12 / March 2020 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com
COMMUNITY NEWS
Chamber Chief Toni Castro Steps Down After 32 Years
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By Jondi Gumz
he started the children’s Halloween costume parade in Capitola Village in 1989, and it’s become a tradition. The next year, she started the Easter egg hunt on Capitola Beach — an eggstravaganza with 5,000 eggs for children to find. Then she started something original: Persuading woodie surfwagon owner Rowland Baker to be Surfin’ Santa, paddling his outrigger canoe to Capitola Beach to listen to children share their Christmas lists. Surfer Frosty Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz Hesson does it now, and the event Toni Castro outside the Capitola-Soquel Chamber of Commerce has gotten coverage on NBC. office. And she built up the nascent Capitola Art & Wine Festival from a couple director who went on maternity leave with of wineries and a couple of artists and food no plans to return. vendors into the chamber’s biggest fund“I applied to make it a full-time raiser, with 160 artists, 22 wineries, 20 food position,” Castro said. “The board hired vendors and 15 entertainment groups — me.” admission free — attracting large crowds 3x5 cards to the Esplanade overlooking Monterey he year was 1988. Her office consisted Bay. of a corner inside the Capitola HisNow, after 32 years, on March 1 torical Museum, with a desk, a phone, a Toni Castro will be stepping down as filing cabinet and the names of members executive director of the Capitola-Soquel written on 3x5 cards. Chamber of Commerce and retiring at Castro said one volunteer took the age 67. cards with her when she moved to Oregon Today, job-hopping is common, but so she had to track down the members Castro was never tempted to move on. herself. “It’s fun. I’m putting on fun activities When she wanted to invest in modern for people,” she said. “I never got tired of office technology, like a fax machine, she it.” got pushback at first but she gradually got ••• better equipment, including a computer, unning the chamber was Castro’s and a second staffer for the office, which second career. then moved to the garage by Jones & Bones. The Santa Cruz native worked in In 1997, CHECK. The chamber moved banking first, joining County Bank as in 1997 to the Plum Garden complex, a teller and working her way up over where there’s room for the staff of three 15 years to vice president in charge of and to store equipment for special events. marketing. In 1996, Castro launched the Women When County Bank was acquired by on Waves surf contest with the West Wind Pacific Western Bank, she was tapped for Surf Club and ran it for eight years until multiple task forces to integrate the two Sally Smith and then Anna Macken took operations — an experience that led to over. Local surfer Aylana Zanville hopes to burnout. bring it back later this year. At the time, she had been president Castro helped birth multiple other of the chamber for two years and from events, the Kite Classic, the Vintage Motorher volunteer work, was familiar with the cycle Show, and the Classic Car Show. organization. “Castro Retires” page 14 The chamber had a part-time executive
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