after World War II, Rotarians became increasingly involved in promoting international understanding. In 1945, 49 Rotary members served in 29 delegations to the United Nations Charter Conference. Rotary still actively participates in United Nations conferences by sending observers to major meetings and

Rotary Santa Maria South – an ‘afterwork’ service club for busy professionals Vicky Connor ROTARIAN‌

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otary Santa Maria South is active both locally and internationally. Locally, the club supports Santa Maria/Orcutt youth and families in a variety of ways. An annual sponsor of the City of Santa Maria’s “Concerts in the Park,” the club also supports the Christmas Parade of Lights with other local Rotary clubs. Annually hosting a “Santa” party for some Boys and Girls Club youth, Rotary Santa Maria South is also an annual sponsor of the Blochman Robotics Club, concerned for local youth with special challenges, the club last year donated half the net proceeds of one of its fundraisers to the Los Prietos Boys’ Camp, with half of this year’s Wine Fundraiser dedicated to providing drug test funding to the Santa Maria Family Services/Youth Alcohol and Drug program. The club has donated to Fitzgerald Community School, as well. In addition to

sponsoring and working with the Orcutt Academy High School (OAHS) Interact Club, Santa Maria Rotary South provides scholarships to graduating seniors, books for local libraries, and sends three or four students to Rotary Youth Leadership Academy camp each year. Originally conceived as a “Walk for Mental Health” by club member David Bixby, the club’s key fundraiser is now a “Walk/Run for Mental Health,” chaired by Bob Ogden, with Leticia Soto handling 5K/10K and walk logistics. Held each spring, the event provides funds to support both Rotary’s regular donations and “Growing Grounds”, a horticultural program of Transitions Mental Health which fosters employment and rehabilitation in local individuals who have experienced mental illness. Also on the local front, Contributed‌ Rotary Santa Maria South club members participate Santa Maria Rotary South club members gather for a tour of Mission Hope Cancer Center. in several efforts supporting our homeless neighShelter, and club members several local churches. in the Salvation Army explains that club bors. The club periodioften serve at the Central Weekly showers for bell-ringing, many of members travel to La cally prepares and serves Coast Rescue Mission’s individuals without a the funds of which go Paz, Mexico almost meals at the Good Sam annual Thanksgiving meal home are offered by the to support the needs of annually to visit the for homeless and low“Blessings” program at homeless individuals in club’s key international income residents. a local church and Santa the community. partner Club Rotario A new service opporMaria Rotary South Joe Gruba, Rotary de la Paz, assess village tunity this year for club members now volunteer Santa Maria South club needs and determine members is being offered periodically to help staff president and former what can be done for through the “Showers the effort. Club members chairman of the club’s the village schools they of Blessing” program of also annually participate international activities, jointly support.

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Rotary Santa Maria South walk/run event.

worked with other clubs to secure a Rotary grant to provide a computer lab and internet connection to the Colonia Diana Laura School. In 2016-17, the club spearheaded a water filtration grant project with the La Paz club, a Rotary club in Truckee, and two other Santa Maria clubs to garner $100,000 from Rotary International for the purchase of approximately 2,000

filters to bring clean water to families in the Baja Peninsula. Prior to its work in La Paz, the club’s early international work included a multi-year water well project in Zambia, a collaboration with other Rotary clubs that brought water to 40,000 Zambians. Members of Rotary Santa Maria South also support Rotary International’s effort to eliminate

polio worldwide. Founded by physicians, attorneys and other business professionals unable to make day-time meetings, Rotary Santa Maria South still prides itself on being an “after-work” club with a big heart and a convenient meeting schedule. As Rotary International encourages individual clubs to accommodate the changing needs of working volunteers, Rotary

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“Giving the Gift of Independence to Seniors”

Vilma Contreras, MBA Executive Director

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1120 West Ocean Ave, #113 Lompoc, CA 93436 phone 805.737.1976 fax 805.737.5617 vilma@partnersincaring.org

