November/December 2012 - North Monterey County Chamber of

 NORTH MONTEREY COUNTY imes
November‐December, 2012 North Monterey County Chamber
Hosts Annual La Posada
What’s Inside….
Annual Posada, cont., Page 2
LULAC Hosts Thanksgiving
Feast, Page 3
Business Watch Meeting, Page 4
Appreciation Tree
Unveiling, Page 4
Upcoming Events, Page 5
Board Members:
Santa & Mrs. Claus Arrive at the Shopping Center
courtesy of North County Fire District
O
n Sunday, December 2nd the annual La Posada was held at the Iglesia
de Jesucristo “Manatial de Agua Viva” in the Castroville Station
Shopping Center. “Las Posadas” is a nine-day celebration with origins in
Spain. Today it is typically held in Mexico, Guatemala and several areas in
the southwestern United States. It begins on December 16th and ends on
December 24th. Las Posadas is Spanish for “lodging” or “accommodation,”
and it is said in plural because it is held more than one day. The nine day
novena represents the nine months of pregnancy. The celebration also includes a procession that has been a tradition in Mexico for over 400 years.
Although Mother Nature was not at her best, over 700 celebrants crowded
into the church for an afternoon of holiday cheer. The Posada opened with
PO Box 744, Castroville, CA 95012
Judy Burditt, President
Polly Jimenez, Vice President
Shelia Rose, Secretary
Lorena Miranda, Treasurer
Nancy Ausonio
Rich Coffelt
David Delfino
Greg East
Diane Franciscovich
Newsletter Editor
Robert Mang
Roseann Orlebeck
Eric Tynan
Denice Amerison, Exec. Director
Phone (831) 633-2465 - Fax (831) 633-0485
November-December, 2012
Page 2
Although everyone loved talking to Santa, the highlight
of the afternoon was when it came time to collect a present. Once again, the Midnighters Car Club raised the
money used to purchase approximately 900 toys. The
Midnighters have been supporting Posada celebrations
throughout Monterey County for many years, and have
been the force behind the success of the Castroville
Posada for 10 years. Club members spend the entire
year holding fundraisers to raise money to purchase
gifts. We are so grateful for their participation. The
Posada would not be possible without their support.
Prior to Santa’s arrival the children
busied themselves at the craft table.
a prayer lead by Rich Coffelt, Pastor at North County
Christian Center, followed by the choir from Our Lady of
Refuge singing the procession hymn.
Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived in style in a fire truck provided by the North County Fire District. Once the siren
sounded, all of the children descended on the parking lot to
welcome the jolly couple. Santa and his missus spent the
afternoon visiting with children and listening to their
Christmas wishes.
Members of the Midnighters Car Club anxiously await
the arrival of the children for the toy give-away.
In closing we wish to thank Pastor Rich Coffelt, Our
Lady of Refuge Church, Pastor Gustavo Baez, the Midnighters, Judy Burditt and North County Recreation and
Parks, participants from the North Monterey County
Chamber of Commerce, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, participating merchants and all others who helped
make this event a success.
Photos with Santa & Mrs. Claus
Parents and children alike rushed
outside to get a glimpse of Santa
and perhaps shake his hand.
Bags of candy were handed out to the children and booths
had been set up offering hot dogs, lumpia, coffee, hot
chocolate and more. Several merchants in the Castroville
Station Shopping Center joined in the celebration by opening their doors to attendees and offering treats and information about their businesses.
The North County Chamber wishes you and yours a
happy and healthy holiday season and peace in 2013.
November-December, 2012
Page 3
LULAC Hosts Castroville
Thanksgiving Feast
A
pproximately three
months ago it was doubtful that Castroville would
be hosting its annual
Thanksgiving Feast.
Jamieko Lane, who
chaired the event for the
past three years, had married and left the area.
Would anyone be willing
to take over where
Jamieko left off? Someone would. Enter the
League of Latin American
Citizens (LULAC).
Diana Jimenez readies
the potatoes for serving.
Thanks to Diana Jimenez,
LULAC Board President, the feast continued. She and
over 200 volunteers worked diligently for over two
months to make this year’s event a success. Food preparations began the Monday before Thanksgiving with turkeys being cooked at the Rec. Center. More turkeys were
prepared on Tuesday while waiting for produce deliveries.
On Wednesday volunteers once again stayed busy in the
kitchen, and North Monterey County school children
decorated placemats and drew Thanksgiving murals to
enhance the festivities. Tables were set up and adorned
with pumpkins donated by Bouchard Farm and flowers
donated by Jesse and Marlene Alderete. Color markers
and pictures were also provided to entertain the children
once they arrived.
For the volunteer
Thanksgiving day
started at
6:00 a.m.
and didn’t
end until the
cleanup was
completed.
Supervisor Lou Calcagno
presents a $1,000 check
to Diana Jimenez
Over 1,000
meals were
consumed, half of
them being served to
children. “We were
all exhausted, but
extremely happy,”
said Diana. “All the
hard work was well
worth it, and I was
taken aback by those
who contributed in
his or her own way.
Next year I hope to
do more.”
LULAC would like
to recognize the following businesses
and individuals for
Hundreds give thanks for the
their time and genermeal
they are about to receive.
osity: Salinas Food
Bank, Berkely
Farms, Prunedale Starbucks, Trolly Car Restaurant, Claudio’s Specialty Breads, Betty and Greg McMillan, Gloria
Rojas, Debbier Torres, Salinas Plaza Bakery, Pure Water,
Ace Hardware, Trader Joe’s, Supermax, Sylvia Barrientos, Supervisor Lou Calcagno, Denice Amerison, Judy
Burditt, Diane Franciscovich, Charlotte Noyes, Jesse and
Maralene Alderete, Bouchard Farm, Ben Anguiano, Fresh
Start, Church Brothers, Growers Express, Mann’s, Pacific
International Marketing, Bengard, Altar Produce LLC,
Boggiatto Produce, Foxy, Amaral Ranches, River Ranch,
Green Gate Fresh, Queen Victoria, Duda Farm Fresh
Foods, and Fresh Roots. A special thank you goes to the
employees of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR)
who did an outstanding job of setting up the tables and
chairs, and putting together approximately 700 bags of
groceries to give to the
families that attended.
“Thanksgiving is a time
for friends and family to
come together and be
thankful.” said Diana.
“Getting the community
together to share this
experience is beyond
amazing. For this we are
blessed.”
(Photos by Henry Gowin &
Diane Franciscovich))
November-December, 2012
Page 4
“Lunch and Learn”—
A Business Watch Event
Andy Ausonio Library
Appreciation Tree Unveiling
n an effort to provide North Monterey County businesses with helpful information as to how to navigate
through the upcoming holiday season safely, the
North Monterey County Chamber of Commerce held
a “Lunch and Learn” event, Thursday, November 8th.
The luncheon was hosted by Green Mountain Coffee
Roasters (GMCR) at their site on Ocean Mist Parkway in Castroville. The guest speaker was Dave
Crozier, Crime Prevention Specialist for the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department. The title of his
presentation was “Safe Business Practices during
the Holidays.” In attendance at the event was Supervisor Lou Calcagno who, along with all other attendees, enjoyed a wonderful lunch provided
through the North Monterey County Recreation and
Parks District.
Donors, left to right: Ray Retez, Hugo & Dolores
Tottino, Roseann Orlebeck, Nancy Ausonio,
Marleen Burch and Judy Baggett.
I
Among points of emphasis during the meeting was
the importance of forming a Business Watch program in the North County area. Business Watch is a
national program that complements the efforts of law
enforcement in crime suppression. Business Watch
asks merchants to do three things: 1) Secure their
own businesses; 2) Watch for suspicious activity
around their business and other businesses in the
community; and 3) Communicate with law enforcement and with other merchants both crimes perpetrated against them and suspicious activity. A
“Communications (Phone & E-mail) Tree” serves as
the instrument for communication among businesses. This tool is currently being created and
would require that only two or three calls/emails be
made in the event a reportable incident takes place.
Those interested in participating in the Business
Watch program need only to contact Rich Coffelt at
[email protected] or 632-0725 to sign up.
An additional aspect of the meeting was a presentation by Greg East, site manager of GMCR in Castroville. Greg shared a bit of the history and organizational philosophy of the company, showing video
highlighting its community service and environmental
initiatives. Attendees were also treated to a coffee
tasting or “cupping” experience, learning just a bit of
what taste testers go through as they evaluate the
quality of the product. Finally, any who wished were
O
n Thursday, November 29th an Appreciation Tree
was unveiled at the Andy Ausonio Library. Donations
have been collected for several months. Following the
completion of its parts, and prior to its assembly in the
entry to the library, the lobby was given a complete makeover. New wallpaper was hung, walls painted, display
cases updated and everything scrubbed until spic and
span. Well wishers and contributors gathered at 5:00 p.m.
in anticipation of the unveiling. As the cover was removed, a sigh could be heard from everyone in attendance. The tree is quite spectacular. It is constructed in
brass, aluminum, copper and patron and features large
rocks, small rocks, butterflies, acorns and leaves. The
library thanks the following donors for making this
project possible: Ausonio Inc., Dearden Building, Rabobank, Whole Enchilada, Castroville Library, Ocean Mist
Farms, Tottino Family, Ann Busterud, Tibbs Family
Trust, Garden of Eden, Aladin Properties, Thomas &
Shirley Long Trust, Castroville Station Shopping Center,
Cardinale Moving & Storage, Sheridan Park Apartments,
Steinbeck Plaza, Woodside Apartments, O’Sliven
Family,Randazzo Enterprises, Jim & Annette Harris, Judy
Baggett, Don Kramer, Franciscovich Family, Burch
Group, and Williams Roofing.
Donation envelopes are available at the library should you
wish to make a contribution towards the
Appreciation Tree. Thank you!
November-December, 2012
Page 5
UPCOMING EVENTS
Verizon Wireless Barbecue &
Annual Customer Appreciation Day
PruneTree Shopping Center
Saturday, December 22nd
Noon—4:00 PM
(Gift wrapping available from 10:00 AM—4:00 PM
by New Life Community Church)
Christmas Time
Prunedale Shopping Center
Saturday, December 22nd
Noon—2:00 PM
Toy Give-Away
Infants to 12 Years of Age
For information call 633-2465
Christmas Time
PruneTree Shopping Center
Saturday, December 22nd
2:00 PM—4:00 PM
Toy Give-Away
Infants to 12 Years of Age
For information call 633-2465
Installation & Awards Dinner
All-You-Can-Eat Crab Feed
6:00 PM, Saturday, January 26th
North County Recreation and Parks District
11261 Crane Street
Castroville
For information call 633-3084 or 633-2465