Santa Maria South has responded by retaining its schedule of “handson” service opportunities important to club members, but has eliminated a few of the required weekly meetings to allow members more time with family and friends. The club features programs at the Santa Maria Inn the first and third Mondays of the month at 6 p.m., with club members gathering

in the Tap Room for wine and conversation beginning at 5 p.m. Second Mondays are club mixers at other locations, with the fourth and fifth Mondays reserved for special meetings, service opportunities, or personal time. Those interested in Rotary service and camaraderie may contact Rotary Santa Maria South membership chair Peter Garcia at: peterleandrogarcia@yahoo.com

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Past club projects for La Paz, spearheaded by Ken and Diane Parker, have included a school library and shade area for student lunches, playground equipment and school supplies, as well as a micro-loan project and provision of sewing machines to foster some economic stability for women unable to travel for work. In 2013-14, Rotary Santa Maria South

Collaboration Experts: Rotary Club of Nipomo Vicky Connor ROTARIAN‌

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Nipomo Rotary BBQ experts!

Alan Daurio Board of Directors

Home: (805)929-2606 ahdaurio@sdcglobal.net History • Nature • Community

Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos 501c(3) non proﬁt charitable organization Tax ID 77-0513007

671 S. Oakglen Avenue Nipomo, CA 93444 Phone: (805)929-5679 www.DanaAdobe.org

he Nipomo Rotary Club’s trademark BBQ support is a mainstay for many Central Coast nonprofits, which partner with the club to leverage fundraising efforts and keep more profits for community causes. Wherever one travels in San Luis Obispo County, it’s more likely than not that the Nipomo Rotary’s BBQ team and trailer have already been there, serving up community collaboration along with tasty, traditional BBQ meals. The Nipomo Chamber’s Octoberfest, Mesa Middle School, 4-H, Dana Elementary School, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Lucia Mar Foundation, and Operation Rescue (nonspecific breed animal rescue) have all been beneficiaries of Nipomo Rotary BBQ support. Rotary Club of Nipomo 2016-17 club president, Jeremy Moreno, says that supporting community youth is a priority

of the Nipomo Club, with the club providing over $20,000 a year in funds raised for various youth growth programs, including university, community college, and vocational scholarships to high school graduating seniors from the Nipomo area. The club also sends high school students to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and sponsors the very active Nipomo High School Rotary Interact club. The Rotary Club of Nipomo is also in the works of sponsoring a new Rotaract club in our area. A thriving, active club known for high spirits and hearty camaraderie, the mid-sized club meets every Wednesday morning at 7 a.m., at the Monarch Dunes Golf Club Butterfly Grille in Nipomo. The Nipomo Rotary has a fond regard for family and fun and includes several social family gatherings during the year in its activity schedule. A key youth support activity is the Nipomo See NIPOMO, A22

Rabobank is a proud sponsor of The Parade Lights.

GROWTH STARTS SMALL.

Personal Banking I Business Banking I Home Lending I Food & Agriculture

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RabobankAmerica.com/Grow

Nipomo

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From Page A20

Rotary’s annual “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner” fundraiser, benefiting the Rotary Club of Nipomo, Mesa Middle School Drama Club, and the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of Nipomo. Nipomo Rotary annually hosts a fundraiser golf tournament, and Veterans Breakfast, with club members encouraged to “bring a vet” to be recognized. Nipomo Rotarians also hold work days at the Nipomo Senior Center, host annual Public Safety recognition dinners, community clean up on Thompson Road and Tefft Street, and sponsors five blood drives! Nipomo Rotarians also funded and built a Rotary bandstand for the community, with the structure being created in memory of Paul Teixeira, a past president and long-time active member of the Nipomo Rotary Club. Internationally, Nipomo Rotarians participate in Rotary’s worldwide immunization days and host a “Poker Run for Polio” for global polio immunization. The club partnered with the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Nipomo club members at work. in sending 4,000 allweather tennis shoes to Kathleen Stowell, 2017-18 club president, is happy to report that, an impoverished village in answer to Rotary International’s request for tree plantings, the in Paraguay. The club also collaborated with the Nipomo Rotary Club planted one tree for each club member in the Rotary Club of Ojai on a global grant to provide local park, replacing trees lost to disease and drought. economic development to rural women in Bosnia and Herzegovina and club members have previously sent critical necessities to Zambia. Kathleen Stowell, 2017-18 club president, is happy to report that, in answer to Rotary International’s request for tree plantings, the Nipomo Rotary Club planted one tree for each club member in the local park, replacing trees lost to

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